The One Big Beautiful Bill that President Trump signed into law on July 4, included language to end de minimis treatment for all low-value commercial shipments effective July 1, 2027. While a significant victory for NAPO to stop the flow of illicit narcotics coming across our borders, we were concerned the provision would not take effect for two years. NAPO joined our partners in the Coalition to Close the De Minimis Loophole in a July 22 letter to the President urging him to use his executive authority to close this loophole immediately. On July 30, President Trump heeded our plea, signing an Executive Order suspending duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value commercial shipments effective Aug. 29, 2025, removing significant fentanyl trafficking routes into this country and saving countless lives.

On July 29, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) attempted to pass a package of seven bipartisan bills that were unanimously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 15, in honor of National Police Week: the Improving Police Critical Aid for Responding to Emergencies (CARE) Act  (S. 1595), Retired Law Enforcement Officers Continuing Service Act (S. 1563), the Strong Communities Act (S. 1316), the Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposure Act (S. 180), the Reauthorizing STOIC Act (S. 419), the Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act (S. 911), and the PROTECT Our Children Reauthorization Act (S. 539).  However, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) objected to the passage of the bills despite having voted to approve them in Committee. In the end, the Senate passed two bills unanimously: the Improving Police Critical Aid for Responding to Emergencies (CARE) Act and the Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act. The Improving Police Critical Aid for Responding to Emergencies (CARE) Act establishes baseline standards for trauma kits purchased with grant funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) and requires the development of best practices for training law enforcement officers to use trauma kits, and for deployment and maintenance of the kits in vehicles and government facilities. The Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act covers retired law enforcement officers who are killed or permanently and catastrophically disabled due to their previous work in the line of duty under the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Program.

Before adjourning for the four-week August recess, the Senate hopes to strike a deal on a minibus of appropriations measures funding the Departments of Justice, Commerce, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), FBI and military construction projects, which would allow them to take up the package when they return Sept. 2. All 100 Senators must agree to move the package of bills forward and there are hangups on both sides of the aisle. The Senate Appropriations Committee version of the Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) programs have funding levels similar to how these programs were funded in the past several fiscal years, with no significant cuts to NAPO’s priority grant programs. This is a big win for NAPO since the Administration is working to greatly reduce federal spending. The fiscal year ends Sept. 30, so there isn’t much time to move spending bills through regular order. With the House and Senate so far behind in the appropriations process due to lengthy consideration of the One Big Beautiful Bill, Congress will likely have to pass a short-term continuing resolution to continue funding the government past the end of the fiscal year. 

See if your U.S. Representatives and Senators support NAPO’s priority legislation on our new interactive Sponsor/Cosponsor map on our website and view the latest “Legislative Positions” document, which is also available on the NAPO website under “Washington Report”.  

For more details, click here for the complete Aug. 1, 2025 Washington Report.