Trump Will Not Currently Seek to Place Tariffs on Critical Minerals for Now
In a recent policy shift, President Donald Trump has decided to delay the imposition of tariffs on critical minerals such as rare earths, lithium, and cobalt, opting instead to secure these essential materials through international negotiations. Citing a Section 232 national security review that highlighted the United States’ “excessive dependence” on foreign sources—particularly China—the administration has directed the U.S. Trade Representative and the Commerce Department to establish supply agreements with global partners within the next 180 days. A key feature of these upcoming negotiations is the potential implementation of price floors, a move designed to stabilize the market against price volatility and protect domestic mining interests from being undercut by foreign competitors. While this decision provides a reprieve for supply chain managers worried about immediate cost spikes, the administration has signaled that tariffs or minimum import prices remain on the table if diplomatic efforts fail to yield binding security agreements.
Johnson & Johnson Commits $4B to New U.S. Drug Manufacturing Under Federal Pricing Agreement
Johnson & Johnson will invest US$4 billion in new pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in the United States, linking expanded domestic production to a pricing and trade agreement with the Donald Trump administration.
The plan includes a cell therapy manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania and a drug product manufacturing facility in North Carolina. These projects fall within Johnson & Johnson’s previously announced US$55 billion U.S. manufacturing, R&D, and technology investment program through 2029.
Macy’s Closes Remaining Distribution Centers in Connecticut
Macy’s plans to fully shutter its distribution center in South Windsor, Connecticut, later this year. The retailer will close its store delivery and customer returns operating units at the facility after announcing plans to cut its backstage operating unit in October. The latest closures will impact 57 employees, with layoffs expected to start on March 14. Once the shutdowns are complete, operations at the site will fully end, per the notice. The retailer has been working to right-size its supply chain as part of a larger “Bold New Chapter” transformation that aims to drive $235 million in cost savings by this year.
Trump Issues 25% Tariffs on Narrow Range of Semiconductors
The United States will impose a 25% tariff on a narrow range of semiconductor imports, beginning Jan. 15, according to a proclamation signed by President Donald Trump.
The levies will primarily cover advanced computing chips, including the Nvidia H200 and the AMD MI325X, per a White House fact sheet. However, the tariff will not apply to chips imported to support the buildout of the U.S. technology supply chain or to bolster domestic manufacturing capacity for derivatives of semiconductors. This includes semiconductors and derivative products imported for use in data centers, research and development, and non-data center consumer applications, the order says.
Everstream Analytics Publishes 2026 Risk Report
Everstream Analytics published its annual 2026 Risk report, which ranks the top 4 risks projected to impact global supply chains. Within this report, they also look back on 2025 and analyze their previous predictions and see where they went right or struck out.
Everstream projects these risks as the Top 4 Risks Facing Global Supply Chains in 2026:
Cyberattacks on Logistics
Critical Infrastructure Aging and Failure
Extreme Weather Intensification
Geopolitical Fragmentation and the Strategic Use of Trade Regulations
Read here for the full analysis of the report.
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The post Supply Chain and Logistics News January 12th- 15th 2026 appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints.