Americans for Securing All Packages Calls for Comprehensive Postal Security Data to Aid Crackdown on Counterfeit Goods
Washington, D.C. (January 28, 2024) – Following the Trump Administration’s announcement of a new plan to prevent the sale and import of counterfeit goods, Americans for Securing All Packages (ASAP) reiterated a call on federal agencies and Congress to provide law enforcement with the necessary data needed to stop illegal foreign shipments through the international postal network, as required by law.
“We are grateful that the Trump Administration understands the serious harm that counterfeits pose to American businesses and workers, as well as the health and safety risks they create for consumers around the country,” said Juliette Kayyem, senior advisor to ASAP. “A robust national security effort must include effective methods to screen for these dangerous goods before they enter the country.
“We applaud President Trump’s signing of the Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act in 2018 to mandate advanced electronic data on all packages entering the U.S. from foreign postal operators. Yet over a year later, federal agencies continue to miss the STOP Act’s key deadlines. For these newest efforts against counterfeits to be effective, Congress must hold federal agencies accountable to fully implement the STOP Act and support our national security efforts.”
The STOP Act requires that all packages entering the U.S. through the international postal system include advance electronic data, or AED, as was already required for private carriers. While the law mandated AED on 100 percent of packages entering from China and 70 percent of foreign packages overall by the end of 2018, a bipartisan Senate letter found federal agencies fell short.
A recent Senate Finance Committee report highlights how a lack of AED has supported the illegal counterfeit trade, noting that the AED required by the STOP Act is “useful to target and prevent counterfeit goods.” The report also warns of serious safety hazards for consumers and estimates that counterfeits cost the U.S. economy between $29 and $41 billion per year – sales that would have otherwise supported American businesses and crucial industry jobs.
