By Hannah Eason Amado

WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Virginia lawmakers are responding to sweeping tariffs imposed Wednesday by President Donald Trump.

Trump announced sweeping 10% baseline tariffs for all trading partners and reciprocal tariffs for 60 countries. He says the reciprocal tariffs are equivalent to “half” of what they charge the United States. 

The new tariffs — coming on what Trump has called “Liberation Day” — is a bid to free the U.S. from what he has said are years of unfair trade practices.

Gubernatorial candidate and Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger called the import tariffs “a massive tax hike on Virginians.”

“These new taxes will hurt families, increase expenses for small business owners, create major uncertainty for Virginia agriculture during planting season, and threaten regional economies that rely on the Port of Virginia,” Spanberger said.

“Virginia consumers, businesses, and farmers need certainty, not chaos,” Spanberger said.

Other Virginia lawmakers have also weighed in.

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (VA)

“These tariffs are nothing more than an enormous tax hike on American consumers, who will soon be left footing the bill as they pay more for groceries, electronics, clothes, and cars. Tariffs should be targeted wisely, not applied to practically all goods in a way that eliminates jobs, alienates our closest partners, and evaporates the retirement savings of hardworking Americans. I look forward to a vote tonight on our Senate resolution to remove misguided tariffs against Canada and take a strong first step towards reasserting Congressional authority over trade policy.”

U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03)

“President Trump’s across-the-board tariffs are reckless and will raise costs on Americans without making the long overdue investments in American manufacturing capacity that would create jobs. This carelessness is a new chapter in his trade wars, that have no rules and no alliances and will just create more chaos and instability.

“President Trump was elected based on his promise to immediately lower costs for families, but economic experts have said costs will go up as a direct result of these tariffs. Economic experts have also warned us how President Trump’s tariffs and other economic policies risk throwing the economy into a recession. Instead of working with Democrats to protect workers and invest in America, Trump and Republicans are slowing our economic growth and accelerating inflation.”

Senate passes bill on Canada tariffs

Later in the night, Sens. Warner and Tim Kaine, as well as Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, announced the Senate had passed their bill 51-48 to undo Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods.

“Working Americans want costs to go down, not a tax hike in the form of nonsensical tariffs,” the statement from the senators read. “We sent a powerful message with this vote: we will not stand idly by while President Trump launches a needless trade war with Canada that will raise costs for families, hurt American businesses, and damage our relationship with one of our closest trading partners and allies. We thank our colleagues on both sides of the aisle who voted against Trump’s deranged mission to bypass Congress to enact these new taxes and will do all that we can to build pressure on our colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to take up this legislation.”