WASHINGTON, D.C. —National Council of
Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas, representing the full
spectrum of U.S. textiles from fiber through finished sewn products, issued a
statement today welcoming the reported selection of the House Ways and Means
Committee’s Chief Trade Counsel, Katherine Tai, as the next U.S. Trade
Representative.
“We applaud President-elect Joe Biden’s
expected nomination of the House Ways and Means Committee’s Chief Trade Counsel,
Katherine Tai, as the next U.S. Trade Representative. This selection is welcome
news to the U.S. textile industry, which has worked closely with Katherine on several
critical trade issues over the years.
She is an exceptional candidate to serve as the next USTR, having
dedicated her career to enforcing our trade laws, and, most recently, serving
as a key lead negotiator in the House securing key improvements in the USMCA
agreement.
She will be a powerful and thoughtful
advocate on behalf of American workers and our environment. The U.S. textile industry looks forward to
working with her on our top trade priorities.”
###
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 585,240 in 2019.
The
value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $75.8 billion in 2019.
U.S.
exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $29.1 billion in 2019.
Capital
expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2.5 billion in 2018,
the last year for which data is available.
WASHINGTON DC —The National Council of
Textile Organizations (NCTO), representing the full spectrum of U.S. textiles
from fiber through finished sewn products, welcomes House passage of the
National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of Fiscal Year 2021.
“We applaud the House of
Representatives for passing the NDAA, a bill that will strengthen the Berry Amendment,
which supports tens of thousands of jobs in the U.S. textile industry and other
manufacturing sectors,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas. “We also extend
special thanks to Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ),
co-chairs of the House Textile Caucus, for their leadership and support of this
important provision.”
The NDAA bill rolls back the threshold
for Berry compliance requirements and Defense Department acquisitions to
$150,000 and adjusts future increases for inflation, which the U.S. textile
industry has long supported.
In the Fiscal Year 2018 NDAA bill,
Congress raised the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) to $250,000–a higher
threshold that put more than $50 million worth of Berry contracts annually at
risk of being outsourced to China and other foreign countries. As the SAT
increases, the incentive for sourcing textiles, apparel and footwear abroad
grows. (See a broad industry coalition letter
sent
in September to the chairman and ranking member of the House Armed Services
Committee.)
Resetting the contracting threshold back
to $150,000 in the new NDAA bill ensures that tens of millions of U.S. taxpayer
dollars will be spent here at home on quality goods manufactured by U.S.
workers from U.S. materials.
The Senate is likely to pass the bill
shortly. It will then go to the president for his signature.
“Berry ensures our warfighters and
military personnel are wearing high-quality,100% Made-in-America textile and
apparel products, including mission critical personal protective gear,” Glas
added. “It also helps maintain America’s warm industrial base and safeguards
our national security from unreliable foreign supply chains in China and other
countries for essential military materials. We urge the Senate to swiftly
approve the report and President Trump to sign it into law.”
###
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 585,240 in 2019.
The
value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $75.8 billion in 2019.
U.S.
exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $29.1 billion in 2019.
Capital
expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2.5 billion in 2018,
the last year for which data is available.
WASHINGTON — National Council of
Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas issued a statement
today outlining immediate steps President-elect Joe Biden’s administration and a
new Congress can take to bolster the U.S. manufacturing sector. As President-elect Biden has named several
key members of his economic team in recent days, the U.S. textile industry
stands ready to work with this critical team. NCTO is also eager to work with the new
Congress on advancing these bipartisan priorities.
The U.S. textile industry looks forward
to working with President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team and his administration
to provide input on key policies outlined in the campaign to prioritize investing
in American manufacturing and its workforce, onshoring critical supply chains,
and cracking down on the predatory trade practices that have harmed the
manufacturing sector and U.S. jobs. We
agree with the President-elect that we must not revert to status quo trade
policies that have undermined our nation’s resilience and exacerbated income
inequality by impacting the manufacturing sector and promoting a race to the
bottom that have especially hurt the nearly two-thirds of the American
workforce without college degrees.
