The NAFTZ 2026 Legislative Summit made one thing clear: when advocates for the U.S. FTZ program show up in Washington and share their own stories, it makes a difference.

This year’s Summit brought members to the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center for two days of policy updates, advocacy preparation, and direct engagement with Congress. Most importantly, it gave participants the opportunity to take their company experiences and operational realities straight to Capitol Hill. That member voice remains one of NAFTZ’s strongest advocacy tools on behalf of the U.S. FTZ program.

This year’s participation reflected the growing momentum behind that work:

• 66 NAFTZ participants, divided into 12 Hill teams
• 67 congressional meetings held
• 16 meetings with Members of Congress

The growth over the past three years is striking. In 2025, the Summit included 60 participants, 10 teams, 48 meetings, and 5 Member meetings. In 2024, it included 37 participants, 5 teams, and 38 meetings. This year’s results marked record participation, a major increase in total Hill meetings, and more than triple the number of Member-level meetings compared to last year. That growth reflects not only strong turnout, but growing awareness of the U.S. FTZ program and increased interest from congressional offices in understanding how they can help.

The agenda helped prepare attendees for those conversations. Members heard from NAFTZ leadership, trade policy experts, congressional committee staff, and panelists offering perspective on the current trade environment and the issues most affecting U.S. FTZ operations. Those sessions gave attendees a stronger grounding in the policy landscape while helping teams head to the Hill with a clear, coordinated message.

Still, the real strength of the Summit came from the members themselves.

By sharing firsthand examples from their own companies and communities, participants helped congressional offices better understand that the U.S. FTZ program is not an abstract customs mechanism. It is a congressionally authorized tool that supports American jobs, encourages domestic investment, strengthens U.S. competitiveness, and helps companies operate more effectively in a complex global trade environment. Those direct, company-level stories make the program more tangible and more relevant to policymakers.

This year, teams carried three clear advocacy priorities to the Hill.

First, participants focused on education about the U.S. FTZ program—what it is, how it works, and why it matters to manufacturers, distributors, and communities across the country. Second, members urged Congress to help address the Privileged Foreign status restrictions imposed under the President’s tariff orders. Third, members promoted H.R. 6792 and continued encouraging support for a Senate companion bill to address the unfair duty treatment U.S. FTZ manufacturers face under current USMCA implementing rules when exporting to Canada and Mexico.

The response in many offices was encouraging. Awareness of the U.S. FTZ program is still uneven across Capitol Hill, but members’ stories continue to make the program more real, more local, and easier for policymakers to understand. Just as important, offices showed growing willingness to engage on the challenges facing U.S. FTZs and to explore ways they may be able to support practical solutions.

The Summit also underscored the value of disciplined, member-driven advocacy. Teams arrived prepared with clear talking points, shared priorities, and real operational examples. That combination helped ensure meetings were consistent, credible, and productive. It also reinforced what NAFTZ has long known: the most effective advocates for the U.S. FTZ program are the people who use it, manage it, and see its value every day.

NAFTZ is already building on that momentum. Next steps include follow-up with congressional offices, additional meetings beginning as soon as March 19, virtual rescheduling of missed meetings where possible, and continued promotion of the same core advocacy priorities raised during the Summit.

Thank you to all of the NAFTZ members who traveled to Washington, prepared thoughtfully, and shared their stories so effectively. Your participation made this Summit a success and helped strengthen the voice of the U.S. FTZ community on Capitol Hill.