Congress extends Haiti's tariff-free apparel access through 2035

What it does

This bill extends duty-free (tariff-free) trade benefits for apparel imports from Haiti through September 30, 2035, under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act. It raises the required domestic-content threshold from 50% to 60%, caps annual imports at 1.25% of total U.S. apparel imports, and restores eligibility for certain articles that lost preferential status due to tariff-schedule changes. The primary beneficiaries are Haitian apparel manufacturers and U.S. importers/retailers sourcing from Haiti.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core function is extending and modifying tariff-free treatment for Haitian apparel under an existing trade program. It is a straightforward trade-policy instrument, not a hidden rider or concealment mechanism.

What the text implies

• The 1.25% annual import cap may limit Haiti's ability to scale apparel production and export, potentially capping the economic-development benefit the bill intends to provide.
• Raising the domestic-content threshold from 50% to 60% increases production costs for Haitian manufacturers, potentially offsetting competitiveness gains from duty-free access.
• The 10-year extension (through 2035) creates policy certainty for investors but also locks in a tariff exemption that may be difficult to modify if labor or environmental standards in Haiti do not improve.
• Restoring eligibility for articles that lost status due to tariff-schedule revisions may create unintended consequences if those articles were reclassified for legitimate regulatory reasons.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill may support job creation and economic development in Haiti, a low-income country with limited export opportunities, which could reduce poverty and migration pressure. However, the tariff exemption represents foregone U.S. government revenue and may displace apparel workers in other countries or regions, with unclear net benefit to U.S. consumers or workers.

Who stands to gain

• Haitian apparel manufacturers
• U.S. apparel importers and retailers
• U.S. fashion and clothing brands sourcing from Haiti

Named in the bill

Haiti, Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA), Section 213A of CBERA, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, Committee on Finance (Senate), Committee on Ways and Means (House), U.S. apparel industry

Where it stands

17 cosponsors: 10 Republicans, 7 Democrats.

• Feb 26, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Feb 26, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

4 lobbying clients named this bill on 6 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $18,710,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 8 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 72% of bills with at least one filing.

Gregory Murphy, the sponsor, reported $1,068,698 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle. $2,000 of that came from 1 PAC tied to these lobbying clients.

• Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A. — $17,960,000 on 1 filing
• Cintas — $540,000 on 2 filings
• Medical Apparel Made for America - Haiti Coalition — $150,000 on 1 filing
• Gap, Inc. — $60,000 on 2 filings

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.