AAFA Applauds Two-Year Congressional Extension of AGOA and Haiti HOPE/HELP Programs

# What passed and how

The U.S. House approved a two-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Haiti Economic Lift Program (HOPE/HELP) as part of a Continuing Resolution (CR) to temporarily fund the government. The roll-call vote was 370 to 48. Once the CR is signed into law, both programs will run through December 31, 2028.

# Why AAFA welcomed the vote

Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) issued a positive response. The trade group framed the extension as important to the apparel and textile sectors because both programs provide duty-free access that supports trade links and supply-chain relationships.

AAFA highlighted industry-specific impacts: AGOA has for 25 years given eligible Sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access that strengthened U.S. exports in textiles and agriculture and fostered commercial partnerships. The Haiti HOPE/HELP programs, running for more than 15 years, have granted Haiti duty-free access for apparel and textile products and supported business ties between U.S. and Haitian manufacturers.

AAFA's Vice President of Trade and Customs Policy, Beth Hughes, thanked Congress for bipartisan, bicameral support and said the association looks forward to the President signing the extension into law. AAFA urged that the two-year window be used to modernize AGOA and Haiti HOPE/HELP and to build toward a longer-term renewal.

# Practical consequences for industry

For U.S. apparel and footwear firms, the extension preserves tariff preferences that affect sourcing, pricing, and supplier decisions. For exporters and producers in eligible African countries and Haiti, the extension maintains duty-free entry that can influence investment, orders, and production planning over the next two years.

The two-year timeline creates a predictable but limited horizon: businesses and governments have until the end of 2028 to plan under current program terms unless Congress acts sooner.

# What the programs do

AGOA: Offers duty-free market access for eligible Sub-Saharan African countries, historically supporting a range of sectors including textiles and agriculture and facilitating U.S.–Africa commercial partnerships.

# Next steps and implications

• Legal step: The extension becomes effective only after the President signs the Continuing Resolution into law. The published report names President Trump as the President expected to sign.

• Policy window: AAFA wants Congress to use the two-year extension to modernize program rules and to consider a longer-term (the association mentioned a 15-year target) renewal to give businesses more certainty.

• Industry planning: Apparel and textile companies should track legislative progress, consider sourcing implications if programs change in 2028, and weigh investment decisions that depend on tariff preferences.

# Bottom line

The House vote keeps duty-free trade preferences in place for two more years, preserving current trading conditions for many apparel and textile flows tied to AGOA and Haiti HOPE/HELP. AAFA supports the extension and is pushing for modernization and a longer renewal to reduce future uncertainty.