U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Tuesday that the Trump administration may fine-tune how certain tariffs are applied to ease compliance burdens on businesses.

At the same time, he made clear the White House intends to keep key metals tariffs in place as part of its strategy to rebuild domestic manufacturing.

Speaking to CNBC, Greer said tariff policy may be adjusted "for compliance purposes," acknowledging concerns from companies facing increased paperwork and staffing costs.

"You may want to sometimes adjust the way some of the tariffs are applied for compliance purposes," he said.

"We've heard stories of companies that have had to hire extra people for compliance," Greer continued. "We're not trying to have people do so much bean counting they're not running their company correctly."

However, Greer said the administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum will remain, describing them as "very successful" in strengthening U.S. production.

"Clearly, those are going the right direction," Greer said.

"They're going to stay in place."

President Donald Trump has centered his economic agenda on tariffs, using import duties to pressure foreign competitors, curb reliance on overseas supply chains, and encourage companies to move production and jobs back to the United States.

The administration argues that tariffs safeguard U.S. steel and aluminum producers — industries it considers vital to national security and domestic infrastructure — while also encouraging investment in American factories and broader industrial capacity.

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