Prescriptions, Furniture and Lumber Could All Get Pricier Under Latest Trump Tariffs
A new round of tariffs is about to hit U.S. consumers and businesses.
Starting on Oct. 1, the Trump administration is imposing steep new duties on pharmaceuticals and heavy (semi) trucks, escalating its protectionist trade push into industries that touch everything from health care to housing.
On Monday, the White House also announced a two-week delay for tariffs on wood products, such as kitchen cabinets and upholstered furniture. Those duties will now take effect on Oct. 14 instead of Oct. 1.
The measures include a 100% tariff on pharmaceutical products and a 25% tariff on heavy trucks. Furniture imports will also face a 25% tariff starting Oct. 14, with rates set to rise on Jan. 1 — up to 50% on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities and 30% on upholstered furniture. President Donald Trump also announced a 10% tariff on foreign softwood lumber and timber.
These new tariffs add another layer of uncertainty for an economy already grappling with elevated inflation and signs of a weakening job market.
The latest trade actions are being rolled out under a national security law known as Section 232 — the same provision Trump used to slap duties on steel, aluminum, cars and copper. His reliance on Section 232 coincides with legal challenges to tariffs issued under a different statute, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA.
The Supreme Court has agreed to quickly hear a case on whether Trump exceeded his authority under that law after an appeals court ruled against him. A loss in the Supreme Court would force the administration to withdraw the tariffs issued under IEEPA, including those tied to his “Liberation Day” measures targeting most countries' exports on April 2.
However, tariffs imposed under Section 232 would remain intact, as legal experts say the provision is far less vulnerable to legal challenges. Here's a roundup of the latest tariff announcements:
Pharmaceutical products
Imported brand-name or patented pharmaceuticals are facing the sharpest blow, with a 100% duty that could raise drug prices substantially unless the drugmaker is building a manufacturing plant in the U.S. (Imports from the European Union face a smaller 15% levy under a trade deal reached earlier this year.) Trump argues the move will pressure drugmakers to expand U.S. production and lower prices — an outcome experts say is unlikely.
Generic drugs aren't expected to be affected by the new duties.
“The reason for this is the large scale “FLOODING” of these products into the United States by other outside Countries,” President Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social Thursday. “It is a very unfair practice, but we must protect, for National Security and other reasons, our Manufacturing process.”
The U.S. depends heavily on foreign suppliers for its drug supply — 83% of the top 100 prescribed generic medications rely on imports, with common drugs like ibuprofen, aspirin and many antibiotics sourced largely from producers in China and India.
The White House told CNN that “companies that are in the process of setting up manufacturing for a pharma product in the U.S. will not be subject to tariffs on that specific product until plant construction, etc., is completed.”
Heavy-duty trucks
On the industrial side, heavy trucks imported to the U.S. will be hit with a 25% tariff, raising costs for businesses that rely on commercial transport.
“In order to protect our Great Heavy Truck Manufacturers from unfair outside competition, I will be imposing, as of October 1st, 2025, a 25% Tariff on all ‘Heavy (Big!) Trucks’ made in other parts of the World,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday.
Earlier tariffs imposed by Trump — including 50% duties on steel, aluminum and copper — have significantly increased costs for U.S. truck makers. For example, these duties on metals used in production have added roughly 2% to 4% to per-unit costs, according to ACT Research.
While many foreign-built trucks, including models from Germany's Daimler and International Motors, are imported tariff-free under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the new levy could change the calculus depending on how exemptions are applied.
Furniture and lumber
The furniture sector is also in the crosshairs, with a 25% tariff being slapped on kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities and upholstered furniture set to begin Oct. 14. Those duties will climb further on Jan. 1, rising to 50% on cabinets and vanities and 30% on upholstered furniture.
Furniture prices have already been on the rise as Trump imposed tariffs on China and Vietnam, the top two exporters of furniture to the U.S., according to data from the United States International Trade Commission.
Overall, furniture and operations were nearly 4% more expensive in August 2025 than a year ago, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in its latest Consumer Price Index.
Lumber is also being targeted, with a new 10% tariff on foreign softwood lumber and timber set to take effect Oct. 14. The move follows a White House investigation launched in March into whether imported lumber poses a national security threat.
Nearly half of all U.S. lumber imports come from Canada, though Trump has routinely argued that the U.S. should rely more on domestic supply.
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