DETROIT – Today U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin released a statement regarding the ongoing chaos as a result of the Trump Administration’s blanket tariffs on Mexico and Canada.
“President Trump’s 25 percent blanket tariffs on all products from Canada and Mexico — and now the retaliatory tariffs thrown back at us — will do real harm to middle class families. Best estimates are that the average Michigan family will pay $1,200 more per year because of this blanket approach.
“After hearing from our automakers and suppliers, it’s clear that the impending trade war is a gift to foreign automakers. Cars assembled in Japan, Korea, or Germany will be cheaper than the cars assembled in North America by the Big Three.
“That means their sales will go up, while U.S. cars could become unattainable for even American consumers. And when our U.S. companies sell fewer cars, they need fewer employees, fewer parts and will contract fewer suppliers.
“Our domestic auto suppliers, which keep our supply chains moving are also at risk. They are smaller and more specialized, so when orders for new cars go down, these large and small suppliers lose money and employees.
“Unions, small businesses and business groups alike are sounding the alarm about the economic consequences of getting into a trade war. For the life of me, I don’t understand how a team who ran on lowering prices and expanding American supply chains is so sloppily doing the very opposite.”
Also see Slotkin’s social media thread on how the tariffs will hurt the Michigan economy and raise costs.
What others are saying about the Trump Administration’s blanket tariffs on Canada and Mexico:
Detroit Regional Chamber and MichAuto: “[tariffs] will have detrimental effects to our automotive industry in Michigan, the Great Lakes Region and across the continent.”
Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce: “…these policies could be a threat to inflationary pressures and to the American consumer and the price of our goods.”
United Auto Workers: “We are willing to support the Trump Administration’s use of tariffs to stop plant closures and curb the power of corporations that pit US workers against workers in other countries. But so far, Trump’s anti-worker policy at home, including dissolving collective bargaining agreements and gutting the National Labor Relations Board, leaves American workers facing worsening wages and working conditions even while the administration takes aggressive tariff action.”
United Steel Workers: “Approximately $1.3 trillion worth of goods cross the Canada-U.S. border annually, supporting 1.4 million American jobs and 2.3 million Canadian jobs. These tariffs don’t just hurt Canada. They threaten the stability of industries on both sides of the border.”
National Association of Manufacturers: “Ultimately, manufacturers will bear the brunt of these tariffs, undermining our ability to sell our products at a competitive price and putting American jobs at risk.”
International Association of Machinists (IAM): “The 25% tariffs on Canadian goods imported to the U.S., will result in job losses, increased prices, and a variety of other negative impacts.”
National Association of Home Builders: “Imposing additional tariffs on these imports will lead to higher material costs, which will ultimately be passed on to home buyers in the form of increased housing prices.”
U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “The President is right to focus on major problems like our broken border and the scourge of fentanyl, but the imposition of tariffs under IEEPA is unprecedented, won’t solve these problems, and will only raise prices for American families and upend supply chains.”