Politics
Trump finds new trade targets — pharmaceuticals, kitchen cabinets and heavy trucks
Naturepedic, a mattress and furniture company based outside Cleveland, has been planning to introduce an upscale upholstered headboard late this year or early in 2026.
But President Donald Trump has thrown those plans into disarray. On Thursday night, the president announced on social media that he was slapping a 30% tax on imported upholstered furniture. Naturepedic ships its headboards in from India and Vietnam.
So what is the company to do?
“Do we continue forth … and hope for the best?’’ asked Arin Schultz, Naturepedic’s chief growth officer. “Or do we feel like we’re priced out and drop it altogether?’’ And if Naturepedic decides to continue with the rollout, “do we eat the cost or pass it on’’ to customers?
Across the United States, lots of executives were asking themselves similar questions as they came to work Friday morning.
Upholstered furniture, after all, wasn’t the only import in Trump’s crosshairs Thursday night. In addition, the president posted on his Truth Social platform, he’s plastering import taxes – tariffs – of 100% on pharmaceutical drugs, 50% on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities and 25% on heavy trucks.
And he’s not waiting around to do it. The tariffs, he said, would take effect Wednesday.
Trump also raised eyebrows by justifying the levy on vanities and sofas as necessary for national security. “It’s hard to see how a kitchen cabinet industry is essential to winning the next war,’’ said Mary Lovely, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
Thursday’s social media barrage was j ust the latest in Trump’s push to upend American trade policy, which for decades pushed for lower trade barriers around the world.
In place of an open market, Trump has built a tariff wall around the U.S. economy, slapping double-digit taxes on imports from almost every country on earth and targeting products (steel, aluminum, autos) with specific taxes of their own.
Trump says the tariffs will protect U.S. industries from foreign competition, encourage companies to bring production to the United States and raise money for the U.S. Treasury.
They certainly have become a moneymaker for the federal government. Since fiscal year 2025 began last Oct. 1, the U.S. Treasury has collected $172 billion in customs duties, up by $96 billion (or 126%) from the same period in fiscal 2024. Still, tariffs account for less than 4% of federal revenue.
Businesses, lawyers and trade analysts are still wondering what to make of Trump’s Thursday night tariffs. “We’ve only seen the President’s Truth Social posts,” said Dan McCarthy, principal in McCarthy Consulting and a former official with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in the Biden administration. “We need to see the details.’’
For example, Naturepedic isn’t sure whether the 30% levy on upholstered furniture will be stacked atop a separate and earlier 50% tariff on goods from India.
Here’s what we know so far:
The president has been threatening tariffs of 200% or more on pharmaceuticals. “It’s to force Big Pharma to move jobs and put new factories into the U.S,’’ said Barry Appleton, a senior fellow at the Center for International Law at New York Law School. “So it’s industrial policy.”
In recent decades, drugmakers have moved many operations overseas – to take advantage of lower costs in China and India and tax breaks in Ireland and Switzerland.
The COVID-19 experience – when countries were desperate to hang onto their own medicine and medical supplies — underscored the dangers of relying on foreign countries in a crisis, especially when a key supplier is America’s geopolitical rival China.
The stock prices of pharmaceutical companies actually rose after Trump’s announcement Thursday night. The 100% tariff was lower than it might have been. And Trump said the tariffs would not apply to companies “breaking ground” or being “under construction.”
Several big drugmakers like Merck & Co. Inc., Eli Lilly and Co. and Johnson & Johnson have already announced U.S. expansion plans.
In his tariff announcement, Trump did not mention generic drugs, which account for the vast majority of U.S. prescriptions.
Still, analysts warn, the tariffs are likely to mean higher prices. “The people who are punished the most are Americans who need the drugs so badly, especially those who don’t have full health care plans,” Appleton said. He called the tariff is a “simplistic but drastic” approach to a complicated problem. “We don’t know how it’s going to go, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to do well for consumers,” he said.
The tariffs on kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities and upholstered furniture come as the White House is investigating whether imports of lumber and other wood products pose a threat to U.S. national security. A report on that investigation is due Nov. 26 and could mean more and broader tariffs.
The levies are likely to hurt big furniture exporters China and Vietnam.
But they’re also likely to drive up the cost of new homes and apartments and of do-it-yourself redecorating projects.
Homeowners are already scaling back due to high costs and a shaky economy. According to the Labor Department, the price of living room, kitchen and dining room furniture has risen nearly 10% over the past year.
