Lawmakers Push for Footwear Tariff Relaxation in TPP

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) should include a footwear provision that quickly eliminates footwear duties and doesn't include a complex rule-of-origin, said a group of 27 members of Congress in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk. According to the lawmakers, footwear tariffs are among the highest in the U.S. even though less than 1 percent of the footwear sold in the U.S. is produced in the U.S.

Eight Percent from Vietnam

Eight percent of U.S. footwear originates in Vietnam, one of the countries the U.S. is negotiated the TPP with, said the letter. Most of the value of that Vietnam-made footwear is created within the U.S. through innovation, design and marketing, which provides thousands of American jobs, they said. The right TPP footwear rules would allow U.S. brands to reinvest duty savings and add jobs while providing U.S. consumers with more choice, said the lawmakers. The Retail Industry Leaders Association said it supported the letter.

27 Signers

Signers of letter to Kirk included: Reps. Aaron Schock (R-IL) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) John Barrow (D-GA), July Biggert (R-IL), Diane Black (R-TN), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Paul Broun (R-GA), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Charles Boustany, Jr. (R-LA), Fransisco Canesco (R-TX), Stephen Cohen (D-TN), David Dreier (R-CA), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), Mike Kelly (R-PA) Wally Herger (R-CA), Lynn Jenkins (R-KS), Billy Long (R-MO), Greg Meeks (D-NY), Erik Paulsen (R-MN), Jared Polis (D-CO), Charlie Rangel (D-NY), Dave Reichert (R-WA), Peter Roskam (R-IL), Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Adrian Smith (R-NE), Edolphus Towns (D-NY), and Greg Walden (R-OR).