The move comes two days after 25% tariffs on nearly all goods from the two countries took effect. The exemptions apply to about half of all imports from Mexico and 38% of goods from Canada and will last until April 2, a White House official told NBC News. The decision to pause the sweeping tariffs came after a conversation with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, President Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“I did this as an accommodation, and out of respect for President Sheinbaum,” he wrote in the post. “Our relationship has been a very good one, and we are working hard, together, on the Border, both in terms of stopping Illegal Aliens from entering the United States, and, likewise, stopping Fentanyl.”
While the post did not mention reprieves for Canada, they were included in executive orders signed later March 6. The pause is expected to last until April 2, though a senior administration official told reporters that Canada and Mexico may avoid the levies beyond then if they make additional progress on preventing fentanyl trafficking, NPR reported.
No delays or exemptions were granted from China, where a 20% tariff on all imports took effect March 4. Meanwhile, a 25% global tariff on all aluminum and steel imports remains set for March 12. On April 2, the Trump administration also plans to impose “reciprocal” tariffs, aiming to align import duties with those imposed by other countries.
Four more federal updates:
1. A second federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to pause agency grants, loans and other financial assistance programs, NPR reported March 6. Rhode Island District Judge John McConnell Jr. said in his ruling that the spending pause “fundamentally undermines the district constitutional roles of each branch of government,” the publication reported.
In late January, the White House retracted its original Jan. 27 memo directing a funding freeze after Judge Loren AliKhan paused its attempt. The original memo ordered federal agencies to temporarily pause most activity and required them to “complete a comprehensive analysis of all of their federal financial assistance programs to identify programs, projects and activities that may be implicated by any of the president’s executive orders.” However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reaffirmed in a Jan. 29 X post that the retraction was “NOT a rescission of the freeze,” but a rescission of its original memo.
The federal funding freeze attempt is part of the Trump administration’s larger plan to cut government spending and restructure the federal workforce, which has been spearheaded by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.
On Jan. 28, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin and 22 other state attorneys general sued the Trump administration regarding the freeze. The group filed a second motion Feb. 28 to stop the freeze, according to a March 6 news release from Mr. Platkin’s office.
“From the beginning, we have made clear that President Trump’s federal funding freeze was blatantly illegal – and now a federal judge has agreed with us and granted a preliminary injunction,” Mr. Platkin said in the release. “This funding freeze was not only unlawful, but also cruel and wrong – yanking away Medicaid funding, disaster relief funding and even targeting drug-trafficking enforcement efforts.”
2. President Trump’s nominee to lead the National Institutes of Health, Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, faced sharp questioning during a two-hour hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee March 5, particularly over his views on vaccines and the administration’s proposed cuts to NIH funding for indirect research costs.
Dr. Bhattacharya, a Stanford University professor of medicine and health economist, expressed support for childhood vaccination when asked about an ongoing measles outbreak in Texas. He also said he is committed to fostering a culture of “scientific dissent” within the agency, where leaders “will actively encourage different perspectives and create an environment where scientists … can express disagreement respectfully.”
Dr. Bhattacharya largely sidestepped questions when pressed on the administration’s plan to cap NIH funding for indirect research costs at 15%, stating he was not involved in the proposal – which a federal judge has temporarily blocked from taking effect – and plans to ensure scientists have the resources they need. If confirmed, he would oversee the agency’s $48 billion budget for scientific research to more than 2,500 research institutions.
3. Marty Makary, MD, President Trump’s FDA commissioner pick, had his first confirmation hearing before the Senate HELP Committee on March 6.
During the hearing, Dr. Markay told the committee he will stick to science if confirmed and wants to help restore American trust in the FDA and its regulated products, NPR reported March 6. Dr. Makary did not directly answer controversial topics like abortion pill access and FDA firings, but promised an assessment if he becomes FDA commissioner.
“If confirmed as commissioner, you have my commitment that I will do an assessment of the staffing and personnel at the agency,” he said, according to NPR. “I have not been involved in any of the decisions regarding any of the personnel changes recently, but if confirmed, you have my commitment that I will do an assessment.”
Dr. Markay, who is a surgical oncologist at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins, also touched on high prescription drug costs, and said that prices would drop if more drugs were sold without a prescription. He said he believes in price transparency and would work with Congress to tackle patent system abuse.
Lastly, Dr. Markay said, if confirmed, he would have the FDA look into inflammation-causing chemicals in our food to help tackle childhood obesity and illness.
4. On March 5, the Trump administration asked for a dismissal of a yearslong lawsuit brought by the Biden administration concerning Idaho’s abortion law, according to court documents.
Idaho has one of the most restrictive abortion bans, and physicians who terminate pregnancies can face imprisonment of two to five years. The Justice Department filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit the Biden administration had filed in 2022 that sought exceptions for emergency abortion care under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, according to Politico and The Washington Post.
The case’s dismissal would no longer compel healthcare facilities in the state to provide abortions in certain emergency situations.
Anticipating the Justice Department’s withdrawal, Boise, Idaho-based St. Luke’s Health System asked for a temporary restraining order March 4 to ensure that emergency abortions remain legal while its separate case proceeds. A federal judge granted the injunction, temporarily barring Idaho officials from prosecuting medical providers who perform emergency abortions.
