Blumenthal Statement on Trump Trade War Driving Up Costs for Working Families

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the following statement today after President Donald Trump announced a sweeping tax hike on consumer and household necessities in the form of tariffs on a wide range of industries:

“Trump’s trade war threatens immediate harm and hardship for the United States—a recession and higher prices for consumers buying cars and gas to commute to work, groceries to feed their families, energy to run their air conditioning this summer, even clothing for their kids. This kind of economic cratering may be less painful for the millionaires and billionaires in the Trump Cabinet, who claim it’s no big thing, but it will deeply hurt average, everyday Americans. The pain is going to be felt nationwide, and it is entirely self-inflicted.”

“I’ve heard directly from Connecticut families and small business owners about how devastating these tariffs will be for them. In Connecticut, this tax will drive housing costs up even further by making it more expensive to build new homes with construction materials sourced from Canada. Our state’s biggest employers – in aerospace and defense, advanced manufacturing – all rely on international trading partners, and losing those customers will force them to increase costs for American buyers and maybe even to lay off workers.”

“I support American manufacturing – I have voted for better job training and greater investments in building industries at home. But I do not support jacking up prices for families that are working hard and trying to build savings just so President Trump can pad his billionaire buddies’ bank accounts.”

Blumenthal has slammed proposed tariffs that will drive up energy prices for Connecticut consumers given that a significant share of Connecticut’s electricity is sourced from Eastern Canadian hydropower. The ten percent tariffs that are being proposed on energy resources from Canada will directly impact electricity costs. According to an estimate from ISO New England, these taxes could add up to $66 million in annual customer costs. In March, Blumenthal wrote President Trump demanding that he rescind cost-increasing tariffs and calling on Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to block the implementation of tariffs and protect consumers. The letter to the Trump Administration is available here and the letter to FERC is available here.

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