Trump administration delays furniture tariff increase until next year

Trump administration cuts tariffs on even more products as White House focuses on its message regarding affordability – an issue that dominates the concerns of American voters.

The White House announced Wednesday that tariffs scheduled to take effect Thursday on furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities would be delayed for another year — a decision made as president. Donald Trump has already reduced tariffs on imported food products like coffee and bananas.

“This indicates that on some level the White House understands that President Trump’s tariffs are driving up consumer prices and that Trump and the Republican Party are suffering substantial political damage from the rising prices,” Michael Strain, director of economic policy studies at the conservative-leaning think tank American Enterprise Institute in Washington, said in an email to Fox News Digital on Friday.

The White House in October imposed 25% tariffs on furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities. Tariffs on furniture were to increase to 30% in January, and tariffs on cabinets and vanities were to increase to 50%.

WHITE HOUSE CARVES MAJOR HOUSING AFFORDABILITY PLAN AS PRICES SQUEEZE AMERICANS

But now the current rate of 25% will be maintained for the remainder of the year, the White House said in December, due to “productive” negotiations with trading partners to address “trade reciprocity and national security concerns regarding imports of wood products,” according to the White House.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in November that home furnishings increased 4.6% over the past year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index released in December found that costs to the consumer increased by 2.7% over the past year.

As a result, Republican strategist Matt Gorman said he expects the White House to launch additional initiatives, such as delaying the tariff hike until 2026.

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“The White House is focused on reducing costs for the American people. This is another example of that. These tariffs give the President maximum flexibility and that is a huge asset in using them,” Gorman, who previously served as communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in an email to Fox News Digital on Friday. “I would expect to see more of these measures, thereby reducing costs for the average consumer, as the year progresses.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on how the delay in raising tariffs is linked to Trump’s message on affordability and the economyand said that this order reflects the fact that trade negotiations are progressing positively.

Affordability and the economy were top priorities for voters in the 2025 elections, which included the mayor of New York Zohran Mamdanias well as several other key gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, which Democrats ultimately won.

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Fox News Voter Poll Data found that New York City Voters ranked affordability as their top concern, and New Jersey voters reported the state’s high taxes and the economy as their top two issues. Additionally, poll data found that half of Virginia voters said the economy was their top priority.

The election prompted Republicans to focus on economic issues in recent weeks, blaming the former president Joe Biden for the rising costs of inflation and for touting Trump’s record on economic issues.

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For example, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said in December that Trump’s policies are making America “affordable again” and that the administration is working every day to “lower the cost of living through higher wages and lower prices.”

Additionally, Trump has maintained that the economy is “booming” and said in December that he would give its economic performance an “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus.”