1. United States
2. N.C.
3. Letter

I am writing to ask a very straightforward question: Do you understand how tariffs work? Tariffs are taxes that are paid by the American consumers and American businesses. They are not paid by foreign governments and they are not paid by foreign companies. Every credible economist has explained this repeatedly, yet the policies enacted under Trump and supported by many Republicans suggest a deliberate refusal to acknowledge a basic economic reality. And now the consequences are happening. The federal government is preparing to bail out American farmers to around $12 billion because Trump's tariffs created predictable retaliation that devastated the US agricultural exports. Economists around the world warned this would happen. Farmers warned this would happen, but the tariffs were imposed anyway. And now who has to pay to clean up Trump's damage? American taxpayers. Let's be clear. Americans are already paying higher prices at the store because of tariffs. And now American tax dollars are being used to bail out the farmers that were hurt by those exact tariffs. So now ordinary Americans are paying for Trump's misguided economic policies twice, once at the checkout counter and now again through the IRS. This is not an economic strategy. This is not a "tough on China" stance. It's a stupid policy that taxes Americans multiple times while pretending to help them. So I'm asking you again. Do you understand how tariffs work? Because the American people sure do. Yet you continue to support Trump instead of supporting the American people. I hope you will respond to my question with clarity, not with your vague talking points that don't answer anything that I ask. The American people are hurting in many ways because of Trump. The tariffs are just one example of dozens. Your constituents are watching.