By Saleah Blancaflor
On Thursday, Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), held a press conference with Democratic Caucus vice chair Ted Lieu (CA-36), CAPAC second vice chair Jill Tokuda (HI-02), chair Emerita Judy Chu (CA-28), and CAPAC members Rep. Dave Min (CA-47) and Rep. Ed Case (HI-01), which centered on the impact of President Trump’s tariffs on Asian American businesses and communities in the country.
“President Trump promised to lower costs on day one, yet costs have skyrocketed due to his tariffs — especially for the over three million Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander-owned businesses across our nation,” Rep. Meng said during the conference. “These mom-and-pop stores are being forced to make an impossible choice: raise prices or close their doors for good. We refuse to be treated as collateral damage in the administration’s trade wars, and CAPAC will continue fighting for lower costs and a more affordable America.”
On Aug. 29, a federal appeals court ruled that most of the tariffs were illegal, but still allowed the tariffs to remain in place while the case moves through the appeals process.
Last week, the Supreme Court agreed to consider the appeal on an expedited timeline. Tariffs are still continuing to create uncertainty for small businesses and consumers—including Asian-owned businesses that import agricultural goods, cultural products, and traditional medicines that cannot be made domestically.
According to a Pew Research Center study, Asian American entrepreneurs own 11% of small businesses in the U.S. and nearly 20% of restaurants in 70% of counties across the country.
Chinatown businesses especially have reported lower demand and increased costs for goods, with some having to hike prices by an average of 50%. According to the new Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, consumer prices rose 0.4% last month, which brought the annual inflation rate to 2.9%, the highest since January, partially because of Trump’s tariffs.
Asian grocery chains such as the Seattle-based Uwajimaya, which imports over half of their products from Asia, have had to raise prices in response. Many consumers are even cutting back on going to the salon in order to save money due to rising costs from tariff policies, with 42% of usual consumers going in less over the past six months and instead choosing at-home treatments, while 24% have given up those services entirely.
Many Asian-owned small businesses have struggled from the pandemic and already operate on narrow margins. Trump’s tariffs come on the heels of Trump’s Big Ugly Law, which kicked more than 15 million people off of their health insurance already making it difficult for working families to afford the rising costs of groceries and utilities.
Some of the items affected by Trump’s tariffs include basmati and jasmine rice, beef, shrimp, salmon, tuna, tilapia, dried fish, ginseng, Goji berries, Korean and Japanese cosmetics and skincare products, traditional Chinese medicine, matcha, loose-leaf tea, soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, Sichuan peppercorn, black pepper, cumin, turmeric, chili powder, paneer, kimchi, dry noodles, joss papers, incense, takeout containers, cell phones, computers, clothing, shoes, and more.
Registration is closed for Common Ground: Building Together conference and gala award banquet in San Francisco on January 24. A shoutout to our planning committee: Jane Chin, Frank Mah, Jeannie Young, Akemi Tamanaha, Nathan Soohoo, Mark Young, Dave Liu, and Yiming Fu.
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