As of September 26, the current effective tariff rate is 17.9 percent—the highest since 1934
Trump’s tariffs will cost Washington state nearly 32,000 jobs; $2.2 billion in revenue over the next four years if fully implemented
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) issued the following statement on the new port fees being implemented as Trump escalates a trade war against China with no direction or strategy by threatening an additional 100% increase on top of the current tariffs against China.
“Trump’s tariffs are already hitting consumers and small businesses hard. But Trump’s latest escalation of his trade war with China reminds us that the President is always one angry Tweet away from making things more expensive and worse for regular Americans. These retaliatory port fees are going to hurt our West Coast Ports while helping our foreign competitors. Every day we’re stuck on this chaotic seesaw of unpredictable tariff hikes—toward China or anywhere else. For months, small businesses have been crunched by rising costs or the sheer uncertainty of our federal tariff policy. It is well past time for Republicans in Congress to join Democrats in reasserting Congress’s authority over tariffs—we need to put an end to this self-inflicted economic arson.”
Right now, the effective tariff rate in America is 17.9 percent, the highest tariff rate since 1934. A nonpartisan analysis by the Washington State Office of Financial Management found that if the current tariffs stay in effect for the next four years, they will cost Washington state up to 25,000 jobs—and if Trump’s August 1st “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 forcing up the cost of just about everything through their chaotic and thoughtless trade policies.
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