The US government should cut all tariffs on goods needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic for a period of three months, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal said on Monday, May 4. He added that the government should also take concrete steps to support domestic manufacturing of medical drugs and supplies.
Neal, a Democrat, said that the virus outbreak showed how
deficient the US medical supply chains really was. He called for a major
restructuring to address future health crises.
On Monday, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) published a list of goods, including drugs, face masks, medical gloves, and other relevant items that are facing tariffs imposed on products from China and other countries.
Neal and Republican Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate
Finance Committee, requested a report from the ITC last month. Neal said:
“The United States
faces a public health crisis that has fully exposed the insecurity of our
medical supply chains and the dangers of our eroded manufacturing base. This
emergency is a wake-up call.”
Neal added that the health crisis was aggravated by a deficiency in medical supplies and personal protective equipment. While many American companies are keen to address the shortage, the government should also reduce tariffs on the needed goods.