Murray: “People across America—across party lines, across economic backgrounds, and across nearly every divide imaginable—are now speaking out… The time has come to hold President Trump accountable for raising prices on families across the board.”
Current effective tariff rate is 18 percent—the highest since 1934; Trump’s tariffs could push nearly one million Americans below the poverty line next year
Trump’s tariffs will cost WA state nearly 32,000 jobs; $2.2 billion in revenue over the next four years if fully implemented
***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full floor speech***
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke on the Senate floor ahead of upcoming Senate votes on three Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to end the vast majority of the tariffs President Trump has arbitrarily imposed, which are costing American families thousands of dollars and crushing small businesses across the country.
Tonight, the Senate will vote on S.J.Res.81, which would cancel Trump’s 40 percent tariffs on Brazil by terminating the emergency declaration that provides the legal basis for the tariffs. Later this week, the Senate will vote on two more Joint Resolutions of Disapproval that would similarly revoke Trump’s tariffs by canceling the emergency declarations that underpin them: S.J.Res.77, which would end Trump’s 35 percent tariffs on Canadian goods, and S.J.Res.88, which would terminate Trump’s across-the-board tariffs on nearly all countries—which include 10 percent tariffs on imports from nearly all countries and tariffs of up to 40 percent on more than 60 countries.
On the Senate floor, Senator Murray hammered Republicans in Congress for their outright refusal to put an end to Trump’s pointless trade war and price hikes on American families, and their willingness to hand over Congress’ constitutionally-granted power to impose tariffs.
“President Trump has single-handedly raised taxes more than any President in my lifetime. He has, without any consultation or approval from Congress, imposed billions of dollars in new tariffs,” Senator Murray said. “These are taxes paid for by the American people. They hurt small business owners who need raw materials that just aren’t available here in the United States. They cut off crucial export markets for our farmers when other nations inevitably retaliate. And they are sending prices soaring across the board, from big things like cars, to everyday essentials like groceries. Trump’s tariffs have already raised retail prices for families by 5 percent, and this year alone, his tariffs are expected to cost American households an average of $1,800. That is staggering. Still, nearly every single Senate Republican has refused to vote with us to end this chaos… People across America—across party lines, across economic backgrounds, and across nearly every divide imaginable—are now speaking out. The time has come for Republicans to actually listen. The time has come to hold President Trump accountable for raising prices on families across the board. The time has come to end President Trump’s new taxes on everything.”
After the government of Ontario, Canada ran a TV commercial featuring a speech by President Ronald Reagan denouncing tariffs Saturday night during the World Series, President Trump announced an additional 10% tariff on Canadian imports and said that he was halting ongoing trade talks launched earlier this month.
Right now, the effective tariff rate in the U.S. is 18 percent, the highest tariff rate since 1934. Trump’s tariffs have already raised retail prices for families by 5 percent, and this year alone, Trump’s tariffs are expected to cost American households an additional $1,800 on average. A recent analysis from Yale Budget Lab found that Trump’s tariffs will likely increase the number of Americans living in poverty by 875,000 in 2026. Last month, a nonpartisan analysis by the Washington State Office of Financial Management found that if the current Trump tariffs stay in effect for the next four years, they will cost Washington state up to 25,000 jobs—and if Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs are fully implemented, they would cost Washington state $2.2 billion and 31,900 jobs over the next four years and significantly drive up the cost of food, clothing, cars, and much more.
Washington state has one of the most trade-dependent economies of any state in the country, with 40 percent of jobs in the state tied to international commerce. In 2024, Washington exported $57.8 billion of goods to the world, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), making Washington state the 9th-largest state exporter of goods last year. Washington state is also the top U.S. producer of apples, blueberries, hops, pears, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries—all of which risk losing vital export markets due to retaliatory tariffs from key trading partners including Canada.
Senator Murray has been vocal in responding to Trump’s trade war, holding events in every part of Washington state, and hammering the Trump administration for driving up the cost of just about everything through their chaotic and thoughtless trade policies. When Trump first announced new tariffs, Senator Murray brought together leaders across Washington state to discuss how Trump’s trade war threatens Washington state’s economy, and spoke out on the Senate floor against Trump’s chaotic trade war, calling on Republicans in Congress to join Democrats in reasserting Congress’s power over trade. She has held several events across Washington state to hear directly from constituents and small business owners about how Trump’s tariffs are harming them—including in Tacoma, Yakima, Vancouver, Seattle, Skagit County, and Blaine, just across the border from Canada. On August 1st, as Trump hiked “reciprocal” tariffs on some of our closest trading partners, Senator Murray held another virtual press conference with Washington state businesses to sound the alarm. She held another roundtable with small business owners in Vancouver in September, and last week, Senator Murray slammed Trump for the new port fees hitting ships at West Coast Ports as a result of Trump’s trade war with China.
Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:
“President Trump has single-handedly raised taxes more than any President in my lifetime. He has, without any consultation or approval from Congress, imposed billions of dollars in new tariffs.
“These are taxes paid for by the American people. They hurt small business owners who need raw materials that just aren’t available here in the United States. They cut off crucial export markets for our farmers when other nations inevitably retaliate. And they are sending prices soaring across the board, from big things like cars, to everyday essentials like groceries.
“Trump’s tariffs have already raised retail prices for families by 5 percent, and this year alone, his tariffs are expected to cost American households an average of $1,800. That is staggering. Still, nearly every single Senate Republican has refused to vote with us to end this chaos.
“I’ll say it another way: Republicans are refusing to stop President Trump from raising taxes on working families.
“Now, we all saw Republicans move heaven and earth this year to shovel more tax breaks at billionaires. But when it comes to taxes on working families, well, they are downright eager to force families to pay more every time they go to the supermarket.
“I am not going to let this get swept under the rug. Especially not when Trump shows us every day that his tariffs are not about any sort of economic strategy, or any real ‘emergency.’
“Trump’s tariff policy is as strategic as a toddler who plays with a light switch.
“Last week, we saw Trump raise taxes on Americans because he was mad that Canada ran an ad quoting Ronald Reagan. That’s about as ridiculous as it gets.
“My state shares a border with Canada. There are countless families, and businesses that span our northern border. People who have built businesses that rely on strong trade relationships, from farmers who send their crops up north, to shops that bring in products, to towns that serve tourists and visitors that come down from our neighbors.
“And these Washington business owners are all having their livelihoods completely turned upside on a whim by President Trump.
“And again, let’s be clear: all Canada did to unleash more blind fury and boneheaded tariffs from President Trump was quote President Ronald Reagan.
“Now, for all the policies I disagree with, Reagan at least had enough sense to understand that we, the American people, are the ones who pay those tariffs.
“For my colleagues, these are the words Donald Trump doesn’t want you to hear. This is what Reagan had to say about tariffs—verbatim: ‘Over the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer.’ ‘Then the worst happens: markets shrink and collapse; businesses and industries shut down; and millions of people lose their jobs.’
“But you know what? If Republicans don’t want to listen to Reagan this time—well, then how about they start listening to American families, farmers, and small businesses back in their own home states.
“Because, as someone who has had countless discussions about tariffs with the people I represent back home, I have no doubt that Republicans’ own constituents will tell them firsthand just how painful Trump’s trade war has been for them.
“I have heard from business across my home state of Washington who are getting crushed by Trump’s tariffs. An Asian grocery store that sells goods you simply have to source from abroad, like green tea. Coffee shops that are getting hit, since most of our country can’t even grow coffee beans. Clothing stores that tell me they are struggling with higher prices for cotton canvas, zippers, threads, and buckles.
“And then there are farmers, across my state and across the country, that are getting boxed out of key markets by the trade wars Trump is starting left and right for no reason.
“And there the jobs at our ports that are threatened as every new chaotic tariff Trump decides to tweet out whittles away at imports and exports alike, grinds our bustling ports to an absolute standstill, and puts thousands of jobs in jeopardy.
“Foreign imports are down by a third at the Port of Seattle and Tacoma. The reality of Trump’s tariffs is painfully obvious to families and business owners who are bearing the brunt of this ham-fisted trade war.
“You can’t just ‘make it in America’ when the ‘it’ in question is fruits and vegetables we cannot grow at scale here in the U.S. You can’t just ‘make it in America’ when even making something here requires parts and raw materials from across the globe.
“There are just higher prices for working families, tighter margins for our struggling businesses, and even more worry for families and businesses being pushed to the edge. Families are feeling those price hikes every single day. Small businesses in my state and across the country are facing difficult decisions, and deciding whether they can afford to keep their doors open, right now.
“People across America—across party lines, across economic backgrounds, and across nearly every divide imaginable—are now speaking out. The time has come for Republicans to actually listen.
“The time has come to hold President Trump accountable for raising prices on families across the board.
“The time has come to end President Trump’s new taxes on everything.
“The time has come for Congress, us, to start asserting our authority on tariffs, instead of ceding every single part of our job to a President who has already joked he is the Speaker of the House.
“Is he going to start calling himself the Majority Leader too?
“I urge all of my colleagues: join me in voting for this resolution so we can start rolling back Trump’s taxes on Americans, and take some pressure off our families and small businesses in the states we are all here to represent.”
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