SPOKANE, Wash. — Nearly a year after the Trump administration started to roll out sweeping global tariffs, the Supreme Court is preparing to decide if these tariffs are even legal.
The tariffs have changed international trade and created uncertainty across the economy. Washington state residents are feeling mixed impacts on their daily lives.
A KXLY social media post from received over 100 responses within hours. Some residents say they’ve felt no impact at all, while others say groceries and everyday goods are getting more expensive.
Ryan Herzog, an economist from Gonzaga University, said companies didn’t know what to expect when the threat of Tariffs started in January.
“We saw the uncertainty right away. Once the tariffs were announced there was delays to the tariffs changes to the tariffs. And so companies didn’t know what to expect,” Herzog said.
Trump’s 10 percent minimum tariff on imports from nearly all countries went into effect in April. Herzog said the price effects weren’t as dramatic as expected.
“The price effects of tariffs weren’t as high. Certainly some goods saw some significant increases. But across the board, it showed up in a lot of other areas throughout the economy,” Herzog said.
ABC reported the economy added around 70 percent fewer jobs in 2025 compared to 2024, according to ABC reporting. Herzog says industries that rely on imports stopped hiring, creating a trickle-down effect that hits household wallets.
“I think most economists would still agree that the cost of these tariffs are largely being absorbed by the household,” Herzog said.
Several residents said their costs have gone up this past year. Others feel little impact from tariffs, instead pointing to state and local taxes.
Herzog says both factors play a role.
“I wouldn’t say it’s one or the other… all these things are playing a degree, a role in what’s going on,” Herzog said.
The Supreme Court will decide on the legality of tariffs this Wednesday.
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