PORTLAND, Oregon — Congressman Earl Blumenauer held a roundtable discussion in Portland Wednesday to push for the closure of a loophole that he says is fueling the fentanyl crisis in the country.
The de minimis loophole allows packages valued at less than $800 into the country, uninspected and untaxed. It has been exploited in recent years to flood the U.S. markets with cheap goods and to get illicit drugs into the country.
"Right now, the fentanyl situation is being delivered directly to people's homes: uninspected, untaxed. It couldn't be easier for them to be engaged in drug dealing," said Blumenauer.
The loophole was created in 1930, but Blumenauer says it’s no longer working the way it was intended to work nearly 100 years ago.
"It was a good idea in the 30s. It's a terrible idea today," the congressman added.
Jackie Thomas lost her 22-year-old son Jake to a fentanyl overdose in 2020.
"Do it now," Thomas urged lawmakers who are debating whether to change the legislation. "What are we waiting for — for another 100,000 to die every year because of this stuff? Let's do it now."
Labor and business leaders also attended the roundtable. Leaders said China is responsible for sending a majority of the one billion packages that are unchecked every year, goods that are often produced with slave labor.
"When companies from other countries engage in unfair trade practices or take advantage of loopholes in our trade policies, our workers feel it," explained Graham Trainor, President of AFL-CIO Oregon.
"We can make a difference in terms of fighting fentanyl in terms of fairness for our businesses. It's an important signal and being able to stand up to China and get rid of two-thirds of this traffic. I think is a very important development," added Blumenauer.