{"id":354,"date":"2025-07-14T21:30:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T21:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/?p=354"},"modified":"2025-07-21T14:24:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T14:24:56","slug":"polis-joins-other-democrats-in-opposing-planned-u-s-tariffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zoltrunakiver.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/14\/polis-joins-other-democrats-in-opposing-planned-u-s-tariffs\/","title":{"rendered":"Polis joins other Democrats in opposing planned U.S. tariffs"},"content":{"rendered":"

With President Donald Trump threatening several U.S. trading partners with substantial tariffs the first of August<\/a>, Gov. Jared Polis and other Democratic governors said Monday that they are taking steps to oppose policies they consider harmful to their states\u2019 businesses.<\/p>\n

Polis issued an executive order<\/a> directing the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, or OEDIT, to form a task force to help state agencies to develop strategies to reduce the impacts of the Trump administration\u2019s tariff policy and address the resulting uncertainty across the state\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

Within 45 days of the order, the Governor\u2019s Office of State Planning and Budgeting is expected to produce a report estimating the impact of tariffs in Colorado and, where possible, estimate the financial effects of the tariffs and potential future effects of current levies or those paused or delayed.<\/p>\n

In 100 days, the leaders of the Colorado Department of Agriculture, OEDIT and the Department of Labor and Employment will submit plans to the governor\u2019s office laying out how they will adapt state services and programs to meet the changing needs caused by U.S. tariff policy, according to the executive order.<\/p>\n

Polis announced the executive order before meeting with small business owners in Boulder to discuss how tariffs and the on-again, off-again proposals to impose the taxes on various countries were affecting them. He said he heard \u201cjust devastating stories\u201d from a high-tech health company, an apparel and outdoor clothing manufacturer and McGuckin Hardware, a third-generation business. The owners talked about staff reductions, having to raise prices and their fears of being able to keep the doors open.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust terrible stories across our economy, bad for consumers,\u201d Polis said. \u201cThat\u2019s one of the reasons we launched the executive order today, to help quantify that. It\u2019s one thing to hear the stories, which are startling. But it\u2019s another to back it up with real numbers, which we will be able to do through the executive order.\u201d<\/p>\n

The data will be shared with state agencies, Colorado\u2019s congressional delegation and the Trump administration. \u201cI don\u2019t think any Colorado industry is untouched,\u201d Polis said.<\/p>\n

One of the points Polis said the governors want to make is that nearly all U.S. manufacturers use parts and supplies that come from other countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf those are subject to tariffs coming in then a lot of that manufacturing will be offshored and moved overseas to avoid those tariffs,\u201d Polis said. \u201cIt\u2019s really a dangerous road we\u2019re going down. I hope that the president heeds the call and I hope the information we\u2019re putting together is helpful in helping him change his mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other Democratic governors who announced responses to Trump\u2019s planned tariffs include Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker; Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs; New York Gov. Kathy Hochul; Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, and Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson.\u00a0Pritzker, Hochul and Kotek all directed reviews of\u00a0 how tariffs are affecting the economy in their states.<\/p>\n

Ferguson is leading a coalition of 24 public and private partners<\/a> in filing a friend-of-the-court brief supporting a multistate lawsuit to block the Trump administration\u2019s tariffs.<\/p>\n

Trump campaigned on hiking tariffs as ways to reduce trade deficits with other countries and to boost U.S. revenue. He unveiled sweeping tariffs on April 2, which he dubbed \u201cLiberation Day.\u201d<\/a> He then paused implementation for 90 days and further pushed back the launch to Aug. 1.<\/p>\n

Tariffs levied by the administration include ones on steel, aluminum<\/a> and cars.<\/p>\n