Murray raises example of Tacoma-made Almond Roca while pressing Trump administration on effect of trade war on American businesses
Senator Murray has been outspoken about the harm Trump’s tariffs are causing in WA—one of the most trade-dependent states in the country; Murray has held numerous events in every corner of the state to hear from businesses, farmers, and border communities about effects of Trump’s trade war
***WATCH: Senator Murray exchange with U.S. Trade Representative on Trump’s tariffs***
Washington, D.C. — Today, at a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies hearing, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pressed U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on how President Trump’s unprecedented, chaotic, and ill-conceived tariffs are hurting American consumers and small businesses.
Right now, the effective tariff rate in the U.S. is 16.8 percent, the highest tariff rate since 1934. Trump’s tariffs have already raised retail prices for families by 5 percent, and this year alone, Trump’s tariffs are expected to cost American households an additional $1,700 on average. One analysis found Trump’s tariffs will could push nearly 1 million Americans into poverty in 2026. In September, a nonpartisan analysis by the Washington State Office of Financial Management found that if the current Trump tariffs stay in effect for the next four years, they will cost Washington state up to 25,000 jobs—and if Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs are fully implemented, Washington state would lose $2.2 billion in economic output and 31,900 jobs over the next four years, and significantly drive up the cost of groceries, clothing, cars, and much more.
Washington state has one of the most trade-dependent economies of any state in the country, with 40 percent of jobs in the state tied to international commerce. In 2024, Washington exported $57.8 billion of goods, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), making Washington state the 9th-largest state exporter of goods last year. Washington state is also the top U.S. producer of apples, blueberries, hops, pears, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries—all of which risk losing vital export markets due to retaliatory tariffs from key trading partners including Canada.
[AFFORDABILITY]
Senator Murray began her questioning by grilling Ambassador Greer about the effect Trump’s tariffs are having on the prices American consumers are paying every day. “I know when it comes to trade and tariffs this Committee has strong bipartisan concerns, so I am glad that we’ll have the opportunity to hear directly from you, Ambassador Greer.”
“President Trump promised to lower costs on day one. Instead, he slapped unprecedented new taxes on nearly everything Americans buy from abroad. And now that prices are rising, he’s calling affordability a ‘Democratic scam.’
“Ambassador let me just ask you, yes or no: do tariffs raise prices for American consumers?” asked Senator Murray.
“I don’t think they do when you look at all the data. I think they have a very limited impact,” answered U.S. Trade Representative Greer.
“Well, I disagree, and Secretary Bessent said on Fox News that exempting products from tariffs would, ‘bring the prices down very quickly.’ Wouldn’t that mean then that tariffs increase prices?” Senator Murray pushed back.
“I think again, the general answer is no. I think with some of those products he was referencing; bananas, coffee, things we don’t necessarily make, there you’re going to get more of a chance of a price impact from tariffs. Other stuff that we make, or have a lot of producers, you don’t have the flow through. But I think with those you could see an impact so,” replied U.S. Trade Representative Greer.
Senator Murray said, “Well, I think my consumers, people in my state, are seeing price increases, and they know what’s happening. I don’t see how anybody with a straight face can’t say that tariffs raise prices but somehow ending them lowers the prices. So, I think we all need to be honest.”
[TARIFF IMPACTS ON WA STATE BUSINESSES]
Senator Murray continued by discussing how the Trump administration’s trade policy is affecting small businesses, raising the example of a local business in Tacoma she visited in April that has faced devastating fallout from Trump’s tariffs. “In April, I visited a local candy company in my home state in Tacoma, Washington, they are called Brown and Haley. They’ve been in business for 112 years and employ 150 people. They are known for Almond Roca, which they export to 65 countries in the world. Brown and Haley told me that Trump’s tariffs and trade wars have cost them half of their export business. Half! They worked hard for years to become a net exporter to China, and then Trump’s trade war came along and their China exports dropped to zero. Now, to keep their business alive in China, they’ve been forced to license their brand to other products made in China—literally helping Chinese manufacturers at the expense of the American ones.”
“You are their trade representative. What have you done to ensure American small businesses who rely on sales to China are able to sell their products and grow the economy here at home?” asked Senator Murray.
U.S. Trade Representative Greer answered, “First of all, we’re opening market access all over the world, in places like Southeast Asia and even in Europe, places where everyone thinks we’ve had market access for a long time, but we haven’t. So, we’re opening billions and billions of dollars of markets. I’d be interested in talking to the company that makes Almond Roca. I think that’s, you know, that is, that is news to me that they had an issue in China.”
