by Initiative promises to bring furniture manufacturing jobs back to the US
WASHINGTON — President Trump on Friday announced a measure that could place further tariffs on furniture as part of an attempt to bring furniture jobs to the U.S.
On his Truth Social platform, the president said this was part of an investigation into imported furniture, which some fear could further disrupt an industry that has already gotten some clarity on tariffs being assigned to other countries.
These include 20% tariffs placed on Vietnam, 19% tariffs placed on Malaysia and 19% tariffs placed on Indonesia, all major furniture-producing countries in Asia. Those tariffs went into effect earlier this month.
A 50% tariff is set to be imposed on India effective Aug. 27, while a 34% proposed tariff on China has been delayed until Nov. 10.
Here is what Trump published on Truth Social Friday:
“I am pleased to announce that we are doing a major Tariff Investigation on Furniture coming into the United States,” Trump wrote. “Within the next 50 days, that Investigation will be completed, and Furniture coming from other Countries into the United States will be Tariffed at a Rate yet to be determined. This will bring the Furniture Business back to North Carolina, South Carolina, Michigan, and States all across the Union. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
At this stage, it is uncertain what the investigation will find and whether any new tariffs would fall on top of existing country rates as a result.
However, many have said privately that it’s unlikely many furniture jobs will come back to the U.S. because of tariffs. However, many remain concerned that tariffs will make furniture more expensive for consumers.
“It’s going to be a rough one,” an industry professional shared with Home News Now Friday. “It’s incredibly sad for everyone in our industry from suppliers to retailers and many hardworking men and women.”
Another observation that many have made: There have yet to be any major domestic job announcements in the U.S. related to tariffs.
When is enough ENOUGH!
Trump is doing everything he can to destroy the entire furniture industry! His answer is this will bring back furniture to be made in America.
Well everyone will be out of business by the time that would happen as it would take years to reopen manufacturing here. When will the silent people in the furniture industry open their mouths and say this has gone way too far!
Half of the US workforce is employed by small family business (50 employees or less). This is the root of the American dream, the engine behind our country, the opportunity that has put food on all of our tables for generations. We don’t have the infrastructure, economy, or raw materials pipeline to support any of this on mass scale (bye bye trees). When America’s business buckles, jobs are lost, the doors shut, the entire US economy goes down with it. It’s obvious the goal of this administration isn’t to reach fair trade agreements… How did the American Dream, the backbone of our nation, come to this?? What Thomas said… When will the silent people in the furniture industry open their mouths and say this has gone way too far?
Thanks Jen
Tariffs Are Painful—But Like It Or Not, They’re Working
It’s understandable that many in our industry are feeling uneasy about the latest tariff measures. Change of this magnitude never comes without disruption. But the sky is not falling—there are constructive reasons behind these moves, and early signs suggest they are already making a difference. Yes, the constant change has made retail merchandising and marketing a nightmare for many, but, maybe the temporary pain will likely be worth it.
For decades, the balance of trade in furniture has been wildly unfair to the U.S. Countries have built their industries around low-cost production, subsidies, and in some cases, practices that undercut American manufacturers. Tariffs are a blunt instrument, yes, but they are also one of the few tools available to level the playing field.
Just as importantly, many companies have gamed the system for years—routing goods through third countries to skirt existing tariffs. That’s not free trade, that’s cheating. If the current initiative brings more scrutiny to these practices, it will protect the retailers, suppliers, and workers who are trying to compete honestly.
And while some claim no jobs will return, the facts show otherwise. Universal Furniture is building an 800,000-square-foot upholstery facility in North Carolina. RH has doubled domestic upholstery output and expects more than half of its line to be made here. Craftmaster has reopened a shuttered plant, bringing back jobs. Vaughan-Bassett has pledged to expand U.S. production without immediate price hikes. These are not signs of collapse—they are signs of adaptation and renewal.
