Computer & Peripheral Manufacturers NAICS 3341

Feb 22, 2026 - Trump Administration's Tariffs Struck Down By US Supreme Court

• The US Supreme Court ruled in late February 2026 that President Trump exceeded his authority when imposing tariffs using a law reserved for a national emergency. The decision only invalidates tariffs implemented using a 1977 law called the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). IEEPA tariffs represent about half of the import taxes that the government is collecting each month, according to National Public Radio. Computer and peripheral manufacturers are likely to benefit if the cost of goods imported from countries that were hit with tariffs decreases. The Trump administration can use other laws to impose duties on goods from other countries, however, and President Trump issued an executive order shortly after the Supreme Court ruling that implements a new tariff under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act. Section 122 allows the president to institute a "temporary import surcharge" of up to 15% if he finds there are "large and serious United States balance of-payments deficits" or to "prevent an imminent and significant depreciation of the [US] dollar in foreign exchange markets." The tariffs can last for up to 150 days, after which Congress may have to take action to extend them, according to NBC News, and the law is also not clear on whether the administration could restart the tariffs immediately after the 150 days with another executive order. The new tariff will result in a major decrease to tariffs applied to most key trading partners, according to NBC News. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said, however that the administration would also open Section 301 investigations on "most major trading partners" on an "accelerated timeframe." The investigations could allow the administration to impose tariffs under that section of the 1974 law if it finds that "the rights of the US are being denied under any trade agreement," or whether any trade agreement is "unjustifiable and burdens or restricts United States commerce." Other approaches to tariffs also remain available: The Trump administration has already used Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act to impose tariffs on goods determined to be a national security threat. Section 232 has been applied it to goods ranging from aluminum to bathroom vanities, according to Business Insider.
• Tech giants including Nvidia, Apple, and IBM have announced major investments in US manufacturing facilities. IBM pledged to invest $150 billion in the US, including on facilities for quantum computer production, over the next five years. Nvidia and Apple have said they would spend about $500 billion each in the country over the next four years. Several analysts told the New York Post that they see the spending commitments as overtures to President Trump, whose tariffs could affect supply chains and raise costs for the technology industry.

• Computer and peripheral manufacturers benefiting from reshoring may also benefit from nearshoring, according to the Reshoring Initiative (RI). Harry Moser, founder of RI, says that if a product is so labor intensive that you can’t bring it to the US, then companies are sometimes surprised to find that wages in Mexico are far lower than in China. The average Mexican manufacturing worker earns $4 an hour, while the rate in China — where wages have been gaining 10% to 15% a year — is currently around $7, and in the US, it’s roughly $23. Products coming from Mexico end up with an average 40% US content, while in China they have 5% US content.
• Computer and peripheral manufacturing industry employment and wages for nonsupervisory employees increased slightly during the first nine months of 2025, according to the BLS. Computer and peripheral equipment industry sales increased 24.1% year over year and 2.3% quarter over quarter over quarter during the second quarter of 2025, according to the US Census Bureau. Computer and peripheral manufactures increased prices slightly during the first nine months of 2025, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).