NJBIA and the HealthCare Institute of NJ are urging the Trump administration to exempt the medical device industry from overly broad tariffs on internationally sourced components that New Jersey manufacturers use to produce lifesaving equipment.
In an Oct. 17 letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce, NJBIA said that it strongly supports the Trump administration’s goals of ensuring a robust and reliable domestic manufacturing base but warned that overly broad tariffs and restrictions risk undermining that effort.
“The United States must remain capable of producing critical medical equipment, PPE, and consumables within its borders,” NJBIA Chief Government Affairs Officer Christopher Emigholz wrote. “However, this goal can only be achieved through balanced policies that strengthen domestic production while preserving access to foreign components that make that production possible. Overly broad tariffs or restrictions risk creating the opposite effect—raising costs, discouraging investment, and weakening supply chains.”
Emigholz noted New Jersey’s manufacturers have long been leaders in medical technology, biopharmaceutical innovation, and advanced production. There are over 400 medical technology and device companies, alongside 14 of the world’s top 20 biopharmaceutical firms, now in New Jersey.
“These companies design, test, and manufacture everything from diagnostic instruments and orthopedic devices to advanced wound care products and PPE,” Emigholz said. “With the right
federal support and a predictable, globally integrated policy framework, they can continue to anchor America’s national preparedness and economic security.”
The HealthCare Institute of New Jersey, which also represents the state’s research-based medical device, technology, and biopharmaceutical companies, recently submitted a separate letter to the U.S. Commerce Department, also asking it to refrain from imposing tariffs on medical device components.
“Since these medical device manufacturing sites take years to assemble and integrate while ensuring the highest standards of patient safety, changing them would also take years and require FDA approvals to prevent jeopardizing the safety or efficacy of American patients,” wrote Chrissy Buteas, President & CEO of the Healthcare Institute of New Jersey.
“Unexpected delays during this process could unintentionally threaten access to critical, life-saving medical devices and technologies needed by patients,” she said. “Besides the time and risks to patients when relocating manufacturing sites, changes to U.S. tariff policies could unintentionally disrupt the fragile balance of supply and distribution chains, partnerships, collaborations, and logistical infrastructures that support these medical device manufacturing facilities and their capabilities.
“This would hinder America’s ability to deliver these treatments to patients and would increase the costs of medical devices – higher tariffs would directly raise product prices for hospitals, clinics, and patients,” Buteas said.
