WASHINGTON, D.C. — August 21, 2024 — National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas issued the following statement today on news of the passing of Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) this morning.
Statement by NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas:
The entire U.S. textile industry is mourning the loss of Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), a true leader and advocate for critical manufacturing policies aimed at bolstering the domestic supply chain and confronting ongoing threats from predatory trade practices.
We commend his significant contributions – not just to the U.S. domestic industry—but for American manufacturers and workers everywhere.
Rep. Pascrell had served as co-chair of the House Textile Caucus with Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) since 2013 and was an ardent fighter for the U.S. textile industry and beyond.
In April, Congressman Pascrell championed a bill titled the Import Security and Fairness Act led by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) that would exclude all Chinese imports from de minimis treatment, as highlighted in our blog post on a House Ways & Means markup.
He also penned an op-ed with Congressman McHenry highlighting the urgent need to drive investment and for onshoring and nearshoring textile and apparel production and to not weaken the critical U.S. and Central America Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR)..
In addition, he co-sponsored legislation aimed at strengthening the American PPE supply chain which would expand the Berry Amendment to nearly all federal purchases of PPE.
As is evidenced above, Congressman Pascrell took on every policy battle in support of U.S. textiles and manufacturing in general as an unwavering supporter of maintaining and expanding a vital domestic manufacturing chain. He worked closely with Rep. McHenry on critical textile issues to advance the cause for our domestic industry and its workforce.
He will be missed deeply by the industry and to all who knew him. We extend our gratitude to a manufacturing warrior and express our condolences to the entire Pascrell family and his staff team.
Posted: August 21, 2024
Source: National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO)
