Jewelers of America Pushes Congress to Act on Tariffs and Crime

Jewelers of America Pushes Congress to Act on Tariffs and Crime

New York, NY - Jewelers of America leadership and members were back on Capitol Hill for the association's annual Fly-in, once more making the case directly to lawmakers on key issues that impact the jewelry industry.

Lead by the Jewelers of America Political Action Committee (JAPAC), this year's event was held on Tuesday, September 15 and included events featuring Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, Maine Senator Susan Collins, and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan. Tariffs and retail crime remained the top concerns, as jewelers asked Congress to take action.

"While some progress has been made in excluding diamonds, gemstones and pearls from tariffs, these have come on a country-by-country basis," says JA President & CEO David J. Bonaparte. "Our Fly-In was imperative as we need for lawmakers in the House and Senate to push the President on exemptions for our industry, regardless of country of origin."

Bonaparte made that argument directly to the Trump Administration back in July, when he met with United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on July 29 in D.C. Even as diamond centers like Antwerp have gotten a reprieve under the current tariff regime, diamonds exported from India, China and Canada have tariffs ranging from 10 to 50 percent U.S.

Fly-in attendees reminded lawmakers how the tariffs - along with the volatility in the precious metals markets and the economy in general, continue to cause a strain on business. In addition to discussing tariffs, Jewelers asked lawmakers to finally pass the Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA). The bill passed the House with a bipartisan vote back in May, and now must clear the Senate in order to be signed into law by the President.

Jewelers stressed the importance of the crime bill to Senators Durbin, who attended JA's Member Meet-Up on Monday night before the fly-in, and Collins, who joined the group for dinner Tuesday night.

Attendees also met with Rep. Jim Jordan (R, OH-4), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and Rep. Dave Joyce (R, OH-14), who introduced the legislation that passed the House.

The bill would strengthen federal coordination and equip local and state law enforcement to better identify and investigate ORC groups. It creates a federal Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center to streamline intelligence-sharing and multi-agency collaboration, a critical step for retailers to effectively combat criminal activities.

In addition to Senators Durbin and Collins, the group hosted members of Congress during a lunch that included Reps. Jordan - a key member of Republican leadership in the House, Joyce, Claudia Tenney (R, NY-24), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R, IA-01), Rep. Kevin Kiley (R, CA-03), Rep. Harriet Hageman (R, At Large), Rep. Rich McCormick (R, GA-07), Rep. Pete Sessions (R, TX-17), Rep. Zach Nunn (R, IA-03)

During dinner the jewelers met with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME).

Throughout the fly-in JA members also met with legislative staff and a wide array of lawmakers including:

From the U.S. Senate:

• Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
• Patty Murray (D-WA)
• Mark Kelly (D-WA)
• Susan Collins (R-ME)
• Dick Durbin (D-IL)

From the House of Representatives:

• Gabe Amo, (D, RI-01)
• Don Beyer (D, VA-08)
• J. Luis Correa (D, CA-34)
• Suzan DelBene (D, WA-01)
• Darrell Issa (R, CA-48)
• Young Kim (R, CA-40)
• Rick Larsen (D, WA-02)
• George Latimer (D, NY-16)
• Mike Lawler (R, NY-17)
• Nicole Malliotakis (R, NY-11)
• Carol Miller (R, WV-01)
• Richard Neal (D, MA-01)
• Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D, WA-03)
• August Pfluger (R, TX-11)
• Emily Randall (D, WA-06)
• Jamie Raskin (D, MD-08)
• Kim Schreir (D, WA-08)
• Pete Sessions (R, TX-17)
• Adam Smith (D, WA-09)
• Adrian Smith (R, NE-03)
• Marilyn Strickland (D, WA-10)
• Ritchie Torres (D, NY-15)
• Beth Van Duyne (R, TX-24)

Attendance for the event included Jewelers of America Members from a variety of jewelry firms across the country:

• Brian Alter, Alter's Gem Jewelry, Beaumont, TX
• Lawrence Bock, Bachendorf's; Dallas, TX
• Jon Bridge, Ben Bridge Jeweler; Seattle, WA
• Susan Eisen and Ron Wolff, Susan Eisen Fine Jewelry Watches Art & Appraiser, El Paso, TX
• Lawrence Hess, Plumb Club, New York, NY
• Sheryl Jones, Sheryl Jones Inc.; New York, NY
• Alex Stuller, Stuller; Lafayette, LA
• Cath Taubner, Ball Chain; Mt. Vernon, NY
• William Taubner, Ball Chain; Mt. Vernon, NY
• Lawrence Hess, Executive Director of The Plumb Club.

The delegation was led by Jewelers of America President & CEO David J. Bonaparte. Spearheading the event was Tim Haake, Managing Director of Haake & Associates, JA's long-term government affairs firm and Jennifer Bogart, President, Bogart Associates.

While JA was in D.C for their annual Fly-In, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The bill contains a fresh round of sanctions on Russia and gives the president the authority to increase tariffs to as much as 100 percent on countries, including India, that import Russian oil and gas.

"We strongly support the legislation's underlying objective of increasing pressure on Russia and standing with Ukraine. Our concern is not with those goals. Rather, it is with the potential impact of the bill's new tariff authorities, including tariffs of up to 100%, on American consumers, small businesses, and critical supply chains, particularly if those authorities are applied to India," said Bonaparte.

To learn more about Jewelers of America's legislative advocacy and JAPAC or to join Jewelers of America, visit www.jewelers.org/ja/advocacy.