Representatives Don Bacon of Nebraska’s 2nd District and Ro Khanna of California’s 17th District have sent a letter to President Donald Trump, urging the administration to exempt coffee from reciprocal tariff measures. The representatives argue that these tariffs are increasing costs for American consumers.
Bacon and Khanna have also introduced the bipartisan “No Coffee Tax Act,” which seeks to repeal tariffs on coffee. According to Rep. Bacon, “Families across America are feeling the cost of higher coffee prices, which are already up 21 percent, and tariffing a product we can’t grow at a large, commercial scale, only makes it worse. Tariffs are a tax on American consumers, raising the price of everyday goods without creating jobs or bringing production on-shore. Article One of the Constitution makes clear that Congress has the authority to set tariffs, and Congress needs to reclaim its authorities.”
Rep. Khanna added, “The tariffs are hurting coffee drinkers and small business owners across the country. We only produce 1% of the coffee that Americans consume. Tariffs on coffee make no economic sense. I hope the administration will do the right thing and provide relief to the millions who consume coffee every day and the businesses that serve our communities.”
In their letter to President Trump, Bacon and Khanna noted that two out of three Americans drink coffee daily and recent tariff measures have led them to pay 26 percent more for their morning cup. They pointed out that domestic production accounts for less than one percent of all coffee consumed in the United States and that tariffs do not protect domestic businesses but instead raise costs for consumers.
The representatives requested that President Trump exempt coffee from reciprocal tariff measures by adding it—both green beans as well as roasted and ground products—to Annex II of Executive Order 14257.
Don Bacon has represented Nebraska’s 2nd district in Congress since 2017 after replacing Brad Ashford (https://bacon.house.gov/about/). He was born in Momence, Illinois in 1963 and currently lives in Papillion. Bacon graduated from Northern Illinois University with a BA in 1984 before attending the University of Phoenix.
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