The Trump White House says the U.S. is losing an estimated $19 billion to $26 billion a year in revenue as other countries route exports through third countries to avoid U.S. tariffs. The claim is presented in a report released Thursday, according to multiple outlets.
The reporting centers on tariff “dodging” practices, including shifting goods for packaging or limited assembly outside the countries that directly face U.S. duties—an approach often described as transshipping. PBS NewsHour specifically points to China’s response to new tariffs in 2018, saying some goods were sent to other nations such as Mexico and Malaysia for further processing before reaching the U.S. Japan Today and the other coverage describe the same overall phenomenon and range of revenue losses.
Across outlets, the main differences are in emphasis: some focus on the overall estimated revenue gap, while PBS highlights the example of China’s 2018 transshipping pattern. All accounts attribute the estimate to a White House report and link it to countries rerouting trade to reduce exposure to U.S. tariffs.
