From USFIA OFF THE CUFF for December 6, 2013
In 2013, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations remained one of the top priorities for the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA). We took every opportunity possible to advocate for more flexible Rules of Origin for textiles, apparel, and footwear in the final agreement, working closely with the TPP Apparel Coalition as well as with our member companies to meet with stakeholders and develop proposals to submit to the U.S. and international negotiators.
This issue was our focus not only because a high-standard, 21st-century agreement could be so beneficial for textile and apparel importers and the broader fashion industry, but also because the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative continued to push to conclude the negotiations before the end of the year. Despite the setback with the U.S. federal government shut down this fall, negotiations have continued in November and will continue with the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial in Bali this year, where we hope for an announcement from the TPP ministers—though, as we all know, the TPP will never conclude without passage of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) in the U.S. Congress. (But, more on that later.)
And Congress has been giving this issue more attention, too. On October 29th, U.S. Representatives Dave Reichert (R-WA), Ron Kind (D-WI), Charles W. Boustany Jr. MD (R-LA), and Gregory Meeks (D-NY) formally launched the bipartisan Friends of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Caucus and released a statement in support of a high-standard, comprehensive TPP agreement. This week, December 5th, the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS) hosted a conversation with Boustany and Reichert about the prospects for the TPP and why we all need to support it. As Boustany said, economic integration through trade is the surest way to achieve security in the Pacific region—and with trade accounting for 14.9 million jobs in this country, the TPP is critical to economic growth, too. Reichert noted that the Friends of the TPP Caucus aims to get as many Members of Congress on board with the passage of the agreement, as it can help all districts—especially those exporting agricultural products or services.
Still, even with widespread support for TPP, we’ll never see an agreement without TPA, and both Members of Congress agreed. Boustany said that TPP supporters need to get “all hands on deck” to get TPA completed in Congress. There is significant negativity surrounding TPA on the Hill, but as Reichert explained, many Members of Congress don’t really understand it because they’ve never had to vote for it before. The Friends of the TPP Caucus is also working to educate their colleagues about how TPA actually is an opportunity for Congress to exercise its authority and promote its trade negotiating objectives.
With the holidays just around the corner, we’re still a little skeptical that the TPP will be completed this year—especially with textiles, apparel, and footwear yet unresolved. But we’ll continue to push for a high-standard TPP, and equally important, TPA, until we’ve got an agreement that works for our industry.