US-based footwear continues to fight against Trump’s choice in policy. When news broke, that Washington threatened additional duties against Chinese producers, hundreds of US-based footwear, (main ones included), manufacturers, wrote letters to the Trump administration explaining why they are against the new duties against Chinese products for a value of 200 billion USD of consumers’ goods. More than 50 of these businesses are associated with FDRA, the association of US distributers and retailers of footwear products, and in the letters, they stated how concerned they were for this potential addition of duties, since the new tariffs would significantly hurt consumers, workers and the US companies. Matt Priest, president and ceo of FDRA stated: “Even if footwear products aren’t included in the third list proposed by the Trump administration, many other consumer goods and machines to produce are at risk, making all prices increase for the American consumers. Therefore, the costs’ increase for consumers damages our ability to sell more pairs of shoes, and that has a strong impact on our sector. As the footwear companies say in the letter, the new hidden taxes that touch every single American consumer are simply the wrong approach”. According to US companies: “We cannot move our supply chain that easily outside of China without incurring in enormous issues and without an increase in costs. Millions of jobs in the USA would be at risk if a new 10% or 25% duty would be put in place, that would be due to the smaller number of pairs sold, consequent lower investments and increased costs of the US supply chain”.
USA, FDRA begs trump: “If you extend the commercial war with China to the footwear segment, it will be a disaster for everyone”
