Summary: The Manifest Modernization Act (MMA) is a bill introduced in the U.S. Congress (S.1259) that seeks to amend the Tariff Act of 1930 to require public disclosure of shipping manifest data for all modes of transport—sea, air, rail and truck. Civil society, academics, journalists and NGOs have used publicly available vessel manifests to uncover forced‑labour goods imported into the United States, such as Uyghur‑made wigs and debt‑bonded bicycles, and to petition for bans on forced‑labour palm oil. These records have been crucial for enforcing laws such as the Tariff Act, CAATSA and the UFLPA. Yet due to a drafting error in 1996, U.S. customs data remains publicly available only for ocean vessels; more than 60 percent of imports arriving by air or land—over a billion shipments annually—are not disclosed, leaving a blind spot that allows forced‑labour goods to enter undetected.

The MMA responds to this gap and to industry efforts to reduce transparency by mandating public disclosure of manifest information for air, truck and rail shipments. By closing this loophole, the bill would allow researchers and regulators to trace goods presumed to be made with forced labour, such as shipments from Xinjiang that may currently be routed by air despite the UFLPA, and would shed light on small e‑commerce packages that are highly vulnerable to forced‑labour supply chains. It would also improve cross‑border enforcement under the USMCA and prevent goods with high forced‑labour risks from being routed through Canada or Mexico.

The commentary notes that the MMA has been endorsed by industry associations, labour rights groups and NGOs, but faces pushback from some companies claiming that disclosure would compromise proprietary data and impose burdens. The authors argue these concerns are misplaced: the MMA requires disclosure of the same data already available for ocean manifests, allows confidentiality requests for sensitive information, and would level the playing field by making all import modes transparent. Enhanced transparency would help identify forced‑labour, counterfeits and other illicit goods, reduce consumer costs, support legitimate trade, and encourage allied nations to adopt similar measures.