WASHINGTON,
D.C. – Today, the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) and American
Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) sent a letter to President Donald J.
Trump, opposing the proposed escalation in tariffs for all U.S. imports from
Mexico. As the representatives of the apparel and textile supply chain, the
organizations represent hundreds of thousands of American jobs dependent on
duty-free trade in the North American region.
The
full letter can be downloaded here.
Signed
by the heads of both organizations, the letter states: “Raising tariffs on U.S.
imports from Mexico will hurt U.S. workers. Currently, hundreds of thousands of
American workers are deployed in production and other key value chains that
depend on the North American trade partnership with Mexico, which is the market
for half of all U.S. textile exports.”
“NCTO
is joining with AAFA today in urging President Trump to refrain from imposing
tariffs on U.S. imports from Mexico, an issue that is critically important to
our integrated Western Hemisphere supply chains,” said NCTO President and
CEO Kim Glas. “Mexico is the top export market for U.S. fiber, yarns, and
fabrics and adding tariffs on Mexican imports of apparel and home furnishings
will only hurt the U.S. textile industry’s growth and competitiveness and
jeopardize jobs in both countries.”
“Further, these planned tariffs disrupt and distract congressional passage of the pending U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a key administration priority, which not only strengthens the textile industry’s existing supply chain and our free trade partnership with Mexico, but also helps to expand it,” Glas added. “We urge the administration to support American workers by not imposing tariffs on U.S. imports from Mexico and helping get USMCA over the finish line.”
“AAFA
and NCTO often have different ideas when it comes to trade policy, however we
are totally united in opposition to the proposal to add tariffs on our
products,” said Rick Helfenbein, president and CEO of the American Apparel
& Footwear Association. “Potential tariffs on Mexico are an unwelcome
and unnecessary tax on American workers and consumers at a time when we should
be focusing on the ratification of the USMCA. Mexico is the eighth largest
supplier of apparel and seventh largest supplier of footwear to the U.S.
market, with 35 percent of men’s and boy’s jeans and 15 percent of work boots
coming from south of the border. This move threatens our trade relationship
with Mexico and the competitive advantage that supports hundreds of thousands
of American jobs in the apparel, footwear, travel goods, and textile
industries. We do not believe that immigration policy and trade policy should
be cut from the same cloth.”
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About
the National Council of Textile Organizations
NCTO is
a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile
manufacturers, including artificial and synthetic filament and fiber producers.
- U.S. employment in
the textile supply chain was 594,147 in 2018.
- The value of
shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $76.8 billion in 2018.
- U.S. exports of
fiber, textiles and apparel were $30.1 billion in 2018.
- Capital
expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2.0 billion in 2017,
the last year for which data is available.
About
the American Apparel & Footwear Association
The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) is the national trade association representing apparel, footwear and other sewn products companies, and their suppliers, which compete in the global market. Representing more than 1,000 world famous name brands, we are the trusted public policy and political voice of the apparel and footwear industry, its management and shareholders, its nearly four million U.S. workers, and its contribution of more than $400 billion in annual U.S. retail sales. AAFA provides exclusive expertise in trade, brand protection, and supply chain & manufacturing to help our members navigate the complex regulatory environment and lower costs. Members gain unparalleled access to information and exclusive insights on regulation and policy, and premier opportunities for networking and collaboration.
DOWNLOAD RELEASE
NCTO CONTACT: Kristi Ellis
202.
684-3091
www.ncto.org
AAFA
MEDIA CONTACT:
Alexander
Gibson
(202)
853-9356
agibson@aafaglobal.org