WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (PA-04), member of the House Committee on Appropriations, released the following statement on President Trump’s new round of tariffs:
“President Trump’s so-called ‘Liberation Day’ is the latest installment of on-again off-again tariffs shaking our economy.
To be clear: Trump’s tariffs are a tax on consumers — on you and me.
The United States imports more than any other nation. With Trump’s tariffs — fruits, vegetables, grains, cars, electronics, lumber, steel, and fuel will all get significantly more expensive. Everyday costs for our cars and our homes will rise. American businesses and families will pay the price.
Trump’s economic agenda is driven by thoughtless, erratic decisions to impose price hikes on some of our closest trade partners.
Trump’s decision-making is also troubling. Businesses require certainty. But for weeks now, business owners have been forced to operate in a fog of uncertainty. There is no telling whether proposed tariffs will actually go into effect, how long they might last, and what goods and services they will affect.
Bolstering American manufacturing — bringing jobs back home — is a worthy cause. It is one that Congressional Democrats strove for with the CHIPs and Science Act. It is a common goal.
Smart, targeted tariffs can also be a helpful tool to protect American workers. But this is not a smart tariff policy. It’s no policy at all.
Trump’s tactics — his reckless tariffs — will not only be ineffective, but harmful to the United States, our relationships with trusted trading partners, and our standing in the world.
I urge President Trump to reverse course immediately.”
Rep. Madeleine Dean is a mother, grandmother, attorney, professor, former four-term member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and U.S. Representative for the Fourth District of Pennsylvania.
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