Donald Trump’s 2025 “Liberation Day” tariffs were a political stunt, not a strategy. They’ve raised prices for working families, hurt Washington manufacturers and done nothing to actually bring jobs home. We deserve better. In Southwest Washington, we know the value of hard work — on the farm, at the port and in the shop. That’s why we need real industrial policy, not more chaos.
The U.S. Export-Import Bank is a tool that actually works. Since 1934, it’s helped American businesses — especially small manufacturers — sell their products overseas when private lenders wouldn’t. That means more jobs here, not in China.
Trump left EX-IM idle during his first term and doubled-down with tariffs that hurt our exporters. That’s not “America First.” That’s politics first.
Now’s our chance to do better. Let’s support rural manufacturing, reshore clean energy supply chains and help Washington businesses grow. EX-IM is already reauthorized — let’s use it.
This is not about big government — it’s about smart government. And it’s time for Republicans and Democrats to come together around policies that actually work for working people. We don’t need more slogans. We need jobs, strategy and unity.
