The Governor is calling for an end to the Trump Administration’s new tariffs on food supplies, fertilizer, and agricultural machinery
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is calling for an end to recent tariffs on the food supply chain.
Since April 2025, the United States has raised import taxes on food supplies, fertilizer, and agricultural machinery. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development estimates those policies increased food prices by 3% that year.
Whitmer sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury this week blaming the federal policies for also reducing the state’s agricultural exports.
“We need a federal trade policy that works with our allies, brings supply chains home, and makes life more affordable. Families deserve relief from rising prices on the essentials they depend on every day,” Whitmer said in a press release.
Whitmer cited National Taxpayers Union Foundation data that suggest Michigan is paying some of the highest per-household costs because of federal tariffs.
Michigan State University Professor David Ortega is a food economist. He said that’s, in part, because Michigan has some of the most agricultural diversity in the country.
“We have hundreds of crops and livestock sectors here in the state of Michigan and we are very much interconnected with some of our major trading partners, especially just across the border in Canada,” Ortega said.
The Treasury Department did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday afternoon. President Donald Trump has made tariffs a centerpiece of his agenda. He’s defended them as supporting American businesses.
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