Washington DC, April 13: United States Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced on Sunday that new sector-specific tariffs targeting smartphones, computers, semiconductors, and other electronics will be introduced within a month, as the Trump administration moves to shift critical manufacturing back to the US.
In an interview with ABC’s This Week, Lutnick said pharmaceutical imports would also face tariffs in the same timeframe. “We can’t be relying on China for fundamental things that we need—our medicines and our semiconductors need to be built in America,” he said.
The announcement follows the administration’s decision on Friday to temporarily exempt certain electronic goods and semiconductors from retaliatory tariffs. Lutnick noted these exemptions were only short-term and that President Trump would soon introduce “a tariff model in order to encourage” domestic investment in key industries.
The administration’s broader strategy, he explained, is aimed at reducing US dependence on Chinese supply chains in critical sectors.
