CSMS # 65029543 - Update to GUIDANCE: Federal Register Notice Published on De Minimis Requirements Per Executive Order 14256 and Guidance for Carriers Transporting International Mail - U.S. Customs & Border Protection

On May 12, 2025, the President signed the Executive Order “Modifying Reciprocal Tariff Rates to Reflect Discussions with the People’s Republic of China.”  In addition to  implementing a 90-day percentage decrease in the ad valorem duty rate for products of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) (including products of Hong Kong and Macau) covered by Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025, as amended (guidance regarding which is provided in a separate CSMS), the May 12, 2025 Executive Order also modified the special duty rates set forth in section 2(c) of Executive Order 14256 of April 2, 2025, as amended, which apply to postal items containing covered products of the PRC (as described in section 2(a) of Executive Order 14195) that are valued at or under $800, that would otherwise qualify for the de minimis exemption authorized in 19 U.S.C. § 1321(a)(2)(C), and that are sent to the United States through the international postal network from the PRC or Hong Kong.  Accordingly, effective 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on May 14, 2025, shipments of covered products valued at or under $800 arriving through international mail from China and Hong Kong will be subject to an ad valorem duty rate of 54% or a flat specific duty rate of $100 per package. 

The process for collection and payment of duties for international mail shipments from China and Hong Kong, as provided in CSMS # 6486116, has been updated and is attached to this message. 

All other restrictions on de minimis shipments remain in effect.  Accordingly, effective 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on May 2, 2025, covered goods will not receive the administrative exemption from duty and certain taxes under 19 U.S.C. § 1321(a)(2)(C), known as the “de minimis” exemption. Goods described in Section 2(a) of Executive Order 14195, “Imposing Duties To Address the Synthetic Opioid Supply Chain in the People’s Republic of China” (90 FR 9121, Feb. 7, 2025), as amended, that are not sent through international mail, must be entered under an appropriate entry type, such as a type 11 or 01 entry, in ACE, and will be subject to all applicable duties, taxes, and fees. 
 

Federal Register Notices:

• Sales at Less Than Fair Value; Determinations, Investigations, etc.: Thermoformed Molded Fiber Products From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, Postponement of Final Determination and Extension of Provisional Measures
• Thermoformed Molded Fiber Products From the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, Postponement of Final Determination and Extension of Provisional Measures
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Oil Country Tubular Goods From India: Final Results of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2022
• Certain Hardwood Plywood Products From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results of Administrative Reviews of the Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders, Preliminary Determinations of No Shipments, and Partial Rescissions; 2023
• Passenger Vehicle and Light Truck Tires From Thailand: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2022-2023
• Oil Country Tubular Goods From India: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2022-2023
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Forged Steel Fluid End Blocks From Italy: Preliminary Results and Rescission in Part of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2023
• Large Diameter Welded Pipe From Canada, the People's Republic of China, Greece, India, the Republic of Korea, and the Republic of Türkiye: Continuation of Antidumping Duty and Countervailing Duty Orders
• Methionine From Spain: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2022-2023
• Forged Steel Fluid End Blocks: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2023
• Certain Lined Paper Products From India: Final Results of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2022
• Certain Steel Nails From the Republic of Korea: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2022-2023
• Wooden Bedroom Furniture From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results and Rescission, in Part, of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2023
• Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and Strip From Taiwan: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and Final Determination of No Shipments; 2022-2023
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Raw Honey From the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2021-2023; Correction
• Certain Carbon and Alloy Steel Cut-to-Length Plate From Italy: Preliminary Results and Intent To Rescind, in Part, of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2023-2024 
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Dioctyl Terephthalate (DOTP) From Malaysia, Poland, Taiwan, and Turkey Determinations
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Erythritol From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination and Alignment of Final Determination With Final Antidumping Duty Determination
• Certain Corrosion-Resistant Steel Products From the Republic of Korea: Final Results and Rescission, in Part, of the Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2022
• Certain Frozen Warmwater Shrimp From India: Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, in Part; 2023-2024
• Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and Strip (PET Film) From India: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2022-2023
• Certain Cold-Rolled Steel Flat Products From the Republic of Korea: Final Results of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2022
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Multifunctional Acrylate and Methacrylate Monomers and Oligomers From South Korea and Taiwan
• Ferrosilicon From Brazil, Kazakhstan, and Malaysia

Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Announces Actions to Put American Patients First by Lowering Drug Prices and Stopping Foreign Free-riding on American Pharmaceutical Innovation - The White House

REDUCING DRUG PRICES FOR AMERICANS AND TAXPAYERS: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to bring the prices Americans and taxpayers pay for prescription drugs in line with those paid by similar nations.

• The Order directs the U.S. Trade Representative and Secretary of Commerce to take action to ensure foreign countries are not engaged in practices that purposefully and unfairly undercut market prices and drive price hikes in the United States.
• The Order instructs the Administration to communicate price targets to pharmaceutical manufacturers to establish that America, the largest purchaser and funder of prescription drugs in the world, gets the best deal.
• The Secretary of Health and Human Services will establish a mechanism through which American patients can buy their drugs directly from manufacturers who sell to Americans at a “Most-Favored-Nation” price, bypassing middlemen.
• If drug manufacturers fail to offer most-favored-nation pricing, the Order directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) propose rules that impose most-favored-nation pricing; and (2) take other aggressive measures to significantly reduce the cost of prescription drugs to the American consumer and end anticompetitive practices.

