Anyone splurging with tariffs bringing in the billions?

The overwhelming majority of houses in America use inputs that are imported from other countries. Canadian lumber is one of the biggest inputs for housing construction in the country.

Putting tariffs on lumber and Cooper isn't going to make houses cheaper nor is deporting the labor that builds the house. You're in a cult

 

Its not 10%. The admin wants to issue a 30% tariff. Again lowering interest rates isnt going to make housing cheaper. Tariffs on inputs + mass deportations + cheaper rates is going to cause massive inflation in the market.

Learn supply and demand and get off your burner account

 

The US got ~70% of our wood products from Canada.

Or...we did?

 

But thats a good thing. Why should we cut down our trees at a time climate change is getting worst? Also you didnt even mention the amount of copper used especially in wiring? I just dont get how MAGATs think lowering interest rates will make housing cheaper when theyre raising the costs of building materials substantially?

Are there any smart right wingers on these forums? Sincerely it gets boring debating with clueless individuals

 

ATW thinks “extreme liberalism” = far left lol

 

Hey that is great! Consumers get to pay $100,000,000 more for goods and products!

If you mean a subservient working class with no real mechanism of advancement, then agreed!

Enjoy your Toyota Land Cruiser.

 

Tariffs hit middle- and lower-income households the hardest because they spend a larger share of their income on imported necessities.

Wealthier households feel it less, since imports make up a smaller portion of their spending, which leans heavily on services, education, healthcare, and leisure. They also can shift more easily to domestic alternatives when imports become prohibitively expensive.

If the goal is to raise revenue from the top 10%, a far more direct and efficient approach is to increase taxes on higher income brackets. That way you avoid the economic inefficiencies and unintended consequences of tariffs, and spare middle- and lower-income families from extra burden.

If the goal instead is to cut taxes for the top while hoping to replace that revenue with tariffs, that is exactly what’s happening now. But even under that approach, tariffs create market distortions, drag down economic output, fuel inflation, and will not fully replace the revenue lost from tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthiest.

 

You raise some common talking points, but let’s be clear: tariffs are not the solution to the economic challenges you describe. Cutting loopholes for the ultra-rich and corporations is important, but dismissing modest tax rate increases as “naive” ignores the fact that a fair and efficient tax system is essential. The idea that a few percentage points won't solve "everything" is not an excuse to avoid making the system more progressive and closing glaring gaps. We've successfully raised taxes before to fund transformative programs that built modern America. The New Deal proved that strategic tax increases can finance massive public investments in infrastructure, education, and economic opportunity that benefit everyone. Higher taxes on the wealthy funded the interstate highway system, public universities, and research programs that created entire industries. The notion that modest tax increases are futile ignores this proven track record of using progressive taxation to drive broad-based prosperity.

Onshoring and domestic diversification sound good in theory, but tariffs are not the way to achieve them. They do not guarantee the return of key industries, and we should not even be chasing low-wage, low-return sectors like cheap clothing or basic manufacturing. America’s strength has always come from leading in high-value industries: technology, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, medicine, and other fields that drive growth and innovation. That requires targeted investment in research, education, and infrastructure, not blunt tariffs that simply raise prices for consumers and drag on the economy.

Regarding the tax burden in NYC, yes, high earners pay a lot in combined taxes, but that doesn’t mean the system is broken or that we should halt efforts to make it fairer. Questioning where tax increases “end” often serves as a stalling tactic. We need a balanced tax code that raises sufficient revenue without chasing away opportunity.

Finally, attacking the debate over everyday costs as “liberal activism” is a diversion. The real issue is that tariffs raise costs on basic goods disproportionately hitting middle- and lower-income families. If opportunity and earning power were truly the focus, relying on tariffs, known to stifle growth and fuel inflation, makes no sense.

Bessent isn't making an independent economic case; he's implementing the tariff-magical-solution agenda. We need comprehensive policies: smart tax reform, closing loopholes, investing in economic opportunity, and thoughtful diversification. Tariffs deliver none of that. The real goal of across-the-board tariffs is cutting taxes for the top while hoping tariff revenue covers the difference. It won't. Look at pre-income tax America, when government relied almost entirely on high tariffs. That was the "golden age" many in this administration want to return to, with concentrated wealth at the top while leaving everyone else behind.