WASHINGTON — US President Donald J. Trump said on Monday he was slapping 10% tariffs on imported timber and lumber and 25% duties on kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities and upholstered furniture, continuing his tariff assault on global trading partners.

The action is the first in three sectors that Mr. Trump said last week would get steep new duties as early as Oct. 1, including patented pharmaceutical imports, and heavy truck imports. Monday’s proclamation sets the start of the lumber and furniture duties two weeks later, at 12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 GMT) on Oct. 14.

Mr. Trump signed a presidential proclamation laying out his argument that timber, lumber and furniture imports are eroding US national security to justify the new duties under Section 232 of the Trade Act of 1974.

Mr. Trump’s increasing use of Section 232 comes as he awaits a Supreme Court ruling on the legality of his broader “reciprocal” tariffs on global trading partners, which two lower courts have struck down.

The proclamation said the tariff rates would start on Oct. 14 but added that duties would increase on Jan. 1 to 30% for upholstered wooden products and 50% for kitchen cabinets and vanities imported from countries that failed to reach an agreement with the United States.

Mr. Trump’s proclamation said wood product imports were weakening the US economy, resulting in the persistent threat of closures of wood mills and disruptions of wood product supply chains and diminishing utilization of the US domestic wood industry.

“Because of the state of the United States wood industry, the United States may be unable to meet demands for wood products that are crucial to the national defense and critical infrastructure,” the statement said.

The order added that wood products were used for “building infrastructure for operational testing, housing and storage for personnel and materiel, transporting munitions, as an ingredient in munitions, and as a component in missile-defense systems and thermal-protection systems for nuclear-reentry vehicles.”

PAIN FOR CANADA, VIETNAM, MEXICO
Mr. Trump’s use of tariffs has been  a feature of his second term, throwing new obstacles at businesses already struggling with disrupted supply chains, soaring costs and consumer uncertainty. His administration has highlighted the surge in duties paid into government coffers.

The action heaps more tariffs on Canada, the biggest softwood lumber supplier to the US, where producers already face combined US anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariffs of about 35% due to a long-festering dispute over timber harvested from Canadian public lands.

Canada, which hopes to negotiate US tariff reductions through a broader revamp of the 2020 US-Mexico-Canada agreement on trade, has said it would provide up to C$1.2 billion ($870 million) in aid to its softwood lumber producers to cope with the prior duties.

Mexico and Vietnam are growing suppliers of wooden furniture to the US after Mr. Trump hit Chinese furniture products with tariffs of up to 25% during his first term starting in 2018 — duties which have since been raised to about 55% and now could nearly double for cabinets and vanities.

Mr. Trump’s proclamation offered some countries that have struck tariff-reducing trade deals with the US some relief from the higher wood products duties.

It said that US tariffs on wood products from Britain would be capped at 10% and those from the European Union and Japan would be capped at 15% — rates in line with the base tariff rate in those framework agreements.

But Mr. Trump’s statement made no mention of his trade deal with Vietnam for a 20% tariff rate in July, an agreement that still has not been formally documented.

In April, after the Commerce department opened the national security probe into US lumber imports, the US Chamber of Commerce announced its opposition to any restrictions on imports of timber, lumber and their derivative products, including wood pulp, paper and cardboard.

“Imports of these goods do not represent a national security risk,” the Chamber wrote. “Imposing tariffs on these goods would raise costs for US businesses and home construction, undermine the export success enjoyed by the US paper industry, and reduce incomes in many US communities.” — Reuters

WASHINGTON — US President Donald J. Trump and his Democratic opponents appeared to make little progress at a White House meeting aimed at heading off a government shutdown that could disrupt a wide range of services as soon as Wednesday.

Both sides emerged from the meeting saying the other would be at fault if Congress fails to extend government funding beyond a Tuesday midnight deadline (0400 GMT Wednesday).

“I think we’re headed to a shutdown,” Vice-President JD Vance said.

Democrats say any agreement to extend that deadline must also preserve expiring health benefits, while Mr. Trump’s Republicans insist health and government funding must be dealt with as separate issues.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the two sides “have very large differences.”

If Congress does not act, thousands of federal government workers could be furloughed, from NASA to the national parks, and a wide range of services would be disrupted. Federal courts might have to close and grants for small businesses could be delayed.

Budget standoffs have become relatively routine in Washington over the past 15 years and are often resolved at the last minute. But Mr. Trump’s willingness to override or ignore spending laws passed by Congress has injected a new dimension of uncertainty.

Mr. Trump has refused to spend billions of dollars approved by Congress and is threatening to extend his purge of the federal workforce if Congress allows the government to shut down. Only a handful of agencies have so far published plans detailing how they would proceed in the event of a shutdown.

The White House released an executive order Monday evening extending the life of more than 20 federal advisory committees through 2027. It remains unclear how these committees — which advise the president in areas including trade and national security — will be funded amid ongoing shutdown uncertainty.

FIGHT ABOUT SMALL SLICE OF BUDGET
At issue is $1.7 trillion in “discretionary” spending that funds agency operations, which amounts to roughly one-quarter of the government’s total $7-trillion budget. Much of the remainder goes to health and retirement programs and interest payments on the growing $37.5-trillion debt.

Prior to the White House meeting, Democrats floated a plan that would extend current funding for seven to 10 days, according to Democratic sources, which could buy time to hammer out a more permanent agreement. That is shorter than the timeline backed by Republicans, which would extend funding to Nov. 21.