GETTING A BETTER DEAL FOR AMERICANS: President Trump is once again taking action to keep pharmaceutical manufacturers from charging Americans high drug prices while giving steep discounts to other wealthy nations.

• According to recent data, the prices Americans pay for brand-name drugs are more than three times the price other OECD nations pay, even after accounting for discounts manufacturers provide in the U.S.
• The United States has less than five percent of the world’s population, yet funds roughly 75% of global pharmaceutical profits.
• Drug manufacturers discount their products to gain access to foreign markets and then subsidize those discounts through high prices charged in America—in essence, Americans are subsidizing drug-manufacturer profits and foreign health systems, despite drug manufacturers benefiting from generous research subsidies and enormous healthcare spending by the U.S. Government.
• In his first term, President Trump took historic action to keep Medicare and seniors from paying more for drugs than economically comparable countries, which the Biden Administration rescinded before it could take effect.
• Instead of fixing this problem, the Biden Administration’s greatest achievement was to negotiate prices that were, on average, 78 percent higher than in 11 comparable countries as part of Biden’s effort to “beat Medicare.”

DELIVERING ON PROMISES TO PUT AMERICAN PATIENTS FIRST: President Trump is delivering on his promise to once again put America first by furthering efforts to get American patients and taxpayers a fair deal for prescription drugs.

• This Order builds on actions from President Trump’s first term to make progress on reducing price disparities at home and expands those efforts by including Medicaid in addition to Medicare. 
• President Trump recently signed an Executive Order to take additional action to lower drug prices, including by providing massive discounts to low-income patients for lifesaving medicines, facilitating importation programs, and increasing the availability of generic and biosimilar medicines.
• President Trump is also working to make drug prices radically transparent, as he recently signed an Executive Order to build on his historic price transparency efforts undertaken during his first term.
• President Trump has been relentless in his effort to address the unfair and outrageous prices Americans pay for prescription drugs:
• President Trump: “In case after case, our citizens pay massively higher prices than other nations pay for the same exact pill, from the same factory, effectively subsidizing socialism aboard [abroad] with skyrocketing prices at home. So we would spend tremendous amounts of money in order to provide inexpensive drugs to another country. And when I say the price is different, you can see some examples where the price is beyond anything — four times, five times different.”
   

Secretary Rollins Suspends Live Animal Imports Through Ports of Entry Along Southern Border, Effective Immediately - USDA

(Washington, D.C., May 11, 2025) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced the suspension of live cattle, horse, and bison imports through U.S. ports of entry along the southern border due to the continued and rapid northward spread of New World Screwworm (NWS) in Mexico, effective immediately. NWS has been recently detected in remote farms with minimal cattle movement as far north as Oaxaca and Veracruz, about 700 miles away from the U.S. border.

The United States and Mexico continue efforts to interdict and eradicate NWS in Mexico and work in good faith. However, despite these efforts and the economic impact on both countries due to this action, there has been unacceptable northward advancement of NWS and additional action must be taken to slow the northern progression of this deadly parasitic fly. As such, effective immediately, the USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in conjunction with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will restrict the importation of live animal commodities originating from, or transiting Mexico. This import suspension will persist on a month-by-month basis, until a significant window of containment is achieved. USDA will continue constant collaboration with Mexico, including a review of latest data and metrics in two weeks. Our teams have been in daily communication discussing how we can build on the good work that has been accomplished to improve our strategy toward eradication. Any livestock currently in holding for entry into the United States will be processed normally, this includes an APHIS port Veterinary Medical Officer inspection exam and treatment to ensure they are not carrying NWS.

“The United States has ordered the suspension of livestock imports through ports of entry along our southern border after the continued spread of the New World Screwworm in Mexico. Secretary Berdegué and I have worked closely on the NWS response; however, it is my duty to take all steps within my control to protect the livestock industry in the United States from this devastating pest,” said Secretary Rollins. “The protection of our animals and safety of our nation’s food supply is a national security issue of the utmost importance. Once we see increased surveillance and eradication efforts, and the positive results of those actions, we remain committed to opening the border for livestock trade. This is not about politics or punishment of Mexico, rather it is about food and animal safety.”

Effective eradication, which remains our shared goal and best interest of both the U.S. and Mexico, requires a three-pronged approach: robust active field surveillance with education and outreach to ensure prevention, treatment, and early detection; controlled animal movement to limit spread; and sustained sterile insect dispersal. Suspending livestock transport through southern ports of entry will assist in the effort to limit northbound transport of NWS through livestock commerce, and will allow the U.S. to reassess whether current mitigation standards remain sufficient. It is important to note the northward spread of NWS is possible through natural wildlife movements, including wildlife that transit the border region without impediment.

USDA is taking all possible actions to monitor for, and limit, the northward movement of NWS, including the utilization of the USDA Tick Riders to monitor livestock and wildlife along the southern border region, between the ports of entry, for the presence of NWS.

