¶ Overview
- Harrigan supported Trump’s tariffs.
- Harrigan voted for a bill that effectively prevented the House from voting on reversing Trump’s tariffs for a year.
- Donald Trump’s tariffs were bad for North Carolina.
¶ Harrigan Supported Trump’s Destructive Tariffs
¶ Harrigan Supported Trump’s Tariffs
¶ Harrigan Supported Trump’s Tariffs
Harrigan Called Trump’s Trade Was “Real Leadership.” According to a press release from the White House, “Rep. Pat Harrigan: ‘If you want access to the most powerful economy in the world, treat us fairly. If not, don’t expect a free ride. That’s real leadership and @POTUS is delivering it!’” [Press Release – White House, 4/3/25]
[VIDEO] Harrigan Claimed That Manufactures Were Excited For Trump’s Tariffs And That Trump Was “Sticking Up For The Manufacturing Middle Class.” “All manufacturers across the country that I’m hearing from right now are excited about this. We’ve actually got to understand that we finally have a president who’s sticking up for the manufacturing middle class, terrible trade policies have been encouraging flow from the United States to overseas countries, particularly our adversaries where they have access to cheap labor, currency manipulation, and other trade barrios that just make it very difficult for United states companies to find success in the export market.” [ABC News, 4/9/25]
- [VIDEO] In Response To A North Carolina Furniture Company Closing Due To Tariffs, Harrigan Told Them To Source The Wood From The United States. “HOST: You talk about them being excited but what about but what about North Carolina company Progressive Furniture uh it it announced it'll be shutting down and laying off its 30 employees citing that the higher cost of wood from Mexico is just killing the company what are you telling companies like Progressive that rely on these suppliers overseas to make their products. HARRIGAN: build it in the United States source it in the United States” [ABC News, 4/9/25]
- [VIDEO] Harrigan Admitted That North Carolina Companies Would Have A Harder Time Exporting Their Products, But claimed that In The Long Term They Would Benefit. “HOST: Your state exports what 7.7 billion dollars of goods to Canada each year aren't these companies going to have a harder time selling their products to foreign markets now. HARRIGAN: in the short term but the long-term plan of what President Trump is going to accomplish will be to reduce those barriers, right i talked about this earlier in the segment that we have incentivized uh imports to come into this country with little to no barriers whatsoever but those countries are not treating us with the same reciprocal respect that we are treating them they are making it impossible for American manufacturers to export our goods from the United States into their countries because of high tariffs and other barriers and currency manipulation president Trump is simply coming in and stating we are going to rewrite the rules of the global economy and we are going to create a level playing field for American businesses to be as successful as the foreign businesses that we've been able to grow over the last 30 years at the expense of the American middle class.” [ABC News, 4/9/25]
Harrigan Praised Trump’s 125 Percent Tariffs On China. Pat Harrigan posted, “While the media and Democrats melted down over President Trump’s bold move’s on trade, he brought over 75 countries to the negotiating table, in less than a week. China has taken advantage of us for decades, stealing our technology, gutting our industries, and manipulating our markets. Staying tough on China is essential to our national security. America is finally back in charge.” [Twitter, @PatHarriganNC, 4/9/25]
[Transcript] Pat Harrigan Defended Trump Tariff Policy As Long-Term Economic Strategy. In an interview with CNN, Pat Harrigan said, “President Trump is putting the American economy in a position where it can actually better negotiate outcomes for American manufacturers and American consumers long term. […] This is the long-term betterment of the American economy, as well as global financial stability that is at stake.” [Transcript, CNN, 5/1/25]
¶ Harrigan Voted For A Bill That Effectively Prevented The House From Voting On Reversing Trump’s Tariffs For A Year
