ICYMI – ALSOBROOKS: TRUMP OWES MARYLANDERS A TARIFF REFUND

April 2, 2026

WASHINGTON, DC - In case you missed it, Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) authored an op-ed in The Baltimore Sun marking one year since President Trump's Liberation Day and highlighting how Trump's tariffs have hurt Marylanders.

Read the full op-ed here or below.

TRUMP OWES MARYLANDERS A REFUND

By Angela Alsobrooks, U.S. senator for Maryland

One year after President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day," it is clear: Trump's tariff policies failed.

Families in Maryland are paying on average $1,744 more because of these tariffs.

The cost of building a new home has increased by $17,500 because of these tariffs.

Grocery prices are up. On average, ground beef is up $0.80; chicken breast is up $0.11; orange juice is up over $1; sandwich bread is up $0.11. And the cost of coffee has increased by a whopping 33%.

From February 2025 to February 2026, food prices in total increased 3.1%.

Our country lost 108,000 jobs in manufacturing.

A report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York concluded that "90% of the tariffs' economic burden fell on U.S. firms and consumers."

The Kiel Institute estimated American businesses and consumers are paying 96% of Trump's tariff costs, with foreign exporters absorbing only 4%. The National Bureau of Economic Research similarly found passthrough from Trump's tariffs to be 94%, with the highest upward price pressure on food. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that many companies raised prices in 2025 due to Trump's chaotic tariffs and would continue doing so in 2026 as stockpiles expired.

One year ago, Trump said, "I always say 'tariffs' is the most beautiful word to me in the dictionary. Because tariffs are going to make us rich as hell. It's going to bring our country's businesses back that left us."

"Rich as hell"? Not for hardworking Maryland families. All we've seen are our costs increasing.

A staggering 60% of Americans disapprove of Trump's tariffs, including 39% who say they strongly disapprove. In February, in a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled Trump overstepped his authority when using an emergency powers law to justify his tariffs. Then, a federal judge in New York ruled that companies that paid tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court are now due refunds.

I predicted that Trump's chaotic (and now illegal) tariff regime would hurt hardworking American families, who seem to continue to bear the brunt of Trump's economic policies. My very first piece of legislation as senator was the Tariff Transparency Act, which would require the U.S. International Trade Commission to launch a formal study of the consequences of tariffs on Canada and Mexico on consumers and businesses, including a look at potential price increases on food, energy, housing construction, automobiles, electronics and pharmaceuticals. Republicans blocked that bill at the request of the Trump administration because they knew it would expose the cost increases being borne by Marylanders.

All of this chaos plays in stark opposition to the work I am doing to try to make life more affordable for my constituents. I worked across the aisle to help pass the ROAD to Housing Act, a transformative bipartisan housing package that will help millions of Americans get closer to the dream of homeownership. I am fighting to lower the costs of health care, rent, groceries, gas and more - these necessary costs that are squeezing hardworking American families. I am working on legislation including the Tax Relief for New Businesses Act, which would provide tax relief to entrepreneurs looking to start a small business, and the Small Business Tax Fairness and Compliance Simplification Act, which would allow small businesses in the beauty industry to qualify for a federal tax credit, so they have more opportunities to grow their businesses, create more jobs and fuel our economy.

Instead of following through on its stated goal of lowering costs, this administration pursues chaotic, reckless and illegal policies harming the vast majority of hardworking Americans who are looking to get food on their table, who need good-paying jobs to cover their health care, and who just want a safe and affordable place for their families to live and grow. These tariffs, much like the other actions of this administration, are a failure. This "Liberation Day," the American people, and our small businesses, are owed not only an apology but a refund. I will never cease standing up for the families who have struggled every day to put food on the table, the farmers on the Eastern Shore, the small businesses in downtown Baltimore, the manufacturers in Mountain Maryland - and everyone in between.

###