Cass Johnson, President of the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), released the following statement after the Senate Finance Committee’s confirmation hearing on the nomination of Michael Froman to serve as United States Trade Representative (USTR).
“Michael Froman’s explicit support for the ‘yarn forward’ rule of origin comes as welcome news to NCTO as well as hundreds of thousands textile workers across America whose jobs and communities rely on the Trans Pacific Partnership’s adherence to preexisting, free and fair trade principles.
“Chairman Baucus and members of the Senate Finance Committee, most notably Senators Richard Burr and Ben Cardin whose leadership spurred direct answers on behalf of American textile manufacturers, deserve credit for leading a thoughtful and substantive hearing on the confirmation of Michael Froman toserve as the next United States Trade Representative.
NCTO will continue to closely monitor the confirmation process to ensure our government remains committed to a vibrant textile manufacturing sector by making ‘yarn forward’ enforcement a centerpiece of TPP negotiations moving forward.”
