Gov Shapiro, Rep Dean criticize Trump administration’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs

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April 3rd, 2025 | By Ryan Genova

Governor Josh Shapiro of Abington Township criticized the Trump administration’s tariff plan—dubbed “Liberation Day”—during an event touting local breweries in Bethlehem on Wednesday, April 2.

Earlier in the day, the Trump administration announced the United States will implement a 25% tariff on all imported canned beer and empty aluminum cans starting Friday. Trump also announced additional tariffs, including a 34% tax on imports from China and 20% on the European Union, among others, according to The Morning Call.

Shapiro said the tariffs function a tax hike that will negatively consumers and small businesses.

“Every community in Pennsylvania has a main street – places where we come together to shop at small businesses, share a meal with family or friends, or have a beer on the weekends – and those main streets matter. While my Administration invests in our main streets, Washington is making it harder for the small businesses that line them to succeed by driving up their costs and increasing taxes,” Shapiro said in a statement. “The new federal tariffs going into effect today are a tax on our businesses and our consumers that will drive up costs for everyone – they’ll even make beer more expensive. Here in Pennsylvania, instead of raising costs, we’re cutting costs for our businesses and consumers, and focusing on smart, strategic investments that create opportunity and grow our economy.”

“I’m not sure why the president of the United States wants to do this to our small businesses, wants to harm our main streets,” Shapiro said during the event on Wednesday.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Republican officials are more optimistic about the tariffs.

“I’m very excited and anxious to see what comes out,” said U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, who represents Lackawanna County. “There’s just a lot of uncertainty as to what it will ultimately mean to the end user. But I don’t want to get out in front of my skis until we see actually what’s going to be talked about.”

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, who represents Luzerne County, defended the tariffs.

“The whole idea is to create a more fair marketplace around the world, and, frankly, more stability,” Meuser said. “I’m not guaranteeing it’s going to work out perfectly but I think the president’s got enough information and [Commerce Secretary] Howard Lutnick, and the others involved here, to do it in a manner, a tariff plan that is far more favorable to the United States than it is to other countries.”

Congresswoman Madeleine Dean of Glenside published the statement below as a response to the tariffs:


She also published the video below, captioned “On Trump’s reckless tariffs…”:

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