U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) condemns the lasting impacts of Trump’s tariffs on the one-year anniversary of his “Liberation Day” tariff announcements. April 2, 2026. | Screenshot.

One year after President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” in which he announced heavy tariffs on countries around the world, Michigan Democrats are taking aim at the harms that those tariffs have had on the state.

“We are one year into President Trump’s tariffs regime, and it’s been a year of rising costs for working families,” U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) said in a press conference hosted by Defend America Action on Thursday morning. “It’s been a year of manufacturing job losses and financial blows to American small businesses.”

She continued on to say that there is “no common sense” to the tariffs and stated that they have cost American households $1,750 on average, bearing the brunt of 96% of the tariffs.

State Rep. Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor) repeated those statistics, adding, “It’s not over. Families are on track to pay hundreds more this year, potentially thousands, if Trump is successful in continuing these types of reckless policies at a time when people are already stretched thin, we are making it more expensive just to get by. That’s not okay.”

“What really gets me is that people didn’t do anything wrong. They’re working hard, they’re doing their part, but their paycheck isn’t going as far,” Morgan continued. “That is not liberation. That’s working families paying the price.”

Dingell added that she has heard stories from her constituents about the negative impacts of the tariffs — especially among suppliers, who she said was the group that has been hurt the most.

“Since President Trump’s Liberation Day, as he calls it, we have lost 89,000 manufacturing jobs, and 125,000 transportation and warehouse jobs. Factory construction has dropped 11%,” Dingell said. “These aren’t just numbers. These are human lives. These are families who worked hard and played by the rules, and in many cases, they’re people that voted for Donald Trump because he promised that he’d help them.”

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also issued an executive directive on the anniversary of “Liberation Day” calling for four state agencies — the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, Department of Transportation and Department of Treasury — to submit reports about the impacts of the tariffs in the last year.

“The president’s tariffs have jacked up costs, and Michiganders have been paying the price,” Whitmer said in a press release from her office. “Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that these tariffs are illegal, it’s time for Michiganders to get their money back. This executive directive will show us the damage from these irresponsible tariffs and help get refunds back to Michigan businesses. I’ll continue to call on Congress to set a strategic trade policy that keeps costs down and our economy stable. Whether it’s making it easier to get your refund or working to lower everyday costs, we’ve got your back.”

In Thursday’s order, she also directed the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity and Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to ensure that registered businesses and employers are aware of the process for seeking refunds from the tariffs as the process for those refunds is clarified by the federal government.

In July, Whitmer issued an executive directive to start initially examining the impacts of Trump’s tariffs. In one report from that order, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development noted sharp declines of agricultural exports, specifically wheat, cherries, apples and soybeans, as well as higher prices.

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This article, “A year after ‘Liberation Day,’ Michigan Dems rail on the harms of Trump’s tariffs on the state,” has been republished from the Michigan Advance under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.