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Senate adopts resolution urging rollback of recent federal tariffs after heated debate
Summary
The California State Senate on July 17 adopted Senate Joint Resolution 7 urging the federal government to rescind recent broad tariffs, after hours of floor debate in which members from both parties described potential harms to consumers, farmers and manufacturers.
The California State Senate on July 17 adopted Senate Joint Resolution 7, a nonbinding measure urging the president to rescind sweeping federal tariffs that lawmakers said are raising costs for California households and businesses.
The measure’s author, Senator Susan T. Cervantes, said the tariffs amount to “tariffs are taxes and they fuel inflation,” and argued the policy is already hurting small businesses, farmers and working families. She urged colleagues to send a clear message to Washington that the tariffs are “causing real harm to working families and small businesses across California.”
Supporters said the tariffs raise prices on everyday goods, damage export markets for California agriculture and erode the state’s trade relationships. Senator Blake Spear said the tariffs and the uncertainty they create “imperil American businesses' ability to make critical long term decisions.” Senator Anna Haddigan and others pointed to reports and analyses showing potential losses for California exporters and increased consumer costs.
Opponents of the resolution warned against condemning the federal policy without more study and urged California to position itself to attract any new manufacturing investment the federal actions might bring. Senator Serrato called forecasts of broad economic harm premature and urged caution; Senator Nilo and others said the measure read like political posturing that would have no effect in Washington.
Debate also touched on distributional impacts: several senators said low- and moderate-income households would bear a disproportionate share of increased costs, while others suggested tariffs could be leveraged to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. and create jobs if paired with domestic investment.
After floor debate and several speeches for and against, the Senate adopted SJR 7 by roll-call vote. The clerk recorded the final tally as Ayes 26, Noes 8. The resolution is advisory and does not change state or federal law; it directs California’s congressional delegation and the governor to consider the resolution’s concerns.
Votes at a glance: SJR 7 — adopted (Ayes 26, Noes 8).
The resolution does not specify binding remedies; it asks the president to rescind particular tariffs described on the floor and urges federal policymakers to consider targeted policies that support domestic production without raising consumer costs disproportionately.
The Senate debate included references to recent federal reports and industry statements, and senators from agricultural and port regions described local consequences for exporters and supply chains. The measure now stands as a formal expression of the Legislature’s opposition to the current tariff actions.
Looking ahead, authors and some supporters said they hope the resolution will spur further study and conversations between California officials, federal agencies and trading partners about mitigating immediate economic shocks while pursuing longer-term industrial and workforce strategies.
