NCTO Releases Statement Welcoming Textile Enforcement Plan Outlined by Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas
January 31, 2024
WASHINGTON – National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas issued the following statement today welcoming a comprehensive textile enforcement plan outlined by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, following a meeting with several textile industry leaders.
The meeting came in response to increased calls for stepped up textile and apparel enforcement and penalties, as well as the use of the administration’s authorities to close the de minimis loophole hurting the domestic textile industry and its workers.
A readout of the meeting from the office of DHS Secretary Mayorkas can be found here.
Statement by NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas:
“The U.S. textile industry greatly appreciated meeting with DHS Secretary Mayorkas and the senior leadership team on the unprecedented economic calamity facing this strategic supply chain. We discussed how the administration can immediately help our workers and industry.
The industry has lost eight plants in three months. Plants that survived the Great Depression, the Great Recession and COVID aren’t surviving the economic environment due to demand destruction exacerbated by unfair trade practices.
Our industry leaders outlined three critical issues for the Secretary:
- Immediately step up all free trade agreement (FTA) enforcement and maximize penalties
- Immediately step up all UFLPA enforcement and maximize penalties
- Close the de minimis loophole that is facilitating millions of unchecked packages a day into our market and hurting our industry
The Secretary has committed to working with NCTO and industry leaders on a 30-day immediate textile enforcement action plan. We look forward to working actively with the administration on the details of that plan and ensuring it meets all critical objectives for enforcement and deterrence.
We appreciate the Secretary’s engagement with us and the hard work ahead to ensure this critical resilient supply chain is here long into the future.”
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NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers.
· U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 538,067 in 2022
· The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $65.8 billion in 2022.
· U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $34 billion in 2022.
· Capital expenditures for textiles and apparel production totaled $2.27 billion in 2021, the last year for which data is available.
CONTACT:
Kristi Ellis
Vice President, Communications
National Council of Textile Organizations
kellis@ncto.org | 202.684.3091
