The Tariffs Keep Coming. So Do the Bills.
Help us expose the taxpayer costs of the administration’s tariff policies.
Americans are paying more for everyday goods thanks to tariffs. Meanwhile, the federal government is refunding billions in tariff revenue because the administration imposed taxes it lacked the legal authority to collect. Higher prices for consumers, disappearing revenue for the Treasury. Some trade deal.
At Taxpayers for Common Sense, we’ve been following the money. The courts struck down the administration’s sweeping emergency tariffs, forcing the Treasury to return roughly $145 billion collected from American importers. But there’s a catch. While importers get refunds, Americans who paid higher prices at the checkout counter aren’t getting checks in the mail.
And the administration isn’t accepting reality. When one tariff scheme gets struck down or expires, it reaches for another. It even dusted off the infamous Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 to impose new tariffs on Canada. The same administration that celebrated its trade agreement with Canada as a historic victory is now waging a trade war with our northern neighbor.
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Tariffs are taxes, and the Constitution gives Congress the power to impose them. But the administration has repeatedly bypassed Congress, leaving American families and businesses to pay the price for a trade policy that seems to change with the weather.
Our research has shown how tariffs raise prices on imported goods and even products made right here in America. Worse, those price increases can stick around long after the tariffs disappear. The president can change his mind about tariffs overnight. Good luck convincing your grocery store to do the same.
We’re putting the facts in front of reporters, policymakers, and the public, exposing the fiscal costs and pressing for greater accountability. Congress shouldn’t get to sit on the sidelines while the administration rewrites trade policy and taxpayers pick up the tab.
For TCS, this isn’t about whether tariffs are good politics. It’s about what they cost taxpayers, whether the promised benefits materialize, and who’s accountable when they don’t. Your support helps us cut through the rhetoric, follow the money, and make sure taxpayers aren’t left holding the bag.
Please help us keep following the money.
Thank you,
Steve Ellis
President
Taxpayers for Common Sense