The Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act (H.R. 6504) bill passed the Ways and Means Committee of the US House of Representatives with a vote of 37-3. The Ways and Means approval is considered a step forward for congressional approval.
Haiti receives US trade preferences for textile and apparel products through several trade programs, including the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act (HOPE) and Haiti Economic Lift Program Act (HELP).
The legislators voted in favor considering that an extended lapse in these programs could jeopardize Haiti’s apparel manufacturing industry, exacerbating the current political instability in the country and increasing security concerns in the United States.
The bill renews duty-free treatment provided with respect to certain imports from Haiti under the HOPE/HELP program for three years.
Renewal of these programs supports nearshoring and onshoring goals for American trade that will benefit American workers and businesses.
The bill is of special interest to the exports of the Codevi factory on the border in Ouanaminthe on the border with Dajabon province in the Dominican Republic. The factory exports tariff free to the United States under the provisions of the special laws.
Codevi has employed over 25,000 persons in one of the most economically-depressed areas in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Both the HOPE and HELP laws are designed to assist unemployment in Haiti, thus their names: Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement and Haiti Economic Lift Program. The multidimensional crisis in Haiti has caused a massive loss of employment opportunities and pushed migrations towards the Dominican Republic as well as the United States.
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Ways and Means
Listin Diario
15 December 2025