Senator Tim Kaine discusses tariffs after visiting Daikin Applied Facility in Verona

Virginia Senator Tim Kaine visited and toured the Daikin Applied Facility in Verona today, April 25th.

While answering questions from reporters afterwards, Senator Kaine said any company that is involved in manufacturing has an element that can come from someplace else. He noted that a lot of Virginia companies sell product.

“Here we are in the Shenandoah Valley. Our farmers in Virginia export a ton, chickens, soybeans, beef,” said Senator Kaine. “So, you get into a global tariff spat, anybody is going to be affected, and everyday citizens are going to pay more. It’s just like a national sales tax.”

He recalled when he spoke with businesses, and the owner of “Mom’s Apple Pie Company” spoke about Canadian tariffs. When Kaine asked how Canadian tariffs affected her, she said pie tins because they are made from aluminum coming from Canada. According to the business owner, if the prices for pit tins increase, prices for apple pies increase, customers will not purchase the pies.

“So that gave me an example of from the smallest bakery to manufacturing facilities to farmers,” said Senator Kaine. “The Canada-EU Tariffs and Trump Term 1 really hit Virginia farmers. So, it affects everybody. The price you pay for goods but then anybody who gets tariffs put on them retaliates and then that compounds the problem.”