Editorial: A trade-dependent state braces for Trump’s tariffs

Dec 14, 2024 | Newsroom

The Everett Herald’s editorial board wrote an editorial about the importance of international trade to the Northwest and why we should all be concerned about increasing tariffs and other steps to curb international trade.

For a state such as Washington that is dependent on international trade for its businesses, jobs and overall economy, hearing an incoming U.S. president describe tariffs as “the most beautiful word in the dictionary,” and tout trade wars as “good and easy to win,” the coming of Trump administration 2.0 might be unsettling.

As with most of the players among Washington state’s exporters and importers, Lori Otto Punke,  president of the Washington Council on International Trade — the Northwest’s leading association advocating for trade and investment policy — has been here before; she began leading the WCIT at the start of Donald Trump’s first term, nearly eight years ago.

The incoming Trump administration’s influence regarding trade in Washington was the subject of discussions this week among members of the Washington State Port Association, Otto Punke said, including what to expect and how to navigate the next four years, based on his first term and what he’s promised for his second.

“It’s an important conversation for Washington state,” she said.

Most Washington residents understand trade at a basic “apples and aerospace” level, she said; among the state’s leading exports being Boeing jets and Gala (and other) apples. But the products and services leaving Washington — as well as other U.S. goods that transit through the state’s airports and maritime ports — represent a broadly diversified economy, including forest products, high technology, clean tech, medical equipment, military equipment, food and agricultural products, beer, wine, spirits and more.
About 40 percent of jobs in Washington state are tied to international trade.
About 40 percent of jobs in Washington state — manufacturing, food and agriculture, retail, technology and science — are tied to international trade. In recent years, according to the WCIT’s online trade dashboard and other reports, exports from Washington, joined with those from Oregon, totaled more than $135 billion and supported 900,000 jobs in Washington and another 500,000 in Oregon.
Read the Full Editorial