Tariff exemptions for electronics may be short-lived, as the U.S. prepares a fresh round of trade measures targeting semiconductor-heavy imports.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday that the White House’s recent move to spare items like smartphones and laptops from steep tariffs was always meant to be temporary. Speaking on ABC’s This Week, Lutnick confirmed that new semiconductor-specific tariffs are expected to roll out within the next two months.
“These products rely on chips, and we’re going to ensure that chip production happens in America,” he said.
The new duties aim to reduce dependency on Asian manufacturing and boost domestic production of semiconductors and flat panels — both seen as vital to U.S. national security and economic stability.
The announcement follows a U.S. Customs and Border Protection bulletin issued late Friday, which outlined temporary exemptions for a wide range of electronics under tariffs announced by President Trump earlier this month.
Lutnick stressed that those same products will likely be covered under a new, more focused policy targeting key tech and pharmaceutical supply chains.
“We need to own the supply chain for things that matter most,” he added.
Markets responded quickly: Bitcoin dropped nearly 1% on the headlines before recovering to around $84,000. The CoinDesk 20 index, which tracks the broader crypto market, fell by 1.6% over the past day.
