Trump Tariff Plan Could Cost Oregon Families Over $1,200 a Year as State Pushes Back
President Donald Trump is proposing a new set of tariffs in a move that has already raised the cost of living for the average Oregon family by more than $1,200 a year.
The tariffs will impose a sales tax on Oregonians, a proposal that voters have repeatedly rejected over the years.
The Proposal is Being Fought by the Oregon Attorney General and 21 Other States
Oregon Attorney General Ray Rayfield, in a coalition with 21 other states, has once again entered the fray to stop what he terms an illegal move.
Rayfield is urging the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to drop the president’s ‘illegal’ tariffs, which will further raise prices for families and small businesses.
He has accused President Trump of ‘tripling down on failed economic policies.’
Federal Reserve Bank researchers have found that almost 90 percent of the cost of tariffs in 2025 was paid by American consumers and businesses.
The economic burden that tariffs place on the local economy was clearly illustrated last year, when Oregon companies had to foot tariff bills after importing more than $28 billion in parts and products.
Sources: Oregon DOJ and Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Dailytidings.com
The President Has Inflicted Chaos on the Economy
Rayfield points out that small businesses in the state rely on imports, and that the president ‘has inflicted chaos on the economy’ by imposing illegal tariffs.
Rayfield says that initially, the President claimed that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) allowed him to impose tariffs of any amount, on any product, from any country, for any length of time.
| IEEPA tariffs | Rejected by Supreme Court |
| Section 122 tariffs | 10% on most products worldwide |
| Oregon challenge | Led multistate lawsuit |
| USTR proposal | New tariff action opposed |
| Core state argument | Congress controls tariff authority |
Sources: Oregon DOJ and Federal Register
Dailytidings.com
The Supreme Court rejected that argument in February, concluding that the IEEPA tariffs were illegal,
The AG goes on to say that President Trump immediately turned to a separate law that had never before been used – Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 – and announced 10 percent tariffs on most products worldwide. Oregon again led the lawsuit that challenged those tariffs.