04/02/2025

IME Urges Exemption from Reciprocal Tariffs to Protect U.S. Jobs and Critical Industries

Washington, DC – Clark Mica, President of the Institute of Makers of Explosives (IME), issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s announcement on reciprocal tariffs:

“IME fully supports President Trump’s commitment to strengthening the U.S. economy and revitalizing domestic manufacturing. However, today’s announcement imposing reciprocal tariffs presents serious challenges for the commercial explosives industry—an industry that is essential to America’s economic strength and national security.

“Our industry supports more than 60,000 American jobs and contributes over $19 billion annually to the U.S. economy. Commercial explosives are the backbone of essential industries, enabling access to critical minerals needed for technology and automobiles, aggregates needed to build infrastructure, and energy production. Without commercial explosives, we risk undermining domestic supply chains, delaying key projects, and increasing costs for American businesses and consumers.

“These tariffs will disrupt an already strained global supply chain, making it more difficult and expensive to produce the materials needed for infrastructure development, mineral production, and energy independence—all core priorities of the Trump Administration.

“We applaud President Trump’s efforts to champion American manufacturing. However, to truly achieve these goals, we strongly urge the administration to exempt commercial explosives and their key inputs from these tariffs. Doing so will protect American jobs, bolster domestic industries, and reinforce the economic progress we are striving to achieve.”

ABOUT IME: The Institute of Makers of Explosives’ mission is to promote the safe and secure manufacture, transport, distribution, and use of commercial explosives. For more than 100 years, the Institute has represented U.S. manufacturers of commercial explosives and other companies that distribute commercial explosives or provide related products and services. Today, the commercial explosives industry accounts for over 60,000 jobs with an economic impact of more than $19 billion. Each year, an average of three million metric tons of commercial explosives are consumed in the United States and are essential to energy production, communications, technology manufacturing, highway and building construction, the healthcare delivery system, food, and the manufacturing of nearly all metals and mineral products. If you use or consume it, explosives make it possible.

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