Trump pauses tariffs on small packages from China

The intrigue: The White House did not specify how long the administration plans to delay that portion of the tariff.

• The order does suggest there was no system in place to collect the revenue on small-value packages from the across-the-board 10% levies on Chinese imports that went into effect earlier this week.
• The order says the tariffs are on hold until the Commerce Department confirms that "adequate systems are in place to fully and expediently process and collect tariff revenue."

Between the lines: The change is a win for the likes of Temu and Shein, Chinese e-commerce platforms that ship directly to the U.S. and have become hugely popular with cost-conscious shoppers.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Postal Service walked back an announcement that it would not accept packages from China and Hong Kong.

• The agency said it would work with Customs and Border Protection to establish an "efficient collection mechanism" to collect the tariffs put on these goods.

The bottom line: In a sign of how little precedent there is for the scope of Trump's tariff policies, government agencies are having to create processes in real time.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated with details on the impacts of the tariff change.