Tariff-linked Customs bond funding gap hits record $3.5 billion
Cranes unload shipping containers from a ship at the Port of Long Beach Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. Allen J. Schaben | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images A record-breaking number of companies shipping products into the United States are coming up short on a federal government requirement to financially guarantee they can cover the import trade duties triggered by President Donald Trump‘s tariff policies. And this is leading to a record amount of money paid to the U.S. to cover the shortfalls. U.S. Customs data shared with CNBC shows that what are called customs bond “insufficiencies” reached a total of











