“President Donald Trump’s tariffs probably reduced the ability of hospitals and other medical providers to stock up on crucial gear before the coronavirus pandemic. When those trade barriers were imposed in 2018, medical professionals warned the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative that the levies were counterproductive and would harm America’s preparedness for a public health crisis.
The administration waited until mid-March to lift those tariffs. As GM’s (and other companies’) exemption requests demonstrate, cutting tariffs for medical gear doesn’t go nearly far enough to help American companies respond effectively to the pandemic.”
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“The administration’s China tariffs, Glidden wrote, could “impede the ability of GM and other U.S. manufacturers to source parts for critical care ventilators quickly, reliably, and at as reasonable a cost as possible.”
In mid-March, the administration quietly took action to lift tariffs on medical devices and equipment imported from China. As part of that process, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative opened a special docket on March 20 to let American companies seek relief from other tariffs in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. The public comment period runs through June 25.
General Motors is one of dozens of companies to have submitted requests. The Wall Street Journal reports that the list of requests comes from a wide range of businesses who say “tariffs are hitting chemicals, equipment, parts for devices and other items needed in the fight against coronavirus, but which may not be readily identifiable as medically related.” GoPro, for example, says its camera equipment can be used to teach doctors how to use ventilators. Energizer Holdings Inc. says its batteries are needed to power medical devices.”