#TrumpTariffs One of Trump’s key campaign promises was to lower grocery costs for consumers who have had to contend with pandemic supply chain issues, rising food prices and inflation in recent years. But his new steel and aluminum tariffs, which took effect on 4 June, threaten to do just the opposite. The new 50% tariff rate could raise food prices in a matter of months, industry trade groups and supply chain experts warn.

Tariffs on canned goods, which could raise prices for items in steel cans by up to 15%, would create what some anti-hunger experts are calling a “double-whammy” for people using Snap, now that the program is facing the biggest cuts in history. The Republican House budget bill, which passed in the House and is now under review in the Senate, would slash Snap, which is considered the US’s most effective tool in fighting hunger, taking food off the table for millions of Americans – including 2 million children – at a time when the cost of key staples is set to grow.

“As grocery prices continue to rise and Snap benefits are reduced, families across the country will be left with fewer resources to meet even their basic needs,” said Gina Plata-Nino, Snap’s deputy director at the Food Research & Action Center (Frac). “We are likely to see a rise in food insecurity, housing instability and homelessness as more individuals and families are forced to make impossible choices between paying for food, rent, transportation and other essentials.”