North Bay Legislator: Americans Will Pay Price For 'Trump's Trade War'

NORTH BAY, CA — U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Napa, said the latest round of far-reaching tariffs imposed Wednesday by President Donald Trump will start a trade war and increase prices for American citizens.

Trump imposed a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries and higher tariff rates on dozens of nations that run trade surpluses with the United States. Tariffs are taxes on imports, collected when foreign goods cross the U.S. border by the Customs and Border Protection agency. The money goes to the U.S. Treasury to help pay the federal government’s expenses.

As Trump sees it, increased reliance on foreign producers for goods has "compromised U.S. economic security by rendering U.S. supply chains vulnerable to geopolitical disruption and supply shocks."

In recent years, Trump said, the vulnerability of the U.S. economy in this respect "was exposed both during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Americans had difficulty accessing essential products, as well as when the Houthi rebels later began attacking cargo ships in the Middle East."

"The American People Will Pay The Price For Trump's Trade War"

The U.S. economy is "the envy of the world," said Thompson, who represents all or part of Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.

"Yet, in a sweeping move, President Trump is undoing our progress," Thompson said. "Thanks to President Trump’s trade war, people will lose their jobs, seniors’ retirement savings will go down, medical costs will go up, and families will struggle to afford basic goods."

Thompson said Trump "has gone on the record to make his stance clear, stating he ‘couldn’t care less’ if his tariffs raise prices on American families."

“Make no mistake: The American people will pay the price for the President’s trade war," Thompson said. "The tariffs the President announced today will raise prices on groceries and electronics, cars and homes, and just about every other good on which we rely."

Thompson urged "Congressional Republicans to join Democrats to stand up against the President’s attempt to tank our economy."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.