WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Some lawmakers on Capitol Hill are concerned that your cup of joe could get more expensive as a result of tariffs.
Congresswoman Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii) launched the first-ever “Congressional Coffee Caucus” Tuesday morning.
“I am very caffeinated,” Tokuda said at the caucus launch, where Kona coffee was served.
She’s not alone.
“Did you know that over 70% of us drink coffee every single day?” National Coffee Association President William Murray asked.
Murray joined lawmakers for the launch of the new caucus, aimed at being a voice for the coffee industry in Congress.
“In Hawaii, we’re the only coffee-growing state, really, that has been able to brand it for over 200 years in the country,” Tokuda said.
Most of the coffee in America is imported from countries like Brazil and Colombia. Lawmakers say new tariffs on those countries could make your coffee more costly.
“For many consumers, that’s going to hit their pocketbook quite significantly,” Tokuda said.
Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) says it’s all the more reason to buy American.
“This is an American-grown product right from our 50th state, Hawaii that doesn’t have to be subject to any of that stuff, and it’s really good,” LaMalfa said.
Tokuda says the tariffs will also hit Hawaii’s coffee industry through other production costs.
“Fertilizer, equipment, supplies, much of it has to be, if not all of it, has to be literally cargo shipped in,” Tokuda said.
Congresswoman Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.) says she expects prices to go up on lots of products.
“Whether it’s coffee, whether it’s bananas, whether it’s automobiles. This is going to be an enormous burden on our working families,” Dexter said.
Congressman LaMalfa has a different perspective on tariffs.
“Nobody really wants to have to deal with them, but if it shakes things up a little bit, or a lot, then maybe it’s a good tool,” LaMalfa said.
Some lawmakers have proposed legislation to reassert Congress’s authority in imposing tariffs, but it’s not moving forward.
The post Could the cost of coffee rise due to tariffs? appeared first on WHNT.
