Tariff testimony & potential exclusion process: Today is the last day of testimony regarding the proposal for $300 billion (‘Tranche 4’) in additional punitive tariffs on U.S. imports from China. Approximately three dozen companies from our industry have testified! The central message was overwhelmingly clear – additional duties would wreak havoc on U.S. businesses and your employment capacity, and costs would inevitably be passed on to consumers. Our testimony on Monday, July 17 was followed by this letter we sent to the President on June 17 – signed by nearly 200 industry executives across 138 companies petitioning the administration to halt action on new tariffs.

This week, the administration announced an exclusion process for the Tranche 3 tariffs already in effect – those that were imposed in September 2018 and include imports of textiles, travel goods, hats, gloves, and other fashion accessories. For more information on this process, and to get the latest on China tariffs, members can register for our exclusive webinar “Tariff Exclusions - What You Need to Know” taking place on July 2.

Veto request sent to Governor Cuomo: On June 20, AAFA sent a letter to Governor Cuomo of New York to request a veto on Senate Bill 501B and Assembly Bill 6296A. As stated in the letter, this legislation would create a costly chemical disclosure regulatory program, contradict other state chemical legislation, and ignore the due diligence strategies of companies in controlling chemicals in their supply chains which, in turn, would severely impact the ability of apparel and footwear companies to sell products in New York.

Customs funding support: On June 17, AAFA signed on to a multi-association letter supporting additional funding for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). We are urging support for the administration’s request for supplemental appropriations to cover CBP operations for the remainder of this fiscal year. This funding will ensure that the cross-border commerce critical to our economy is not impeded.

See all of AAFA’s latest letters, comments, and testimony here.