USTR Ron Kirk applauds Congressional renewal of AGOA’S third-country fabric provision
Today, United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk applauded news of a welcomed and long-awaited vote by both the House and Senate to make critical amendments to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Central America – Dominican Republic – United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).
“This is great news for thousands of workers and businesses in the United States, Africa and Latin America. This victory today proves that when jobs are on the line, we can come together in a bipartisan fashion to do what is right for our workers and businesses,” said Ambassador Kirk. “Today’s action in both chambers of Congress means protection for not only the 2,000 Americans whose jobs depend on this legislation, but also for thousands of African workers, like the employees of the Lucky Mills Textile factory, whom I met on my recent trip to Ghana. I applaud members of both the House and Senate for working to make this happen before Third-Country Fabric is due to expire next month. President Obama is ready to sign this legislation as soon as it reaches his desk."