06 Apr Footwear Industry Association Says President’s Comments Will Damage Consumer Confidence
Matt Priest, president and CEO of the Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America (FDRA) issued the following statement in regards to President Trump’s latest comments on additional tariffs:
“President Trump’s latest push to add additional tariffs on $100 billion in goods, on top of his list of $50 billion in goods released just days ago, has been met by industry leaders with confusion and dismay. We simply cannot understand why the President would use American footwear consumers as a bargaining chip in his fight with China. We have stressed that adding tariffs will drive up shoe prices for American consumers. Now we are also worried that these latest comments will cause a drop in consumer confidence, pulling back dollars that Americans might have used to purchase shoes this Spring. Fear and confusion leads to pauses in spending, and footwear retailers cannot afford this in an already tough environment. We encourage the President to pull back from his latest comments for the sake of footwear shoppers and retailers.”
Priest added: “The first tariffs targeting $50 billion in goods was sold as placing a minimal burden on American families. There is no chance adding additional tariffs on another $100 billion in trade can prevent families from seeing cost increases on everyday goods, as well as job losses starting with agriculture and moving across much of our economy including footwear.”
For more information about the negative impact high shoe tariffs already place on consumers and the American footwear industry, click here.
FDRA is the footwear industry’s business and trade association – representing over 80% of the entire U.S. footwear industry. For more information visit fdra.org