Bipartisan Bills Introduced in Both Chambers to Renew Haiti HOPE/HELP
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., joined by Sens. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., introduced a renewal of a trade preferences program for Haiti this week.
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The bill, the Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act of 2025, would extend the HELP Act for 10 years. It allows apparel sewn in Haiti equivalent to 1.25% of annual imports to enter duty-free, as long as at least 60% of the value of the good is Haitian.
Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., joined by Democrats Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Frederica Wilson and Republican Maria Elvira Salazar, introduced companion legislation Feb. 27.
"The HOPE and HELP programs have proven to be mutually beneficial to the United States and Haiti," Murphy said, providing much-needed economic opportunity for Haiti and helping diversify away from China.
"As Haiti faces an ongoing, unprecedented crisis, it is crucial for businesses to remain in the country to support jobs, economic growth, and stability," Salazar said in the press release announcing the House bill. "Supporting economic development within Haiti is of strategic interest to the United States. Congress must act to ensure these initiatives continue."
"We ask Congress to immediately take up and pass this measure, and for President Trump to quickly sign it into law, to provide predictability for U.S. brands and retailers still trying to do business in Haiti amidst uncertainty with a looming September 2025 expiration,” American Apparel and Footwear Association President and CEO Steve Lamar said in a Feb. 27 news release.
The Haiti HOPE/HELP program expires on Sept. 30 this year.