As Prices Soar Like Santa’s Sleigh This Holiday Season, Gillibrand Calls On Trump Administration To Stop Tariffs, Promote Affordability

As Prices Soar Like Santa's Sleigh This Holiday Season, Gillibrand Calls On Trump Administration To Stop Tariffs, Promote Affordability

Dec 17, 2025

Key Holiday Items Are 26% More Expensive This Year, Causing Families To Pinch Pennies During The Season Of Giving

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) held a virtual press conference to call on the Trump administration to ease the economic pain being felt by New Yorkers during the holiday season.

President Trump's tariffs are driving inflation and increasing the cost of everything from utilities to holiday gifts, forcing New Yorkers to either shell out more money or cut back on purchases during the holiday season. Senator Gillibrand called on the Trump administration to end the tariffs to provide meaningful relief to American families, protect small businesses, and ensure that American consumers are not met with higher prices or product shortages during this critical time of year. The full text of Senator Gillibrand's letter to President Trump and Secretary Lutnick can be found here.

"The holiday season should be filled with joy and generosity-not financial stress and hardship. But this year, President Trump's tariffs are causing anxiety for working families by raising the cost of everything from groceries and utilities to the toys that parents are buying for their kids," said Senator Gillibrand. "I'm calling on the Trump administration to immediately end these reckless tariffs to provide relief to New York families, small businesses, and consumers during the holiday season."

The tariffs recently imposed by the Trump administration include a baseline 10% import tax on goods from dozens of countries, plus the European Union, with significantly steeper rates for many Canadian imports at 35%. These tariffs are creating major cost uncertainty for New York businesses and increasing prices for consumers. According to the New York State Tariff Disruptions Report, consumers in the state are facing an estimated 21% tax on imported goods, amounting to roughly $4,200 in increased costs per household annually.

Senator Gillibrand has opposed the president's tariffs since the start of the Trump administration. Earlier this year, she joined 14 of her colleagues in introducing the Small Business RELIEF Act to end Trump's tariff tax and refund small businesses their duties paid. She also sent a legal brief with 206 members of Congress emphasizing to the Supreme Court that these tariffs are illegal.

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