Washington — The Dental Trade Alliance and American Dental Association are asking Congress to support a 90-day tariff suspension on products deemed essential to helping stop the spread of COVID-19.
In a June 5 letter to leaders in the House and Senate, the two organizations praised the lawmakers’ response to the pandemic but urged them to consider suspending tariffs on necessary products. The Dental Trade Alliance and ADA concluded this following review of a May 4 report from the U.S. International Trade Commission on imported medical supplies.
“A 90-day suspension of all tariffs on products necessary to respond to the current crisis is warranted,” they wrote. “The current patchwork of tariffs on these products is counterproductive at this critical time and is adding unnecessary cost and confusion for manufacturers, distributors and consumers.”
The Dental Trade Alliance and the ADA also said they support the “bipartisan call for increasing domestic production of these goods in an effort to help resolve the persistent shortages of supplies, equipment and medicines the United States needs to successfully combat the pandemic and save lives.”
“Thank you for your consideration of our views. We look forward to continuing to work with you during this critical time to protect the health of our nation,” the letter concluded.
Follow all of the ADA’s advocacy efforts in response to the pandemic at ADA.org/COVID19Advocacy.