THE GRINCH WON’T STEAL CHRISTMAS, TARIFFS WILL
Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand hosted a media availability to discuss the Trump administration’s destructive tariffs.
This week, Senator Gillibrand called on President Trump and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to take immediate action to address the devastating impact these tariffs are having on small businesses and consumers. She is urging the administration to suspend the global tariffs in order to provide meaningful relief to small businesses, protect consumers, and ensure that American families are not met with higher prices or product shortages during this critical time of year.
The senator has opposed the president’s reckless tariffs that are increasing costs on consumers and small businesses since the start of the administration. Earlier this year, she joined 14 of her colleagues in introducing the Small Business RELIEF Act to end Trump’s tariff tax and refund small businesses their duties paid. She also sent a legal brief with 206 members of Congress emphasizing to the Supreme Court that these tariffs are illegal.
“This holiday season, it won’t be the Grinch stealing Christmas, it will be President Trump’s tariffs,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Small businesses like Clayton’s Toys are the backbone of downtowns across our state, and tariffs are making it harder and harder for them to keep their doors open. It’s clear that with these tariffs, this administration wants to see a country filled with empty storefronts and sky-high costs. I urge President Trump and Secretary Lutnick to immediately suspend these tariffs to provide meaningful relief to the millions of Americans who are seeing higher prices and product shortages during this critical time of year.”
“The current Administration in Washington has made economic decisions that have impacted working families and small businesses negatively,”said Christine Hunt, Mayor of Williamsville. “We are fortunate that elected officials like Senator Gillibrand are fighting back in Washington and supporting the American people and small businesses as we struggle with inflation, tariffs and uncertainty in these tough economic times.”
“Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration are disfavored by economists and legislators alike because of their negative impacts on American industry and Wall Street,” said Assemblymember Karen McMahon. “But the President’s tariffs have also hurt Main Street, needlessly pinching small businesses already trying to keep the doors open. I applaud Senator Gillibrand’s effort to rescind global tariffs and her advocacy for the RELIEF Act which would reimburse businesses that have had to pay for these tariffs. I thank the Senator for coming to Williamsville to highlight the need for such action, and for spotlighting a historic small business impacted by this misguided economic policy.”
“It seems like everything, from the toys on our shelves, to the gift wrapping we give out, is getting more expensive,” said Clayton’s co-owners Kellie Klos and Tera McElligott. “As a small business, we can’t afford to absorb the price hikes the same as some of the larger stores and so these tariffs are hurting our bottom line. We love the community and our customers, and don’t want to raise prices on them, so something must change.”
Clayton’s has been in business for over 100 years and is the oldest continuously run toy store in America. Small businesses make up 99.8% of all businesses in New York State and employ nearly 4 million New Yorkers. Due to the fact they often operate on tight margins and have limited flexibility in their supply chains, small businesses are especially vulnerable to the negative impacts of tariffs. Clayton’s has been particularly impacted by tariffs since about 75% of toys sold in the United States are made in China. New York State is the 5th largest importer of goods in the United States, with its largest source of goods coming from China, representing $22.5 billion in imports in 2024. Currently, the baseline tariff on all goods from China is 10%.
The full text of Senator Gillibrand’s letter to President Trump and Secretary Lutnick can be found here.
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