Another factor often overlooked is the growing push by offshore manufacturers to move directly into U.S. retail. This bypasses domestic suppliers and retailers, cutting out the very partners who built the American market. It’s one thing to compete on imports, but when foreign producers start controlling both production and the retail channel, it undermines the entire ecosystem—from small family-owned stores to established regional chains. This, too, must be addressed if we are serious about preserving fair competition. Protecting U.S. jobs isn’t just about tariffs at the border—it’s about ensuring the supply chain and retail landscape remain balanced and not dominated by foreign ownership.
Even some well-known economists have begun to pivot on tariffs. Gad Levanon, chief economist at Burning Glass Institute, recently argued that critics may have “gotten the Trump tariffs all wrong,” noting they could help revive U.S. manufacturing and support the economy in the long term. Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel laureate and longtime free-trade advocate, has acknowledged that unregulated global trade can be damaging and has called for stronger trade interventions to protect domestic industries. And while the broader profession has been skeptical, a growing number now concede that tariffs have played a role in reshoring supply chains and reducing over-reliance on China, especially in sectors like steel, semiconductors, and even furniture.
Will prices rise in the short term? Yes. But the bigger picture is about jobs and security. A country that produces nothing for itself is dangerously dependent. If we can bring even a fraction of those jobs back to places like North Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi, and beyond, the long-term benefit to our economy and our communities will outweigh the pain of the transition.
The furniture industry has always adapted, and it will again. The question isn’t whether tariffs will magically solve everything—it’s whether we allow unfair trade to go unchecked, or take bold action to protect the backbone of American manufacturing for the future.
Just after “Liberation Day” (I know, hard to say without laughing), a dealer of mine asked me if one of my companies would go back to making product in the US. I had to let him know, in the 30+ years of this company’s existence, they never manufactured domestically. We would all love to see American made product again, but there are no factories and no labor.
I would say our industry leaders need to talk to their elected officials, but these tariffs are only coming from 1 person who is unilaterally making these decisions with no congressional guidance, oversight or approval. Just when we thought this chapter was closed…
Thanks Tod
Exactly Todd – our industry leaders need to speak up about this! And for those in the furniture industry that voted him into office because they “liked his policies”, my question is for them: Do you like this policy?
This will put more Americans out of work and companies out of business. Lets face it, manufacturing in the US left long ago and to try and bring it back by increasing the cost that the American people have to pay for goods, is not the way to go about this. Tariffs do not penalize the foreign governments, it penalizes the American people and American companies.
Thanks Kimberly
The United States economy is the engine that has driven the world since the end of WWII. Since 1980’the premise has been toward produce and manufacture where we can derive the greatest value and profit margins.
As a nation we had shifted from a manufacturing based economy to a consuming, services, and research based economy.
Even as in part of Trump’s executive order, Michigan was mentioned. Once upon a time the bulk of manufacturing was made in Michigan, and jobs were exported to North Carolina because of cheaper labor and, and then again to Mississippi for the same reasons.
New manufacturing in the US by certain large (and small) players has nothing to do with tariffs, and more tariffs, it had to do with noticing that there is an opportunity to be able to produce efficiently enough to satisfy consumers desire for faster turnaround, and the right deal in place to get the facilities built.
In order to truly bring back manufacturing, years if not decades would be needed to build plants, adjust supply chains, and that doesn’t even touch upon the manpower that would be needed to accumulate, and train to fulfill these jobs.
It could never come close to scaling to the levels needed.
For better or worse, furniture as most every manufacturing industry is a global enterprise. If you entrepreneurs see an opportunity to “make it here”, they will, but even with that the glass, wood, fabric, foam, stone, ceramic, paint, stain, screws, glides, and whatever else needed would still have to come from somewhere else.
Oh, and by the way, a lot of the very people who staff these factories are being driven away.
This is a very bad idea, and for those who think this would be short term pain, or that the tariffs are working in a positive manner. Respectfully, they are wrong.
You are so right on target Harris!!
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Harris! Would you allow us to run this as a letter to the editor?
Tom Russell
Home News Now
Thank you for sharing these comments Harris. Would you mind if we ran this as a letter to the editor, or guest column?
Tom Russell
Home News Now
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