Senator Murray Statement on Trump’s Disastrous Tariffs Following Supreme Court Oral Arguments

Last week in bipartisan votes, the Senate passed three separate resolutions to end Trump's tariffs on nearly every country; Speaker Johnson refuses to allow House vote on ending tariffs

Current effective tariff rate is 18 percent-the highest since 1934; Trump's tariffs could push nearly one million Americans below the poverty line next year

***ICYMI: WATCH & DOWNLOAD: Murray speaks out on Senate floor against Trump tariffs***

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on Trump's tariffs shortly after today's oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court on the legality of President Trump's steep tariffs on goods from nearly every country:

"President Trump's tariffs have been an unmitigated disaster for small businesses in Washington state who are being forced to raise prices or close their doors, families who are facing higher costs on nearly everything, farmers who are hurting from retaliation in critical export markets-and the list goes on. I've traveled across Washington state this year listening to the painful stories of small business owners and families who are being crushed by Trump's taxes, and whose lives are being upended by this President who doesn't know the first thing about how trade works. Everyone can see there is no strategy behind Trump's tariffs-and every American is being forced to pay the price.

"I hope the Supreme Court will recognize the shoddy legal ground these tariffs stand on and rule accordingly, but either way, Republicans should join Democrats and exercise Congress's constitutional power to end Trump's tariffs. Last week, we saw a handful of Senate Republicans vote with Democrats to scrap these disastrous tariffs-that's a start, but we need a lot more Republicans to stand with us. Congress could put a stop to Trump's tariffs tomorrow if Republicans wanted to-and every American who wants these taxes to end should continue to speak up and make their voices heard."

Last week, the Senate passed-in three separate bipartisan votes-three Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to end the vast majority of the tariffs President Trump has arbitrarily imposed, which are costing American families thousands of dollars and crushing small businesses across the country. Specifically, the Senate passed resolutions to cancel Trump's 40 percent tariffs on Brazil, his 35 percent tariffs on Canadian goods, and his across-the-board tariffs on nearly all countries by canceling the emergency declarations that underpin them. In the House, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to hold a vote on ending Trump's job-killing tariffs.

Right now, the effective tariff rate in the U.S. is 18 percent, which is the highest tariff rate since 1934. Trump's tariffs have already raised retail prices for families by 5 percent, and this year alone, Trump's tariffs are expected to cost American households an additional $1,800 on average. A recent analysis from Yale Budget Lab found that Trump's tariffs will likely increase the number of Americans living in poverty by 875,000 in 2026. Last month, a nonpartisan analysis by the Washington State Office of Financial Management found that if the current Trump tariffs stay in effect for the next four years, they will cost Washington state up to 25,000 jobs-and if Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs are fully implemented, they would cost Washington state $2.2 billion and 31,900 jobs over the next four years and significantly drive up the cost of food, clothing, cars, and much more.

Washington state has one of the most trade-dependent economies of any state in the country, with 40 percent of jobs in the state tied to international commerce. In 2024, Washington exported $57.8 billion of goods to the world, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), making Washington state the 9^th-largest state exporter of goods last year. Washington state is also the top U.S. producer of apples, blueberries, hops, pears, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries-all of which risk losing vital export markets due to retaliatory tariffs from key trading partners, including Canada.

Senator Murray has been vocal in responding to Trump's harmful trade war since the very beginning, holding events in every part of Washington state, and hammering the Trump administration for driving up the cost of just about everything through their chaotic and thoughtless trade policies. When Trump first announced new tariffs, Senator Murray brought together leaders across Washington state to discuss how Trump's trade war threatens Washington state's economy, and spoke out on the Senate floor against Trump's chaotic trade war, calling on Republicans in Congress to join Democrats in reasserting Congress's power over trade. She has held several events across Washington state to hear directly from constituents and small business owners about how Trump's tariffs are harming them-including in Tacoma, Yakima, Vancouver, Seattle, Skagit County, and Blaine, just across the border from Canada. On August 1^st, as Trump hiked "reciprocal" tariffs on some of our closest trading partners, Senator Murray held another virtual press conference with Washington state businesses to sound the alarm. She held another roundtable with small business owners in Vancouver in September, and last week, Senator Murray slammed Trump for the new port fees hitting ships at West Coast Ports as a result of Trump's trade war with China.

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