Shoe Importers and Domestic Manufacturers Send Trump Letter Against Tariffs
Five trade groups, representing domestic shoe manufacturers, shoe importers and shoe retailers, are telling President Donald Trump that putting 25 percent tariffs on Chinese shoes, shoe components and machinery used to make shoes would have catastrophic consequences for the industry.…
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"Although our members have been diversifying from China, that process cannot take place overnight," the letter said. "The U.S. footwear domestic manufacturing and U.S. footwear import industries stand united in expressing our grave concerns these tariffs won’t help any segment of our industry," the American Apparel and Footwear Association, the Rubber and Plastic Footwear Manufacturers Association, the Outdoor Industry Association, the Sports and Fitness Industry Association and the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America wrote in a letter sent May 30. The increased costs of shoe components could drive American factories out of business, they said. And AAFA talked about the U.S. jobs in design, logistics and compliance that could be lost if fewer shoes are purchased because of increased costs for consumers.