Right now, there’s bipartisan energy in the nation’s capital regarding the need to push back on the influence of the Chinese Communist Party.

The new Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party is at the center of Washington’s anti-CCP efforts, and so far, one of the committee’s top goals has been to boost the American economy as tensions continue to rise. However, despite the lawmakers’ best intentions, the committee is threatening a critical trade law, and its actions could harm American consumers and small businesses .

The de minimis threshold, a key trade provision that reduces red tape at the border and eliminates duties and taxes on shipments under $800, has become a top target for the leaders of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. In a recent letter to American businesses that manufacture goods in China, Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) called the de minimis threshold a “ loophole ” that allows products made using forced labor to enter the United States.

The fact is that de minimis shipments play a critical role for United States businesses, and the policy helps Americans keep costs low at a time when prices continue to rise.

Today, small- and medium-sized businesses across the country rely on the de minimis threshold to navigate an otherwise incredibly complicated importation process. And, by removing taxes on low-cost goods, the de minimis rule helps companies maintain good-paying jobs in local communities and pass savings onto consumers.

If Congress voted to change or remove the de minimis threshold, lawmakers would risk fueling inflation for businesses and consumers, forcing American taxpayers to foot the bill for what amounts to a tax increase.

Most importantly, it’s not clear that making changes to the de minimis threshold would do anything to achieve lawmakers’ goal of stopping products made with forced labor from entering the country. Customs and Border Protection already has the authority to search de minimis shipments just as they would any other imported goods.

Additionally, CBP is working to expand pilot programs that provide advanced information on de minimis packages. About half of all de minimis shipments already provide the federal government with that advanced data. As a result, the CBP’s own information shows that 98.86% of all de minimis packages are compliant with United States trade laws.

I agree that Congress should work to find a solution to stop goods made with forced labor from entering our country, but that doesn’t mean lawmakers should push for an ineffective policy change that would get rid of a key trade policy that keeps costs low for American taxpayers and small businesses. Instead, leaders in Washington should work to find a real, effective answer to the problem — a solution that doesn’t pose a significant threat to American consumers and companies.

Diante Johnson is the president of the Black Conservative Federation.