American families paid $1,745 in tariff costs in the past year. The Joint Economic Committee documented $231 billion in total consumer costs. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the president cannot impose tariffs under emergency powers. Prices went up during the tariffs and stayed up after the ruling.
The bottom 90% of Americans lost 7% of their income when tariffs are combined with OBBBA tax and spending changes. The top 1% gained $47,500. Three point five million people lost SNAP benefits. Social Security recipients got a $56 monthly COLA increase that Medicare premiums, food inflation, and tariff costs erased entirely.
Corporations used tariff uncertainty to raise prices beyond their actual costs. The tariff pass-through rate hit 94% in 2025, up from 80% in 2018. S&P 500 profit margins reached 13.4%, more than double the historical average. Companies spent $1.1 trillion on stock buybacks while passing every cost increase to consumers.
Three bills have been introduced to restore Congressional authority over tariffs. I am asking you to co-sponsor legislation that reclaims tariff authority under Article I Section 8, requires Congressional approval before new tariffs take effect, and reverses the SNAP cuts that removed 3.5 million people from food assistance.
Every price increase on my grocery receipt traces back to a policy decision. I need my representative to act on the costs families are absorbing right now.
