The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) and key industry leaders have welcomed former President Donald Trump’s executive order ending the de minimis provision for Chinese imports, effective May 2. The order targets a long-standing loophole that allowed low-value shipments often from Chinese e-commerce platforms to enter the US duty-free and largely unregulated.
Kim Glas, President and CEO of the NCTO, praised the move as a vital measure to protect US manufacturers. “We are grateful to President Trump for closing this destructive loophole that has allowed illegal and unsafe goods, including those made with forced labor, to flood our market,” she said. Glas emphasized that the policy had led to the closure of 28 textile mills over the past 22 months and urged Congress to expand the ban to all countries to prevent circumvention.
Anderson Warlick, Chairman and CEO of Parkdale Mills, echoed the sentiment, highlighting the economic and human toll. “About half of all de minimis shipments include textile or apparel products. These undercut our industry while facilitating the entry of harmful goods, including those made with forced labor,” he said, urging broader action.
Amy Bircher Bruyn, CEO of MMI Textiles, described the loophole as a serious threat to national security and American jobs. Her company, which supports dozens of workers directly and hundreds indirectly, supplies critical materials for US military and law enforcement. “During Covid-19, we rapidly pivoted to supply PPE. Yet, we’ve been undermined by massive volumes of fast fashion imports entering duty-free,” she noted.
Ron Sytz, CEO of Beverly Knits, called the move ‘a lifeline’ for domestic manufacturers. His North Carolina-based business, operating for over four decades, was forced to lay off 175 workers due to unfair competition from de minimis imports. “We’re grateful for this action. It finally gives us a fighting chance to reinvest, grow, and hire again,” he said.
Industry leaders now call on the administration and Congress to eliminate the de minimis exemption for all countries, warning that China could reroute goods through third nations to evade the new restriction.
The US textile industry, employing nearly half a million workers, sees this move as a critical first step in restoring fair trade and revitalizing domestic manufacturing.
