Tariff Talk: Advocates, Experts, and Residents Gather in Binghamton to Discuss the Threat Posed by Trump’s Economic Plan
“[Tariffs are] a lose-lose situation for working people.” - Morris Pearl, Chair of the Patriotic Millionaires and former Managing Director at BlackRock
BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK — Yesterday, Empire State Voices and Citizen Action of New York held a community forum at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Binghamton to discuss the threat posed by President-elect Trump’s economic agenda of sweeping tariffs and tax cuts for the wealthy.
Empire State Voices Executive Director Maria Martinez and Citizen Action of New York Community Organizer Ravo Root were joined by Morris Pearl, Chair of the Patriotic Millionaires and former Managing Director at BlackRock, and Dr. Shaianne Osterreich, Professor and Chair of Economics at Ithaca College, for a panel discussion moderated by Empire State Voices Regional Organizing Director Zachary Tirgan. The panelists discussed Trump’s proposed economic policies for his second term and the threat they pose to working families across New York and the Southern Tier.
From left to right: Ravo Root, Dr. Shaianne Osterreich, Morris Pearl, Maria Martinez, and Zachary Tirgan | Credit: Empire State Voices | Credit: EMPIRE STATE VOICES
President-elect Donald Trump has announced plans to impose tariffs on all goods imported from Canada, Mexico, and China through executive action. If implemented, these tariffs would likely raise prices on everything from groceries and gas to clothing, electronics, and prescription drugs, putting even more strain on American families already struggling under high prices.
“Dozens of corporations and their well-paid CEOs have already announced plans to pass the cost of Trump’s tariffs onto American consumers, leaving New York families with higher prices and even tighter budgets,” said Maria Martinez, Executive Director of Empire State Voices, “Tariffs are not a tax on foreign countries, as President-elect Trump would like people to believe. They are a tax on American workers and their families, plain and simple.”
“l want to remind the people of the Southern Tier about the purpose of tariffs: to raise prices,” said Morris Pearl, Chair of the Patriotic Millionaires and former Managing Director at BlackRock. “The idea is that some American business owners want to raise their prices and make more money. They can't do that because there are foreign competitors that people can buy from. By forcing the foreign competitors to raise their prices, tariffs will then allow the American firms to raise their prices, too, which in turn will allow them to make more money. It's a lose-lose situation for working people.”
Trump’s tariffs are all in an effort to pay for additional tax cuts for billionaires and corporations. His signature piece of legislation from his first term, the 2017 Republican Tax Law, gives the richest Americans a tax break 120 times larger than that for middle-income families. By imposing tariffs on imported goods and raising prices on working people, Trump hopes to raise enough money to give the ultra-wealthy even more.
“It is so important that we talk about the dangerous tariffs Republicans are looking at this year,” said Ravo Root, Community Organizer for Citizen Action of New York. “It is a fact that Americans are looking for goods to cost less. Meanwhile, Trump and the Republicans’ dangerous, extreme plan for the economy will make things cost far more. This hurts working-class people, our farmers, and those most vulnerable in our communities.”
“Having events like this is incredibly important to help build citizen literacy around the topic of tariffs,” said Dr. Shaianne Osterreich, Professor and Chair of Economics at Ithaca College. “This is a topic that many people are not that familiar with. It’s very important that we are all able to understand why tariffs are even being discussed and how they could affect workers, consumers, and businesses—particularly small businesses.”
To learn more about Empire State Voices, please reach out to press@empirestatevoices.org
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About Empire State Voices
Empire State Voices (ESV) is a multi-year campaign dedicated to amplifying the voices of everyday working New Yorkers. ESV is fighting for economic policies that make life more affordable for constituents and holding members of Congress across the state accountable when they fail to do the same.
About Citizen Action of New York
Citizen Action of New York is a grassroots membership organization with seven chapters and affiliates across New York State. We work on issues important to our communities, including fair elections, equitable school funding, housing for all, environmental justice, and ending mass incarceration.
