Do you support increasing tariffs (import taxes) on foreign goods to protect U.S. industries?

Background

Tariffs — taxes levied on imported goods — have become one of the most actively debated economic policy tools in the United States. Beginning in early 2025, the Trump administration dramatically expanded tariffs on imports from nearly every major trading partner, using multiple legal authorities. According to the Penn Wharton Budget Model, the effective tariff rate on U.S. imports rose from about 2.3 percent in January 2025 to roughly 8.9 percent by February 2026, with rates on Chinese goods reaching 31.6 percent and steel and aluminum products facing rates above 40 percent. In February 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act were unlawful, striking down a major portion of the administration's trade policy. However, tariffs imposed under other authorities, including Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, remain in effect, and the administration has continued pursuing new product-specific tariffs on items ranging from semiconductors to pharmaceuticals.

Supporters of higher tariffs argue they protect domestic industries from unfair foreign competition, including subsidized imports and dumping, and can encourage companies to move production back to the United States. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, proponents view these measures as crucial for re-industrialization and reshoring through import substitution. Research from Yale's Budget Lab found that tariffs do drive reallocation toward manufacturing, with long-run output in that sector expanding by roughly 2.5 percent. Critics, however, point to significant costs. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the tariff increases added approximately 0.4 percentage points to annual inflation in 2025 and 2026, reducing household purchasing power. The Tax Foundation reports that current tariffs amount to an average tax increase of about $1,500 per U.S. household in 2026. Research from the Richmond Federal Reserve found that the pass-through rate of tariffs to consumers is generally near 100 percent, meaning the burden falls primarily on American buyers rather than foreign exporters. A Brookings Institution analysis also noted that nationwide manufacturing employment actually declined by 72,000 positions between April and December 2025.

The stakes of tariff policy extend across the economy. The Yale Budget Lab estimates that in the long run, the overall U.S. economy will be persistently 0.4 percent smaller under current tariff levels, equivalent to roughly $125 billion annually, even as some manufacturing subsectors grow. Lower-income households bear a disproportionate burden, as the Tax Policy Center found that tariffs raise the average federal tax rate by 0.9 percentage points for the bottom quintile compared to 0.7 points for the top. Meanwhile, trading partners have imposed retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports, particularly harming American agriculture and export-dependent industries. The outcome of this debate will shape consumer prices, the competitiveness of American businesses, the structure of global supply chains, and whether the economic trade-offs of protectionism ultimately strengthen or weaken the broader U.S. economy.