AZ Sen. Mark Kelly says Trump’s tariffs are driving up costs, hurting Arizonans

U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona continues to speak out against the impact of what he calls the Trump administration’s harmful tariffs.

President Donald Trump has placed tariffs of up to 145% on Chinese goods. China has retaliated with a 125% tax on U.S. products. Trump has also introduced a 10% tax on goods from most other nations, while pausing much higher rates for dozens of other nations for 90 days.

He claims that tariffs will boost U.S. manufacturing and protect jobs.

In a Friday post on X, Kelly said that all kinds of businesses in Arizona are affected by the tariffs.

“This week, I visited Benchmark Electronics, an advanced technology company in Phoenix,” Kelly wrote. “We talked about the uncertainty tariffs cause and how they’re working to navigate it.”

A news release from Kelly’s office says Benchmark’s operations support a variety of sectors such as defense, aerospace, and medical technology, adding that these industries rely heavily on global supply chains.

Kelly’s visit came amid 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico, with limited exemptions for goods that are compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

In an email this week to the media, Kelly’s office said that these tariffs, along with separate 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum, 25% tariffs on automobiles, a 10% universal baseline tariff, and massive tariffs on most goods from China, threaten Arizona businesses, consumers and cross-border supply chains.

“The company expressed concerns about how new tariffs are driving up costs, disrupting operations, and creating economic uncertainty for them and their customers,” the senator’s office said.

Kelly also attended a luncheon this week at the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, where he and fellow Arizona U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego discussed their work in Washington, D.C. to “protect Arizona’s economy and health care system.”

Earlier this month, Kelly dismissed Trump’s claims that auto tariffs will benefit Americans. Using a CNN Business story warning that every car is about to get more expensive, Kelly posted on social media that people will lose their jobs, prices will skyrocket, and families in America will end up footing the bill.

State attorneys general, including Arizona’s Kris Mayes, are suing the Trump administration to stop tariffs. Mayes and the rest contend the tariffs are “illegal,” and they challenge the president’s claim to have the authority to increase tariffs worldwide without congressional action.

The White House stands by Trump’s tariffs, saying that trade policies of the past have “failed this nation, its workers and our communities.”