Recently, American Gem Trade Association [AGTA] said, as noted in our recent communication regarding President Trump’s September 5th Executive Order, AGTA President Bruce Bridges and CEO John W. Ford Sr. travelled to Washington, D.C. for the entirety of the week of September 15th to engage directly with policymakers on the import tariff issue. During the visit, we held meetings with Cabinet agencies, U.S. Senators, and House members.
As a reminder, the Executive Order provides for the possibility of a zero reciprocal tariff rate on products that “cannot be grown, mined, or naturally produced in the United States.” Importantly, Annex III of the Order—the section that establishes Potential Tariff Adjustments for Aligned Partners (PTAAP)—specifically includes our gemstones within designated tariff lines.
Bruce Bridges, President-AGTA said, our delegation conducted in-depth meetings with the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade, the White House Office of Management and Budget’s Made in America Office, and trade negotiators at the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office.
On Capitol Hill, we met with Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Representatives Darrell Issa, David Rouzer, Ronny Jackson, Mike Bost, and Randy Weber. We are especially grateful to AGTA member Matt Stuller of Stuller Settings for facilitating our meeting with Senator Cassidy.
In each of these discussions, we expressed our appreciation for gemstones being included in Annex III, while also pressing for clarity on implementation. We learned that reciprocal trade and security agreements must first be negotiated with individual trading partners before tariff reductions can take effect. Clearly, the Executive Order is designed to incentivize trading partners to make meaningful commitments.
Notably, U.S. trade negotiators welcomed AGTA’s offer to contact source countries directly and encourage them to take an active and engaged approach to trade negotiations with the United States. AGTA will continue to monitor developments closely with both the Administration and our congressional allies. We remain committed to representing the interests of our members and will keep you updated as circumstances evolve.
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