ARLINGTON, Texas — Arlington Mayor Jim Ross is no fan of tariffs, and he doesn’t see how they benefit any Texan.
So, he was relieved when President Donald Trump announced another temporary reprieve on 25% tariffs on some products — not all — coming from Mexico and Canada.
“The cost of tariffs is not paid by Mexico or Canada. It’s not paid by China. It’s paid by the end user, the consumer. That’s the citizens here in the United States. That’s our citizens in Texas,” Mayor Ross told us on Inside Texas Politics.
The one-month pause exempts most goods from our neighbors to the north and south that are covered under the trade agreement negotiated during President Trump’s first term.
Specifically, the President said he wanted to help American automakers.
And that is positive news for Arlington, where 5,200 Texans build vehicles for General Motors and thousands more work for GM suppliers in Texas.
“I’m certainly concerned with their livelihood,” Ross said. “General Motors is a massive part of our community. They are engaged in our community on all fronts. And I’m concerned about what’s going to happen to General Motors.”
Mayor Ross and San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg recently sent a letter to Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz expressing “deep concerns” over the “job-killing threat” that tariffs pose to the automobile industry in Texas. San Antonio is Texas’ other large auto-manufacturing hub.
As of this writing, they’ve received no response.
President Trump has made clear the tariffs will kick in on April 2.
Mayor Ross believes him and said at that point, consumers can expect to pay significantly more for a vehicle.
“I’ve heard different expectations that it could be as little as $8,000 to $10,000 per vehicle, or as much as $15,000 to $20,000. That’s a substantial increase in the cost of an SUV,” he said.