There is much talk today about affordability—and rightly so. Crippling inflation during the Biden-Harris years sent prices soaring on just about everything. And although the inflation rate has eased, most prices have not come down in any significant way. In a political world where quick fixes are often not possible, there actually is an easy solution for an immediate impact on affordability: start getting rid of tariffs on critical items.
Tariffs are largely driven by the government’s belief that the price of a given item is too low—that the price “should” be higher. Government then slaps a tariff on that item to force that price higher. When prices are higher for an item, that of course means costs are higher for any business, group, family, or individual purchasing that item. Even if a business doesn’t pass on any portion of the price increase to its customers, the higher cost of purchasing the item for the business will directly—and often immediately—come off its bottom line. The business won’t be able to afford to do as much—including, perhaps—pay its employees at the same rate or at all.
The reverse is also true. Get rid of a tariff on an item, and the price that a purchaser of that item pays will come down. While there are clearly examples where tariffs are desirable, such as narrowly targeted ones on America’s enemies, in most cases, they make items less affordable for Americans, especially in the short term. Get rid of a tariff on an item, and in most cases, that will make the item more affordable across the board.
Let’s dive in on a case study.
In March 2018, when I was privileged to have been working in the Trump-Pence White House, President Trump ordered broad tariffs in steel and aluminum. At the time, President Trump proclaimed, “A strong steel and aluminum industry are vital to our national security, absolutely vital. Steel is steel. You don't have steel, you don't have a country.” While President Trump’s actions were well-intentioned and promised a re-invigoration of the domestic steel industry, the reality is more complicated, resulting in unintended consequences for U.S. food can manufacturers and working-class families across our nation.
In short, U.S. steel food can makers are facing an avoidable challenge because of the availability and price of the key material in a food can – a niche product called tinplate steel. These continuing tariffs, plus the current 50% tariff on imported tinplate steel, are driving up costs for producing steel cans and therefore many food products.
Because of certain domestic supply challenges, U.S. can makers are forced to import the majority of their tinplate steel. But turning predominately to foreign imports is unsustainable because of the artificially high costs that tariffs create. And access to tinplate steel is further hampered by quotas on key allies and trade partners.
U.S. can makers manufacture about 21 billion high-quality and 100% recyclable food cans annually, and tinplate steel makes up at least 65-70% of the cost of those cans. Consumer demand for canned foods increased during the pandemic—and has remained high—but, like other American manufacturing, domestic tinplate steel capability decreased, despite tariffs designed to bolster the U.S. steel industry. Tinplate steel production lines have reduced from 12 to three, thousands of Americans in Indiana and Ohio have lost their jobs, and overall tinplate steel production capacity has declined by 66% since the 2018 and subsequent tariffs.
A recent study by the American Action Forum found that keeping 50% tinplate steel tariffs in place would increase costs for can manufacturers by 12%. Inevitably, those costs get passed on to working families, who, in many cases, are the most economically vulnerable and food insecure. From September 2024 to September 2025, the average consumer price of canned fruits and vegetables rose by 5%, nearly double the increase observed in food in general, according to federal government data—with more such price hikes expected for 2026.
Unfortunately, and perhaps most concerningly, steel tariffs have given Chinese canned food companies a significant advantage in the U.S. market. Simply put, Chinese and other foreign companies, because of the way tariffs are structured, can undercut prices from U.S. farmers and manufacturers who are struggling to keep costs down in the face of the tariffs on tin mill products.
None of this above is good news and should be reversed this year.
Imposition of tariffs may have been well-intentioned and can still be a useful tool against adversaries, but the tariffs specifically on tinplate products will only continue to increase the price U.S. consumers pay for essential items like canned foods.
But President Trump can end these tinplate tariffs now—and take a strong first step toward the elimination of all tariffs that do more harm to Americans than good. This decisive action by the president would be a win for affordability in America.
