Ahead of Trump’s Tariff Day, Democrats Calling on Trump to Exclude Essential Child Care Products From His Reckless Trade Wars
Democrats fighting back against Trump’s harmful cost increases on items parents need to care for their kids – like car seats, highchairs, strollers, and cribs
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, dozens of Democratic lawmakers are calling on the Trump-Vance Administration to exempt essential child care products from President Trump’s reckless tariff wars. Ahead of Trump’s tariff day at the White House tomorrow, nearly 50 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are fighting back to protect parents from cost increases on the products they need to care for their children – like car seats, highchairs, strollers, and cribs.
In a new letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, U.S. Representatives Kelly Morrison (MN-03), Sarah McBride (DE-AL), and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) are leading their colleagues in expressing serious concern about the impact of the Trump Administration’s trade policy on American families with babies and toddlers.
President Trump’s sweeping tariffs on goods imported from Canada, Mexico, and China will force families to pay even more for products that are necessary to care for young children – including car seats, highchairs, strollers, and cribs. These products are essential items to care for young children and keep them safe. Families with babies and toddlers already spend around $20,000 in the first year alone, including nearly $1,000 on baby safety gear. Tariffs on essentials like highchairs, cribs, strollers, and car seats – which are required by law in all 50 states – will only make it harder for parents to afford the basics.
Members signing the letter include: Suzanne Bonamici; André Carson; Joaquin Castro; Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick; J. Luis Correa; Sharice Davids; Madeleine Dean; Maxine Dexter; Sarah Elfreth; Laura Friedman; Robert Garcia; Sylvia Garcia; Jahana Hayes; Hank Johnson; Julie Johnson; Susie Lee; Teresa Leger Fernández; Sarah McBride; April McClain Delaney; Betty McCollum; Kristen McDonald Rivet; LaMonica McIver; Kelly Morrison; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Johnny Olszewski; Chris Pappas; Brittany Pettersen; Ayanna Pressley; Delia Ramirez; Emily Randall; Andrea Salinas; Hillary Scholten; Kim Schrier; Terri Sewell; Suhas Subramanyam; Eric Swalwell; Rashida Tlaib; Lori Trahan; Derek Tran; Marc Veasey; Nydia Velázquez; Eugene Vindman; Debbie Wasserman Schultz; Nikema Williams; Frederica Wilson.
Full text of the letter HERE and below:
Dear Secretary Lutnick,
We write with serious concern about the impact of the Trump Administration’s trade policy on American families with babies and toddlers. As you know, the Administration has issued blanket tariffs on goods imported from Canada, Mexico, and China. We fear that these tariffs will raise the cost of goods necessary to care for young children, such as car seats, highchairs, strollers, and cribs. We urge you to work with the President either to take executive action or to create a waiver process to consider exemptions for these products.
President Trump campaigned on the promise to “bring down the price of everything” for working families. In September, Vice-President Vance stated his desire to pursue a “pro-family” agenda, noting that he wants to “make it easier for moms to afford to have babies.”[1] Despite these promises, the costs of food, shelter, and health care have continued to rise in the early months of the Trump Administration. We remain concerned that the Administration’s tariffs will exacerbate the cost of caring for babies and toddlers. According to a recent survey conducted by BabyCenter, it costs about $20,000 for new parents to care for their newborn during their first year – including nearly $1,000 on baby safety gear.[2] Absent an exemption and investment in American manufacturing of these products, these tariffs will force families to pay even more to purchase these products, which are essential to care for young children and keep them safe.
For parents, car seats, highchairs, strollers, and cribs are not optional purchases – they are necessities. American families should not be forced to choose between their livelihoods and reliance on poor quality baby gear. In addition, we are particularly sensitive to the cost of car seats because all 50 states have laws designed to protect children traveling in motor vehicles. Families should not have to pay more to comply with the laws that help keep their babies and toddlers safe.
We acknowledge that tariffs, when used effectively, are an essential tool to protect American workers from unfair trade practices, reshore American jobs and manufacturing, and defend our national security. However, we worry that the Administration’s blunt approach will undermine these goals and leave parents with fewer affordable options to keep their babies safe.
Notably, the first Trump Administration has previously recognized the necessity of excluding baby safety products from tariffs, when the United States Trade Representative exempted some of these goods from Section 301 tariffs in 2018.[3] We hope that the Administration will take to heart its promise to lower costs for American families by taking similar action to exempt these products from its blanket tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China and invest in American-made baby safety products.
Thank you for your attention to this important issue and we look forward to your response.
[2] https://www.babycenter.com/family/money/first-year-baby-related-expenses_41002904
###