Trade wars are messy. They’re loud, they’re expensive, and honestly, they rarely end when a new person moves into the White House. When Joe Biden took office, a lot of folks expected a total vibe shift—a return to the "free trade" era of the early 2000s. Instead, we got something much closer to a "double down."
Basically, if you were looking for the Biden administration to tear down the wall of tariffs built during the previous four years, you were looking at the wrong map. Not only did Biden keep the bulk of those famous Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods, but he eventually decided to crank the volume up to eleven on specific "strategic" sectors. It turns out, "Made in America" is a bipartisan obsession.
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Why the Trump-Era Tariffs Never Went Away
Most of the tariffs Biden kept were born from a massive investigation into China’s trade practices—things like intellectual property theft and forced technology transfers. You've probably heard the term Section 301. These weren't just small fees; they hit roughly $300 billion worth of Chinese imports.
Why keep them? It’s not just about politics, though that’s a huge part of it. The Biden administration, led by U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, argued that these levies provided "leverage." If you give them up for nothing, you lose your seat at the bargaining table. Plus, there’s the whole "worker-centric" trade policy. Biden’s team basically decided that protecting blue-collar manufacturing jobs was worth the higher prices on imported parts.
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The reality is that for the first three years, the Biden administration mostly just sat on the existing rates. They tweaked a few "exclusions" (basically hall passes for companies that literally couldn't find parts anywhere else), but the foundation remained.
The 2024 Pivot: Keeping the Old and Adding the New
In May 2024, things got real. After a long-awaited four-year review, the administration didn't just say "we’re keeping these." They said, "we’re keeping these and we’re making it way harder for China to compete in the green economy."
Here is the breakdown of what stayed and what got hit with a massive increase:
- The 100% Club: The most dramatic move was on Electric Vehicles (EVs). Biden kept the existing 25% tariff and added another 75% on top. Total? 100%. It’s effectively a "no entry" sign for Chinese-made cars like those from BYD.
- Solar Cells: These went from 25% to 50%. The goal here is simple: stop the U.S. solar industry from being wiped out by ultra-cheap Chinese panels.
- Semiconductors: Starting in 2025, the tariff on Chinese chips doubles to 50%. You can’t build a modern economy without silicon, and the U.S. wants to make sure that silicon isn't coming from Beijing.
- Steel and Aluminum: Biden kept the "national security" tariffs (Section 232) but also boosted Section 301 rates on Chinese steel and aluminum to 25%.
The "Strategic" Hit List
It wasn't just the big-ticket items. The administration targeted the guts of the future economy. We’re talking about lithium-ion EV batteries (rising to 25% in 2024) and critical minerals like natural graphite and permanent magnets, which have their own phase-in periods through 2026.
What Didn't Change?
If you buy a t-shirt, a pair of shoes, or a plastic toy made in China, you’re likely still paying the "Trump-era" price. Biden kept the tariffs on List 3 and List 4A goods. These are the consumer products that hit the average person’s wallet. While there was plenty of talk about inflation and how these tariffs act as a "tax on consumers," the administration ultimately decided that the trade-off was worth it to maintain a hard line against China.
Honestly, the "worker-centric" label is the glue here. By keeping tariffs on things like base metals and machinery, the administration is betting that companies will eventually get tired of the fees and move their factories to the U.S. or "friendly" nations like Mexico or Vietnam.
The 2026 Landscape: A New Reality
As we move through 2026, the ripple effects are everywhere. We’re seeing a split in the global supply chain. On one side, you have ultra-cheap Chinese manufacturing that is increasingly locked out of the U.S. market. On the other, you have a more expensive, but supposedly more resilient, domestic supply chain.
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Does it work? It depends on who you ask.
- The manufacturing lobby loves it. They say it's the only way to survive.
- Retailers and tech companies hate it. They’re the ones writing the checks to U.S. Customs.
- Economists are somewhere in the middle, worried that these permanent "Biden-Trump" tariffs are just baking higher prices into the American way of life for good.
Actionable Insights for Businesses and Consumers
If you're trying to navigate this, here’s what actually matters:
- Audit Your Supply Chain (Now): If your components are on the 2024-2026 "hike list" (semiconductors, magnets, minerals), the costs are only going one way. Looking at "Friend-shoring" options in Southeast Asia or India isn't a luxury anymore; it's a survival tactic.
- Watch the Exclusion Window: The USTR occasionally opens windows to apply for tariff relief. These are short and bureaucratic, but for a high-volume manufacturer, they are worth the legal fees.
- Expect "Embedded" Inflation: For consumers, don't expect the price of electronics or appliances to drop anytime soon. These tariffs are now a structural part of the U.S. economy, not a temporary political stunt.
- Monitor "De Minimis" Changes: There is a lot of talk about closing the "Shein/Temu loophole" where small packages under $800 enter the U.S. duty-free. If that happens, the cost of cheap direct-from-China shopping will skyrocket.
The "Biden tariffs" are really just the "New American Trade Policy." It’s a world where the price of a product is less important than where it was made. Whether you're a business owner or just someone buying a new blender, you're paying for that shift.