Which WA items are affected by tariffs? Which exports could be on retaliatory tariff list?

Donald Trump’s 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada went into effect on Tuesday, March 4, limiting the levy to 10% tariff on energy resources imported from Canada. A tariff on imports from China that went into effect in January 2025 was doubled from 10% to 20%.

In response, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a tariff package on American goods. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is set to announce retaliatory tariffs on Sunday at a public rally in Mexico City’s historic Zocalo Square, according to Reuters.

Trade plays a large role in Washington’s economy – according to the office of Senator Maria Cantwell, the state’s combined imports and exports totaled $127 billion in 2023. The three countries affected by the tariffs accounted for over $50 billion of that amount, according to data sent to McClatchy by the Washington State Department of Commerce. Canada and China ranking as the state’s top two trade partners, while Mexico ranks fifth.

What’s new about these tariffs?

The tariffs that went into effect on March 4 feature the same rates that the Trump administration promised to impose in early February, before the U.S., Canada and Mexico agreed to a 30-day delay. However, there are two important changes from the early February announcement.

The first is the increased tariff on imports from China, up from 10% to 20%.

Additionally, we now know more about the retaliatory tariffs being imposed by the three countries. While the full details haven’t been announced, here’s what we know so far.

• Canada announced a 25% tariff in return on $155 billion of goods that it imports from the U.S. That’s just under 45% of the $349 billion that it imported from the U.S. in 2024. Tariffs on the first $30 billion worth of goods will go into effect right away while the rest will be rolled out in the next 21 days. The initial list includes orange juice, peanut butter, alcoholic beverages, coffee, appliances, clothing, footwear, motorcycles, and some paper products, according to a Canadian government press release, with more details to come.
• Mexico announced that it would impose retaliatory tariffs, and will announce which goods will be targeted and at what rate on Sunday, March 9.
• China imposed a 15% retaliatory tariff on several U.S. agricultural products, including chicken, wheat, corn and cotton, that will go into effect Monday, March 10. An additional 10% tariff on other U.S. agricultural products, including sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, produce and dairy.

Just days after the tariffs went into effect, Trump announced via social media that tariffs on most imports from Mexico will be paused through April.

”After speaking with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, I have agreed that Mexico will not be required to pay Tariffs on anything that falls under the USMCA Agreement. This Agreement is until April 2nd,” President Trump posted this morning on Truth Social, the social networking platform owned by Trump Media. “I did this as an accommodation, and out of respect for, President Sheinbaum.”

According to Axios, the stock market has fluctuated in the days since the tariffs were imposed, and stocks fell more into the red with this announcement.

Which goods will be impacted by tariffs?

Where can you expect to see prices rise due to the tariffs? It’s tough to pinpoint because even if a good isn’t affected directly by the tariffs, its production costs could go up with the cost of imports. However, U.S. Census Bureau data give us a good sense of which items will be most affected.

• According to the Census Bureau, Washington’s top import from the three countries is crude oil, nearly all of which it imports from Canada. Washington imported over $6 billion worth of crude oil from Canada, which will now be subject to a 10% tariff, in 2024. The state’s next highest import was natural gas, also from Canada, at around $2.4 billion.
• Toys accounted for the state’s next most significant import, at $1.2 billion, nearly all of which came from China.
• Video game consoles, also primarily from China, accounted for $585 million in imports, followed by wood pieces and bovine animals, both primarily from Canada.

Here are Washington state’s other top imports from the three countries impacted by the tariffs:

▪ Chairs and seats

▪ Electric heating appliances

▪ Furniture

▪ Electricity

▪ Sports and exercise equipment

▪ Undercarriages and other plane and helicopter parts

▪ Freight vehicles

▪ Footwear

▪ Tableware

▪ Phones and phone parts

Will exports be impacted by tariffs?

Washington’s top export to the three countries affected by the tariffs is aerospace products, according to the Census Bureau. Planes and related parts accounted for $5.6 billion worth of exports from Washington to China, Mexico and Canada in 2024. Soybeans were next on the list at $4.7 billion, followed by oil at $2.1 billion.

Here are Washington’s other top exports to the three countries affected by the tariffs:

▪ Electricity

▪ Apples

▪ Tractors

▪ Grain sorghum

▪ Bulldozers, graders and scrapers

▪ Medical instruments

▪ Corn

▪ Paper

▪ Freight vehicles

▪ Car parts

Tariff impact on Washington and British Columbia?

As a border state, Washington sees many visitors from Canada. Early data suggests that the rising tensions might be impacting border crossings. Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) previously told McClatchy that British Columbia’s border crossings had seen a drop in travelers entering the U.S. of just over 30% across the week of Feb. 2 — the week the tariffs were slated to take effect — compared to the same time last year. While CBSA said they couldn’t provide province-specific data for more recent weeks, the agency did provide McClatchy with updated national numbers.

The number of Canadians crossing the border into the U.S. by land the week of Feb. 9 was 18% lower than the same week last year, according to CBSA. The following week, border crossings from Canada to the U.S. were down by nearly 24% from 2024 and down 14% for the week of Feb. 23. Air travel numbers are down slightly compared to last year in recent weeks, with the exception of the week of Feb. 23, when they rose by less than one percent.

This story was originally published March 5, 2025 at 10:05 AM.