With President Trump’s latest tariffs underway, a group of House Democrats are calling on the administration to try to protect medical supply chains from the “devastating consequences” the mounting trade war could inflict on patients.
Led by Democratic Reps. Doris Matsui (Calif.) and Brad Schneider (Ill.), 26 House Democrats signed a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick warning that “reckless tariffs” are a threat to already fragile medical supply chains.
While Trump exempted pharmaceuticals from his sweeping tariffs unveiled last week, experts cautioned that elevated costs along the supply chain could still drive up costs, particularly for generic drugs.
“The supply disruptions of critical medical products will unavoidably hurt U.S. patients, force providers to make impossible rationing decisions, and potentially even result in death as treatments are delayed, or more effective medicines and products are swapped for less effective alternatives,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.
While speaking at a dinner hosted by the National Republican Congressional Committee on Tuesday, Trump complained over how the U.S. doesn’t manufacturer its own pharmaceuticals stating that tariffs on these products would be forthcoming.
“We’re going to tariff our pharmaceuticals and once we do that they’re going to come rushing back into our country because we’re the big market,” the president said. “So, we’re going to be announcing very shortly a major tariff on pharmaceuticals.”
Written prior to Trump’s remarks on Tuesday night, the House representatives in their letter warned that tariffs on pharmaceuticals may backfire and drive manufacturers to “cheaper foreign markets, undermining efforts to strengthen domestic and allied-country production.”
In order to mitigate impacts on patients, the lawmakers urged Greer and Lutnick to consider the impacts tariffs would have on medicines and medical products. They suggested exemptions or product waivers on active pharmaceutical ingredients, generic drugs, essential medicines and critical medical supplies.
The group further called on the trade officials to coordinate with the Food and Drug Administration to expedite the approval of safe, alternative sources and to collaborate with Congress on efforts to make the supply chain more resilient.
House Democrats who signed onto the letter include Reps. Marc Veasey (Texas), Ted Lieu (Calif.), Jimmy Panetta (Calif.), Kevin Mullin (Calif.), Diana DeGette (Colo.) and Sarah McBride (Del.).
