Business

Bryan Unites U.S. Territorial Governors in Push to Exempt Islands From New Customs Duties on Small Packages

Governor Albert Bryan Jr. has secured the backing of three other U.S. territorial governors in a joint appeal to President Donald Trump, formally requesting that the administration exempt the territories from new customs duties on small packages shipped between the mainland and the islands. The letter, co-signed by the governors of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa, represents one of the most coordinated territorial efforts in recent years. Together, the governors argued that Executive Order 14324, while intended to strengthen U.S. trade enforcement and supply chain security, has inadvertently imposed a financial strain on residents who depend heavily on parcel shipping for basic goods. The collaborative appeal follows Bryan’s meeting last week with senior officials at the U.S. Department of the Interior, after which he mobilized his territorial counterparts to join the request. Alongside the letter to the president, Bryan also sent a separate...