Target: Howard Lutnick, U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Goal: Secure tariff exemption for medical devices used in diagnosis and treatment of health conditions.
As tariff turmoil continues to ripple across various industries, the uncertainty and potential ramifications could have a literal life-changing impact within one sector that millions depend on fur survival: medical devices. These resources provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic functions. Many of them –from pacemakers to ventilators – help sustain life. And their production and distribution could all be severely upended by tariff wars.
A large percentage of medical devices are made entirely in other countries and shipped to America. Even devices “made in America” typically have crucial components (like semiconductors) that generate from around the globe. Every year, the United States imports medical devices and components in high numbers, including from neighbors Canada and Mexico. High tariffs could cause a critical gridlock in manufacturing alone. A seeming divestment in medical technology, along with the proposed drastic cuts in medical research, would further undermine confidence in America’s healthcare infrastructure.
Medical device manufacturers are asking for an exemption from these arbitrary and chaotic tariffs so they can carry on their important work unimpeded. Sign the petition below to demand American leaders honor this request.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Secretary Lutnick,
The medical technology industry has sounded the alarm about the wide-ranging impact of tariffs on a diverse number of life-saving medical devices. A slow-down in importation of already-manufactured devices will be the first warning sign. Longer-term, manufacturing itself will slow as crucial parts become more inaccessible. And America’s premier healthcare system may suffer the most lasting damage.
The most devastating effects will unfold in hospitals and clinics across the nation…in the cancers that could have been caught sooner, in the therapies that could have healed bodies sooner, and in the lives that could have been saved. Trade wars are not bloodless wars. Grant these critical devices a tariff exemption and help at least stem the flow.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Fip17580
