Action Could Pave the Way for New Tariffs – But Seeks to Address Costs for Consumers, Hospitals, and Manufacturers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) today celebrated the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announcement of two new Section 232 investigations: robotics and industrial machinery, and medical devices. Section 232 investigations look to the national security threats posed by import reliance.
The latest 232 announcements expand the list of ongoing investigations into imported goods that could be exposed to higher tariffs. For medical goods, this will include commodity items such as personal protective equipment such as gloves, surgical masks, and N95 respirators among larger items including devices used in medical diagnosis and treatment such as pacemakers.
“Today’s action will prove to be another huge win for American manufacturers, workers, patients, and for national security,” said Jon Toomey, President of CPA. “Protective tariffs designed and set especially for robotics, industrial machinery, and medical device products will ultimately mean more protection for patients, more Made-in-the-USA, more jobs, and will give domestic producers the certainty they need to invest and scale-up capacity here at home.”
These new announcements come on the heels of Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins warning that our import reliance on food has also become a national security threat.
Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 authorizes the President to adjust imports that threaten to impair national security. The Trump administration has long made economic security a matter of national security.
The 232 process is a return to a great American tradition—one of direct dialogue between American producers and policymakers regarding tariff protection. It also heralds the beginning of the end of our domestic producers being forced to litigate trade disputes at the World Trade Organization.
CPA supports the Administration’s 232 efforts and has submitted comments on the following ongoing investigations:
- steel and aluminum,
- copper,
- solar and their polysilicon products,
- pharmaceuticals and their active pharmaceutical ingredients,
- semiconductors and their manufacturing equipment,
- middle-duty trucks,
- timber and lumber products,
- and, critical minerals and derivative products.
CPA supports the Trump administration’s Section 232 actions and the broader ‘America First Trade Policy’ goal of rebuilding domestic supply chains, and entice companies large and small to rethink their manufacturing exposure to Asia, and focus instead on reshoring and rebuilding critical manufacturing here at home.
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