MITA: Trump administration’s new tariffs will harm U.S. economy; medical imaging equipment should be exempt

The Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA) has asked the U.S. government to establish a “timely and robust” process that could exempt medical imaging equipment from tariffs on Chinese products that went into effect July 6.

“These tariffs on imaging products or their components will harm the American medical technology sector’s ability to stay competitive and will adversely affect the U.S. economy in ways that could compromise patient access to care,” Patrick Hope, executive director of MITA, said in a prepared statement. “Though the Administration has stated that it will implement an exemption process, we have not yet seen any information about how or when it will do so. Policymakers should act quickly to ensure that patient access to innovative life-saving technology is not compromised.”

Back in May, MITA sent comments to the Office of the United States Trade Representative on this very topic, highlighting how these tariffs could keep medical device manufacturers from building any goods in the United States. The full comments can be read here.

“It is clear that consideration is warranted for an industry that has been nothing but an American success story,” Hope said in the same statement. “And while we are encouraged that the Administration has shown openness to making adjustments to the list, we first need a clear explanation of the process we should use to make our case to the government to ensure that American innovation can continue to thrive.”