April 1, 2025

SCHUMER REVEALS: WITH TRUMP'S DESTRUCTIVE TARIFFS SET TO START TOMORROW, THE COST TO UPSTATE NY IS A $7 BILLION GUT PUNCH, WITH $6,000+ IN HIGHER PRICES FOR FAMILIES PER YEAR; SENATOR SAYS WE MUST STOP DAMAGING TRADE WAR WITH ALLIES LIKE CANADA AND PROTECT NY FAMILIES, BUSINESSES & JOBS

Trump’s Tariffs – Set To Start Tomorrow – Could Raise Prices On New Yorkers As Much As $6,500 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 Says Stock Market Is Already Hitting Lowest Point In Years Due To Trump Tariff Chaos, Hurting Upstate Seniors’ Retirements – And Leading To Fears Of A Recession

Schumer: Trump’s Tariffs Mean Higher Prices, Lower Life Savings And Lost Jobs For Upstate Families

With President Trump’s “Liberation Day” for his destructive tariffs set to start tomorrow, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today revealed data on the devastating impacts of this unstrategic and damaging tariff war on Upstate New York’s families, small businesses, and jobs – increasing costs for families by up to $6,500 for gas, groceries, cars, and common goods and potentially impacting 150,000+ jobs in directly targeted industries across Upstate New York. The senator said he has gotten calls from farmers, worried workers, and factory owners scrambling in the face of coming tariffs, and said it will be NY businesses, seniors and working- and middle-class class families who will be footing the bill for this tariff war – in the form of higher prices, a slower economy and shrinking life savings.

“Tomorrow Trump says he will begin imposing his destructive sweeping tariffs, and if that happens it will be a gut punch to Upstate NY’s economy. Plain and simple, Trump’s tariffs are a tax increase on Upstate New York, a massive new destructive national sales tax for all of America,” said Senator Schumer. “Trump's tariff war has already created chaos, and the economic uncertainty is causing the stock market to fall, hurting seniors’ retirements, cratering consumer confidence, and jeopardizing the jobs of thousands of New Yorkers. If this tariff war continues, it could devastate Upstate NY’s economy in ways we haven’t seen since the height of the pandemic. President Trump has said straight up that he doesn’t care if prices go up - Well, I do. I am all for addressing trade imbalances. In fact, Trump should be spending far more time going after China’s long-standing trade cheating that has robbed upstate NY of jobs for far too long, rather than picking a trade war with Canada that will only cost more NY jobs and drive up prices for everyone.”

Schumer explained that consumers bear the cost of tariffs, and Trump’s tariff war is expected to increase costs for American families by up to $6,500 according to the latest analysis of his sweeping plans. According to the Yale Budget Lab, this would increase costs for the average American family by up to:

$3,400 due to Trump’s threatened “reciprocal” tariffs
$2,000 due to tariffs on goods from Canada/Mexico/China
$1,100 due to tariffs on goods in the automotive, pharmaceutical, and chip industries

Schumer added, “Trump’s tariffs are already slowing sales, and tourism from Canada is down, hurting Upstate’s restaurants and Main Streets. No matter which way you slice it, costs are going to sky rocket for consumers. If you’re in Upstate New York, you’ll feel it first, and worse than just about anywhere in the country. We need everyone, especially NY Republicans, to stand up against Trump’s senseless, job-killing, cost-increasing tax on Upstate New Yorkers.”

Rising costs will force families to reconsider how they spend their money, which is already causing consumer confidence to plummet said Schumer, and NY families and businesses are expected to pay approximately $7.17 billion total due to Trump’s tariffs, including and $568 million on steel and aluminum.

According to the New York Times, nearly 8 million Americans work in industries targeted by Trump’s tariffs, including approximately 159,400 in Upstate New York. A regional breakdown of jobs in industries directly impacted by tariffs based on the New York Times analysis can be found below, which does not even account for all the related jobs such as the tourism industry that are also being impacted by the damage of this trade war:

NY Region	Jobs In Industries Directly Targeted by Tariffs Most At Risk
Capital Region	14,400
Western New York	30,100
Rochester-Finger Lakes	33,200
Central New York	16,100
Hudson Valley	27,800
Southern Tier	17,300
Mohawk Valley	10,000
North Country	6,100
UPSTATE NY TOTAL	155,000

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. Every day, $2.5 billion worth of goods cross the United States-Canada border. People across Upstate New York will especially feel the impact of Trump’s tariffs on Canada given the interconnection of Upstate NY’s economy and trade with Canada.

