Nearly 1/4 of imports to the Port of Baltimore come from Mexico, Canada, and China
Marylanders are seeing wall-to-wall coverage of how Donald Trump’s reckless tariff policies are harming small businesses, raising prices for consumers, and threatening jobs across the state.
HERE’S WHAT MARYLANDERS ARE READING:
Baltimore Sun: Anne Arundel Farmers Brace for Increased Costs from Expanding List of Tariffs
By James Matheson
March 17, 2025
- As President Donald Trump imposes tariffs on a broad range of imports from some of America’s key trading partners — who are responding with tariffs of their own — Anne Arundel County farmers are preparing to shoulder the brunt of the price increases.
- On March 12, Trump’s 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from all countries went into effect.
- In retaliation, China’s Ministry of Finance said it would add tariffs of as much as 15% on a wide range of agricultural imports from the United States like chicken, wheat, corn and cotton. China also put 10% tariffs on imports of sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables and dairy products.
- Experts worry the tariffs will become the biggest issue facing these farmers.
- “We import virtually all of the potassium we use [and] Canada produces almost all of it,” said Jim MacDonald, research professor at the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “The biggest immediate impact on farmers, to me, is going to be tariffs and therefore price increases on that key fertilizer component.”
- Other concerns surround poultry exports, one of Maryland’s major agricultural industries. About 20% of United States poultry is exported, MacDonald said. Most of that goes to Canada and Mexico.
- The 2022 Census of Agriculture, released in February 2024, showed poultry, corn and soybeans as the number one crops in Maryland.
- MacDonald also pointed to steel and aluminum imports as issues that could affect Anne Arundel. The United States imports roughly 25% of its steel from Canada and Mexico, with most aluminum coming from Canada.
WJZ News: Maryland-based Tin Can Manufacturing Company to Raise Prices Amid Steel and Aluminum Tariffs
By Christian Olaniran, Ashley Paul
March 14, 2025
- A Maryland-based tin can manufacturing company said it would be raising prices as a result of changes in the U.S. tariff policy made by the Trump administration.
- The Independent Can Company in Harford County manufactures can products for Swiss Miss, Zippo, Titleist and other companies.
- Huether is concerned about the future of the 95-year-old home-grown business after the Trump administration officially imposed a 25% tariff on steel on Wednesday.
- Tin plated steel represents 50% to 75% of selling prices at Independent Can, and with a 25% tariff, Huether said their prices will have to increase about 12% to keep up.
- He says, unfortunately, there simply isn’t enough supply of tin-plated steel in America to meet the demand.
- Even though Independent Can meets the goal of the tariffs by operating four factories in America that employ at least 400 people, they simply can’t avoid the tariffs. They worry their clients are going to take their packaging in another direction if this continues.
- The letter says that U.S. domestic production can only meet about 30% of national tin-plated steel needs, meaning all can manufacturers must import approximately 70% of required materials.
- Experts told CBS News MoneyWatch that the tariffs could cause the prices of some items to skyrocket, including canned goods, foods, and beverages since many domestic companies rely on imported materials.
WMAR News: Industries in Maryland Contemplate Tariff Impacts
By Jack Watson
March 5, 2025
- “The estimates you see, they’re kind of all over the board,” Kitzmiller told WMAR. “But I think it’s a pretty safe assumption that we’re looking at a three to six thousand dollar increase on the price of vehicles, if these tariffs remain in effect for any length of time.”
- Kitzmiller has been president of the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association for 26 years. He represents about 300 dealerships.
- When it comes to new tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, he worries for both car prices and car parts.
- “A significant number of parts cross back and forth the border two or three times. And so the parts impact is almost as important as the actual vehicle itself,” he explained.
- Dr. Daraius Irani, an economist at Towson University, told WMAR about a quarter of imports to the Port of Baltimore come from Mexico, Canada and China.
- “The port relies on stuff going in and going out, but if there’s a reduction in that that’s going to also impact the port’s operations as well,” he said.
- Irani said impacts could be felt not just with cars, but with lumber for the construction sector, nickel, and energy.
- “My concern is we’re going to price people out of the market,” he said, “and we’re also going to have people that are in the market for a new car are going to end up having to say, ‘well I need to spend less money, I need to buy a used car,’ which is going to then raise the price of used cars.”
Baltimore Banner: Trump’s 200% European wine tariff would mean ‘disaster’ for local businesses
By Christina Tkacik
March 19, 2025
- Needing to pay a 200% tariff on a container of wine “would probably put me out of business,” said Russ Lorber, owner of Baltimore-based importer Wide Roots… A typical shipment for him might cost around $50,000; paying an unexpected $100,000 on top of that would be impossible.
- Prices never really came down again after the previous Trump administration imposed 25% tariffs on some European bottles in 2019, Sayers said. Additional tariffs would spell “disaster” for his Hampden business. “Champagne prices were already outstripping inflation,” he said in an email. Were they to go up drastically, “it could well be a death knell for all but the most popular or prestigious bottlings.”
- American winemakers aren’t necessarily celebrating the tax proposal, either, said Melissa Aellen of Linganore Vineyards in Mount Airy. Almost all her industry peers rely heavily on equipment and raw materials imported from Europe. Aellen worries those products could face retaliatory tariffs if Trump’s trade war continues to escalate.
Baltimore Banner: Uncertainty, Layoffs, and Tariffs: What Trump’s Latest Moves Could Mean for Maryland
By Clara Longo de Freitas
March 8, 2025
- Maryland imports roughly $4 billion in products from Mexico and $3 billion from Canada every year. Nearly one-quarter of all tonnage shipped into the Port of Baltimore comes from the two U.S. neighbors or China.
- Some of the Canadian imports include:
- $105 million in baked goods.
- $472 million in aluminum and aluminum articles.
- $132 million in wood and semi-finished wood products.
- Some of the Mexican imports include:
- $2.4 billion in motor vehicles.
- $680 million in computer equipment.
- $360 million in household appliances and other machines.
WBAL: Economist Warns that Maryland Will Feel the Impacts of President Trump’s Tariffs
By Khiree Stewart
March 5, 2025
- “Any goods that you think about imported from Canada and Mexico, so think about fresh fruit, vegetables, surprisingly we import a lot of waffles and wafers from Canada, soft lumber goods are imported from Canada, electronics are imported from Canada,” Irani said.
- He thinks these new tariffs could lead to an increase in prices, thus impacting your wallet.
- Depending on if and how much the volume of goods change, it could also impact the Port of Baltimore. “That volume, if it shrinks, does impact the port, port operations, and then ultimately workers,” he said.