Archive · 13 Aug 2026
Senator Moreno urges DHS crackdown on Chinese tariff-evading transshipment
A senator named Bernie Moreno is worried that some companies are cheating.
He says companies from China are hiding where their products really come from.
They send products through other countries and change the labels.
This way they do not have to pay extra taxes called tariffs that America charges on Chinese goods.
The senator says this cheating costs America billions of dollars.
It also hurts American workers, especially people who make cars and car parts.
He wrote a letter to the Department of Homeland Security asking them to catch these cheaters.
He gave an example of a car parts company near Ohio that was searched by federal agents in 2024.
The senator supports tariffs but says they only work if the government actually enforces them.
Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio urged the Department of Homeland Security to crack down on illegal transshipment schemes that allow Chinese manufacturers to evade US tariffs.
Moreno said the practice costs the United States billions of dollars in tariff revenue and threatens domestic manufacturing jobs, especially in the automobile industry.
Trade data cited by Moreno show a record $112 billion gap between goods China reported exporting to the US and those recorded by US Customs and Border Protection last year.
Moreno cited a January 2024 federal search of Harco Manufacturing Group's Ohio plant over allegations that parent company Qingdao Sunsong circumvented Section 301 tariffs by moving products through Thailand.
Moreno said he supports the Trump administration's tariff policy but warned that duties will only be effective when collected and enforced without exception.
- Who
- Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), who appealed to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin; Chinese manufacturers such as Qingdao Sunsong are the alleged scheme operators.
- What
- Moreno urged the Department of Homeland Security to crack down on illegal transshipment schemes that let Chinese manufacturers conceal product origins and evade US tariffs.
- When
- The letter follows trade data from last year and a January 2024 federal search; the appeal itself was made recently.
- Where
- Washington; Ohio, including Harco Manufacturing Group's Moraine plant; goods allegedly laundered through third countries such as Thailand before entering the United States.
- Why
- To recover billions in lost tariff revenue and protect American manufacturing jobs, particularly in Ohio's automobile industry.
- Senator
- Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio)
- Recipient
- Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin
- Trade data gap
- Record $112 billion gap between China's reported exports to the US and US Customs arrival records
- Estimated tariff evasion
- Up to one-quarter of Chinese shipments to the US last year
- Ohio auto industry jobs
- More than 329,400 jobs
- Auto contribution to Ohio economy
- $41.43 billion to gross state product
- Search warrant
- January 2024, Harco Manufacturing Group plant in Moraine, Ohio
- Relevant law
- Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974