Announcing our Senate Tariff & Trade Response Index - Who's Standing Up To Trump's Tariffs?

In 2025, President Trump’s tariff agenda led to an average tax increase of $1,100 per household and forced American businesses to choose between shrinking profit margins or passing the costs onto already hard-pressed consumers. 

Despite the clear and growing economic impact of Trump’s tariffs, the political response has been fractured and lackluster. Right now, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The Supreme Court will soon decide if the President can use the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs, and the White House just announced a 10% tariff on eight European nations as a pressure tactic to force the sale of Greenland to the United States.

That’s why we’re excited to announce our Senate Tariff & Trade Response Index which evaluates every member of the U.S. Senate on their opposition to the Trump Administration’s economically devastating tariffs and their support for pro-growth trade policies that lower costs.

Most scorecards focus narrowly on legislative records, looking at votes or sponsorships. We took a broader view, evaluating every U.S. Senator across a few core pillars: their prior record on trade issues, their voting record on trade issues under the current administration, and their overall messaging, leadership, and stances against Trump’s tariff agenda.

The Center for New Liberalism has long been a leading voice on the center-left opposing harmful tariffs and economic nationalism. Last January, we launched TrumpsTariffsAreTaxes.org as part of our 2025 campaign to expose the real cost of Trump’s trade agenda. In May, we launched our Congressional Tariff Messaging Index, a tool designed to shine a spotlight on the Democrats in the House who have stepped up to meet the moment and push for a stronger, more unified voice against Trump’s extreme tariffs agenda. 

Today’s launch of the Senate Tariff & Trade Response Index is the next step in that fight. 

Thanks for being a part of CNL’s work and for standing with us in the fight for a freer, prosperous, and abundant future. If you aren’t already a dues-paying member of the Center for New Liberalism, we encourage you to do so – it costs just $5 a month, and helps us support the candidates who are leading the way on issues like this.

Onwards,

The Center for New Liberalism Team