Previewing the Virginia Primary: Tariffs Deserve Significant Attention

As we prepare for the Virginia primary, it is important to keep in mind the significant effects that tariffs have had both in the Commonwealth and across the country.

As data from Tariffs Hurt the Heartland reveals, Virginia taxpayers have paid $785 million in additional tariffs since the trade war with China first began. 

Democratic presidential candidates cannot ignore the negative impact that the trade war has had on Virginia’s economy. 

Trade supports 1.1 million jobs in the Commonwealth, and 64,500 jobs could be lost if tariffs continue. The Washington Post reported that chief executive of Northwest Hardwoods Nathan Jeppson canceled a $1.8 million order for forklifts, shuttered a pair of sawmills in Virginia, and laid off 130 workers due to the fallout from President Trump’s trade war with China.

“Roughly 25 to 30 percent of our revenues have disappeared,” Jeppson said. “It’s been devastating.”

Tariffs are taxes paid for by Virginia families, farmers, businesses, and communities, and industries across the entire state are bearing the costs from soybean and tobacco farmers, to auto manufacturers and lumber producers. Virginia Business highlighted how John Wesley Boyd Jr., a soybean farmer in Mecklenburg, Virginia, has been struck by tariffs.

“We’re in trouble. … The prices have dropped dramatically and we don’t see any end in sight.”

Despite the signing of the recent Phase One Deal between the U.S. and China, trade uncertainty still remains. Shelley Barlow, a cotton farmer in Suffolk, Virginia explained in the Hampton Roads Business Journal how farming is an optimistic industry and the current tariff situation is unsustainable: “We have got to get back to some sort of normalized trade.”

While the Phase One Deal has provided some relief, much more work remains. That’s why it’s important that presidential candidates lay out a plan to remove all tariffs that have hurt Virginians and Americans nationwide.

If you are interested in speaking with someone about the trade war and how it is hurting Virginians ahead of the primary, please contact press@americansforfreetrade.com.