The US National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), a longstanding supporter of President Donald Trump’s trade policies, has expressed disagreement with recent comments by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Bessent, during a White House press briefing, emphasized the importance of “precision manufacturing,” appearing to downplay the relevance of the textile and apparel sectors. He remarked: “The goal here is to bring back the high-quality industrial jobs to the US. President Trump is interested in the jobs of the future, not the jobs of the past. You know we don’t need to necessarily have a booming textile industry like where I grew up again, but we do want to have precision manufacturing and bring that back.”
The NCTO strongly defended the significance of the textile industry, highlighting its contributions to national defense and global trade. The group emphasized that “the US proudly makes over 8,000 different products to the US military” and noted that the nation, as the world’s second-largest exporter of textile-related goods, achieved $28 billion in exports in 2024.
Kimberly Glas, NCTO president and CEO, reacted to Bessent’s statements, expressing disappointment: “Our industry saw your remarks and were disheartened to hear this sentiment, especially since this industry has been noted by President Trump himself on a number of occasions as critical and strategic. This is a strategically important, relevant, and key industry – which is why we were pleased the White House amplified the industry again in its press release on reciprocal tariffs.”
Glas has requested a meeting with Bessent to discuss the industry’s role and the policies needed to support its growth. She stated: “With the right policies, the Trump administration can encourage the US textile industry to reinvest in America, preserve and grow our existing workforce, and spur greater production and sales of American-made textiles now and in the future. We would like to meet at your convenience to discuss the critical nature of the US textile industry and how the Administration can help this key supply chain onshore jobs.”
At its 21st annual meeting in Washington, DC, the NCTO reported that the textile industry’s shipments of man-made fibers, textiles, and apparel were valued at approximately $63.9 billion in 2024, representing a slight decline of 1.3 percent from $64.8 billion in 2023.
In March 2025, the NCTO, as part of the Coalition to Close the De Minimis Loophole alongside the Alliance for American Manufacturing and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), urged President Trump to permanently eliminate the de minimis provision. The NCTO has also publicly supported Trump’s America First Reciprocal Trade Plan, a stance that has been acknowledged by the White House.
