Trump’s tariff package widens exemptions, softening hit on consumers

Trump’s latest tariff package adds broad exemptions—more than 470 products from foods and farming inputs to semiconductor testing equipment—keeping carve-outs for Canada/Mexico and other USMCA-compliant imports while pressing forward with forced-labor investigations; policymakers argue exemptions balance consumer relief with national-security aims, but business groups seek even broader relief as inflation concerns and midterm politics complicate the rollout.