1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose the Trump administration's economic policies, which have demonstrably failed to deliver on their promises and are harming working families in our community. The December 2025 jobs report revealed only 50,000 jobs added, bringing the year's total to just 584,000 jobs. This falls far short of the approximately 150,000 jobs per month needed to keep pace with population growth. For comparison, over 2 million jobs were created in 2024, and the previous administration's four-year total exceeded 16 million jobs. This represents the worst first-year job growth in over two decades, excluding only the Great Recession and COVID-19 pandemic periods. Manufacturing has been particularly devastated, with eight consecutive months of job losses since the April tariff announcement. Part-time workers seeking full-time employment and long-term unemployed workers are at decade-high levels. The administration's federal workforce purge eliminated 335,000 jobs, further suppressing economic growth. Trump's tariff policy has been especially harmful. With an effective tariff rate around 17 percent, the highest in 90 years, American companies and consumers have borne 94 percent of the cost. The Tax Foundation estimated these tariffs cost each American household $1,100 in 2025, with companies facing approximately $1.2 trillion in tariff costs that were largely passed on to consumers. Retaliatory tariffs from other countries, particularly China, have closed foreign markets to American farmers, requiring another taxpayer-funded bailout. Consumer confidence reflects this reality, with only 21 percent of Americans rating the economy as good or excellent in Gallup's year-end polling. The share of GDP going to workers in wages and salaries has fallen to its lowest point since data collection began in 1947. Healthcare premiums are skyrocketing for millions due to the failure to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies. I urge you to oppose further tariff expansion, support legislation to restore job growth, and prioritize policies that put money back in the pockets of working families rather than protecting failed economic experiments.