ICYMI: U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS-03), Kansas Farm Bureau President Warn Trump’s Tariffs Will Raise Prices
Yesterday, Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS-03) highlighted the economic risks of President Trump’s new tariffs, bringing Kansas Farm Bureau President Joe Newland as her guest to the joint session of Congress. Together, they warned that these tariffs will drive up costs for Kansas farmers and families, making essentials like gas and groceries more expensive. Davids emphasized the need for stable trade policies that support Kansas agriculture, while Newland underscored the uncertainty these tariffs create for farmers.
Davids’ bipartisan work to lower costs and support Kansas agriculture made headlines statewide:
KWCH: Kansas Rep. Davids brings farm bureau president to Trump’s joint session amid tariff concerns
“A pair of individuals who admit they don’t always agree on ideas will sit next to each other at the joint session with President Trump on Tuesday night.
Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democratic congresswoman representing the Kansas City area, will bring Kansas Farm Bureau President Joe Newland with her to the session. Both Davids and Newland are focused on keeping costs low for Kansas farmers and ranchers. They are aware that the historic tariffs that Trump has implemented are likely to cause significant price increases.
[…]
‘Some of my concern is the lack of predictability and the uncertainty that I’ve observed from the President,’ Davids, the Kansas delegation’s lone Democrat in Washington, D.C., told 12 News in a news conference on Tuesday.
‘I think uncertainty is definitely the key word here,’ Newland added. He pointed out that there is too much confusion regarding the future of the farm bill and the implications of the tariffs.
In 2019, farm bankruptcies increased by 20%, even with federal government cash assistance provided to farmers.
Dr. Peri DaSilva from Kansas State University has conducted numerous studies on the effects of tariffs. He believes that if the current tariffs remain in place, other countries will likely impose their own tariffs, which could target American goods, particularly crops harvested in Kansas.
[…]
‘We are going to see some firms absorbing costs by laying off employees, while others may push for price increases,’ DaSilva said. American consumers could face price hikes on goods in the coming months as a result of the ongoing trade war.”
Fox4: Rep. Davids and Kansas Farm Bureau discuss Trump tariffs
Ahead of President Donald Trump’s address Tuesday night, Kansas’ 3rd District Congresswoman, Democrat Sharice Davids, hosted a call Tuesday morning. A guest of hers, included someone who works closely with Kansas farmers. This comes as Trumps administration is proceeding with tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, a move he says is to combat “U.S. national security threats.”
[…]
‘I have concerns right now. President Trump’s trade policies certainly have the potential to impact and hurt Kansas,’ Rep. Sharice Davids said Tuesday. ‘Too many people have already seen the consequences of trade instability before.’
Davids said there is potential for this to be a ‘reckless approach.’ She hopes to hear from Trump on a number of issues, including urgency of the Farm Bill. Davids also says to keep the economy strong, there will need to be trade policies that are going to open doors for farmers.
‘We are looking at a situation where Kansas farmers are at risk of facing higher costs,’ she shared, adding its not just the agriculture industry that will feel it. ‘There’s a potential that every Kansan will feel this with rising prices on things like gas, and groceries, vehicles costing thousands more a year.’
‘The initial effect could be higher prices from inputs like from Canada on our fertilizer, or from any country, as far as that’s concerned,’ Newland said. ‘But right now, the tariffs, as far as Canada, Mexico, and China are concerned, we are still in the process of marketing more grain.’
Joe Newland, the president of the Kansas Farm Bureau, was on Tuesday’s call. Newland said trade is vital for Kansas agriculture, adding that he believes there will be impacts caused by tariffs. ‘They (these tariffs) will probably hurt us in the short term, but in the long term, we want to make sure we can keep everything strong,’ Newland shared.
The Peterson Institute for International Economics, a non-partisan research organization, says tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China could cost the average US household over $1,200 a year.
KSN:
Tuesday night, President Donald Trump recapped his first six weeks in office to a joint session of Congress. Kansas lawmakers are weighing in on what the President has done during his first weeks in office.