As domestic manufacturers, the U.S.
textile industry fully supports the President-elect’s campaign pledge to
strengthen ‘Buy American’ rules and invest in government purchases of
American-made products. It is imperative
that we strengthen the domestic personal protective equipment (PPE) supply
chain to achieve a long-term goal of ending our over-reliance on China and begin
onshoring the production of critical medical textiles. We look forward to working with the
President-elect and his team to strengthen and maintain these supply chains,
which is a paramount national and healthcare security issue. Further, we are
prepared to engage with leaders in Congress to enact bipartisan legislation to
ensure we can make the long-term investments needed to fully bring critical PPE
production back to the United States.
The COVID-19 crisis has made clear to
Democrats and Republicans alike that our past trade policies have left the
United States too reliant on imports of essential goods.
Our
national trade and economic agenda must put American manufacturing workers at
the center. President-elect Biden has
committed to taking on China and other countries that utilize predatory trade and
economic tactics that have hurt domestic manufacturers and we welcome that call.
There are four immediate steps the
Biden administration can take in the first months in office to help boost
investment in the U.S. textile industry and onshore critical PPE supply chains.
Expand
Investment in American-Made PPE: We strongly endorse President-elect
Biden’s plan to bolster the industrial base through strong Buy American
proposals. The Berry Amendment, a
domestic procurement law that governs purchases by the Defense Department, has
been an essential tool of national security policy to ensure our warfighters
and military personnel are wearing 100% Made-in-America product and that we are
not relying on foreign supply chains from China and elsewhere to supply
critical military materials. Our
healthcare workers are on the front lines and we need to ensure that the
products they are wearing are made in America and that they meet the critical performance
requirements of the healthcare setting. Regrettably,
our overreliance on China for these essential products failed to meet our needs
during a time of crisis. That can never
happen again; we must onshore and diversify these critical supply chains moving
forward.
Expanding
the Berry Amendment to federal purchases of PPE is a central element of pending
bipartisan legislation known as The
American PPE Supply Chain Integrity Act, which should be adopted. In addition, we urge the federal government to
deploy long-term federal contracts for PPE to spur investment and create jobs
in the U.S., a key element of separate pending bipartisan legislation named the Make
PPE in America Act. Lastly,
we believe we must utilize tax incentives to help promote the domestic
manufacturing industrial base and U.S. manufacturing jobs.
Appoint
a High-Level COVID-19 Coordinating Supply Chain Team: In order to help ensure industry is meeting
federal government needs and priorities, it is critical that the U.S. textile
industry and PPE producers have a high level of communication and coordination with
key officials across all the government agencies procuring medical PPE. Establishing a key point person and team is
critical to ensure the necessary collaboration to help industry and government
respond quickly and effectively to national, state and local PPE needs. A high-level team comprised of experts
committed to U.S. manufacturing is vitally important in advancing both
short-term needs and long-term supply chain efforts. As such, we are prepared to do our part in
developing a streamlined, high-level coordination structure that ensures that
the contracting process yields timely acquisition of quality U.S.-made PPE and
other medical items.
Continue
to Support Tariffs and Strong Trade Enforcement: We also
appreciate President-elect Biden’s pledge to continue aggressive trade
enforcement actions against China, along with his willingness to work long-term
with international coalitions to comprehensively address systemic predatory
trade practices. For far too long, our
industry, like so many others in the manufacturing sector, has been hindered by
predatory trade practices. The U.S.
textile industry is highly automated and is proud to compete with anyone in the
world on a level and fair playing field.
But the rules of the road are not always abided by or fair – and,
regrettably, the U.S. textile industry has far too often faced that sobering
reality. This is why aggressive enforcement
actions, including continuing punitive tariffs on finished products, is
critical to getting the Chinese to address systemic unfair trade advantages,
such as government subsidies, state-owned enterprises, forced labor practices,
weak environmental standards, intellectual property theft and currency
manipulation that non-market economies use to manipulate global markets and
hurt U.S. producers. Punitive tariffs coupled
with other enforcement mechanisms are also necessary to increase negotiating
leverage to address these larger systemic issues. We need to appropriately punish countries
that engage in unfair and illegal practices while rewarding companies that
invest in the United States for critical materials like PPE, and work to further
strengthen our alliances with our existing free trade agreement and trade
preference partner countries.
