Transcript: Will Tariffs From The Biden Administration Carry Over Into The Trump Administration?
Nicole Bivens Collinson: There was a four-year review of the tariffs that were put in place under Section 301, because under that statute – that authority that Congress has given to the president to take action – it also says that if those tariffs remain in effect for four years or more, then you have to do a review of necessity. You have to look at everything and say, “are they still necessary?”
The Biden administration took two years to do their review of necessity, and an outcome of that was an increase to some of the medical products. Particularly in the different types of masks that are used, whether they are textile materials or they are made from non-woven materials or respirators or something other than an N95.
The tariffs went up. They were at 25% in 2024 and going up to 50% in 2026, with the exception of face masks of textiles, and those go into up to 25% in 2025 and 50% in 2026.
So, we saw – despite the fact that these are necessities – that any exclusions, any exemptions from the tariffs were not allowed to go into effect. They're going to be increased.
We saw this with respect to medical or surgical gloves, of vulcanized rubber. That's nitrile gloves, which many of you I am sure are supplying to different medical facilities or doctor's offices or health facilities of some sort. Tariffs went up to 50% on Jan. 1 [2025], and they're slated to go up to 100% on Jan. 1, 2026, and that could be devastating.
Syringes and needles – again, another big item that you can see here: Those go up to 100% in the tariffs.
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HIDA.org/Tariffs