SCHUMER ANNOUNCES SENATE JUST PASSED BIPARTISAN RESOLUTION TO END TRUMP’S DESTRUCTIVE TARIFFS ON CANADA; SENATOR CALLS ON HOUSE TO VOTE ON RESOLUTION AND STAND UP AGAINST TARIFFS TO PROTECT UPSTATE NY FAMILIES, SMALL BUSINESSES, AND JOBS
Senate Last Night Passed Bipartisan Resolution Terminating Trump’s National Emergency That Is Justifying His Destructive Tariffs On Canada, With Republicans Joining Rebuke Saying Canadian Tariffs Would Raise Prices And Hurt Local Economies
Trump’s Tariffs Could Cost New York State Families And Businesses $7+B; Raise Prices On New Yorkers As Much Over $5,000 For Gas, Groceries, Cars And Everyday Goods – All While Decimating Small Businesses, Killing Good-Paying Jobs, Shrinking 401K’s And Damaging Upstate NY’s Vital Tourism Industry
Schumer: House Republicans Must Join Senate To Protect Upstate NY From Devastating Price Increases And Job Losses
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today announced the Senate has passed a bipartisan resolution led by Senator Kaine to end Trump’s destructive tariffs on Canada. Schumer called on the House, particularly NY Republicans, to join the Senate in passing this resolution to protect New York from disastrous price increases and job losses as a result of tariffs on Canada, which is New York State’s top trading partner.
“Trump’s destructive tariffs are a tax on Upstate New Yorkers, raising costs for families, small businesses, and hurting jobs. I’m proud that the Senate voted to stand up against this price hike on Upstate NY families and small businesses and begin to stop this Trump Slump to our economy. Now the House of Representatives must follow suit, and I am calling on the House to vote on the Senate’s bipartisan bill undoing Trump’s disastrous tariffs on Canada.” said Senator Schumer. “Yesterday was not liberation day, it was tax day. Trump’s tariffs on Canada will mean higher prices for middle class families, essentially a tax increase on people and small businesses already struggling with high costs.”
Schumer said the Senate vote to end Trump’s destructive tariffs on Canada – America’s neighbor, close ally, and top trading partner – is a step in the right direction. Schumer explained Trump’s tariffs are a tax on Americans that are expected to increase costs for Upstate New York’s families by over $5,000 a year and could impact 150,000+ jobs in directly targeted industries across Upstate New York. Across New York State, families and business are expected to pay over $7 billon due to Trump’s tariffs.
Earlier this week, Schumer broke down the impact of Trump’s tariffs on Upstate New York. Canada is New York State’s top importer and exporter, last year importing $20.5 billion of goods from Canada and exporting $17.4 billion. 70% of Canadian imports are used to manufacture American-made products. In the North Country, there are nearly 100 businesses connected to Canadian companies in the Plattsburgh area alone, and an estimated 20% of the local workforce either commutes across the border for work or works for a Canadian or border-related company here in the US. Approximately 20% of the Plattsburgh workforce works for a Canadian or border-related employer, according to the North Country Chamber of Commerce.
Schumer added, “Donald Trump called yesterday liberation day, but nobody was feeling even close to liberated. Quite the opposite: American families are learning the hard way that Donald Trump has them right in the middle of a pincer, and is squeezing them on both sides. On the one side, Donald Trump is pushing tariffs that will cost working families an extra over $5,000 a year. And by his own admission, he couldn’t care less. On the other side, Donald Trump is working with Republicans to gut vital programs working families rely on, like Medicaid, Social Security, veterans’ programs.”
Schumer also explained Trump’s tariffs are damaging Upstate New York’s vital tourism industry and killing good-paying jobs. The tariff war is already slowing sales, and tourism from Canada is down. There has already been a 23% drop in the number of Canadians taking round-trip trips to the United States compared to February 2024, according to Statistics Canada. The U.S. Travel Association warned that even a 10% reduction in Canadian travelers would translate to $2.1 billion in lost spending and jeopardize 140,000 hospitality jobs nationwide, according to Forbes, many of which would be in Upstate NY as one of the most popular close by destinations.
Trump previously delayed the start of his tariffs twice, creating uncertainty for families and small businesses and triggering volatility for the American economy. Trump’s tariff uncertainty is causing the stock market to fall, hurting Upstate New York seniors’ retirements. Today, the markets are plunging, with the Dow down 800 points, and the SP500 on track for its worst day in years. This will hurt Upstate New York’s seniors’ retirements and is leading to fears for a recession.
Schumer concluded, “If the Speaker really cares about the American people and the costs they would bear by these tariffs, he should call back the House and take up the Senate bill immediately. We will not stop fight to stop this un-strategic and destructive trade war and lower costs for the American people.”
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