Industry Responds to 2024 Elections - Seeking Strategic Trade Policies

November 6, 2024 | WASHINGTON, D.C.

The American Apparel & Footwear Association responds to 2024 Presidential and Congressional elections results. "America has spoken, and we look forward to working with our newly elected, and returning, political leaders in Congress and the Administration in 2025. AAFA members dress Americans and consumers around the world; it is imperative that our elected leaders from across the spectrum unite around smart trade and regulatory policies to keep our industries competitive," said AAFA president and CEO Steve Lamar.

"Tariff policy under the new Administration will indeed be a challenge and will trigger new inflationary cycles if campaign proposals are fully enacted, making it more expensive for Americans to get dressed every day. We have seen firsthand the negative impact of tariffs ever since the tariffs imposed under the Tariff Act of 1930 helped create the Great Depression. The Section 301 tariffs that took hold in 2018 under President Trump's first term have also remained in place, driving 40-year high inflation for clothes and shoes. Tariffs are taxes paid by U.S.-based businesses and American consumers, not on China or other supplier countries. These tariffs disproportionately harm lower income American consumers and female consumers with higher tariffs on lower priced products and on women's clothes and shoes.
"We will continue to push Congress and the Administration to renew expired and expiring programs, such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), and the Haiti HELP/HOPE preference program. Immediate and long-term renewal of these measures, combined with a revived trade agreement program, will create predictable opportunities for our industry to diversify and invest, creating American jobs and supporting the provision of affordable and sustainable fashion for American families. We also look forward to initiatives to protect our shipping channels and ports, put a stop to the influx of counterfeit goods across third-party e-commerce platforms, and drive other policies that are not just well-meaning but well-crafted, implementable, practical, harmonized, and ultimately - successful.

"Beyond Washington, our work will continue with elected officials in state capitols around the country, making sure that state regulations are harmonized and effective, and incorporate stakeholder input."
AAFA - in partnership with the Accessories Council, The Council of Fashion Designers of America, and Fashion Makes Change - are the authors of the THREADS Sustainability and Social Responsibility Protocol. AAFA members invest millions to build, train, and inspect supply chains to ensure that the clothes, shoes, and accessories bought and worn by American families are not only fashionable and affordable but are also ethically and sustainably sourced and made, and are safe for consumers. AAFA is also vocal about the risks to American consumers of the Digital Devalue Chain of Counterfeits.

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