AvaMed CEO warns Senate that tariffs threaten medtech innovation
The CEO of a medtech trade group asked Congress for tariff relief, telling a Senate panel on Wednesday that import taxes threaten the U.S.’s status as “global superpower” in healthcare innovation, as supply chain disruptions begin to challenge businesses.
Scott Whitaker, CEO of the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AvaMed), said he supports the stated goals of President Donald Trump to re-shore manufacturing and reduce reliance on foreign countries for medical supplies. However, he expressed support for a 90-day pause on tariffs and urged the Senate Finance Committee to take action.
“Medtech supply chain leaders across the industry reported that procurement timelines have already slipped, especially for surgical kits, diagnostic components, and imaging devices,” Whitaker said on behalf of AvaMed, which represents over 600 companies that manufacture medical devices.
“As we think about trade policy and supply chains, it’s essential that this industry is protected for humanitarian reasons, as it historically has been,” he added.
Whitaker focused on the human toll of tariffs in healthcare, emphasizing that lives are at stake if providers lack access to essential products. Rising product costs would increase the cost of care delivery, burdening not only hospitals and patients, but also federal healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
“Any tariff policy that would force increased costs onto these federally funded programs would be counterproductive,” Whitaker noted, as the primary interest of the Trump administration appears to be a reduction in government spending.
He emphasized that the U.S. is a dominant player in the medical device development worldwide, with the domestic industry accounting for some 40% of medtech sales globally, all backed by 3 million jobs.
“Tariff policy, if deployed in the wrong way, could put all of that at risk,” Whitaker warned. “Medtech products are mandatory, not optional.”
AvaMed has publicly advocated for all healthcare products involved in patient care to be exempt from future tariffs—a policy Whitaker reiterated, emphasizing that access to these products could mean the difference between life and death.
For now, many of the Trump tariffs are paused until August, as bills in Congress also seek to restore the legislature’s authority to levy import taxes.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.