Tariffs and Trade in the Trump 2.0 Era: Implications for Global Filtration Supply Chains
Mr. Wes Fisher
Director, Government Affairs
INDA, US
Speaker Bio
Wes Fisher is the Director of Government Affairs at INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, where he leads the association's global and domestic government and regulatory affairs activities and manages strategic relationships with allied organizations, government officials, industry partners, and stakeholders in support of the nonwovens industry, which includes manufacturers of a variety of engineered materials including personal care products, construction materials, filtration, automotive fixtures, and PPE.
He has previously held roles at the Pet Advocacy Network (formerly the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council), the National Automatic Merchandising Association, and the American Legislative Exchange Council.
He received a bachelor’s degree in political science from James Madison University and earned a Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from the American Society of Association Executives. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Washington Area State Relations Group (WASRG), and was appointed by Governor Glenn Youngkin to serve on the Virginia Rare Disease Council. He has been honored as a Top Lobbyist by the National Institute of Lobbying and Ethics, the Advocacy Association, and The Hill.
Presentation time
December 3, 2025
9:40 am - 9:55am EST
Abstract
What was once the domain of trade lawyers and procurement officers is now a boardroom concern. U.S. trade and tariff policy is evolving into a complex mixture of economic competition, national security, and forced labor concerns, not to mention the unpredictability of the second Trump administration. When President Trump announced plans to implement reciprocal tariff rates on dozens of countries with a 10% minimum baseline in early April, nearly every industry had questions and concerns around the long-term impacts of these tariffs while the courts have grappled with whether the President has the authority to implement such tariffs under emergency powers laws, as well as which courts have jurisdiction over the matter. Since then, tariff rates on certain countries have changed often, sometimes dramatically, and several categories of goods have been targeted for goods-specific duties. The implication of all this activity on U.S.-based manufacturers and importers has been profound.
As U.S. trade policy faces renewed uncertainty, global industries must adapt to a transformative shift in tariff and trade dynamics under the second Trump administration and beyond. INDA Government Affairs Director Wes Fisher will explore the outlook for U.S. trade policy with a focus on unilateral tariff actions, including Section 301 tariffs, IEEPA-based measures, supply chain reshoring, and the future of international trade agreements—all of which carry significant implications for raw materials, equipment imports, and global competitiveness in the filtration industry.