Caffeinated Politics

Americans are learning a new term this summer. De minimis. It is a Latin phrase meaning of trifling importance or of minimal things used to describe something so minor or insignificant that it is disregarded by the law, courts, or for accounting purposes. But when it comes to screwing things up that are minimal or insignificant, we are witnessing Donald Trump go to all lengths imaginable to burden the nation with bureaucratic self-sabotage.

I am not sure about your home, but I can say that James and I have experienced the negative impacts of the Trump administration’s abrupt elimination of the de minimis exemption for low-value parcels. No one needs to tell us that Trump has triggered an international postal crisis. Books that we ordered from European booksellers are being held in limbo. This weekend, I read that there has been an 80% collapse in global postal traffic to the United States. That is simply unacceptable due to how this seismic disruption has created havoc in the lives of everyday Americans who rely on affordable international goods, gifts, and essentials.

Many in the country are asking what de minimis is and how it relates to the postal system. For decades, this rule allowed parcels valued under $800 to enter the U.S. without incurring customs duties. For those in our communities who operate small businesses, it has proven to be a practical policy. It supported them and allowed their customers to have goods shipped to homes far and wide promptly. It clearly jazzed up global commerce. With the same protectionist derangement that Trump has rained down upon nations around the globe, he signed an executive order on July 30 eliminating this exemption. What followed has reduced revenues for businesses, and customers are angry and frustrated.

Eighty-eight postal operators around the world have suspended some or all services to the United States. The Universal Postal Union a pillar of international cooperation since 1874, has been blindsided. With no infrastructure in place to collect and remit duties, foreign carriers and postal services were left scrambling. Airlines refused to shoulder the burden. Customs systems buckled. And the UPU, tasked with ensuring the free circulation of mail, was forced into emergency triage.

Talk about a colossal (insert your favorite term). No one can claim this is just a bump in the road or a mere blunder. It can only be labeled as what it is. A massive screwup. Millions of Americans now face delays, surcharges, or outright loss of access to international goods. Small retailers who depend on overseas suppliers are caught in the crossfire. Book readers in this home are left wondering how this mess could be happening in the 21st Century?

What makes this mess worse is the sophomoric way the Trump White House is trying to justify this (again, insert your own term) by claiming the exemption was a “loophole” for criminals and foreign profiteers. (Contractors still owed money by Trump and his family have a thing or two to say about criminals and illegal profiteers.) The worldwide scale of disruption over this issue by the Trump Administration is yet more proof of how dreadful a choice American voters made in 2024.

This reminds me of how Trump had wanted to blow up the ACA and have no replacement to implement upon detonation of the existing plan. With de minimis, Trump didn’t just close a loophole. They blew up a global logistics network without a viable alternative in place. The UPU is now racing to implement a technical fix, including a landed-cost calculator and customs integration tools. That means you and I are going to pay more money for the goods we ordered. The ones who should have their noses rubbed in this mess are the ones in the executive branch, who seem to have no sense of urgency to fix the matter they so completely broke.

This is what happens when the machinery of global cooperation is treated as expendable collateral in a domestic political stunt from a profoundly ignorant person elected by equally ignorant voters.