US extends Haiti HOPE and HELP trade programs through 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States Congress has retroactively extended the Haiti HOPE and HELP trade preference programs, securing duty-free access for Haitian apparel exports through Dec. 31, 2026.

The programs, originally set to expire on Sept. 30, 2025, are vital to Haiti’s textile and apparel sector, which accounted for over 90% of the country’s export earnings as of 2020, according to the U.S. State Department. The retroactive extension also ensures that duties paid since the programs lapsed will be refunded to importers.

The HOPE (Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement) and HELP (Haiti Economic Lift Program) Acts, enacted in 2006 and 2010, grant Haitian manufacturers preferential access to the U.S. apparel market, helping stabilize the sector and positioning Haiti as a co-production partner for American firms. According to the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), the programs have been “instrumental to the development of Haiti’s apparel sector” and have supported both U.S. and Haitian textile industries.

The extension comes as part of a broader $1.2 trillion appropriations bill, alongside a similar retroactive renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which provides duty-free access for eligible sub-Saharan African countries through Dec. 31, 2026. Duties paid during the lapse of AGOA will also be refunded.

Haiti’s apparel industry has long operated under fragile conditions. A 10% tariff announced on Caribbean imports, imposed in April 2025 by the Trump administration, threatened to destabilize one of the country’s few functioning economic sectors. Garment exports to the U.S. generated $844 million in 2023, making Haiti highly dependent on American demand, while imports of refined petroleum, rice, and cotton fabrics highlighted the country’s trade imbalance and deep reliance on U.S. markets. Without HOPE and HELP, experts warned, the apparel sector and the tens of thousands of jobs it supports could collapse.

Industry groups welcomed the retroactive extension but emphasized the need for proactive, long-term renewal. “While the retroactive passage supports the industry on time lost,” the AAFA said in a  statement, “ proactive and long-term renewal is what is needed for predictability, investment, and economic viability to support the U.S. jobs anchored by these programs.”

Now restored, the extension provides a limited window for meaningful reform before the programs’ next expiration in December 2026. Policymakers and trade associations underscore that securing a longer-term solution will be essential to maintain investment and ensure continued stability in Haiti’s apparel sector.

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