Washington, D.C. — January 22, 2024 — National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas issued the following statement today in support of a letter from the chairman and ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the U.S. and the CCP, to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, urging him to step up enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and crack down on unfair trade practices facilitating the importation of products made with forced labor.
The letter can be viewed here. Attorney General Merrick Garland is copied on the letter.
Statement by NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas:
“We sincerely thank Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) for their letter, calling on Secretary Mayorkas to take immediate action to strengthen enforcement of the UFLPA and aggressively confront predatory trade practices employed by China that are undermining U.S. manufacturers and endangering American citizens.
The government’s failure to fully enforce the UFLPA and the de minimis loophole is devastating US textile and apparel manufacturers. Today, this vital domestic manufacturing industry is facing unparalleled demand destruction as a direct result of market forces that have been exacerbated by anemic customs and trade law enforcement. Chinese cotton from Xinjiang is flooding the global marketplace, making its way to our doorsteps and into our closets. As a result, we need a comprehensive and aggressive solution from the administration to confront these practices head on.
The concerns and steps outlined in the letter by Reps. Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi are critically important. The administration and DHS must step up enforcement of UFLPA, fraudulent origin claims and the gaping de minimis loophole that is facilitating millions of illegal and dangerous products a day to our market.
Without an immediate government solution, this strategic supply chain that produces lifesaving PPE and 8,000 different products for the U.S. military, will continue to shutter factories and lay off workers.
We cannot continue to reward China for egregious trade practices at the expense of American and regional manufacturers and workers. If these steps not taken immediately, we will fail to stop forced labor trade from entering our market and further jeopardize our vital domestic and Western Hemisphere supply chains.”
Editor’s Note – US Textile Industry Snap-Shot:
- 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.
Posted: January 22, 2024
Source: National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO)
