Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Closes De Minimis Exemptions to Combat China’s Role in America’s Synthetic Opioid Crisis

Fact Sheets

TLDR

This executive order eliminates duty-free treatment for low-value imports from China, imposing either 30% ad valorem duties or fees of $25-50 per item starting May 2025. It requires carriers to report shipment details, maintain bonds, and remit duties. While accurately outlining these policy changes, the fact sheet contains unsubstantiated claims about CCP involvement in the fentanyl crisis, adds emotional comparisons not in the official order, and makes political assertions about voter mandates.

This “fact sheet” for President Trump’s executive order on eliminating duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value imports from China contains several accurate points but also includes misleading claims and unsubstantiated assertions.

It correctly outlines the core policy changes in the executive order:

  • Elimination of duty-free de minimis treatment for goods from China and Hong Kong valued at or under $800, effective May 2, 2025
  • Implementation of either a 30% ad valorem duty or specific duties of $25 per item (May 2-31) and $50 per item (from June 1) for postal items
  • Requirements for carriers to report shipment details to CBP, maintain international carrier bonds, and remit duties on a schedule
  • The Secretary of Commerce’s obligation to submit a report within 90 days on the impact of the order

Misleading or unsubstantiated claims:

  • The fact sheet directly attributes the opioid crisis to Chinese Communist Party actions, claiming they “subsidized and otherwise incentivized PRC chemical companies to export fentanyl.” The executive order itself makes no such explicit claim about CCP subsidization or incentivization.

  • While the executive order does mention “deceptive shipping practices,” it doesn’t provide evidence that “many PRC-based chemical companies hide illicit substances” through specific methods like “false invoices, fraudulent postage, and deceptive packaging”.

  • The claims about “21,000 pounds of fentanyl” being enough to “kill more than 4 billion people” and assertions about seizure rates are not substantiated in the executive order.

  • The comparison of fentanyl deaths to Vietnam War casualties is not present in the official order and appears to be added for emotional impact rather than policy clarification.

  • The assertion that voters gave President Trump a “mandate to seal the border and stop the influx of deadly drugs” is a political claim not relevant to the substance of the executive order.

Context missing from the fact sheet:

  • The executive order contains detailed provisions about implementation that are simplified in the fact sheet, including CBP’s authority to require formal entry for certain packages.

  • The fact sheet omits mention of the legal authorities cited in the executive order, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergencies Act.

  • While the fact sheet mentions “prior Orders,” it doesn’t clearly explain how this order relates to Executive Orders 14195, 14200, and 14228, which are specifically referenced in the official document.

  • The executive order places this action within a series of measures addressing synthetic opioids, but the fact sheet presents it more as a standalone solution.

The fact sheet serves primarily as a political document that emphasizes certain aspects of the executive order while adding claims and context not present in the official text, particularly regarding China’s role in the opioid crisis and the electoral politics surrounding border security.

CLOSING LOOPHOLES IN THE TARIFF SYSTEM: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order eliminating duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value imports from China, a critical step in countering the ongoing health emergency posed by the illicit flow of synthetic opioids into the U.S.

  • Following the Secretary of Commerce’s notification that adequate systems are in place to collect tariff revenue, President Trump is ending duty-free de minimis treatment for covered goods from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Hong Kong starting May 2, 2025 at 12:01 a.m. EDT.
    • Imported goods sent through means other than the international postal network that are valued at or under $800 and that would otherwise qualify for the de minimis exemption will be subject to all applicable duties, which shall be paid in accordance with applicable entry and payment procedures.
    • All relevant postal items containing goods that are sent through the international postal network that are valued at or under $800 and that would otherwise qualify for the de minimis exemption are subject to a duty rate of either 30% of their value or $25 per item (increasing to $50 per item after June 1, 2025). This is in lieu of any other duties, including those imposed by prior Orders.
  • Carriers transporting these postal items must report shipment details to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), maintain an international carrier bond to ensure duty payment, and remit duties to CBP on a set schedule.
  • CBP may require formal entry for any postal package instead of the specified duties.
  • The Secretary of Commerce will submit a report within 90 days assessing the Order’s impact and considering whether to extend these rules to packages from Macau.

COMBATING CHINA’S ROLE IN THE OPIOID CRISIS: President Trump is targeting deceptive shipping practices by Chinese-based shippers, many of whom hide illicit substances, including synthetic opioids, in low-value packages to exploit the de minimis exemption.

  • On average, CBP processes over 4 million de minimis shipments into the U.S. each day.
  • The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which exerts ultimate control over the government and enterprises of the PRC, has subsidized and otherwise incentivized PRC chemical companies to export fentanyl and related precursor chemicals that are used to produce synthetic opioids sold illicitly in the United States.
  • Many PRC-based chemical companies hide illicit substances in the flow of legitimate commerce, including through false invoices, fraudulent postage, and deceptive packaging.
  • While the U.S. previously offered a generous de minimis exemption, China enforces strict import restrictions and tightly limits de minimis exemptions, showing no similar leniency toward U.S. shipments.
  • Last fiscal year, CBP apprehended more than 21,000 pounds of fentanyl at our borders, enough fentanyl to kill more than 4 billion people.
    • It is estimated that federal officials are only able to seize a fraction of the fentanyl smuggled across the southern border.
  • These drugs kill tens of thousands of Americans each year, including 75,000 deaths per year attributed to fentanyl alone.
    • More Americans are dying from fentanyl overdoses each year than the number of American lives lost in the entirety of the Vietnam War.

KEEPING HIS PROMISE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE: When voters overwhelmingly elected Donald J. Trump as President, they gave him a mandate to seal the border and stop the influx of deadly drugs. That is exactly what he is doing.

  • On the campaign trail, President Trump promised “We will not rest until we have ended the drug addiction crisis.”
  • Upon returning to office, President Trump immediately took action to seal the border and crack down on drug trafficking.
  • President Trump implemented 20% tariffs on China to address the threat of the sustained influx of synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, flowing from China into the United States.