Provide
Targeted Stimulus to U.S. Manufacturers and Workers: The
unprecedented reduction in consumer demand since the onset of COVID-19 has significantly
hurt the U.S. textile industry and other key manufacturing sectors of the
economy. It is critical that the textile
industry and other impacted manufacturing sectors and their workforce have
access to critical support like the Paycheck Protection Program. Additionally, this program should be expanded
to ensure more medium-sized manufacturers that have made PPE have the opportunity
to participate. A robust manufacturing
stimulus will help stabilize the industry and lead to critical domestic job
growth in this important sector and we urge Congress and the administration to
come together to implement a plan as soon as possible.
We look forward to working with
President-elect Biden and the new Congress and their teams on implementing
these key immediate priorities in the days ahead.
###
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 585,240 in 2019.
The
value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $75.8 billion in 2019.
U.S.
exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $29.1 billion in 2019.
Capital
expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2.5 billion in 2018,
the last year for which data is available.
Washington, D.C. –The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), Warrior Protection & Readiness Coalition (WPRC), American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), U.S. Industrial Fabrics Institute and the Narrow Fabrics Institute of the Industrial Fabrics Association International (USIFI/NFI), Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA), and The Association & Voice of the U.S. Sewn Products Industry (SEAMS), representing the full spectrum of the domestic textile, nonwovens, and sewn products industries issued the following joint statement in response to the New York Times investigative report on the Department of Defense Logistics Agency’s (DLA) awarding of over $1 billion in contracts for over 83 million disposable and reusable medical gowns for the Strategic National Stockpile replenishment.
We are concerned by the report published today by
the New York Times indicating that certain medical gown awardees who received
multi-million dollar contracts may not have the capabilities and proficiencies
to manufacture U.S.-made, Berry-compliant products to support the Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE) needs of the Strategic National Stockpile. While we have a strong historic working
relationship with Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), a relationship we value as an
industry, this report raises serious questions about the vetting procedures and
purchase criteria utilized by DLA in this process.
With this in mind, we respectfully request that the
administration move forward and conduct a full and transparent independent
review. Specifically, we have requested the following:
Request
onsite verification for all awardees and verification of their production
chains to help ensure integrity in the process.
This verification will help ensure that this essential PPE needed by
front-line workers is using 100% American materials and workmanship, one of the
critical requirements that was established by DLA as it awarded these for these
products.
Request
DLA test the gowns independently to ensure compliance with required performance
standards and other specifications and to ensure the health and safety of our front-line
workers who will rely upon these items years from now.
Review
the utility of the “Lowest Price Technically Acceptable” criteria associated
with these awards and urge the government to move forward with a purchase
mechanism for “Best Value” that ensures quality products are procured at
competitive pricing.
It is important to state that we are aware that
some of the awardees are very legitimate and capable suppliers. We want
to ensure all verified legitimate producers are allowed to move their
production forward for these essential PPE items. These companies and their
workforce should not be hindered in this process. For those who are not
compliant, we request the government take the necessary appropriate action and
give compliant and capable producers an opportunity to supply these critically
needed items.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the entire
U.S. industry, from fiber to apparel producers, has played an enormous role in
helping address America’s PPE crisis, retooling production lines
overnight. The work of our industry has
been noted at the highest levels of government and our domestic supply chain is
extremely proud to provide this critical service to the nation. We have jointly
been calling on the administration to fully maximize U.S. manufacturing assets
to put our industry to work making quality, compliant PPE. We are strong
supporters of the Berry Amendment and were very pleased that DLA expressed an
intention to maximize the industrial base with this purchase. We also are very
aware that there are winners and losers in any competitive bid process.
