The Washington-based National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) recently hosted two roundtables — one with Representative Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) and a second with Congresswoman Kathy Manning (D-N.C.) — and both featuring textile executives from the fiber, yarn, fabric and finished textile product sectors. The meetings were designed to highlight the importance of the industry and urge the lawmakers to back policies that support the competitiveness of the U.S. textile industry.
The event with Representative Murphy was hosted by East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C.; while Unifi Inc. hosted the roundtable with Representative Manning at its headquarters in Greensboro, N.C.
Executives spoke about the innovative and sustainable production practices, as well as the industry’s contribution to the state of North Carolina. According to U.S. government data, textile jobs employ more than 36,000 people in the state and support a further 108,000 jobs. The state also leads the nation with its $2.7 billion in textile-related exports.
Executives also raised priority issues for the industry in Washington such as maintaining the yarn forward rules of origin in the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), advancing the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill, and upholding buy American and Berry Amendment procurement policies, among other issues,
“As the proud representative for North Carolina on the Ways and Means Committee, it’s an honor to work alongside NCTO to promote American jobs, grow our state economy, and protect domestic manufacturing,” Representative Manning stated.
“I am thrilled to engage with industry leaders in my district, as we discuss ways to grow the U.S. textile industry and the critical role that textile manufacturers play in our local, state, and national economy,” Congresswoman Manning said.
NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas expressed her sincere appreciation to both lawmakers for participating in the meetings. “It is imperative that we have sound trade and government procurement policies that help the U.S. industry continue to grow jobs and contribute to the overall U.S economy,” Glas noted.
September/October 2022
