Outdated customs and border policies are costing American manufacturers billions of dollars a year in increased operating costs and unfair competition, while also preventing manufacturers from moving their products in and out of the United States efficiently.

Current customs rules that have not fully embraced technological and trade advances are creating bottlenecks at the border that impede the just-in-time manufacturing process, which is critical to the productivity, efficiency and global competitiveness of the U.S. manufacturing sector. The government’s failure to enforce longstanding trade rules is leaving manufacturers found to be injured by unfair trade without the remedy that the law requires. Moreover, America’s innovative manufacturing sector remains under global threat from intellectual property theft and the need for stronger U.S. border protection for counterfeit goods. Finally, many manufacturers are facing tariffs on necessary inputs imported from overseas that are not even produced in the U.S.