However, when DLA announced the awards in
mid-September, our industry associations immediately raised cautionary flags,
as to the domestic manufacturing capacity, technical proficiency and
capabilities of certain awardees and their overall compliance. The Berry
Amendment, a cornerstone of our defense industrial base, requires the use of
complying fiber, yarn, fabric, and assembly be performed in the United States. Further magnifying that concern, DLA stated
it had awarded over 83 million gowns to the “domestic industrial base.”
However, with the exception of a few awardees there were questions that were
raised about the places of performance (location for product final assembly), whether
the materials being utilized are Berry compliant, and whether the gowns meet
the technical specifications. Certain places of performance appeared to lack the
workforce necessary for these larger orders or the equipment or space
required. This is why an immediate and
independent review is required.
Many of these strong concerns were raised directly
with DLA in a multi-association
letter on September 18th. Given our strong working relationship with
the DLA over several decades, we felt it was important to reach out to them
directly with our concerns. The response we received from DLA is that the
government simply requires awardees to self-certify domestic production and
Berry compliance. Self-certification of
such sizable awards to non-traditional suppliers appears to be a serious flaw
in the process that must be re-examined.
The domestic supply chain, representing nearly
600,000 American workers, wants nothing more than to be a resource for the
federal government. We can help the U.S. government better understand
production chains and manufacturing capabilities. We stand absolutely ready, willing, and able
to manufacture the products the U.S. government needs for the Strategic
National Stockpile and at the same time put our idle capacity and workforce to
work. We are strong supporters of
onshoring the domestic production chain and believe the federal government is a
critical partner in that effort.
We ask the U.S. government to immediately address this matter and take necessary actions regarding any non-compliant awardees. Simultaneously, we urge the administration to move forward with legitimate, compliant, and capable awardees – these companies and their workforce should not be punished, they should be maximized. It is critical that the Strategic National Stockpile is replenished immediately, and we stand ready to be part of that solution. Our American health care workers deserve no less.
WASHINGTON, DC –The
National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), representing the full
spectrum of U.S. textiles, from fiber to finished sewn products, voiced strong
support for a House resolution opposing the inclusion of apparel, textile and
footwear products in the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program.
“I want to thank
Congressman Albio Sires (D-NJ) and Congressman Adriano Espaillat (D-NY),
Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA) and Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) for introducing this
important resolution, which expressly opposes the expansion of GSP to include
apparel, textiles and footwear. Such a move would not only jeopardize the U.S.
textile industry but also erode the critically negotiated trade preferences between
the United States and our trading partners,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim
Glas.
“In designing the GSP
program 45 years ago, Congress intentionally excluded import-sensitive items to
prevent domestic industries from being adversely impacted.
“An expansion of GSP
for such imported products would put at risk the entire U.S. apparel and
textile industry and its workforce – not to mention its $77 billion in annual
output, $30 billion in annual exports and $20 billion in investment over the
last decade,” Glas said.
“Further, it would
undermine our free trade agreements in the Western Hemisphere, a critical
export market for U.S. textiles that supports two million direct jobs. The
Western Hemisphere accounts for 70 percent of apparel and textile exports and
$35 million in two-way trade. We can’t thank all of the co-sponsors enough for
their tremendous leadership on this issue and we support this critical resolution.
The resolution
underscores how expanding GSP would impact Western Hemisphere trade and
undermine trade preference benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity
Act (AGOA).”
To see NCTO’s position
on GSP, please see our Op-Ed here.
###
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 585,240 in 2019.
The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $75.8 billion in 2019.
U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $29.1 billion in 2019.
Capital expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2.5 billion in 2018, the last year for which data is available.
WASHINGTON—The
National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), representing the full
spectrum of U.S. textiles, from fiber through finished sewn products, welcomes
the Trump administration’s recent announcement
of the launch of a Section 301 investigation into the currency valuation
practices of Vietnam.
“NCTO strongly opposes foreign governments
undervaluing their currencies, which puts U.S. manufacturers at a disadvantage
by inflating the cost of U.S. exports and deflating the cost of U.S.
imports. This unfair trade practice displaces U.S. production and jobs,
as well as those of our Western Hemisphere trade partners utilizing U.S.
textile inputs,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas.
