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U.S. fashion industry trade groups, meanwhile, are eager to make their voices heard in an effort to stave off new duties before the administration’s self-imposed April 2 deadline. After receiving detailed reporting from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on America’s trade deficits, the president has said he will make moves to address any inequities through “reciprocal” tariffs.
The administration solicited public comments on the matter through March 11. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) said it’s taking stock of those responses while it’s “reviewing and identifying any unfair trade practices by other countries,” with the goal of “recommending appropriate actions to remedy such practices and reporting to the President proposed remedies in pursuit of reciprocal trade relations.”
U.S. Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) president Julia Hughes submitted comments on behalf of the Washington trade group’s members.
“We recommend that the most successful policy to achieve trade reciprocity would be for the United States to lower the tariff rates of products for which our trading partners apply lower tariff rates,” she wrote. “For consumer products such as textiles and apparel, this would help combat inflation and assist consumers who struggle to afford basic necessities.”