1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

The president's plan to impose sweeping tariffs on most imported goods risks severe economic consequences for American consumers and businesses. While aimed at addressing trade imbalances, tariffs are ultimately paid by domestic purchasers through higher prices, acting as a regressive tax that disproportionately harms lower-income households. Moreover, retaliatory tariffs from trade partners could spark a trade war, disrupting supply chains, eliminating U.S. export markets, and potentially plunging the economy into recession. Rather than unilateral tariffs, we should pursue fair and reciprocal trade agreements that open markets and establish clear, enforceable rules. Protectionist policies tend to prove counterproductive, as U.S. history has repeatedly shown. The proposed emergency declaration is an overreach, circumventing Congressional oversight on trade policy. I urge you to vote in favor of Senator Kaine's resolution to rescind this declaration and the unjustified Canada tariffs, and instead chart a path toward free but fair trade that grows the economy and creates jobs through exports rather than punitive taxes on imports.