“They’re one of many in my home state, and actually, in this country, who are facing the same kind of thing. And in fact, we have farmers and growers who are trying to expand into other markets, as you well know, and they’re being thrown one-time, limited relief, but our small businesses and our farmers want to trade, they don’t want aid. And they tell me that this is really creating chaos, including Brown and Haley, but other companies as well. And I’d love to have you take a look at that, because it has had a serious impact to them,” Senator Murray replied.
[CHAOTIC TARIFF EXEMPTIONS]
Senator Murray continued her questioning by pressing Ambassador Greer on the lack of strategy or common sense behind the rollout of the Trump’s tariffs, noting how the U.S. cannot produce coffee at scale, and coffee was only finally made exempt from tariffs last month. “I do understand tariffs can be strategic. But there seems to be no strategy to me when it comes to this trade war. Coffee is a great example. We consume nearly 800 times as much coffee as we produce, as you know, and I doubt that’s going to change anytime soon. And I’m glad that coffee is now exempt from some of these tariffs, but I cannot understand why this administration forced Americans to pay higher for months.”
“Tell me, what did the coffee tariffs actually achieve?” asked Senator Murray.
U.S. Trade Representative Greer answered, “So first of all, coffee prices were going up for two years. I can’t affect the weather in Brazil and these other places. Second of all, all the tariffs that were imposed, some of them are in place to protect domestic supply chains. Some of them are in place for leverage. So, in early September, the President announced that he was going to take the tariffs off of coffee and bananas and other things. And then once we had the deals with the kind of countries that send us coffee and bananas, Ecuador, Vietnam, Indonesia, etc., then we had used that leverage and we removed it.”
“Why did it take so long to exempt coffee?” Senator Murray inquired.
U.S. Trade Representative Greer answered, “Because, you know, TPP was negotiated for eight years under Obama, and it never came to fruition. We did deals with Southeast Asia in six months to get all the tariffs down. So, I think that’s really, really fast.”
“Well, my opinion is those kinds of issues should have been worked out before we slapped tariffs on anybody,” Senator Murray responded.
[CANADIAN TOURISM]
In concluding her questioning, Senator Murray said:
“Canada is Washington state’s, my state, second-largest export partner and our largest source of international visitors.
“And I want you to know this, President Trump’s trade war and insults have driven away Canadian visitors to my state and to other states, it has delivered a huge blow to our economy.
“Passenger vehicle border crossings in my state are down more than 24 percent in the first ten months of this year. Spokane, Washington, in Eastern Washington, saw a 33 percent drop in visitors this year.
“The operator of a ferry between Seattle and Victoria, B.C. has been forced to lay off now a quarter of its workforce because ridership is down 30 percent.
“In my state, Americans are losing their jobs and our businesses are struggling.
“And I just really believe Mr. Ambassador, we should not be picking fights with our close allies and neighbors like Canada. This trade war has been a terrible blow to American small businesses, and I hope it ends, it has to end. If it could end tomorrow, it would be so much better for my state and so many other people. I want you to know that. Especially with Canada, this is hurting my state.”
Senator Murray has been vocal in responding to Trump’s trade war, holding events in every part of Washington state, and hammering the Trump administration for driving up the cost of just about everything through their chaotic and thoughtless trade policies. When Trump first announced new tariffs, Senator Murray brought together leaders across Washington state to discuss how Trump’s trade war threatens Washington state’s economy, and spoke out on the Senate floor against Trump’s chaotic trade war, calling on Republicans in Congress to join Democrats in reasserting Congress’s power over trade. She has held several events across Washington state to hear directly from constituents and small business owners about how Trump’s tariffs are harming them—including in Tacoma, Yakima, Vancouver, Seattle, Skagit County, and Blaine, just across the border from Canada. On August 1st, as Trump hiked “reciprocal” tariffs on some of our closest trading partners, Senator Murray held another virtual press conference with Washington state businesses to sound the alarm. She held another roundtable with small business owners in Vancouver in September, and slammed Trump for the new port fees that had been hitting ships at West Coast Ports as a result of Trump’s trade war with China. Last month, Senator Murray released a statement criticizing Trump’s tariffs and calling on Republicans to step up to put an end to them after the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the legality of Trump’s disastrous tariffs.
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