The order of minimis of Trump could increase costs on clothing and goods from China

President Trump ordered the closure of a flaw on Wednesday that allows retailers to send clothes and other China products directly to American buyers without paying prices.

The flaw, known as minimis exemption, currently applies to goods worth less than $ 800. These goods are authorized to enter the United States without a price. Mr. Trump’s order, which takes effect on May 2, removes the exemption from China packages, the greatest source of minimis deliveries. The items purchased and shipped in this way also require much fewer customs documents.

By putting an end to the exemption, customs and border protection will now receive pricing income on shipments of a value of less than $ 800. Trump also said that his order would help prevent smuggling drugs. He and others said that fentanyl and his precursor ingredients were sometimes shipped to the United States by the name of minimis delivery.

Chinese shipowners “hide illicit substances and hide the real content of the expeditions sent to the United States through misleading shipping practices,” Trump’s order said.

The legislators of the two parties called for the reform of the provision of De Minmis.

Representative Linda Sánchez, a California democrat who introduced legislation to end the exemption, said that Mr. Trump’s order was not far enough and was to apply to all trade. “Otherwise, we will play a game of Whac-A-Mole, because the bad actors and smugglers of Fentanyl simply move their operations in other countries to continue to exploit the fault,” she said in a statement.

“For too long, this customs escape has enabled foreign exporters to flood our cheap product market and helped drug traffickers to move fentanyl in front of our borders – which led to factory closings, job losses and deaths,” Representative Rosa Delauro, Connecticut Democrat on Thursday.