What Upstate NY Will See	Impacts
Increasing costs for businesses in every industry	In the North Country, nearly 100% of asphalt and cement as well as other construction materials come from Quebec, according to the North Country Chamber of Commerce. New York farmers exported $1.4 billion worth of goods to Canada in 2023, according to the Canadian government's agriculture department. Canada accounts for 54% of New York’s agriculture export market meaning farmers will bear the brunt of these tariffs’ costs. $6 billion in lumber and wood products for the U.S. homebuilding industry came from Canada in 2024, exacerbating costs for affordable housing. Imports account for nearly 60% of U.S. aluminum consumption, according to the Wall Street Journal, and breweries across Upstate New York are worried about manufacturing cans.
Canadian tourism slowing down, hurting local businesses	The Canadian government is encouraging Canadians to boycott travel to the United States, according to the New York Times. Maine has been seeing significant cancellations and Upstate New York could be next on the chopping block, which would have devastating impacts especially with the summer tourist season rapidly approaching. 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. 45% of Quebecois who had planned vacations in the U.S. this year were now canceling those plans, leading to $3 billion in lost revenue for U.S. businesses, according to the Quebec Tourism Industry Alliance. Car crossings from Canada through Plattsburgh in the North Country were down 16% from February 2024, according to the Albany Times Union. There is a projected overall 21% reduction in American travel from Canada.
Higher costs at the grocery store for families and local restaurants	Canada leads in exports of grain, livestock and meats, poultry, and more, according to CNN. In 2023, the United States imported about $40 billion in agricultural food products from Canada, ranging from baked goods to canola oil, according to Eater. 70% of maple syrup globally comes from Canada, and more than 60% of maple exports went to the United States which would get more expensive, according to the New York Times. The price of beef could rise because Canadian ranchers are afraid of Trump’s tariffs and shrinking cattle herds, according to Reuters. Beef and pork account for nearly $4 billion in Canadian imports, according to Eater. The price of groceries could increase by $185 – or approximately 3% – every year, according to Eater. Restaurants are already facing high costs due to inflation are preparing for higher prices, according to the Wall Street Journal. Trump’s tariffs could cost restaurants $12 billion nationwide due to rising grocery prices, according to Restaurant Business Magazine.
Nearly 160,000 Upstate New York jobs in industries targeted by tariffs at risk, plus many more in related industries like tourism	Over 680,000 New York jobs depend on trade with Canada. Nearly 160,000 jobs in Upstate New York are in industries directly targeted by Trump’s tariffs and at risk, according to the New York Times. 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. Plattsburgh is home to 100 physical locations of Canadian, primarily Quebec-based, companies. Approximately 20% of the Plattsburgh workforce works for a Canadian or border-related employer, according to the North Country Chamber of Commerce.
Higher electricity, heating, and gas bills for our families, small businesses, and manufacturers	Electricity is a $7 billion commodity market in New York, and the state imports hundreds of millions of dollars of Canadian electricity annually. While the amount varies by month and year, the reliable clean power imported from Canadian dams is critical, and a tariff on Canadian electricity imports would likely raise rates for New Yorkers. In response to the Schumer-Hochul letter to New York energy regulators on the tariffs, agency staff assert that electricity costs could increase by $42 to $105 million per year, and that: Gasoline prices could increase by $26 million per year Heating oil costs could increase by $57 million per year Diesel costs could increase by $48 million per year Propane costs could increase by $16 million per year; and Natural gas costs could increase by $4.4 million per year

Trump has already 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. According to Bloomberg, the stock market rout has intensified in anticipation of Trump’s next tariff rollout, with concerns about recessions leaving the S&P 500 Index on track for its worst quarter compared to the rest of the world since the 1980s.

Trump in February declared an emergency on fentanyl, which is how he is justifying tariffs on goods from Canada. Schumer explained that less than 0.2% of fentanyl entering the United States comes from Canada, and instead of helping combat the fentanyl crisis, these tariffs will only harm American families, small businesses, and jobs. Schumer said the Senate will vote on a resolution later today terminating Trump’s national emergency that is justifying his destructive tariffs that would require Republican support.

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