NE Valley Times

Congressman David Schweikert (R-AZ), together with China Select Committee Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI), Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), and Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), has introduced the Manifest Modernization Act. This legislation aims to help law enforcement track fentanyl precursors entering the United States and identify major sanction evasion schemes. Additionally, it seeks to uncover Uyghur and forced labor in supply chains. The bill proposes extending the public disclosure requirement currently applicable only to ocean vessels to include aircraft, truck, and rail manifests.

Millions of shipments enter the US daily with minimal scrutiny, and public disclosure of shipping manifests is deemed essential for tracking unsafe or illegal goods such as fentanyl. The legislation aims to address such issues with more transparency and advanced data analytics.

"Modern problems require modern solutions. Transparency and advanced data analytics can close the gap drug traffickers and bad actors exploit to smuggle illicit drugs and goods into the country," stated Rep. David Schweikert. "The Manifest Modernization Act is like putting headlights on a car that was driving with one out—you’re not reinventing the system; you’re just completing it.”

John Moolenaar emphasized that the act "closes a critical loophole, ensuring air, truck, and rail shipments are held to the same standards as goods arriving by ship." He explained that by requiring public disclosure of shipping data, enforcement against unsafe and illicit goods would be improved, effectively curbing the entry of fentanyl and goods made with forced labor.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi noted that the bill "will strengthen and secure our supply chains by improving transparency and efficiency at our ports of entry." This bipartisan initiative is expected to prevent illicit goods from entering the country while allowing lawful shipments to proceed smoothly.

Lloyd Doggett highlighted the need to "shine a light on the labor and supply chains responsible for unsafe shipments entering the United States." He pointed out that hiding import data enables human rights abuses to persist unchallenged, and this legislation aims to bolster accountability.

Under current law, ocean carriers must disclose vessel manifest information, but vehicles like trucks and rail, and due to a drafting error, aircraft, are not subject to the same requirements. Nearly half of the value of imports arrives by air or land, underscoring the necessity for the Manifest Modernization Act to require all imports to be publicly disclosed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to the American public.