The Trump administration's top trade official insisted Wednesday that the president's tariff regime has not lifted consumer prices, even as Democratic lawmakers presented data suggesting otherwise and pressed him on mounting cost-of-living complaints across the country.
Jamieson Greer, the US trade representative, faced sharp questioning during a Senate Finance Committee hearing over whether tariffs have squeezed household budgets. When asked directly by Senator Elizabeth Warren if the duties had increased prices for American families, Greer answered simply: "No."
Greer pointed to a decline in core inflation to 2.6 percent year-over-year, describing it as "much better than in January 2025." Core inflation strips out volatile food and energy costs. Overall inflation, however, remains slightly higher than when Joe Biden left office.
Warren countered with an estimate produced by Democrats that drew from nonpartisan congressional budget office figures and the Treasury Department's own data. The calculation showed families were paying roughly $1,700 more in tariff-related costs since Trump returned to power.
Senator Raphael Warnock delivered a more pointed critique, accusing Trump of making "life more expensive for everybody" and noting that subsequent geopolitical tensions sent "energy prices through the roof." He told Greer that despite mounting evidence, the administration appeared to be operating in denial.
"Study after study confirms" that tariffs have raised prices, Warnock said, calling it "just basic common sense." He then posed a direct challenge: had Greer ever produced a peer-reviewed study disproving that tariffs fueled inflation, or was the rebuttal simply based on "vibes, people's feelings, politics"?
Greer replied that the administration did "not do vibes." He began citing price movements in eggs, butter, and smartphones, but Warnock interrupted, saying that wasn't his question. Warnock reiterated his core point: tariffs contributed to inflation and made prices higher than when Trump took office.
The hearing came at a pivotal moment for Trump's tariff strategy. In February, the US Supreme Court ruled that many of the president's duties were illegal, forcing a recalibration. The administration replaced those tariffs with a 10 percent rate on most imports, but that arrangement expires Friday. Trump officials, including Greer, have signaled they will roll out a fresh round of import duties to follow.
Author James Rodriguez: "When a trade chief responds to specific price data with talk of eggs and butter, it tells you the administration has no actual answer to the inflation question."
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