Arkansas Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge discusses President Donald Trump’s trade war with China on “Mornings with Maria.”
FIRST ON FOX: Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Don Bacon, R-Neb., urge the president Donald Trump to exempt coffee from reciprocal tariff measures that “dramatically increase its price.”
Coffee prices rose 20.9% in August from a year ago, according to the most recent edition of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In a letter to Trump on Wednesday, Khanna and Bacon asked Trump to remove coffee from his reciprocal tariffs to reduce prices for the two out of three Americans who drink coffee every day, according to the National Coffee Association.
Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs include a list of exempt goods, but coffee is not on the list. While Trump’s universal reciprocal tariffs seek to level the playing field for international trade, the congressmen said coffee has no “viable, large-scale domestic alternative.”
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President Donald Trump signs executive orders imposing 25% tariffs on imported steel and aluminum in his ongoing effort to overhaul America’s trade relationship with the rest of the world. (iStock; Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via / Getty Images)
“Although Hawaii and Puerto Rico grow small amounts of specialty coffee, domestic production accounts for less than 1 percent of all coffee consumed by Americans. Tariffs on coffee do not protect domestic businesses and interests – they only increase costs and amount to an additional burden on American consumers. It is not practical to impose tariffs on a product that our nation does not meaningfully produce,” the bipartisan said members of Congress in their letter to Trump.
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According to the National Coffee Association99% of coffee is imported from outside the US
Khanna, who represents California’s Silicon Valley in the U.S. House of Representatives, said his constituents are telling him they are concerned about tariffs impacting the economy.
Donald Trump leaves after speaking at a campaign rally at Trump National Doral Golf Club on July 9, 2024, in Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“I’ve heard from a lot of small business owners, coffee shop owners actually, and a lot of them are facing real pressure. Some may go out of business if this coffee tariff continues,” Khanna said, also explaining that hospitality workers are facing higher costs and consumers are seeing prices rise.
Khanna said he hopes the letter sparks a “broader conversation about the issue” withdrawing the tariffs on food products, and especially food products that we basically don’t grow in the United States.”
More than half of Americans drink coffee every day, including Khanna’s Republican colleague Bacon, who retires next year as representative of Nebraska’s second congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Khanna and Bacon traveled to Mexico earlier this year for a meeting with President Claudia Sheinbaum, which aimed to develop a more “constructive approach” to Trump’s tariffs.
The bipartisan duo also worked together last month to introduce the No Coffee Tax Act, which sought to repeal the Trump administration’s tariffs on coffee.
President Donald Trump speaks during a “Make America Wealthy Again” trade announcement event at the White House on April 2, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Bacon, one of the few Republicans in the House of Representatives prepared to oppose the Trump administration’s second term, introduced legislation earlier this year to return tariff control to Congress.
“I’ve always been fair. I try to be tactful, but I’ve always pushed back where I thought there was a big concern,” Bacon said. “I want to do what’s right, regardless of what anyone thinks.”
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The outgoing congressman said his constituents are feeling the impact of Trump’s tariffs on the economy, particularly on soybean farmers who have been unable to sell their goods.
“I feel a little freer to do it since I announced it, but I don’t know if I would have done it differently,” Bacon said, explaining that reducing Trump’s tariffs is one of his top priorities as he concludes his final term.
