Massachusetts

Massachusetts punches well above its weight in high-value exports that are precisely the kind targeted by retaliatory tariffs. The state's biotech and pharmaceutical cluster — Moderna, Biogen, Vertex, hundreds of startups in Kendall Square — exports cutting-edge therapies globally while importing specialized equipment, reagents, and active pharmaceutical ingredients subject to tariffs. GE Aerospace (formerly GE Aviation's parent) moved its headquarters to Boston, and Massachusetts hosts critical aerospace R&D and manufacturing. Raytheon's (RTX) Waltham headquarters coordinates missile and radar systems using components from allied nations. The state's medical device corridor — Boston Scientific, Hologic, and scores of smaller firms — faces both higher input costs and retaliatory targeting of device exports. On the traditional side, Massachusetts lobster fishermen face the same Chinese retaliatory tariffs devastating Maine. The state's cranberry bogs (producing 25% of US cranberries) see retaliatory tariffs in Asian markets. MIT and Harvard-affiliated startups depend on global talent and IP flows disrupted by trade tensions. The Port of Boston handles consumer goods now more expensive across the board.