President Donald Trump on Thursday decided against imposing tariffs on commercial aircraft, jet engines and aircraft parts, instead instructing his administration to pursue negotiations to shore up the aerospace supply chain.
“Under current circumstances and in light of future requirements of the United States, this course of action is necessary and appropriate to address the threatened impairment of the national security,” the presidential proclamation said. “Depending on the status or outcome of such negotiations, I may consider alternative remedies in the future.”
The Commerce Department launched an investigation into whether the aerospace supply chain constitutes a national security risk last May. Its final report recommended that Trump should not impose tariffs, according to the presidential proclamation issued Thursday evening.
The order is consistent with the administration’s efforts to keep most of the aerospace supply chain exempt from tariffs in trade deals it has struck over the last year, preserving a manufacturing sector that runs a trade surplus.
