Trump Revamps Metal and Pharmaceutical Tariffs

The Trump administration on Thursday made adjustments to the tariffs it had issued on foreign steel, aluminum and copper, aiming to strengthen and simplify a system that some U.S. businesses have complained is overly onerous.

The administration also said it would impose a 100 percent tariff on certain imported medicines if their makers refused the president’s demands to build American factories and lower prices.

The changes, made in two executive actions President Trump signed on Thursday, affect two industries — pharmaceuticals and steel — that his administration has been particularly responsive to. They come as the administration works to complete a vast and complex new system of tariffs and respond to concerns from consumers and a mix of businesses that have been helped or hurt by the levies.

Makers of U.S. steel and aluminum have been strong supporters of Mr. Trump’s tariffs on foreign metal, levies that the president doubled to 50 percent last year. But companies that import products containing steel and aluminum — which range from washing machines to golf clubs — have complained that the way the administration imposed tariffs on those products was burdensome and confusing.

Before, a company would have to pay a 50 percent tariff on the metal contained in an import, plus a country-based tariff on any remaining components of the product. The system required companies to calculate the value and origin of even small bits of metal or screws in their products.

Now, the system will be simplified. Any product where steel, aluminum or copper makes up more than 15 percent by weight will pay a flat 25 percent tariff on the entire value of the product, a senior administration official said in a briefing.