On May 20, the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA) sent a letter to the Trump Administration urging that the current duty deferment plan be extended for the rest of 2020.

In the letter, FDRA highlighted that the U.S. has already lost over 100,000 footwear jobs and needs the extension in order to help stop the damage getting worse. In April, the Administration announced duty deferment for certain goods imported in March and April. "Today, we called on the Trump Administration to extend its current duty deferment plan for the rest of the year. This would free up much-needed cash to help U.S. footwear companies stay in business and preserve U.S. jobs. These duties would still be paid, just at a later date, so there is no loss to the federal government”, said Matt Priest President and CEO, FDRA. “We hope that everything is on the table to save our economy. If it is, then duty deferment is an easy way to strengthen footwear companies and their workers during this unprecedented time."

Over 32,500 jobs are reported to have been lost in Brazil’s footwear sector due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has resulted in a sharp fall in domestic demand, with the sector forecasting a drop of up to 30% in footwear production. Read more here.