Senators urge Biden to end duty-free treatment for packages valued at less than $800

KEVIN FREKING
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two U.S. senators looking to crack down on the number of packages from China that enter the country duty-free are calling on President Joe Biden to take executive action. Sens. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio, and Rick Scott, a Republican from Florida, are calling on Biden to end duty-free treatment for e-commerce shipments valued at under $800. They say current policy unfairly benefits foreign companies and e-commerce platforms such as Temu and Shein, and puts U.S. companies at a competitive disadvantage. The situation, they say, has reached a tipping point, though some in the business community disagree, saying the duty-free treatment of low-cost goods speeds commerce and saves consumers money.