AAFA Calls on Congress and Administration to Restore and Fund ILO

The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) today delivered a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a letter to leadership of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees urging Congress and the Trump administration to put America first by restoring, and continuing, U.S. funding for the International Labor Organization (ILO). Addressed members of Congress include: Senator Susan Collins, Senator Patty Murray, and Representatives Tom Cole and Rosa DeLauro.

As stated in the letters, "While 97% of all clothes, shoes, and accessories sold in the United States are imported, our industry directly employs 3.6 million American workers in good-paying jobs, in design, R&D, compliance, logistics, marketing, retail, and, yes, manufacturing. We rely on the essential work of ILO, whose purpose is to work globally to ensure a level playing field for all workers, including American workers. In fact, the ILO’s work, because of U.S. influence, puts America first by reflecting the values of the American people as it furthers the interest of American workers and American businesses. The ILO builds institutions in countries around the world so that they can effectively implement and enforce internationally recognized labor standards, including combatting forced labor."

The ILO maintains staff and offices in dozens of key countries that provide real time intelligence, contacts, and solutions to promote and protect internationally recognized labor standards. Specifically, the letter emphasizes the importance of the ILO’s Better Work program in establishing strong labor enforcement and transparency in key countries around the world.

"Through the important work of the ILO’s Better Work program, as one example of the ILO's essential contributions, the ILO not only reflects American values, but the ILO also ensures that foreign workers, and the foreign companies that employ them, don’t have an unfair competitive advantage over American workers and American businesses. The ILO's work to support internationally recognized labor standards, including combatting forced labor, is essential. By putting the ILO and ILO labor standards in agreements on reciprocal trade (ART), the Trump administration recognizes the importance of the ILO in protecting American workers and American businesses," said AAFA Executive Vice President Nate Herman.

U.S. funding for the ILO is supported by both American workers and American business, with endorsements from the AFL-CIO and American industry, as delivered in an October 30, 2025 U.S. business community letter urging Congressional support for ILO and other international organizations.

Yesterday, AAFA applauded steps by the Taiwan Textile Industry to foreign migrant workers and reiterated its support for the AAFA/Fair Labor Association Commitment to Responsible Recruitment.