The U.S. previously and successfully led the eradication of NWS in the U.S. and Mexico, however this cost billions of dollars and took decades. Unfortunately, these recent detections in Mexico show that this dangerous pest is back and remains a serious threat to the health of our animals, our food supply, and the security of our country.

BACKGROUND

• The first case of NWS in Mexico was reported to the U.S. in November 2024. When NWS fly larvae (maggots) burrow into the flesh of a living animal, they cause serious, often deadly damage to the animal. NWS can infest livestock, pets, wildlife, occasionally birds, and in rare cases, people.
• In November 2024, after a positive detection of NWS in southern Mexico, USDA shut down the border for live animal trade.
• In February 2025, USDA resumed imports after APHIS and Mexico agreed to and implemented a comprehensive pre-clearance inspection and treatment protocol to ensure safe movement and steps to mitigate the threat of NWS.
• Over the last two years, screwworm has spread north throughout Panama and into Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, and now Mexico.
• APHIS is releasing sterile flies through aerial and ground release at strategic locations, focusing on Southern Mexico and other areas throughout Central America. A complete list of regions APHIS recognizes as affected by NWS as well as more detailed information on trade restrictions can be found on the USDA APHIS Animal Health Status of Regions website.

CBP Seizes nearly 150,000 Contraband Cigarettes from Couple arriving on Cruise Ship - U.S. Customs & Border Protection

The Value in California of the 749 Cartons seized was estimated at nearly $60K

LOS ANGELES — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers assigned to the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport discovered 749 cartons of illegally imported cigarettes concealed in 10 pieces of luggage from a couple arriving in a cruise ship from Ensenada, Mexico.

On April 17, two female passengers traveling together, disembarked an ocean liner arriving to Long Beach Cruise Ship Terminal, and presented themselves for CBP inspection.

During the inspection CBP discovered 10 pieces of luggage full of cigarettes. Although the travelers presented purchase receipts, they were unable to provide the appropriate permits to import such a quantity of tobacco products.

Large quantities of cigarettes are considered “commercial” not personal use; therefore, an importer permit from the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is required. In addition, tobacco product labels must meet FDA standards, such as including nicotine warnings and accurate product descriptions.

“The importation of tobacco products is highly regulated from both tax and consumer safety perspectives,” said Cheryl M. Davies, CBP Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles. “Travelers who intentionally disregard U.S. importation laws and regulations often pay a high price.”

The examination of the 10 pieces of luggage resulted in the discovery of 326 cartons of Newport 100’s, 58 cartons of Newport regulars,112 cartons of Marlboro Red, 43 cartons of Marlboro Silver, and 210 cartons of Marlboro Gold cigarettes.

Based on a low-end estimate of $80 dollars a carton in the state of California, the total value of the cigarettes is estimated to be $59,920.

“Selling illegally imported cigarettes could yield high profits for underground vendors due to the low cost of cigarettes when purchased overseas and the evasion of 

taxes owed upon import,” said Africa R. Bell, CBP Port Director of Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport. “This type of scheme not only evades revenue owed to the United States but may be harmful to the American consumer. CBP officers at our nation’s largest seaport complex, remain committed to enforcing our laws and to protect the American public.”

All 749 cartons were seized and will be destroyed under CBP supervision.
 

FDA Begins Action to Remove Ingestible Fluoride Prescription Drug Products for Children from the Market - U.S. Food & Drug Administration

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced that it is initiating action to remove concentrated ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market. Unlike toothpaste with fluoride or fluoride rinses, these products are swallowed and ingested by infants and toddlers. They have also never been approved by the FDA. Ingested fluoride has been shown to alter the gut microbiome, which is of magnified concern given the early development of the gut microbiome in childhood. Other studies have suggested an association between fluoride and thyroid disorders, weight gain and possibly decreased IQ.

"The best way to prevent cavities in children is by avoiding excessive sugar intake and good dental hygiene, not by altering a child’s microbiome. For the same reason that fluoride may kill bacteria on teeth, it may also kill intestinal bacteria important for a child’s health,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. “I am instructing our Center for Drug Evaluation and Research to evaluate the evidence regarding the risks of systemic fluoride exposure from FDA-regulated pediatric ingestible fluoride prescription drug products to better inform parents and the medical community on this emerging area. When it comes to children, we should err on the side of safety."

The agency has set a goal date of October 31 for completing a safety review and public comment period and for taking appropriate action regarding removal of these products from the market. In conjunction with this evaluation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services plans to disseminate best practices for dental hygiene in children that are feasible, effective and do not alter gut health.

“Ending the use of ingestible fluoride is long overdue,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “I’m grateful to Commissioner Makary for his leadership on this vital issue — one that directly safeguards the health and development of our children. This decision brings us one step closer to delivering on President Trump’s promise to Make America Healthy Again.”

Several states have taken action to stop fluoridation of drinking water, and fluoride is not added to drinking water in most of Europe or other countries of the world. This action by the FDA is consistent with Secretary Kennedy’s Make American Healthy Again effort to ensure children grow up in a healthy environment.