2025: Harrigan Voted To Disapprove An IRS Rule That Established Reporting Requirements For Digital Asset Proceeds And To Effectively Block Votes On The Reversal Of Trump’s Tariffs. In March 205, Harrigan voted for, “the bill that would provide for Congressional disapproval of, and nullify, a December 2024 IRS rule related to gross proceeds reporting by brokers involved in digital asset sales. The rule imposed reporting requirements, beginning in 2027, on non-custodial barkers who participate in the decentralized digital asset market. It also required brokers to file information returns and provide payee statements reporting gross proceeds from certain digital asset sales and transactions.” The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 292 to 132. [House Vote 71, 3/11/25; Congressional Quarterly, 3/11/25; Congressional Actions, H.J. Res. 25]
- The Bill Effectively Blocked The House From Voting To Reverse Trump’s Tariffs On Mexico, Canada, And China For The Next Year. According to the New York Times, “Republican leaders on Tuesday slipped language into a procedural measure that would prevent any resolution to end the tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China from receiving a vote this year. It passed on party lines as part of a resolution that cleared the way for a vote later Tuesday on a government spending bill needed to prevent a shutdown at the end of the week.” [New York Times, 3/11/25]
- The Bill Nullified A Law That Would Allow The House And Senate To End A Disaster Declared By The President. According to the New York Times, “In this case, Republican leaders did so using a particularly unusual contortion: They essentially declared the rest of the year one long day, nullifying a law that allows the House and Senate to jointly put an end to a disaster declared by the president.” [New York Times, 3/11/25]
- Democrats Previously Planned To Force Votes On The Tariffs Under The National Emergencies Act. According to the New York Times, “House Democrats had planned to force a vote on resolutions to end the tariffs on Mexico and Canada, a move allowed under the National Emergencies Act, which provides a mechanism for Congress to terminate an emergency like the one Mr. Trump declared when he imposed the tariffs on Feb. 1. That would have forced Republicans — many of whom are opposed to tariffs as a matter of principle — to go on the record on the issue at a time when Mr. Trump’s commitment to tariffs has spooked the financial markets and spiked concerns of reigniting inflation.” [New York Times, 3/11/25]
- The National Emergencies Act Required Consideration Of Resolutions Ending A Presidentially Declared Emergency Within Fifteen Calendar Days But Republican Leadership Included A Measure In The Bill Declaring The Rest Of The Year Did Not Constitute A Calendar Day. According to the New York Times, “The national emergency law lays out a fast-track process for Congress to consider a resolution ending a presidential emergency, requiring committee consideration within 15 calendar days after one is introduced and a floor vote within three days after that. But the language House Republicans inserted in their measure on Tuesday declared that, ‘Each day for the remainder of the 119th Congress shall not constitute a calendar day’ for the purposes of the emergency that Mr. Trump declared on Feb. 1.” [New York Times, 3/11/25]
¶ Donald Trump’s Tariffs Were Bad For North Carolina
¶ North Carolina Companies Felt Uncertainty And Were In A “Holding Pattern” Due To Trump’s Tariffs
North Carolina’s Commerce Secretary Claimed That Companies Were Stuck In A “Holding Pattern” And That Investment Decisions Were “Hard.” According to Axios,” Lee Lilley, North Carolina's commerce secretary, told Axios that many companies the state is talking to are stuck in a holding pattern. ‘Everybody's kind of got their hands up in the air,’ he said. ‘It's hard to make an investment decision with the multiplicity of variables that are at play.’” [Axios, 4/10/25]
¶ North Carolina Small Businesses Claimed That Prices Would Spike If the Tariffs Were Implemented
The Owner Of Wise Man Brewing Claimed That Tariffs Would Require Them To Find New Ways To Cut More Costs. According to WXII, “The owner of Wise Man Brewing in Winston-Salem, Mike Beverly, said they have had to deal with tariffs before and this new round might require them to find ways to cut more costs.” [WXII, 4/8/25]
- Tariffs Would Make The Materials To Make Authentic German Beers, English Ales And Belgian Sours More Expensive. According to WXII, “He's worried this time around, with more countries on the tariff list, materials they import to make authentic German beers, English ales and Belgian sours will be more expensive. ‘We want to make very authentic beers, which means we get grains and raw materials to brew our beers from all over the globe,’ he said. ‘So, we don’t know where all this is going to shake out.’” [WXII, 4/8/25]
