San Diego, CA – Today, Representative Scott Peters (CA-50) and Sara Jacobs (CA-51) hosted a press conference to highlight how President Trump’s tariffs are creating economic chaos, raising prices for hardworking Americans, and weakening our standing on the global stage.  

Tariffs will cost the average San Diego household nearly $2,400 a year. The U.S. Department of Labor’s data shows that 14,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost since President Trump first announced tariffs in April and prices have increased for three straight months as businesses pass the extra costs onto consumers. Tariffs have raised prices on everything from cars to food to housing construction materials, and now back to school supplies.  

"We need to be very clear about what tariffs do to our businesses, consumers, and our economy,” said Rep. Scott Peters. “Tariffs are a tax that our businesses pay, which increases prices for Americans already struggling with the cost of living. I’ll keep pushing back on President Trump’s harmful tariffs that are making America weaker, not “Great Again.”  

Rep. Peters brought together business and trade leaders from around San Diego to share how tariffs are hurting foreign investments in American businesses, increasing costs for small businesses, and leading to job losses. All attendees included Rep. Sara Jacobs, Chris Cate from the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, Nikia Clarke from the World Trade Center, Michael Farrington with Corza Medical, Dan Clark with Dan Clark Audio, and Brian Miller with Geppettos Toys.  

“Tariffs hurt our regional economy. They cost jobs, reduce investment, raise prices for families, and undermine the cross-border economic engine that helps make our region the best place to live and work and a model of binational cooperation,” said Chris Cate, President and CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. “We urge leaders in Washington to protect the partnership between the US and Mexico; not tax it.” 

“The average tariff rate in this country has risen from approximately two percent to about 18 percent. These new taxes on imports will have significant impacts on businesses, on prices, and on consumers. The long-term impacts of this new tariff regime on jobs and supply chains are even more critical,” said Nikia Clarke, Executive Director, World Trade Center San Diego, the international team at San Diego Regional EDC. “Rising tariffs make it harder for our companies to compete abroad—especially the 95 percent of regional exporters that are small businesses.” 

“Dan Clark Audio has always manufactured in San Diego. The recent tariffs are putting our entire export business at risk because our parts now cost 50% more than any other manufacturer of headphones would pay for the same component,” said Dan Clark, CEO of Dan Clark Audio. “As a small business, we can’t just absorb the cost of tariffs, so we will have to raise our prices. Instead of helping us as a US manufacturer, tariffs may well cripple our export business.” 

In early August, President Trump announced sweeping new tariffs on more than 90 countries, including the U.S. top three trading partners – China, Canada, and Mexico. Tariffs range from 10 percent on the United Kingdom and Australia, to 50 percent on Brazil and India.  

A livestreamed recording of the press conference may be viewed here. 

Additional photos from the event, courtesy of the office of Rep. Scott Peters, can be found here.  

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