Congressman Lance Gooden of Texas has introduced the Foreign-Trade Zone Export Enhancement Act of 2025, a bipartisan bill aimed at supporting U.S. manufacturing and promoting exports to Mexico and Canada. The legislation is designed to clarify trade laws so that goods produced in U.S. foreign-trade zones (FTZs) can be exported duty-free under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), even if they contain imported components.
“American manufacturers should never be punished for building here at home,” said Congressman Gooden. “This bill cuts red tape, boosts U.S. exports, and strengthens trade with Mexico and Canada to keep good-paying jobs in America.”
The proposed legislation would amend the Foreign-Trade Zones Act to establish a new tariff classification for qualifying goods made in FTZs, ensuring their eligibility for duty-free export. It also requires Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to implement consistent regulations within 90 days of enactment and seeks to prevent sudden rule changes that could affect manufacturing or export operations.
The bill is co-led by Representative Vicente Gonzalez of Texas and has support from Representatives Monica De La Cruz, Virginia Foxx, Mike Kelly, and Vern Buchanan.
“For the United States to remain competitive abroad and create new jobs at home, we must remove bureaucratic red tape that disrupts the flow of goods and increases costs for American manufacturers,” said Congressman Gonzalez. “This bipartisan bill will help clarify duties and strengthen our supply chain by ensuring that manufacturers operating within an FTZ are treated fairly. It will also ensure that FTZs, including the Port of Brownsville, one of the consistently top-performing zones in our nation, can continue to expeditiously process merchandise through the South Texas region and ensure goods to our Mexican and Canadian trading partners are duty-free.”
Industry groups have voiced their support as well. Jeff Tafel, president of the National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones (NAFTZ), stated: “This legislation recognizes that U.S. manufacturers should not be penalized simply because they operate inside an FTZ. We commend Reps. Gooden, Gonzalez, De La Cruz, Foxx, Kelly, and Buchanan for advancing a solution that strengthens American competitiveness and keeps the decades-long promise of the U.S. FTZ program.”
Congressman Gooden has held his seat since 2018 after defeating Dan Wood in that year’s general election with 62.3% of the vote over Wood’s 37.6%. He continued his winning streak by defeating Carolyn Salter in 2020 with 62% of votes compared to Salter’s 35.9%, Tartisha Hill in 2022 with 64% over Hill’s 33.9%, and Ruth Torres in 2024 with 64.1% against Torres’ 35.9%.
More information about the bill can be found on Congressman Gooden’s official website: https://gooden.house.gov/2025/12/gooden-introduces-legislation-to-strengthen-u-s-exports-and-manufacturing
