Hoyer Statement on Trump's Sweeping Tariffs on U.S. Trade Partners

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement today on President Donald Trump imposing sweeping tariffs on virtually all imports into the United States:

“For years we’ve been told to take Donald Trump seriously, but not literally. We were told his incoherent economic philosophy and outrageous rhetoric were merely negotiating tactics for a master in the art of the deal.

“What he did yesterday ought to throw any such nuanced interpretation aside. What he did was stand in the Rose Garden and proudly announce the largest tax increase on middle-class Americans in our nation’s history – one that will cost the average American family thousands of dollars each year.

“Faced with financial market panic, his administration is fanning out to describe the impact of his tariffs as ‘short term pain,’ as if that pain were not both serious and literal for everyday Americans. Across the country today, Americans are grappling with the reality of higher costs, financial insecurity, and job uncertainty as a direct result of President Trump’s tax increase.”