Home Fashions Products Association makes its case to Washington

NEW YORK – The Home Fashions Products Association (HFPA) fired off a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce today laying out its strong opposition to additional tariffs on home textiles imports.

The industry associations’ letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick reiterated several points the HFPA made in a statement it issued yesterday evening after President Trump announced sweeping new tariffs:

Home textiles are not strategic imports related to U.S. security or the country’s long-term economic competitiveness, but fundamental goods that millions of families rely upon daily.
Subjecting home textiles to higher tariffs would drive up costs, making them less affordable for consumers and adding strain to household budgets.
Given that home textiles are already subject to duties under Section 301, the recently announced tariffs will have “a severe impact” on pricing, further compounding the financial pressure on both retailers and consumers.
The U.S. lacks the domestic production capacity to meet demand for home textile products.
The tariffs will force U.S. businesses to absorb higher costs, pass them onto consumers, reduce workforce investments, and relocate production capacity to countries other than the U.S.
For U.S. producers, further tariffs will raise prices on input materials, making it even more difficult to be globally competitive.

“At a time when affordability and economic stability are paramount concerns, such measures would be counterproductive,” stated the letter, which was signed by HFPA board president Charles Gaenslen.

He noted that new and proposed tariffs in recent weeks have already had an effect on the industry and pointed to a recent survey of home textile industry manufacturers commissioned by sister publication Home Textiles Today which found that 23% of respondents said customers have canceled orders, about one-third have delayed them and 36% reduced the order size.

“The downstream effects will be higher prices for consumers and fewer American-based jobs in the industry,” the latter stated. “It is our hope that the administration will quickly come to a resolution with our trading partners and pursue policies that support economic growth, consumer affordability, and a competitive marketplace.”

Gaenslen added that the HFPA stands ready to collaborate on “solutions that protect American consumers while fostering a strong and sustainable home textile industry.”