TEXTILES.ORG 
Trans-Pacific Partnership
The decision to endorse TPP came after an in-depth review of the finalized text and a determination that USIFI’s key objectives were met under the terms of the agreement. These objectives included securing:
• A strong yarn-forward rule of origin for the vast majority of textile and apparel products;
• Reasonable, multi-year tariff phase-outs for sensitive industrial textile products;
• Preservation of the Berry and Kissell Amendments, U.S. government procurement laws mandating domestic preferences for national security purposes; and
• Provisions that allow for effective customs enforcement cooperation among the TPP parties and other standard textile chapter terms included in U.S. free trade agreements.
“The U.S. textile industry can compete globally under trade rules that are reasonable and fair. We extend our thanks to USTR Ambassador Michael Froman and the U.S. textile negotiating team for their strong consideration of our input and analysis regarding provisions important to U.S. industrial textile manufacturers,” said Ted Anderson, USIFI Board Chairman and CEO of BondCote Corporation.
“While every agreement includes tradeoffs, we recognize that the overall outcome on TPP is balanced and reflects core textile industry objectives. As a result, based on the text as drafted and agreed to by the TPP nations, we endorse this agreement,” Anderson added.
USIFI is a coalition of domestic U.S. fiber, fabric and end-product manufacturers which serves member company interests in both domestic and international affairs. USIFI is a division of the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), which represents more than 1,500 members in the specialty textile industry worldwide.
On the web: http://usindustrialfabrics.ifai.com
