On December 14, 2011, USA-ITA (now the United States Fashion Industry Association) filed a statement with the U.S. House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Trade for the December 14th hearing on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. In the statement, USA-ITA said it is time for the U.S. to recognize that the textile and apparel sector does not need special Rules of Origin or special protection in the TPP negotiations. In order for the TPP agreement to be a true 21st-century agreement, it must recognize that U.S. companies manufacture for a global consumer. To achieve this end, the TPP agreement must contain a flexible Rule of Origin for the majority of products and impost a restrictive yarn-forward Rule of Origin only on those U.S.-manufactured products that need special protection. The yarn-forward Rule of Origin would hinder trade opportunities within the TPP, and consequently hinder job growth in the United States. The full USA-ITA statement is available here and the press release is available here.