“Adding significant costs to furniture, cabinets, vanities and building materials will make the American dream of owning a home significantly more expensive,” said Jonathan Gold, the National Retail Federation’s vice president of supply chain and customs policy. “The speed at which these tariff announcements are made and implemented continues to wreak havoc on retail supply chains. The uncertainty makes it difficult for retailers to properly plan and mitigate the impact of tariffs.”
Charles Clevenger, a supply chain specialist at the consultancy UHY, said tariffs on pharmaceuticals make sense because so much production has shifted away from the United States to Europe and Asia. Likewise, North Carolina and other states in the American South have also lost furniture factories to cheaper competitors in the China.
But he was surprised by the tariffs on heavy trucks because “we do have a rather robust industry’’ – with manufacturers like Paccar (parent company of Peterbilt and Kenworth).
But Appleton at New York Law School suspects the tariff is aimed at Mexico, where many heavy trucks are made. The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade deal negotiated in Trump’s first term, is coming up for negotiation. “I don’t think that (the tariff) was done by accident, Appleton said. “They wanted to put some more pressure onto the Mexicans” to make concessions in the talks.
Using Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, Trump had launched investigations into whether imports of pharmaceuticals, lumber and heavy trucks posed a threat to U.S. national security.
He’d justified his broader tariffs another way: by declaring national emergencies under a 1977 law. But two courts have ruled that Trump overstepped his authority by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose import taxes. The Supreme Court is hearing the case on appeal.
Robert Lawrence, a professor of International trade and investment at Harvard University, said that using Section 232 gives the president a Plan B if the courts strike down his IEEPA tariffs. “He now has insurance and shows that he’s going to be able to get away with raising tariffs, even if he loses that case.”
But Ted Murphy, co-leader of the trade practice at the Sidley Austin law firm, said: “It’s hard to discern much of a plan … What the administration does is they identify a problem and then the solution is a big tariff. The question is whether that’s really as nuanced or strategic as it could be. There could be a strategy but it’s hard to discern from a tweet.’’
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Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
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Legislation that would narrowly recategorize 911 dispatchers as first responders so they can receive workers’ compensation for work-related psychological injuries is one step closer to passing in the Legislature’s upper chamber.
Members of the Government Oversight and Accountability Committee voted unanimously to advance the bill (SB 774), which would eliminate a barrier that today denies aid to people who are often the first to respond to a crime.
The measure’s sponsor, Hollywood Sen. Jason Pizzo, noted that during his time as a prosecutor, playing a 911 call would often be the most effective thing to do to sway a jury.
“911, what’s your emergency? He’s going to kill me! He’s going to kill me! Now, imagine hearing that 12 times a day, 15 times a day,” he said.
“Two years ago, you all voted to require these 911 operators to be proficient in CPR so they could administer (it) over the phone. And they’re not considered first responders? They are first responders, and they’ve been grossly overlooked and screwed, and this brings some remedy.”
SB 774 would add 911 dispatchers to the group of “first responders” covered by Florida’s special workers’-compensation rules for employment-related mental or nervous injuries. It would apply the same framework to them as other first responders for mental health claims.
Essentially, if you’re a 911 dispatcher and develop post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety or similar mental health injuries from traumatic calls, SB 774 would make it so you can get workers’ comp-covered treatment and that your claim is handled under the same special rules lawmakers already set for other first responders — without certain time-limit restrictions that typically apply to mental injury benefits.
Several dispatchers signaled or spoke in favor of the bill, as did representatives from the Florida Police Chiefs Association, Florida Sheriffs Association and Consolidated Dispatch Agency.
Jennifer Dana, a dispatcher with the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, noted that in a Senate analysis of SB 774, there’s a list of disturbing things first responders see and do on the job, from seeing dead children and witnessing murders to helping severely injured people, including those who commit suicide.
What it doesn’t include, she said, is that 911 dispatchers also witness those things.
“We’re seeing and hearing it,” she said. “We have the technology for people to livestream it now, so it’s a double-whammy for us, and we want to make sure we have the protections.”
Kim Powell, a licensed and clinical mental health counselor who oversees an employee behavioral health program at a 911 communications center in Leon County, detailed several examples of what dispatchers experience: a woman struggling to breathe while dying from a gunshot wound inflicted by her child’s father; an officer’s final words moments before his murder; the sound of a mother discovering her deceased infant; the 800 or so calls received in the wake of the Florida State University shooting last April.
