Pritzker Fires Back At 'Trump Slump' Of Tariffs With Executive Order

ACROSS ILLINOIS — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed an executive order Monday directing state agencies to evaluate the scale of the latest round of tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump, saying they will "study the impact of the Trump Slump to protect our state's economy."

State agencies have been tasked with looking at the effect the tariffs could have on key economic sectors in Illinois, including health care and construction, and the increased costs that will be passed on to working families, according to a news release.

Agencies have 100 days to provide draft recommendations for measures to mitigate the impact of the tariffs, which will "assist the governor in his deliberations."

The order comes days after Trump's announced a 35 percent tariff could be coming soon for Canada, a top U.S. trading partner.

"Donald Trump’s reckless trade policies are nothing more than a tax on working families that will jack up prices, threaten jobs, and impact the way we live," Pritzker said in a statement Monday. “This Executive Order ensures we have a clear-eyed view of the impact the Trump Slump will cause from higher prices at the grocery store to uncertainty in our farms and factories. We’re working with other states to stand up for working people and protect our economies when we can.”

This will include reviews by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Illinois Department of Employment Security of industries and economic development regions most notably affected by trade-related changes and challenges reported by Illinois businesses related to the new trade environment, according to Pritzker's order.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security is tasked with analyzing employment trends since Trump's tariff implementation and the Illinois Department of Public Health will look at medical supplies seeing supply chain disruptions, analyze price fluctuations for medical services and products, and look into concerns raised by healthcare providers regarding supply costs.

The Illinois Department of Human Services will explore supply changes affecting food assistance programs, including an overview food donation trends and supply changes, food banks' purchasing power and ability to meet community needs, and an analysis of responses by food assistance programs to maintain service despite increased costs.

The Illinois Department of Transportation is tasked with developing recommendations based on an overview of tariffs' impact on infrastructure project costs and timelines, approaches to managing increased material costs and strategies and long-term implications for state transportation planning.

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency - Office of Homeland Security is tasked with conducting an overview of emergency response supply challenges, including supplies affected by procurement or increased costs and any stockpile or equipment concerns, as well as approaches to maintaining preparedness within budget constraints.

Under the executive order, Illinois will "coordinate with other similarly situated" states to share its data and conclusions, and will evaluate and propose coordinated actions with other states "that may mitigate the impact of tariffs" on state economies.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a similar executive order on Monday, which directed the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade o create the Colorado Tariff Burden Reduction Task Force. The task force is meant to help Colorado agencies to develop strategies to reduce the impacts of US Tariff Policy and combat tariff uncertainty across different sectors of Colorado’s economy, according to a news release.

Governors in Arizona, New York, Oregon and Washington on Monday took similar actions or released statements, decrying Trump's latest tariff announcements.

In recent days, Trump has threatened a 35 percent tariff on Canada as well as a 30 percent tariff on Mexican and the EU — all of which are slated to start on Aug. 1. According to Pritzker, Illinois exports more goods to Canada than any other state. And Illinois ranks among the top five in exports to both Canada and Mexico.

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