Trump Holds Off on Tariffs on Robots and Industrial Machinery, Directs Negotiations with Trading Partners

October 29: According to an announcement on the White House website, U.S. President Trump signed a proclamation acknowledging the Commerce Department's Section 232 investigation finding that imports of robots, industrial machinery and their parts "threaten to impair national security," but is holding off on imposing tariffs for now, instead directing the Commerce Secretary and the U.S. Trade Representative to open negotiations with trading partners and report on progress within 180 days. The proclamation states that if no agreement is reached within 180 days, or if an agreement is not implemented or proves ineffective, the President may consider imposing or adjusting alternative measures such as tariffs, quotas and fees, and may introduce a plan to incentivize domestic U.S. production. Bloomberg reported that Trump delayed tariffs on robots and machinery to allow for further negotiations.