07.03.25

NEW INFO: July 4th Cookouts Will Cost More Amid Trump Tariffs

Domestic beer up 13%; popular propane grill up $30, ground beef and ice cream at their highest recorded prices ever

EDMONDS, WA – President Trump’s unpredictable tariff policy and increasing economic uncertainty have driven up the cost of Independence Day cookout essentials, according to a new analysis by The Joint Economic Committee – Minority.

Since Trump’s April 1 “Liberation Day” announcement, a six-pack of Miller Lite or Coors Light costs 13% more at Wal-Mart. The cost of the most popular propane grill on Amazon has risen $30. Ground beef and ice cream reached their highest prices since data first became available in the 1980s. All told, the total cost of a grocery store trip for a cookout increased by a 12.7% annualized rate since “Liberation Day.”

“Enjoying July 4th is going to cost families more because of President Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs,” said U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee. “These rising prices show that a tariffs-first policy puts consumers last.”

For the past five months, President Trump has been sowing economic chaos across the country with unpredictable and ever-changing tariff announcements. His back-and-forth announcements and actions have whipsawed American businesses and consumers, as well as close neighbors and allies.

Sen. Cantwell has been the leading Senate voice against a tariffs-first trade policy.

In April, Sen. Cantwell introduced the bipartisan Trade Review Act of 2025 to reaffirm Congress’ key role in setting and approving U.S. trade policy, and reestablish limits on the president’s ability to impose unilateral tariffs. Her bill has since picked up 12 additional cosponsors – an equal mix of Republicans and Democrats – and been endorsed by multiple major U.S. business organizations, including the National Retail Federation, which is the largest retail trade association in the world. House members also introduced a bipartisan companion bill.

On April 16, Sen. Cantwell joined nine local business owners and leaders at the Port of Seattle to push back against the Trump administration’s chaotic tariffs-first trade policy. On May 29, she gathered stakeholders at the Port of Seattle again to respond to the chaos caused by President Donald Trump scrambling to keep his draconian tariffs in place amid court challenges.

“American businesses need a rules-based trade system. That means American families would have the certainty, not chaos and not higher prices. We know this: That when you start trade wars, usually that means you end up closing markets,” Sen. Cantwell said in at the May 29 press conference.

In Washington state, two out of every five jobs are tied to trade and trade-related industries. More information about how those tariffs will affect consumers and businesses in the State of Washington can be found HERE.