“These are not isolated events; they are part of the job,” she said. “The trauma compounds over time with repeat exposure.”
St. Petersburg Republican Sen. Nick DiCeglie thanked Pizzo for carrying the bill and expressed gratitude to the “3,500 dispatchers” across Florida for their work.
“For me personally, (this) could be one of the most important bills that we have this Session because of the importance there is for your well-being and your quality of life,” he said.
Melbourne Republican Sen. Debbie Mayfield, who chairs the committee, echoed DiCeglie’s remarks.
Pizzo reminded the panel that four years ago, during COVID, a $280 million set-aside for payments to first responders and front-line workers did not extend to 911 dispatchers.
“They never stopped working,” he said, adding that Mayfield at the time acknowledged the oversight and pledged that the Legislature would get it right in the future. “So, it’s serendipitous that you were kind and gracious enough to put us on the agenda.”
SB 774 will next go to the Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment and General Government, after which it has one more stop before reaching a floor vote.
An identical bill (HB 451) by Republican Rep. Jeff Holcomb of Spring Hill awaits its first hearing in the House.
The Tampa Bay Rays’ search for a new home took a tangible step forward as the Hillsborough College Board of Trustees approved a nonbinding agreement that could ultimately shift the franchise away from St. Petersburg under its new ownership.
The Board voted to approve a memorandum of understanding (MOU) authorizing staff to negotiate with the Tampa Bay Rays over a potential stadium and mixed-use redevelopment at the college’s Dale Mabry Campus.
The agreement does not commit the college to the project and can be terminated by the Board at any time. Instead, it outlines key terms the parties would like to see in any future binding agreements, which would require separate Board approval at a later public meeting.
College officials characterized the MOU as the beginning of negotiations. Under the document, staff would begin drafting potential project agreements for Trustees to consider in the future, with an anticipated negotiation timeline of up to 180 days.
Rays CEO Ken Babby addressed Trustees during the meeting, calling the proposal an early milestone. He emphasized that the effort involves the college, the team, the state and local governments. Babby said the Rays are exploring a roughly 130-acre redevelopment anchored by a new stadium and an integrated college campus, alongside residential, commercial and entertainment uses.
“As we envision this development, together in cooperation and partnership with the community and the college, we’ve been calling the campus portion of this work ‘Innovation Edge’ featuring Hillsborough College,” Babby said.
“It’ll be neighbored by, of course, what we envision to be ‘Champions Corridor,’ which we hope will be the mentioned home of the Tampa Bay Rays. Of course, this will be a mixed-use with residential, with commercial, and, as we’ve said, billions of dollars of economic impact to the region. … This is an incredible moment for our community.”
Public input was split. Supporters recognized the economic impact the project could have, while critics worried about the effect on housing affordability, in particular for college students.
Following the vote, Trustees acknowledged uncertainty among students, faculty and staff, particularly those based at the Dale Mabry campus, but stressed that the approval did not determine final outcomes.
“This is a major decision, and I truly hope that it leads Hillsborough College towards growth and advancement,” Student Trustee Nicolas Castellanos said.
Trustee Michael Garcia echoed the sentiment.
“It’s a tremendous day for the future of Hillsborough College and for the future of Major League Baseball in the area and also for the future of the city of Tampa,” Garcia said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis publicly expressed support for the concept ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, saying it could benefit both the college and the region, while cautioning that details still need to be resolved.
“It could be very good for HCC, and I’ve met with the President about it. I think he’s excited about the possibility,” DeSantis said in Pinellas Park.
“Obviously, they’ve got to iron out details. But basically, we’re supportive of them pursuing that partnership because I think it could be good for them. I think it could be good for the state. But I definitely think it could be really good for this region.”
Also ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told Florida Politics the city and Hillsborough County have been in ongoing discussions with the Tampa Bay Rays as the team explores long-term stadium options — including the potential Hillsborough College site. She emphasized that any future stadium proposal would require coordination among multiple governments and would be evaluated alongside existing contractual obligations related to other major sports facilities.
No timeline for construction, campus relocation or final land disposition was discussed Tuesday. College officials emphasized that any binding agreements would return to the Board of Trustees for approval at a future public meeting.
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A.G. Gancarski and Janelle Irwin Taylor of Florida Politics contributed to this report.
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