After returning to the Capitol, Mr. Schumer told reporters he would not accept a shorter funding bill.

Senate Republican Leader John Thune sought to pile pressure on Democrats by scheduling a Tuesday vote on the Republican bill, which has already failed once in the Senate.

There have been 14 partial government shutdowns since 1981, most lasting just a few days. The most recent was also the longest, lasting 35 days in 2018 and 2019 due to a dispute over immigration during Mr. Trump’s first term.

This time healthcare is at issue. Roughly 24 million Americans who get coverage through the Affordable Care Act will see their costs rise if Congress does not extend temporary tax breaks due to expire at the end of this year.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Congress needs to make those tax breaks permanent now because higher health insurance premiums are being finalized and the new signup period starts Nov. 1.

“We believe that simply accepting the Republican plan to continue to assault and gut healthcare is unacceptable,” Mr. Jeffries said at a Monday press conference.

Republicans say they are willing to consider the issue, but not as part of a temporary spending patch.

“They had some ideas that I actually thought were reasonable, and they had some ideas that the president thought was reasonable. What’s not reasonable is to hold those ideas as leverage and to shut down the government,” Mr. Vance said.

Democrats want to energize their voting base ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, when control of Congress will be at stake, and have broadly lined up behind the healthcare push.

But Democratic aides have privately expressed concerns that a shutdown could create a public backlash if Democrats do not effectively argue their case and instead come off sounding like just being opposed to whatever Mr. Trump wants — a stance Republicans like Mr. Thune have derided as “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” — Reuters

INCHEON — From the muddy grounds of a former amusement park on South Korea’s coast, tens of thousands of vehicles are being packed for shipment overseas as booming used car exports help to mitigate the impact of US tariffs on new car sales.

Soaked in sweat from the outdoor heat, workers are loading and strapping cars into containers around the clock for shipment from the makeshift facilities at South Korea’s largest used car export hub in Incheon, west of Seoul.

“It is embarrassing for us to say ourselves our business is a star export item,” said Kevin Seol, a trader who ships about 100 used cars monthly. “But the industry keeps growing by numbers, so I think we are contributing to the national exports.”

South Korea’s auto shipments to the US have declined for six consecutive months since President Donald J. Trump announced 25% tariffs.

But its global car exports have risen for three straight months, supported by record-high second-hand vehicle sales, which accounted for a quarter of the total auto exports by volume and 13% by value, according to trade ministry and customs data.

South Korea exported $5.5 billion of cars in August, up 9% from a year earlier and the highest monthly total on rec ord, the trade ministry said. Used car exports jumped 35% to $711.5 million the same month, according to the Korea Used Car Distribution Research Institute.

The used vehicle growth is largely propelled by insatiable demand for older Hyundai and Kia cars in Russia and in the Middle East and a weaker won, traders and experts said.

“Exports to the US don’t account for much of our business,” Mr. Seol said. “Demand from other countries is strong, so the tariffs haven’t really hurt us.”

TARIFFS COULD RAISE USED CAR PRICES
South Korea exports most of the used cars that are sold to the Middle East, Central Asia and Russia, according to government data and traders.

In those markets, Korean cars can be more attractive than those from export rival Japan because they are designed for driving on the right side of the road, whereas Japan drives on the left, traders said.

In South Korea’s biggest new car export market, the US, exports have been hobbled by a 25% tariff that remains higher than the 15% rate for Japanese and European cars, though Seoul is in negotiations for a reduction.

But while US tariffs are a negative for the new car market, they could lead to further demand and higher prices for used vehicles, said Shin Hyun-do, director of the Korea Used Car Distribution Research Institute.

“If US tariffs on new cars rise, car prices will go up. That will lead to a rise in car prices globally,” he said. “In that case used car prices are likely to follow suit.”

In the first half of the year, South Korea’s used car exports jumped 72% to $3.9 billion, with 437,151 vehicles shipped abroad, accounting for about a quarter of total auto exports by volume, Mr. Shin said.

South Korea sold more used cars to the Middle East than new vehicles between January and June and reported a 40% rise in monthly average sales to Russia, he added.

POOR INFRASTRUCTURE THREATENS GROWTH POTENTIAL
Demand from Russia and its trade partners like Kyrgyzstan has surged since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

In response to the invasion, Japan curbed trade in used vehicles in 2023 by banning all but used compact cars from being sold directly to Russia.

South Korea added restrictions in 2024, but only for new or used vehicles with 2,000 cc engines or larger, such as bigger SUVs, and some of those are being sold to Russia through Central Asian countries, market participants said.

South Korea’s used car exports are expected to set a new record high in volumes and value this year, experts say, even though fast-growing market Syria banned used car imports in July, according to state media.

But traders said the growth in overseas sales risked being capped by poor infrastructure at the country’s export hubs, including the one at Incheon, a dirt field with makeshift offices and inadequate facilities.

“Private businesses rent these dirt lots here and park their cars there,” said Park Young-hwa, a trader who runs the Korea Used Car Export Association. “In summer, conditions are so bad that buyers with their feet are stuck in mud find it difficult to inspect the cars.”

Ruling Democratic Party lawmaker Heo Jong-sik proposed a bill in April to establish a registration system for used car exporters and develop dedicated export complexes.

Used car exports and cosmetics were the fastest-growing export industries by value for small and medium-sized companies in the first half of 2025, according to government data.

“Since used car exports have already become one of our country’s main export items, the government should step in to manage and foster the industry through policies,” Mr. Heo said. — Reuters