“The U.S.-Vietnam trading relationship suffers from
many of the same problems that we have experienced with China. There are strong
indications of a purposefully undervalued currency that warrants a full
investigation. Further, the industries in the two countries are inextricably
linked, as Vietnam sources much of its textile inputs from China,” Glas added.
In 2019, the U.S. trade deficit with Vietnam stood
at $55.8 billion, including a $14.6 billion deficit in textiles and apparel
specifically. Vietnam has demonstrated tremendous growth in the U.S.
textile and apparel market and is the second largest supplier after China,
holding a 15.8% import market share for January-July 2020.
“Scrutinizing unfair practices such as currency
undervaluation by Vietnam is one more action the administration can take to
eliminate predatory trade practices by countries that continuously undermine
domestic production and that of our free trade partners. Strong trade enforcement is key to leveling
the playing field.
With so much discussion about onshoring production,
including personal protective equipment (PPE), we believe this investigation is
necessary, and we look forward to further opportunities to provide input as
part of the formal investigation process.”
###
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 585,240 in 2019.
The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $75.8 billion in 2019.
U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $29.1 billion in 2019.
Capital expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2.5 billion in 2018, the last year for which data is available.
WASHINGTON, DC –The
U.S. International Trade Commission held a public hearing on September 23-24 as
part of its investigation
of conditions impacting U.S. industry sectors and supply chains in the
production of medical goods related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
National Council of
Textile Organizations (NCTO) President & CEO Kim Glas is testifying on
panel 5 today, the hearing’s second day.
“Amid
the devastating challenges of responding to COVID-19, NCTO members have
been at the forefront of deploying manufacturing resources to address the
critical need for personal protective equipment (PPE),” Glas said in testimony
prepared for delivery. “Our members
quickly mobilized, proactively
retooling production lines and retraining workers to provide U.S.-made PPE to
frontline medical workers.”
“Despite these heroic efforts to confront the ongoing crisis, the
onshoring of a permanent PPE industry will only materialize if proper
government policies are implemented to incentivize the long-term investment
needed to sustain PPE production in the United States,” Glas said.
Glas’ testimony as prepared for delivery can be
found here.
###
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 585,240 in 2019.
The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $75.8 billion in 2019.
U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $29.1 billion in 2019.
Capital expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2.5 billion in 2018, the last year for which data is available.
WASHINGTON—The
National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), representing the full
spectrum of U.S. textiles, from fiber through finished sewn products, launched
a paid social media video campaign today, highlighting the extraordinary
efforts the industry has taken to respond to the shortages of lifesaving
personal protective equipment (PPE) spawned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“NCTO is launching a
social media and email campaign today to show members of Congress how this
industry has significantly contributed to the nation’s PPE crisis, while
demonstrating the importance of immediate policies and legislation, such as Buy
American mandates, to establish a sustainable domestic supply chain for the
future,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas.
“Our campaign
underscores the importance of ending our over reliance on China for PPE and
calls on Congress to craft policies that support domestic procurement
requirements and the onshoring of jobs,” Glas added. “It is high time we had a
national strategic plan in place to spur investment in the industry and ensure
our country has a permanent domestic PPE supply chain to confront the next
pandemic our country faces.”
To view the video,
textile worker profiles and Call to Action for members of Congress, and their
staff, and manufacturers and employees, please click here.
###
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 585,240 in 2019.
The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $75.8 billion in 2019.
U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $29.1 billion in 2019.
Capital expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2.5 billion in 2018, the last year for which data is available.
Chuck Wilson, 68, has worked in textiles for 43 years – with no plans to retire from an industry he loves.
He joined Parkdale, the largest yarn producer in the
U.S., as a supervisor in 2001, and the next year was asked to start up a new
yarn-twisting plant for the company in Mount Holly, N.C. Today, Chuck manages a
Parkdale facility that grew from 20 employees to 75.
Chuck takes immense pride in his work, adding that his
employees are equally as passionate about the products they make. Every package
of yarn must meet exact technical specifications in order to process properly
at the next step, he adds.
