Warren, Kelly Press Trump Officials to Explain Damage to U.S. Manufacturing Sector

Trump admin has repeatedly - and falsely - claimed that manufacturing is "roaring back" and that investments are up

Trump's tariffs have led to tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs disappearing

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) wrote to Secretary of Commerce (Commerce) Howard Lutnick, Secretary of the Treasury (Treasury) Scott Bessent, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, asking them to explain the disappearance of tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs under the Trump administration, despite President Trump's promise of a "manufacturing boom."

"President Trump promised us that his chaotic, across-the-board tariffs-paid for by Americans-would yield a 'manufacturing boom'...But no 'boom' has materialized-in fact, during President Trump's term, the 'blue-collar jobs boom' has been a blue-collar bust," wrote the senators.

President Trump repeatedly claimed foreign companies would "eat" his tariffs and that corporate importers would simply absorb the costs. Instead, those costs were passed on to consumers, driving up prices for American families and small businesses. In fact, President Trump's trade policies have cost families an average of $1,700, and estimates indicate that American households will end up paying for 95 percent of the President's tariffs.

"[T]ariffs are an important economic tool to level the playing field for U.S. workers and reshore key industries, but they must be employed with careful consideration, as part of a broader industrial strategy," wrote the senators.

Since President Trump's announcement of sweeping tariffs on nearly all trading partners in April 2025, nearly 100,000 manufacturing jobs have disappeared. Additionally, spending on construction in the manufacturing sector has declined steadily in each month since he took office. President Trump's war in Iran has led to further construction delays through rising fuel costs and disruptions in global supply chains.

President Trump claimed tariffs would bring jobs back to U.S. soil, but corporations continue to move manufacturing jobs abroad. Even Trump allies like hedge fund billionaire John Paulson, a staunch defender of tariffs, recently announced he will close his brass instrument manufacturing plant in Ohio and move around 150 jobs to China. Whirlpool, another defender of President Trump's tariffs, has cut nearly 500 U.S. jobs since last year's tariffs announcements, while expanding their operations in Mexico.

"This set of facts reveals the truth: that President Trump's disastrous trade and economic policies have hurt American manufacturing, breaking the President's promises to workers and the public," concluded the senators.

The lawmakers asked the officials to explain the increasing trade deficit, explain the administration's repeated lies about a "manufacturing boom," and provide evidence of increased manufacturing investments by July 6, 2026.

Senator Warren has led the fight to protect American workers from the Trump administration's disastrous trade agenda:

• In June 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) released a new report titled "10 Ways President Trump Has Hurt American Workers," detailing how President Trump has broken his promises to workers.
• In April 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) pressed U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the Trump administration's using tariffs to help Big Tech evade regulations that keep users safe - all while these tariffs jack up prices for American families and further decimate the manufacturing industry.
• In February 2026, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) called on the Trump Administration to use the upcoming joint review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to strengthen the agreement's protections for American workers and consumers-rather than as an opportunity to secure giveaways for corporations and billionaires. President Trump has said that his across-the-board tariffs would create "millions and millions of new manufacturing jobs" and restore U.S. manufacturing to its former glory. Instead, the United States has lost over 70,000 manufacturing jobs over the last year.
• In December 2025, Senators Warren (D-Mass.), Luján (D-N.M.), and Smith (D-Minn.) wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer urging him to publish a complete written report outlining the administration's objectives for U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) renegotiations, and reveal whether giant corporations had influenced those trade priorities.
• In June 2025, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) led members of the Senate Democratic Caucus in writing to the Secretary of the Department of Labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, urging the department to preserve President Biden's expansion of the overtime threshold.
• In February 2025, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) questioned Mr. Jamieson Greer, then-nominee for U.S. Trade Representative, on his vision for Trump's trade policy. Mr. Greer agreed with Senator Warren that large corporations have outsized influence on trade deals and that U.S. trade policy needs to ensure "American businesses and American workers [are] prioritized," and that any exemption program "needs to be transparent and have the rules outlined."

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