(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump’s new tariffs are under fire from Virginia lawmakers who say the plan could raise costs for working families already struggling with high prices.
The Trump administration is defending the tariffs, saying they’re needed to protect U.S. industries and bring in revenue from countries that have taken advantage of American trade.
Agriculture plays an outsized role in Virginia’s economy, generating more than $82 billion in economic activity and supporting over 380,000 jobs, according to state officials.
Soybeans are Virginia’s top agricultural export, according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. China and Canada are listed as two of the five largest destinations for the state’s farm and forestry products. The agency estimates the state exported more than $5 billion in farm and forestry products in 2022 alone.
Virginia farmers and brewers are already feeling the strain. In Alexandria, Port City Brewing Company relies on Canadian barley malt to brew its award-winning beers. Founder Bill Butcher told WTOP that a 25% tariff on that ingredient could raise the price of a six-pack from $12.99 to nearly $19.
Several Virginia lawmakers have also criticized the tariffs, calling them a hidden tax that will fall hardest on working families.
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., took to the Senate floor last week to denounce the tariffs as “economic idiocy,” warning they would raise prices on groceries, building supplies and farm equipment.
“They will hurt our families, they will hurt our businesses, they will hurt our farmers,” Kaine said. “The $6 trillion that these tariffs will raise all come out of the pocketbooks of Americans who are working hard and who don’t want to pay more taxes.”
Democratic nominee for governor, Abigail Spanberger, echoed Kaine’s concerns. She called the policy “a massive tax hike on Virginians — plain and simple” and said, “Families across the Commonwealth are already struggling to keep up with high prices, and imposing extreme tariffs will do nothing to lower costs.”
Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said the Constitution gives Congress—not the president — authority over trade policy and that lawmakers should act to reclaim it.
“We don’t have to let Trump’s tariffs wreck our economy—it’s a choice,” Beyer posted on X. “Congress delegated tariff powers to the president and we can take them back. We have bills (one is mine). We just need votes to pass them.”
President Trump has defended the tariffs to protect U.S. industries from foreign exploitation.
“There is NO INFLATION, and the long-time abused USA is bringing in billions of dollars a week from the abusing countries on Tariffs that are already in place,” Trump said in a statement.
“They’ve made enough, for decades, taking advantage of the Good OL’ USA! Our past ‘leaders’ are to blame for allowing this, and so much else, to happen to our country.”
