The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) is pressing House leadership to stop the Secure Revenue Clearance Channel Act, arguing the bill would reopen a loophole that Congress and the executive branch have already moved to close.
The legislation—introduced in late January by Rep. Carol Miller (R‑WV) and Rep. Don Beyer (D‑VA)—is framed as a way to ease congestion at US express entry ports by encouraging closer coordination between express consignment carriers and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Under the proposal, express operators could use informal entry for imported shipments valued at $600 or less, while still maintaining tariff collection and enforcement efforts focused on fentanyl and other illicit goods.
NCTO president and CEO Kim Glas, writing to Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, called the bill “an incredibly harmful measure,” contending it would effectively revive the de minimis pipeline and undercut domestic textile manufacturing.
The de minimis threshold currently allows goods valued at $800 or less to enter duty-free without a formal customs declaration. Glas said lawmakers have already recognised the harm created by that structure and acted to eliminate it.
Glas wrote: “Last year, through bipartisan action, Congress voted overwhelmingly to end de minimis after identifying the substantial harms it perpetrated.”
She cited 2023 findings from the House China Select Committee: “The House China Select Committee determined in 2023 that Chinese e-commerce platforms were flooding the US with billions of dollars’ worth of goods but had paid $0 in import duties, while American companies comparatively spent millions. Additionally, these platforms were found lacking in due diligence mechanisms to verify that products were not tainted by forced labour in China.”
Congress has since moved to end de minimis through legislation scheduled to take effect in July 2027, and an executive order from the Trump administration also closed de minimis to global commercial shipments starting in August 2025. Glas said those changes have had a tangible effect.
“As a result, the volume of small package deliveries has dramatically decreased, duty collections are up, and American consumers and workers are better off,” Glas said.
In her letter, Glas warned that the Secure Revenue Clearance Channel Act would reintroduce many of the same enforcement challenges by providing duty relief to foreign importers while requiring less shipment data—making oversight difficult and favouring offshore producers.
“Despite clear action from Congress and the administration on the negative impact of expresss shipment programs for ‘small value’ packages at US ports, some still want to provide duty relief to foreign importers while requiring less information on packages valued at up to $600 — making enforcement impossible and rewarding offshore producers.
“De minimis was labelled ‘China’s backdoor to the US,’ facilitated by an environment where goods were cleared on manifest, packages were not properly inspected or levied duties, and the risk posed was extremely high. The Secure Revenue Clearance Channel Act would recreate many of these same problems, with China being the biggest winner.”