April 10, 2025
Promo Leaders Advocate for Industry Concerns in Washington, D.C.
Several dozen promo pros traveled to Capitol Hill this week to discuss tariffs, the SWAG Act and trade agreements with lawmakers as part of PPAI’s Legislative Education and Action Day.
Key Takeaways
• Educating Congress: Leaders in the promotional products industry spoke with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., as part of PPAI’s annual Legislative Education and Action Day.
• Tariffs & Uncertainty: The tariffs recently announced by the Trump administration were a key discussion point, highlighting the uncertainty and challenges faced by the promo industry, especially small businesses.
• Advocacy for Trade Agreements: Promo leaders also advocated for the extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act and the reinstatement of the Generalized System of Preferences to support duty-free access and reduce dependency on China.
• Opposition to the SWAG Act: Attendees expressed strong opposition to the SWAG Act, which aims to ban federal agencies from purchasing branded merchandise.
The promo industry headed to Capitol Hill this week.
Dozens of promo leaders met with legislators and staffers in Washington, D.C., to educate Congress about the industry’s current legislative and regulatory concerns, as part of Promotional Products Association International’s (PPAI’s) annual Legislative Education and Action Day (LEAD).
ASI’s Senior Vice President and Senior Counsel Chuck Machion joined promo leaders (Dave Rappe of The Promo Agency, Powered by Proforma (asi/490005), Rachel Zoch of PPAI, Brett Cutler of CleggPromos (asi/45450), Les Love of Arch Promo group (asi/36663) and George Jackson of George Jackson Promotions) in Washington, D.C., this week to educate lawmakers about the industry at LEAD.
Unsurprisingly, tariffs were top of mind during many of these conversations, especially as the Trump administration announced additional tariffs on imports from China in the midst of the promo pros’ meetings with legislators – a levy hike of 145% officially went into effect April 9 even as the president authorized a 90-day pause on tariffs for most countries.
“The talk of the town was tariffs,” said ASI’s Senior Vice President and Senior Counsel Chuck Machion, who has attended LEAD for more than a decade. “And the takeaway is uncertainty – no one knows where it will end up.”
Machion stressed that the majority of products sold by promo firms are imported – and that the $26.6 billion promo industry is primarily composed of small businesses who don’t always have the resources or expertise to navigate tariff uncertainty and absorb the added costs of doing business.
Joseph Sommer, founder and CEO of distributor Whitestone (asi/359741), said that the most productive conversations – on both sides of the aisle – came from sharing the real stories of these businesses and how they’re impacted by tariff changes.
Relatedly, Sommer and other attendees of PPAI’s LEAD also prioritized advocating to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act – a trade agreement expiring in the fall that allows goods manufactured in some sub-Saharan African countries to enter the U.S. market duty-free – and the reinstatement of the Generalized System of Preferences – a similar program allowing for duty-free imports from eligible developing countries that lapsed in 2020.
“These extensions are vital for our industry, not only because they help support duty-free access for certain products,” said Sommer, Counselor’s 2024 Distributor Entrepreneur of the Year, “but because they also reduce dependency on China and open up more sustainable and diversified sourcing opportunities for small businesses like ours.”
LEAD attendees also expressed strong opposition to the SWAG Act (“Stop Wasteful Advertising by the Government” Act), a bill proposed by Sen. Joni Ernst that aims to ban federal government agencies from purchasing and distributing branded merchandise and promotional products.
The bill has been proposed by Ernst before, but has yet to go anywhere, said Jay Shaplin, senior brand manager and vendor liaison at Sonic Promos (asi/329865).
“Once you sit down with any member of Congress and point out all the items it would impact,” Shaplin said, “they are in total agreement that it needs to be opposed, or, at the very least, modified.”
Next month, ASI will also be participating in the PRINTING United Alliance’s biannual legislative fly-in, which will see execs from print-focused companies heading to Capitol Hill to advocate around issues affecting the print industry.