‘This Is Just Adding Insult To Injury’: Shomari Figures Condemns Trump’s Global Tariffs

2 days ago

At a House Dads Caucus press briefing on Tuesday, Rep. Shomari Figures (D-AL) spoke about the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on foreign imports.

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Transcript

00:00Good morning.

00:04These tariffs are yet another example of this administration acting without consideration

00:10of how it's going to impact everyday people across this country, most certainly not considering

00:14how it's going to impact the average person in my home state of Alabama.

00:19Just last year, Alabama exported over $10 million in automobiles manufactured across

00:23the state, including in Montgomery, Alabama, which is part of my congressional district.

00:28Well, a 25 percent tariff on this industry is crippling.

00:32It's something that's going to harm our ability to be able to maximize the impacts of this

00:38industry, one that the state of Alabama has grown to be a leader in this country for.

00:43This trickle-down effect is going to impact the ability of those companies to be able

00:46to hire workers, not only just the people's ability to be able to afford the vehicles.

00:51I represent a state where, in a district where the individual median income is just north

00:56of $30,000, just north of $30,000.

01:00People cannot afford this tax on their life.

01:03People cannot afford to see almost every good that they rely on to be jacked up in prices.

01:09We simply cannot afford it in the state of Alabama.

01:12These tariffs are estimated by some to be the largest tax at least since 1982, quite possibly

01:19in the history of this nation.

01:22We have never seen this type of recklessness before.

01:25We've never seen this type of disregard for the average, everyday consumer in this country.

01:30Business owners are not going to just suck these expenses up.

01:34They will not.

01:35They're already saying, if I can't pay it, I'm going to have to pass it on.

01:38Well, that gets passed on to me.

01:40That gets passed on to people in Greenville, Alabama, and Evergreen, Alabama, and Mobile,

01:44Alabama, and Pritchard, Alabama.

01:46Some of the poorest people in this nation.

01:48They simply cannot afford what this administration is doing.

01:53Exports in the state of Alabama, things like shrimp, and catfish, and other foods.

02:00We simply cannot do it.

02:01We have an enormous agriculture industry in my state, and this is going to make it harder

02:06for those companies to succeed, and it's going to make it harder for people to get by every

02:10single day.

02:11And this is at a time where we are seeing this administration and our Republican colleagues,

02:17at the same time they're raising prices on Americans, they are seeking to take benefits

02:21away from the most needy Americans.

02:24They are proposing SNAP benefit cuts that are of a scale that's going to be disastrous

02:28for too many families.

02:30They are proposing taking health care away from the people that need it most.

02:35And so this is just adding insult to injury and something that we cannot afford to continue

02:41to be able to do.

02:43People need the government to be there for them, and I'm proud to stand with my colleagues

02:46here in the DADS Caucus to do just that, to advocate on behalf of the people that need

02:49it most, to advocate on behalf of families, to advocate on behalf of parents.

02:54And so with that, I'll turn it over to my colleague from the state of Nevada, Congressman

02:58Stephen Horsley.

‘This Is Just Adding Insult To Injury’: Shomari Figures Condemns Trump’s Global Tariffs

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