In a significant move to bolster national security and economic stability, President Donald trump signed two executive orders on Wednesday. These orders target strengthening customs enforcement against illicit imports and increasing accountability for senior federal workers in policy-influencing roles, aligning with the administration’s America First agenda.
The first order directs the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to revamp importer requirements, enhance penalties, and improve transparency to combat duty evasion, forced labor imports, and the smuggling of dangerous substances like fentanyl. The second order reclassifies approximately 8,000 senior career positions into a new Schedule Policy/Career category, facilitating easier removal of employees for poor performance or misconduct.
Strengthening Customs Enforcement
The customs enforcement order underscores the critical role of customs in safeguarding national security, foreign policy, and the economy. It addresses systemic loopholes that permit undervaluation, misclassification, and evasion, posing threats to domestic industries and public safety.
Key Provisions and Impact
Among the key provisions, the order mandates that importers of record, especially foreign entities, maintain higher bonding and tangible domestic assets. They must also provide detailed ownership and supply chain data and meet stricter good standing standards with CBP.
Foreign importers will face prohibitions or heightened requirements for informal entries and must use validated brokers or programs like the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) for formal entries. The order also establishes a minimum 50% penalty floor for violations, expedites the seizure and disposal of noncompliant goods, and requires annual enforcement transparency reports.
The White House views this as an extension of prior Trump actions, such as suspending the de minimis duty exemption, which had been exploited for low-value shipments, including fentanyl precursors. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott described the policy as applying border security principles to trade, stating, “It’s America First in the trade environment. Like we’ve been doing on the border […] this is literally taking the same principles and applying them to trade, to protect American industry.”
Peter Navarro, a senior trade adviser, projected that the order could generate $20-30 billion annually by cracking down on fentanyl trafficking and tariff evasion.
Enhancing Federal Workforce Accountability
The second executive order implements and expands Schedule Policy/Career positions, originally envisioned in Trump’s first term. This measure targets confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating roles, often at the GS-15 or Senior Level, allowing faster removal for underperformance while preserving merit-based hiring and veteran preference.
Implications for Federal Employees
A Domestic Policy Council official explained at the signing, “What this does is basically treats those employees like private sector workers. They can be hired on the basis of merit and confidence, but if they’re messing up, then they can be removed quickly rather than taking a year or longer to get rid of them.”
The White House asserts that these changes address a broken system where lengthy removal procedures shield poor performers and those resistant to presidential priorities. The administration noted that the changes build on earlier workforce optimization efforts, including buyouts that have reduced the federal workforce to its lowest level since 1966.
Broader Implications and Future Steps
Both orders direct agencies to engage in rulemaking, consult stakeholders, and submit legislative recommendations where needed. These actions come as Trump continues to prioritize trade enforcement and government efficiency in his second term.
The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) welcomed the executive order, calling it the most significant overhaul of importer accountability in a generation. The CPA highlighted that the order addresses long-standing issues where foreign actors with no real U.S. presence have been able to import into the American market while evading duties, penalties, and laws that domestic producers and legitimate U.S. importers must obey.
Charles Benoit, trade counsel at the CPA, stated, “This order goes to the heart of a problem CPA has been sounding the alarm on for years: a customs system that lets foreign importers operate with no skin in the game while American producers play by every rule.” The CPA urged CBP to implement these reforms aggressively and Congress to write them permanently into statute.