Bag maker delivers her 'make or break' appeal

Sherrill Mosee drove for nearly three hours to Washington from her company in Philadelphia to make a five-minute appeal that she believed could make or break her business.

The company founder and designer of work and travel bags wants the US authorities to put the brake on "devastating" duties on her signature handbags, which are made in China, and are among $200 billion worth of Chinese goods likely to be subject to hefty tariffs from the United States.

Mosee said Chinese manufacturers had made her dream of producing unique handbags a reality, but it would be a nightmare if the US Trade Representative's Office slaps a 25 percent duty on the bags when they are exported to the US.