Office of Textiles and Apparel
The Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) is dedicated to increasing the international competitiveness of the U.S. fiber, textile, apparel, footwear, and travel goods industries. We do this by undertaking industry analysis, contributing to U.S. trade policy development, participating in trade negotiations and trade promotion, and addressing trade barriers. OTEXA works with other Department of Commerce units and U.S. agencies in developing a public policy environment that advances U.S. competitiveness at home and abroad. A key to the successful efforts of OTEXA and other industry offices is our strong working relationship with trade associations and individual companies within our sectors.
OTEXA is led by the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles, Consumer Goods, and Materials, who also serves as the Chair, of the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA), an interagency group responsible for matters affecting textile trade policy, supervising the implementation of certain textile and apparel provisions of Free Trade Agreements and preference programs; and coordinating efforts to combat illegal textile and apparel transshipment.
What We Do
- Trade Data Publication: Publish comprehensive import and export statistics for textiles, apparel, footwear, and travel goods.
- Free Trade Agreements: Support the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in trade agreement negotiations, representing the interests of the domestic fiber, textile, apparel, footwear, and travel goods industries.
- Trade Preference Programs: Administer textile and apparel provisions of trade preference programs including the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA), and Haiti/HOPE. Under AGOA, CBTPA, and Haiti/HOPE, CITA is delegated authority to implement certain provisions such as commercial availability, anti-circumvention, and folklore and handicraft agreements and to calculate the annual benefit caps.
- Commercial Availability: Process requests to determine whether specific fibers, yarns, or fabrics are not available in commercial quantities in a timely manner from designated trade partner countries. OTEXA, on behalf of the Chairman of CITA, processes all such requests and the Chairman makes recommendations to CITA, in accordance with the procedures published by CITA.
- Export Promotion: Support and maintain an export program that encourages, supports, and facilitates export sales of U.S.-made textiles and apparel to key overseas markets. The program includes export counseling, participation in trade events, and market research designed to identify key export opportunities.
- Made in U.S.A. database: Facilitate business-to-business (B2B) match-making for the textile, apparel industries, footwear, and travel good industries.
- Non-Tariff Barriers: Work with ITA colleagues, USTR, and industry stakeholders to address foreign market trade barriers that adversely impact U.S. exports of textiles, apparel, footwear, and travel goods.
- Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs): Make recommendations to the FTZ Board on the potential adverse impacts of FTZs covering textile products.
- Miscellaneous Tariff Bills (MTBs): Review and make recommendations on petitions to temporarily suspend the tariffs on imported textiles, apparel, footwear, and travel goods.
- Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Textiles and Clothing (ITAC 11): Administer the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Textiles and Clothing (ITAC 11), responsible for providing trade policy advice to the Secretary of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative.
