Critics say temporary leniency on electronics undercuts efforts to bring jobs back to America.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Says Tariff Exemption for Electronics Is Not Permanent
Has the damage already been done by Trump’s tariffs?
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the tariff exemption on a wide range of electronics, including semiconductors and smartphones, will be temporary.
Targeted tariffs will be imposed on specific business sectors in the coming months on certain key products tied to national security, which “will not be open for negotiation,” Lutnick said Sunday on “ABC This Week.”
“Those products will be part of the upcoming sectoral tariffs on semiconductors,” said the Commerce Secretary, referring to electronics currently covered by the exemption.
“Semiconductors and pharmaceuticals will have a tariff model designed to encourage them to come back to the country,” he said. “We need our medicines, and we need semiconductors and electronics to be manufactured in the U.S. We cannot depend on or trust foreign countries for essential things we need.”
When pressed on why the administration chose to exempt certain electronics from the reciprocal tariffs, Lutnick emphasized that the exemption is temporary.
“These are included in the upcoming semiconductor tariffs, and pharmaceutical products are also coming. Those two areas will be addressed in the next month or two. So, this is not a permanent exemption,” Lutnick added.
Lutnick, who earlier this week said he had not been in direct contact with Chinese officials, said he believes Trump and China’s leader, Xi Jinping, “will work this out” and that Trump will secure a good outcome for the United States.