The Owner Of Brewery Bhavana In Raleigh Claimed That Prices Would Spike If the Tariffs Were Implemented. According to Axios, “Patrick Woodson, the owner of Brewery Bhavana in Raleigh, said prices could spike for his company if the tariffs are implemented — from the aluminum cans they use (most of which come from Canada), the malts they brew with (Europe and Canada) and the flour for their popular dim sum (China).” [Axios, 4/10/25]
¶ North Carolina Farmers Would Be Negatively Impacted By The Tariffs
Owner Of MAE Farm Meats, Mike Jones, Claimed That The Feed, Minerals And Products That He Purchases Would Be Impacted By The Tariffs. According to the Carolina Journal, “‘Feeds and minerals that go into the animals I raise and then also the products that I purchased from other livestock farmers for resale all are impacted by tariffs,’ Mike Jones, owner of MAE Farm Meats, told the Carolina Journal. ‘What happens is the suppliers of these commodities are mostly dominated by large corporations that move resources on a global scale.’” [Carolina Journal, 4/10/25]
Jones Claimed That If Other Countries Put Retaliatory Tariffs On Crops Like Grain And Soy Or If Fertilizer Prices Increased Then Farmers May Be Reluctant To Raise Soy And Corn Crops. According to the Carolina Journal, “‘A lot of American soy and corn producers move their product through the Mississippi River, and it goes into the global trade,’ continued Jones. ‘If other countries put tariffs on American commodities, then American grain and soy farmers might be reluctant to raise that crop. And if their fertilizer inputs are higher, they might be reluctant to raise it [the crop].’” [Carolina Journal, 4/10/25]
- Farmers’ Reluctance Could Cause A Domestic Grain Shortage Or Cause Farmers To Abandon Certain Crops Altogether. According to the Carolina Journal, “Increased costs could lead farmers to reduce the amount of a given crop they are planting because they decide it is not worth the risk, according to Jones. This could lead to a shortage of domestic grain, forcing the US to import at high tariffs. Farmers may also abandon certain commodities altogether, opting instead for other crops and potentially causing distortions in the agricultural market.” [Carolina Journal, 4/10/25]
Jon Sanders, Director Of The Center For Food, Power, And Life At The John Locke Foundation, Said That Higher Prices Imposed On North Carolina’s Agricultural Exports Would Harm The Industry. According to the Carolina Journal, “‘I’m worried that the retaliatory effects of tariffs will negatively impact North Carolina’s farmers,’ Jon Sanders, director of the Center for Food, Power, and Life at the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal. ‘Higher prices imposed on North Carolina’s agricultural exports will mean fewer sales, harming the industry’s bottom line and impacting our farmers and their employees. History is replete with examples of tariffs leading to higher and higher tariffs between nations, harming producers and consumers and creating economic woes that can be solved only by freeing trade from such constraints.’” [Carolina Journal, 4/10/25]
¶ Tariffs Would Harm North Carolina’s Export Economy
Key Industries In North Carolina That Would Be Impacted Are Manufacturing And Automotive Since Steel And Aluminum Prices Would Increase. According to WXII, “Supply chain experts like Pelin Pekgun, a professor of analytics at Wake Forest School of Business, said tariffs will have broad, sweeping impacts on the entire state. ‘Mexico, Canada and China were among the top imports-export trade partners of North Carolina,’ Pekgun said. ‘Some of the key industries that would be affected like manufacturing and automotive, with steel and aluminum prices increasing, of course that affects the cost of production.’” [WXII, 4/8/25]
North Carolina Exported $5.9 Billions Worth Of Goods And Services To China. According to Axios, “North Carolina is one of the largest exporters of goods and services to China in the U.S. — a trading partnership that is now in limbo due to tit-for-tat tariffs between the two counties. By the numbers: North Carolina exported $5.9 billion worth of goods and services to China in 2023.” [Axios, 4/10/25]
- North Carolina’s Largest Exports To China Were Pharmaceuticals And Medicines, Oilseeds And Grains, Meats And Nonmetallic Metals. According to Axios, “The state's largest exports to China were: pharmaceuticals and medicines ($3.4 billion), oilseeds and grains ($285 million), meat products ($280 million) and nonmetallic minerals ($277 million).” [Axios, 4/10/25]