By Susan Niemi
Following is part of a letter dated Oct., 2008, from president-elect Barack Obama in response to a questionnaire sent to the Obama campaign by the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO).
“But I am especially aware of the trade challenges faced by those working in our textile industries. When safeguards on textile imports from China expired in 2004, imports surged and thousands of jobs were lost. I support Chairman Rangel’s call for the United States International Trade Commission to monitor textile imports from China. As president, I would use monitoring to help ensure that imports from China do not violate applicable laws and treaties. I support the requirement in the Berry Amendment that the Defense Department procure only textiles made in the United States. I also support inclusion of the yarn forward rule in free trade agreements, to ensure that countries with which we enter special trade relationships do not become conduits for source yarn outside those countries.”