President Donald Trump has not explicitly confessed that his global trade war is driving up grocery costs for Americans, but on Friday, he took a significant step by dropping his so-called “reciprocal” tariffs on key imports. According to a White House fact sheet, Trump’s new executive order ends tariffs on beef; cocoa and spices; coffee and tea; bananas, oranges, and tomatoes; other tropical fruits and fruit juices; and fertilizers.
The New York Times reported Thursday that “the Trump administration is preparing broad exemptions to certain tariffs in an effort to ease elevated food prices that have provoked anxiety for American consumers.” This revelation sparked criticism of the administration’s economic policies, drawing comments from members of Congress.
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) responded, saying, “Trump just admitted it: Americans are footing the bill for his disastrous tariffs.” Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) echoed these critiques on social media, posting: “After months of increasing grocery prices, Donald Trump is finally admitting he was wrong. Americans are literally paying the price for Trump’s mistakes.”
Journalists and commentators also weighed in. CNN’s Jim Sciutto stated, “Trump administration now acknowledging what economists and business leaders have told us from the beginning: that tariffs are driving up prices.” MeidasTouch and its editor-in-chief, Ron Filipkowski, called attention to the policy shift, remarking sarcastically, “But Trump said his tariffs don’t raise prices.”
Congressman Don Beyer (D-Va.), a member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, issued a statement Friday: “President Trump is finally admitting what we always knew: His tariffs are raising prices for the American people.” He continued, “After getting drubbed in recent elections because of voters’ fury that Trump has broken his promises to fix inflation, the White House is trying to cast this tariff retreat as a ‘pivot to affordability.’”
Beyer referenced recent Democratic victories in key races, including incoming governors Mikie Sherrill (New Jersey) and Abigail Spanberger (Virginia), as well as democratic socialist mayors-elect Zohran Mamdani (New York City) and Katie Wilson (Seattle).
The week also saw a debate over Trump’s trade war at the US Supreme Court. Beyer suggested Republicans now want credit for the drop in tariffs, anticipating the Supreme Court might eventually force their hand after oral arguments on Trump’s use of trade authorities did not go well for the administration. He emphasized, “Trump is still keeping the vast majority of his tariffs in place, and his administration is also planning new tariffs in anticipation of a Supreme Court loss.”
Beyer added, “The same logic—that Trump’s tariffs are driving up prices on coffee, fruit, and other comestibles—is equally true for the thousands of other goods on which his tariffs remain.” He stressed, “Only Congress can do that, by reclaiming its legal responsibility under the Constitution to regulate trade, and permanently ending Trump’s trade war chaos. All but a handful of Republicans in Congress are still refusing to stand up to Trump, stop his tariffs, and lower costs for the American people, and unless they find a backbone, our economy will continue to suffer.”
As the Associated Press noted, “The president signed the executive order after announcing the U.S. had reached framework agreements with Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Argentina designed to ease import levies on agricultural products produced in those countries.”
Trump’s order followed the release of a congressional Joint Economic Committee report, which showed that U.S. families are paying approximately $700 more each month for basic items since Trump returned to office in January. In some states, such as Alaska and California, households face an average increase of over $1,000 monthly.
As debate continues over the administration’s trade policies and their impact on American consumers, the long-term effects—and the political ramifications—remain to be seen.
https://www.alternet.org/trump-economy-2674298344/