“I let them
know that they are important, that everybody’s important to the whole and that
the product they make is important,” Chuck says. “We keep open lines of
communication, and I keep them posted on how we’re doing as a plant and a
company.”
As a testament to his love for the industry, after joining Parkdale, Chuck kept his home in Spartanburg, S.C., and has commuted about 124 miles round-trip every day since. He’s now on his third car after logging nearly 500,000 miles on his first vehicle and about 200,000 miles on this second car. And he’s still chugging along.
“It’s
been a great career for me, and great for my family,” Chuck says. “I would never
have the quality of living I’ve had without textiles. The industry has been
good to me and many of the people I’ve met are lifelong friends. I’m blessed.”
When severe shortages arose in in U.S. and global PPE in
the early days of the pandemic, Parkdale was one of the first companies to step
forward to help, leading a coalition of U.S. textile and apparel makers that
worked with the federal government to address this issue. Since then, Parkdale
and its partners have produced millions of PPE items, including face masks and
gowns, for frontline workers as well as consumers.
Chuck’s plant was able to quickly retool its production
for PPE inputs, a job every employee there takes seriously, he says.
We’re helping supply people what they need on the frontline and we’re going to win this battle. We want to win – that’s the American spirit.
“We look at this as a battle against an invisible enemy,”
he says. “When you see war movies, you see soldiers fighting but you don’t see
what goes in to support them. My brother was in Operation Desert Storm, and he
was in support. He didn’t fight, but he helped provide the materials for the
frontline. Without those materials, the soldiers can’t fight. And that’s the same thing with
the PPE. We’re helping supply people what they need on the frontline and we’re
going to win this battle. We want to win – that’s the American spirit. If you
look at history, you will see how many people have come together to protect
this country.”
Winning
that battle means providing equipment to keep the American citizenry safe, of
course, but an underlying purpose exists, as well, Chuck says.
“This
is our country and we don’t want people to suffer,” he says. “These are our
brothers and sisters. And it’s not just about making money, not at all. It’s
about their safety, yes, but it’s also about helping the people of the United
States enjoy their freedoms because you’re not free when you’re not able to
leave your home. The necessary PPE allows you to go to the church of your
choice, go to the stores of your choice or just go outside your home. It helps
give you freedom.”
As
lawmakers consider potential policies to confront existing PPE shortages, Chuck
says they should look to craft domestic purchase requirements such as those in
the Berry and Kissell amendments that are already in place for the military.
It’s all about readiness, he says.
“We
shouldn’t have to go outside this country for PPE,” he says. “It should be made
here because, if another country makes it, you don’t know if it’s safe, you
don’t know what kind of standards they have and you may not get it quickly.”
He
encouraged members of Congress to visit textile mills with an open mind, and to
not “believe everything they’ve heard” about the industry.
“They should get out and get firsthand knowledge of it before they make any decisions, and they should see how it impacts people’s lives,” he says. “If they visit my plant, their decisions won’t just be impacting the 75 people there. It’s also the people who support my plant – the people in Hillsville [Va.] who supply us yarn for twisting . It’s all of our suppliers and it’s all of our customers. And it’s the communities that these mills support.
They should look at our people’s faces. Look at the pride they have in what they do. It’s remarkable. They have pride knowing ‘I can do something. I know how to do something. I have a skill that nobody else has.’ They don’t take that lightly.”
WASHINGTON—The
National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), representing the full
spectrum of U.S. textiles, from fiber though finished sewn products, sent a
letter to the chairs and ranking members of the House Ways and Means Committee
and Senate Finance Committee today, in support of congressional efforts to address
China’s use of forced labor.
The House Ways and
Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Trade is holding a hearing today at noon on
this important issue.
NCTO sent the letter
to House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) and Ranking member Kevin
Brady (R-Texas), Senate Finance Chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ranking
Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)
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 585,240 in 2019.
The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $75.8 billion in 2019.
U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $29.1 billion in 2019.
Capital expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2.5 billion in 2018, the last year for which data is available.