Ahead of his speech, Democratic Representative Sharice Davids pointed out consumers are still waiting for the lower prices on everyday essentials that Trump promised. “I have up to this point, not seen not seen movement on bringing down the cost of prescription drugs, bringing down the cost of gas.”
The Kansas Farm Bureau is letting lawmakers and the Trump Administration know just how hard the effects of the President's tariffs on Mexico and Canada will hit farmers. Retaliatory tariffs from other countries will make selling goods like wheat and corn more difficult.
A local business professor expects importers to look for other distribution in import channels as product prices increase.
‘That could have not only a short term impact on agriculture in different industries it could have a long term impact in that it could disrupt our relationships with the people who import our goods.’
He also believes that the U.S. is in the early stages of a trade war and there are no signs that Trump will de escalate the situation.
Topeka Capitol Journal: Trump says 'have fun' as Kansas farm leader warns: 'Tariffs are going to hurt us'
The leader of the largest agricultural lobbying organization in Kansas is warning that farmers will be hurt by President Donald Trump's trade war. ‘We truly believe that tariffs are going to hurt us in the short term, but we certainly hope that it brings a better deal in the long term,’ said Joe Newland, president of the Kansas Farm Bureau.
[…]
Newland spoke to reporters in a Tuesday press call with U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., who serves on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee. Newland is Davids' guest at Trump's Tuesday night address to Congress.
‘President Trump's trade policies certainly have the potential to impact and hurt Kansas,’ Davids said…‘I think that too many people have already seen the consequences of trade instability before. There were certain tariffs that were imposed during the first term of the president where American farmers lost almost $27 billion in exports. That was between 2018 and 2019, and to keep our agriculture economy strong, we do need trade policies that are going to open doors for our farmers and certainly reduce or eliminate the chances that we create any new obstacles.’
[…]
‘The American Farm Bureau asked the president to delay the new tariffs because of their concerns for our farmers,’ Davids said. ‘Thus far, the president refused those requests, and now we we're looking at a situation where Kansas farmers are at risk of facing higher costs for things like fertilizer and fewer buyers for their products.’
[…]
While the president is telling farmers to ‘have fun,’ Newland said the tariffs will cause uncertainty. ‘Uncertainty is definitely the optimum word here,’ Newland said. ‘Because it's not only the uncertainty of not having a farm bill, it's uncertainty of what these trade tariffs and all would have long term effect, or if they're a short-term effect, and whether we can improve our trade negotiations with these other countries because of them. So I think that's the unpredictable part, it's the unforeseen part. But we want to make sure that we can keep agriculture strong, and so we need to make sure that these tariffs are used to make these trading partners more viable for us.’
[…]
Davids said trade missions help with ‘getting Kansas farmers familiar with other markets and trying to increase the number of countries that Kansas farmers are exporting to.’ That means more customers to buy American crops, she said.
KTKA:
“New tariffs from President Donald Trump went into effect today. Imports from Canada and Mexico are getting taxed at 25% and 20% on Chinese imports. All three countries are threatening to retaliate with their own tariffs on U.S. goods. This could boost the price on everyday items.
[…]
‘These tariffs and this tariff policy could have a negative impact not just on the agricultural sector, but again, on everything from gas - you know, there's a lot of folks who get gas from Canada. A lot of our exports from Kansas go to Canada and Mexico. They're our biggest trading partners,’ [said Davids.]”
KMBC:
“President Trump addressing a deeply divided Congress. The president spent little time talking about the economy but defended his sweeping new tariffs against some of our largest trading partners, including Mexico, Canada, and China.
Economists warning those tariffs could drive up costs on things like gas, groceries, and cars. ‘There'll be a little disturbance, but we're okay with that,” [said President Trump].
The speech coming as many Americans remain on edge over inflation. Uncertainty over the tariffs continue to send markets tumbling. On Tuesday, lawmakers in Kansas and Missouri wasted no time sharing their thoughts on the president's speech.
Democratic Congresswoman from Kansas, Sharice David said that in part, ‘while many Americans chose the president based on his promises to lower costs, his politically motivated, reckless actions have had the opposite effect.’ She went on to write, ‘his new tariffs will increase the price of gas, groceries and other necessities.’”