Trump's tariffs could cost NYC 260,000 jobs, Sen. Schumer says
Published in Political News
President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs plan could inflict outsized economic pain on New York City, with a recession and a possible loss of up to 260,000 jobs on the table if the import taxes are not eased, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Monday.
The Democratic Senate leader said New York is particularly reliant on industries like finance, trade and tourism, all of which would be in the crosshairs of the wave of economic carnage that tariffs will unleash.
“The bottom line is Trump’s tariff tax is driving New York right into a recession,” Schumer said. “It’s one of the worst things that’s happened to New York in a very long time.”
Schumer cited studies by major banks putting the chances of a nationwide recession at more than 50% given Trump’s disruptive plans for tariffs that could raise costs the average family up to $3,000 a year.
He said tariffs would hit New York City even harder because the city is a hub for international trade, with about $100 billion in yearly imports and a similar amount of exports being handled by the New York firms.
The city is particularly exposed to tariff-fueled disruptions in trade with Canada, which Trump has made an unexpected prime target in his self-declared trade war.
Additionally, New York is very reliant on the garment trade, which is expected to be crippled by the hefty tariffs on clothing produced in lower cost Asian nations, he said.
Tourism is also a huge industry for New York and could suffer devastating losses as potential travelers cut back on discretionary spending worldwide.
Damage could be exacerbated by the fact that angry inbound tourists from Canada and Europe have threatened to cancel vacations in the U.S. to protest what they perceive as Trump’s betrayal of longstanding alliances.
The stock market plunge, which has already wiped out trillions of dollars in assets, has a sharper negative impact on New York because so many people are reliant on Wall Street jobs and fat bonuses directly tied to the value of portfolios they manage.
Schumer said Congressional Democrats and a handful of Republicans are seeking to reclaim the president’s power to impose tariffs based on an ill-defined national “emergency.”
But most insiders believe those measures are unlikely to get the green light from Trump loyalists Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, who have the power to block legislation from reaching the floor.
Schumer said Americans expect Trump to take his responsibility to manage the economy more seriously after he seemed to shrug off the market meltdown by taking a long weekend at his Florida resort home and called tariffs a “beautiful word.”
“We’re telling Trump: Put down the golf clubs and pick up the financial papers,” Schumer said. “It’s anything but beautiful. It’s downright ugly.”
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