AAFA Applauds Senate Passage of Two Year Extension of AGOA and Haiti HOPE HELP Programs

The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) celebrates the passage of a two-year extension of the Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act and the AGOA Extension Act by the Senate with bipartisan support. The vote provides for a crucial extension of each program, continuing critical trade preference programs that lapsed on September 30, 2025 and that were restored retroactively for only 15 months on February 3, 2026. Passed as part of the Continuing Resolution, the programs are now set to expire December 31, 2028.

For 25 years, AGOA has provided eligible Sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free access, strengthening American exports in textiles and agriculture and fostering a wide array of U.S.-Africa commercial partnerships. Likewise, for more than 15 years, the Haiti HOPE/HELP programs have supported both U.S. and Haitian textile industries by granting Haiti duty-free access for apparel and textile products, building strong business ties between the two neighboring nations.

"The industry welcomes the continued renewal of these critical trade preference programs before expiration. This two-year extension will help stabilize these partnerships, providing time to build toward a predictable, long-term continuation of these programs," said Beth Hughes, AAFA's Vice President of Trade and Customs Policy. "We now encourage swift passage of this extension in the House and for the president to sign it expeditiously into law."

AAFA has consistently urged Congress and the Administration to renew both AGOA and Haiti HOPE/HELP, offering testimony before the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on AGOA's renewal in July.

Both AGOA and Haiti HOPE/HELP have been supported for decades by overwhelming bipartisan majorities. Long-term renewal of these programs will provide much-needed certainty for U.S. companies and provide stability for the workforces in sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti.

For regular updates on key trade and customs dates and deadlines, visit AAFA's Fashion Tariffs 101 page.