Our work began with stopping a footwear initiative intending to lower duties on a variety of footwear categories, harming the footwear industry of FTA countries. We feel the eliminating of duties on footwear worldwide will undermine the spirit of all trade agreements. As countries negotiate the give-and-take of trade agreements, one preference is traded for another preference. If countries with duty-free footwear lose their preference, the trade agreement is unfair. This would further allow countries with low labor costs to under-sell footwear manufacturers in FTA countries. We see this as leading to further legislation to eliminate other preferences we all have attained in negotiating FTAs with the United States.
