Kaine, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Protect American Families from President Trump’s Planned Price Hikes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), alongside Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), introduced the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes on Imported Goods Act to shield American families and businesses from soaring prices caused by broad-based tariffs on imported products.

The legislation would keep costs down for imported goods by limiting the president’s authority to impose unlimited tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a law that was never designed or intended for such tariffs. The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes on Imported Goods Act clarifies that the IEEPA may not be used to increase costs on American families by placing tariffs or tariff-rate quotas on imported goods, while preserving the IEEPA’s existing, targeted provisions that allow the president to address unfair trade practices or impose sanctions in the interest of national security.

“Virginians want lower—not higher—costs, but President Trump plans to impose broad-based tariffs, which would raise the price of everyday goods and hurt every American,” said Kaine. “That’s why I’m joining my colleagues in introducing this legislation to make it a lot harder for the President to impose sweeping tariffs, by prohibiting the use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act for that kind of action.” 

Multiple major U.S. corporations have reported broad tariffs of between 10 and 20 percent on all goods imported into the U.S. would raise costs for American families. Sweeping tariffs could severely harm domestic manufacturers and cause a typical American family’s annual costs to increase by $3,900, including almost $200 in increased grocery bills.

Text of the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes on Imported Goods Act is available here.

###