For now, anyway, that’s the end of the de minimis loophole. De minimis — allowing low-value shipments to enter the U.S. without tariffs or customs inspections — has been around since 1930. Thailand was the only country in the world with a higher de minimis threshold than the United States. On July 30 the White House announced that the systems were ready, and the de minimis tariff and inspection exemption would end effective Aug. 29. Getting rid of de minimis was something Portland Democrat Earl Blumenauer tried but failed to do before he left office last December.