ICYMI: Pappas on MS NOW Warns Trump’s Tariffs, Iran Escalation are Raising Costs for Granite Staters
MANCHESTER, NH — In case you missed it, Congressman Chris Pappas joined Ali Velshi on MS NOW’s The Last Word to discuss how Donald Trump’s reckless tariffs and military escalation in Iran are driving up costs for working families and creating economic instability for small businesses in New Hampshire and across the country.
During the conversation, Pappas highlighted the real impact of Trump’s trade war — which could cost American families more than $2,500 this year — on Granite Staters and New Hampshire’s tourism economy, and pointed to the actions he’s taken to give small businesses a tariff refund. He also discussed the economic and national security risks posed by the administration’s reckless military action abroad. Pappas last week announced that he’s introducing legislation to suspend the federal gas tax to bring Granite Staters relief at the pump.
Watch the full interview here and read key quotes from Congressman Pappas below:
Trump’s Tariffs are Driving Up Costs for Families and Small Businesses
PAPPAS: “People are feeling it here, and they’re feeling it across the board, and we know that it’s been about $1,800 just last year in terms of the extra costs that families are paying as a result of Donald Trump’s reckless tariffs. That’s on everything from the energy you need to heat your home to the groceries that you’re picking up at the supermarket to the building materials we need to build out more affordable housing in New Hampshire. Everything is going up. It’s impacting the quality of life and the affordability of our communities.”
PAPPAS: “I’m hearing it not just from Democrats. I’m hearing it from Republican business owners. I’m hearing it from folks who own manufacturing businesses that are employing American workers that are now not filling positions, not buying that extra piece of equipment, and face a very uncertain economic future as a result of what Donald Trump has done. So people are feeling this, and it’s reckless, it’s economic malpractice.”
PAPPAS: “The Supreme Court decision was positive, but we know Donald Trump continues to double down on this. That’s why I’ve worked to introduce legislation that would exempt small businesses, our Main Street businesses that drive our economy, and give refunds so that people can see some immediate relief. But we’ve yet to find Republicans wanting to work with Democrats in a meaningful way to challenge this administration. We’ve got to keep working.”
Trump’s Trade War is Hurting New Hampshire’s Tourism Economy
PAPPAS: “We love Canadians in New Hampshire, as you know. We’ve got a good, close relationship with Canada. We rely on those tourists who come across the border to visit our lakes and mountains and our beaches, to spend money at our inns and hotels and restaurants, and border traffic was down about 50% in terms of the Canadian visitors that aren’t showing up in the same numbers in New Hampshire through the summer season and into the winter season. That is having an impact on our economy here.
PAPPAS: “Tourism is one of the biggest sectors in New Hampshire, and so this is collateral damage from Donald Trump’s reckless trade war with what should be our closest trading partner and our closest ally, Canada. People here just don’t get it. It makes no sense. We’ve got to figure out how we can overcome and get around this, and ultimately, we need some political will in Congress to do it. And if Republicans won’t work with us, then they need to be repudiated at the polls as a result of them giving away their agency to Donald Trump.”
Trump’s Iran Escalation is Raising Costs and Risking American Lives
PAPPAS: “The president hasn’t leveled with the American people. He didn’t present plans to the American people about what his intentions were, what the threats were, and how our military could be used to make America safer. He hasn’t leveled with Congress and cut us in on the deal in terms of the deliberations that should be happening in advance of a war like this, to make sure that we are speaking out on behalf of our constituents and that the American people have a voice in this process.”
PAPPAS: “So people are deeply concerned with the use of military force in this case, and it is raising costs for folks in real time. We’re seeing prices at the pump that have escalated 20-30% across the country, that could even spike higher. We’re seeing prices now in the mid-threes to $4 a gallon for gas that not only impacts people who are filling up their cars, but it impacts the cost of groceries, and it has a ripple effect across our economy. And so the way that things have sort of been shocked on the global energy markets is coming home to roost for working families here in a place like New Hampshire, people are dealing with high cost costs across the board.”
PAPPAS: “The President considers affordability to be a hoax. He thinks that housing is not an issue that deserves his focus. His focus is anywhere but the things that people care about, and so that’s why I think you see voters turning out in these special elections and voting for change. They know that the administration is not listening. They’re ignoring their core concerns, so they want to try something different.”
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