Sponsors (39)
The bill strengthens tools to deter and remedy customs fraud—protecting domestic industry and tariff revenue—but does so in ways that raise the risk of overbroad enforcement, heavy penalties, greater litigation exposure, and operational disruption for legitimate businesses.
U.S. businesses and taxpayers see stronger enforcement that reduces customs fraud and protects domestic markets and tariff revenue by enabling multi-year import bans on fraudulent importers and affiliates.
U.S. manufacturers, producers, wholesalers, unions, and trade associations can sue fraudulently evading importers to recover actual losses, obtain injunctions to stop unfair imports, and deter future violations.
Importers-of-record program integrity is improved because CBP can revoke importer numbers and deem affiliations using declared import data, closing shell-company loopholes and speeding corrective action.
Small and mid-size importers, related companies, and consumers face disruptive supply-chain effects and higher costs because broad affiliate-based bans and post-hoc revocation of importer privileges can bar compliant related businesses and halt lawful trade.
Smaller importers risk crippling financial burdens or bankruptcy because fixed civil penalties can be set much higher (up to multiples of domestic value), which can also translate into higher prices for consumers.
Importers, financial intermediaries, and other businesses face significant litigation risk—treble damages, exposure to plaintiffs' attorneys' fees, and no amount-in-controversy threshold could prompt numerous suits, forum shopping, and expensive legal uncertainty.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Strengthens customs enforcement by presuming buyer knowledge of affiliated fraud, increasing penalties and temporary import bans, barring violators from the importer-of-record program, and creating a private right to sue.
Introduced February 13, 2025 by Mike Bost · Last progress February 13, 2025
Creates stronger civil and administrative enforcement tools against import fraud by shifting certain legal presumptions, raising monetary penalties, imposing temporary import bans, and blocking repeat or related actors from serving as importers of record. It also gives U.S. manufacturers, wholesalers, covered unions, and trade associations a new private right to sue parties who commit or aid fraudulent or grossly negligent customs violations, with damages, injunctions, and fee-shifting available.