What Are Tariffs and Why Do They Matter?
Simply put: Tariffs are taxes. Specifically, they are taxes that the government places on goods coming into the country from abroad.
Tariffs Lead to Higher Prices for Consumers
Tariffs are taxes on imports, increase the cost for businesses. To compensate, these businesses often raise the prices of imported goods for consumers. Consequently, everyday shoppers end up paying more for various products due to these imposed tariffs.
Tariffs Harm small businesses
Tariffs increase the cost of imported goods, raising expenses for small businesses that rely on them. These businesses often have less ability to absorb these costs or find alternative suppliers, potentially leading to reduced competitiveness, lower profits, and even closures.
Tariffs Disproportionately impact working- and middle-class Americans
Tariffs function like a regressive tax, disproportionately burdening working- and middle-class Americans. These households spend a larger portion of their income on essential goods, so tariff-induced price increases on everyday items like food, clothing, and electronics significantly strain their budgets compared to wealthier individuals.
“Small business owners like me are working hard to keep up with high costs, provide for our families, and keep the economy running. Because of these tariffs, we’ll be paying even higher costs for construction amongst just about everything else just to help Republicans in Congress and Donald Trump gift bigger and bigger tax breaks to their billionaire friends and big corporations. Who are our leaders in Washington really working for?”
– Alex Bronson, a carpenter who owns a small construction business in Mount Clemens, Michigan (MI-10)
What’s Happening Right Now?
President Trump haphazardly imposed sweeping tariffs on thousands of goods, ranging from electronics to food, including a flat 10% tariff on goods from virtually every country. While some tariffs are temporarily paused, many remain in effect and are raising costs on everyday goods Americans rely on. They are causing economic chaos that’s putting Americans’ retirement savings at risk. Trump is still threatening to hike tariffs even more, including on smartphones and goods from European countries, which would raise prices for Americans even more. Tariffs are causing economic chaos that’s putting Americans’ retirement savings at risk.
For example:
Tariffs on food imports: When products like coffee beans come from countries like Brazil or Colombia, that extra cost is often passed on to consumers and raises prices when they buy their morning coffee.
How Trump’s Tariffs Impact You and Your Wallet:
| Item | Tariff Rate | Impact on Consumers | Status |
| Imported Cars / Auto Parts | 25% tariff on cars/auto parts | Significant price hike for new cars of up to $12,000 per vehicle | Car and auto parts tariffs in effect |
| Smartphones | 20% tariff on Chinese imports | Higher cost for popular phone models, including iPhones | In effect; additional tariffs have also been threatened |
| Laptops | 20% tariff on Chinese imports Other countries that manufacture laptops, like Thailand, face a 10% tariff | Increased prices on tech gadgets | In effect; additional tariffs may be coming |
| Televisions | 20% tariff on Chinese imports 10% on Korean assembled TVs | Higher prices for popular TV models | In effect |
| Coffee | 10% tariff on imports from Brazil and Colombia, which account for over half of all coffee bean imports | Higher prices for coffee products – 10% increase at the grocery store; 3-5 cents per dollar on drinks at coffee shops | In effect |
| Meat (Beef, Pork) | 10% tariff on New Zealand and Australia May be subject to tariffs on other countries as well | Higher grocery bills for meat products on imported beef, but likely higher prices for domestic beef as well | In effect |
| Clothing | 145% tariff on Chinese imports Other clothes-producing countries, like Vietnam and Cambodia, face a 10% tariff rate on imported goods to the U.S. | Higher prices on clothes and accessories – experts project “65% more for clothing and 87% more for shoes within the next year | In effect |
| Cosmetics/Beauty Products | 145% tariff on imports from China | Increased prices on makeup and skincare products, with potential for prices to double | In effect |
Congress Could Stop These Tariffs. Why Won’t They?
Republicans in Congress voted to allow Trump’s cost-raising tariffs to continue, and they blocked efforts from Democrats to stop them, leaving everyday Americans to pay more for essential items like groceries, electronics, clothing, and cars. Adding insult to injury, they voted to protect these tariffs while also pushing forward billionaire tax breaks and cuts to vital programs like Medicaid and SNAP. It’s time for Congress to step up and prioritize the well-being of working families by standing against price hikes.
Tell Us How These Tariffs Are Impacting You
Everyday Americans like you are feeling the squeeze — higher grocery bills, skyrocketing prices for phones, cars, clothes, and more. These tariffs aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet — they’re decisions that directly impact your wallet, your job, and your family.
Whether you’re a student, small business owner, retiree, parent, or worker just trying to get by, your story matters. Politicians in Washington need to hear what life is really like for the families that they’re raising costs on.
Share your story below and help us show Congress what’s at stake.
“As a college student who has a physical disability and a mother who works as a lunch lady, these Republican-backed tariffs are making it even harder for me and my family to make ends meet. We can’t afford to wait any longer. These tariffs are hurting our economy and our families, and Republicans in Congress need to use their power and support working-class families like mine – not millionaires and billionaires.”
– Garrett Newell from Tuscon, Arizona (AZ-06)