By Rep. Dan Newhouse and Dr. Ed Schweitzer

Over 40 percent of employment in Washington is tied directly to international commerce. Today, jobs in our state, and across the country, are threatened as tariffs are levied against our closest trading partners. Businessowners around the state are hesitant to hire new employees or expand their operations because of uncertainty in global markets.

Our communities, agricultural producers, and manufacturers rely on economic and political freedom to serve worldwide markets. Unnecessary tariffs minimize that freedom, discourage free trade, and can harm international relationships.

America did not become President Reagan’s “shining city of the hill” by hamstringing commerce with burdensome tariffs. The idea of America as “the land of the free” exists in part because of our economy’s freedom to do commerce at home and abroad without the federal government forcing undue restrictions. 

Washington state is a powerhouse for exports and trade. As the ninth largest state exporter of goods, Washington’s 2024 exports were valued at over $57 billion, accounting for 7.2 percent of our state’s GDP. Tariffs hurt us, here in Central and Eastern Washington, more than most places.

Uncertainty towards the future undermines the critical investments that companies, our communities, and the federal government have made to elevate our region as a global trade hub. Retaliatory tariffs from our trade partners are forcing businesses to assess how they will navigate an unstable trade economy that historically relies on positive relationships with these countries, and what changes are needed to remain viable.  

While we understand the sentiment the United States must remain strong against our greatest adversary, we cannot ignore the reality that Washington state exported $12 billion worth of goods to China in 2024. Almost half a billion dollars of goods coming directly out of Washington’s Fourth Congressional District went to China last year. The administration announced a trade deal framework with China last month after markets reacted to countering tariff increases and their negative impact on the global economy. Both countries will suspend some of the initial and reciprocal tariffs as a plan is developed to end the need for further burdensome duties. 

Free trade is not abstract. It means that people are free to do business with whomever they want, in any country, without government interference or taxation. It is also a function of our government to defend free trade and set the stage for progress.

We support the Trade Review Act of 2025, a bipartisan, bicameral bill introduced in the House by Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska and championed in the Senate by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa and our home-state Senator Maria Cantwell. Reclaiming Congress’ Article I over the regulation of commerce is critical to maintaining the system of Separation of Powers established by our Founding Fathers, regardless of which party occupies the White House.

Ronald Reagan lived through the Great Depression, which was worsened by the tariffs of the Smoot-Hawley Act. He had a strong, principled first-hand revulsion to tariffs. 

“It looks like they're doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs, and sometimes for a short while it works, but only for a short time,” Reagan said in 1987 during a radio address to the nation on free trade. “But what eventually happens, homegrown industries depend on government protection and stop making the innovation they need to succeed in world markets.” 

The United States has an opportunity to retake its position on the world stage as a leader in market opportunities. It is our hope that the Trump administration strengthens existing bilateral trade agreements and establishes new markets for our exports, which will businesses and consumers alike.