President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff plan likely will have a significant impact on Oregonians and the global economy, according to economists.

On Wednesday, April 2, Trump rolled out a swath of “reciprocal” tariffs on countries large and small, including key trading partners and allies.

More than 180 countries will face U.S. tariffs under Trump’s plan, starting with a baseline 10% on all international imports. The tariff rates vary by country, ranging from 46% on Vietnamese goods to 20% on imports from the European Union. Earlier this year, Trump imposed tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico, as well.

“This is Liberation Day,” Trump said Wednesday, April 2. “… For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike.”

If enacted, the tariffs will have an impact on local Oregonians, economists agree. Americans likely will pay an extra $2,400 to $3,400 per family per year, according to the Yale Budget Lab. Any American business who purchases goods from outside the United States will have to pay the tax to bring the goods across the border. That likely will mean rising costs on consumers.

An analysis from the Peterson Institute for International Economics estimates that Americans could see more than $1,200 in increased costs from the tariffs already imposed on China, Canada and Mexico prior to Wednesday’s executive order.

Last year, Oregon imported more than $28 billion in goods from outside the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Oregonians purchased foreign-made computer parts, cars and other electrical equipment, as well as chemicals, wood products, plastics, medical supplies, clothing, machinery, rubber and other goods. Oregon’s semiconductor industry is a leading source of technology imports, according to Business Oregon.

“The idea is to make foreign goods more expensive so that we see domestically produced goods become more competitive in the market,” Damon Runberg with Business Oregon told KOIN 6 News, a news partner with this newspaper. “And so inherently, that means the opportunities for finding lower-priced goods are going to be fewer.”

‘Our families can’t afford to pay more for groceries’

In Oregon, news of the tariffs was met with alarm by Democratic lawmakers.

“Whether you’re a winemaker in the Willamette Valley or a busy mom in the Fred Meyer checkout line, working Americans — not foreign countries — will be footing the bill for President Trump’s recklessness,” said U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Tigard.

The 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act gives the president the authority to impose tariffs without congressional approval if he declares a state of emergency, which Trump did earlier this year.

Salinas said Congress must act to prevent presidents from imposing such tariffs. “It is the legislative branch’s job to set tax and trade policies, not the president’s,” Salinas said. “We must use every tool at our disposal to protect American workers and families from these disastrous tariffs.”

U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Beaverton, echoed those sentiments, saying tariffs will only make the situation worse, not better.

“The targeted countries could retaliate, making costs increase even more,” Bonamici said. “This trade war could lead to rising inflation, and businesses could be forced to make layoffs amid economic uncertainty. I support the goal of increasing U.S. manufacturing, but this is not the way to accomplish that goal.”

U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Happy Valley, warned that rising tariffs will hit families hard.

“Our families can’t afford to pay more for groceries, gas, repairs to their cars, or any other everyday item,” Bynum said. “Today’s announcement is yet another reckless decision by a reckless Administration that is making it extremely clear they don’t give a rat’s aabout the American people.”

The U.S. Senate — including all Senate Democrats and a handful of Republicans — voted Wednesday, April 2, to undo Trump’s already imposed tariffs on Canadian imports.

The issue now moves to the U.S. House, where it faces a much steeper road to passage.

But U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Portland, said it’s a start.

“The cracks are starting to form,” Wyden said. “Trump is losing support from Republicans on his costly trade war.”