President Donald Trump has announced that his administration will launch a “major” investigation into furniture imports, signalling a possible shift towards imposing higher tariffs on the sector. The probe, he stated, will be carried out under Section 232 national security statute and is expected to conclude within 50 days, although similar inquiries have taken considerably longer.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared: “Furniture coming from other Countries into the United States will be Tariffed at a Rate yet to be determined.”
He argued that new duties could revitalise a domestic industest that has suffered decades of decline, adding: “This will bring the Furniture Business back to North Carolina, South Carolina, Michigan, and States all across the Union.”
The announcement rattled markets. Shares of high-conclude furniture retailer RH, formerly Restoration Hardware, dropped 7.5% in after-hours trading. The shift comes as part of a broader effort by the administration to justify or extconclude existing tariffs on foreign goods, some of which are under legal challenge.
The furniture sector has seen a significant decline in manufacturing over the years, with employment in furniture and wood products manufacturing dropping from 1.2 million in 1979 to 340,000 today.
The U.S. imported approximately $25.5 billion worth of furniture in 2024, a 7% increase from 2023, with about 60% of imports coming from Vietnam and China.
Commerce Department data reveals recent tariffs on furniture imports have already driven up costs, contributing to a 0.7% rise in home furnishing prices in July. The increase came even as overall consumer inflation eased, assisted by falling petrol prices.
Industest groups have voiced strong resistance to new duties. The American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA), based in High Point, North Carolina, has previously led coalitions opposing tariffs under the Section 232 process.
In comments to the Commerce Department earlier this year, the group argued: “There is no rational relationship between imports of wood products or furniture and the national security of the United States. No amount of tariffs will bring back American furniture manufacturing back to its prior levels. Tariffs will harm manufacturing still being done in the United States.”
Furniture is the latest addition to a growing list of goods tarobtained under national security investigations. On Thursday, the administration launched an investigation into imported wind turbines, adding to a growing list of probes that already includes metals, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, aircraft, timber, critical minerals and drones.
The European Union has nereceivediated some protections against potential new U.S. duties. Under a joint trade statement released this week, Brussels secured limits on tariffs covering EU pharmaceuticals, lumber and semiconductors, and won exemptions for aircraft, aircraft parts, generic medicines and chemical precursors.
Reuters
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