On February 5, 2025, the White House issued an amendment to an Executive Order (“EO”) issued by President Trump on February 1, titled “Imposing Duties to Address the Synthetic Opioid Supply Chain in the People’s Republic of China.” The amendment states that “de minimis treatment under 19 U.S.C. 1321 is available for otherwise eligible covered articles…but shall cease to be available for such articles upon notification by the Secretary of Commerce to the President that adequate systems are in place to fully and expediently process and collect tariff revenue” on said articles. While this amendment is a significant departure from the original text of the Order, which stated that “de minimis treatment…shall not be available” for any goods of Chinese origin, the amendment does not provide an estimated timeframe for the duration of de minimis reinstatement.
Crowell & Moring continues to monitor this and other developments in the customs space and their impact on business and industry.