I wasn’t raised to think about tariffs.
Odds are, you weren’t either.
I was taught to work hard, get a job, earn a living, and if I was lucky, make a difference. That was the formula. That was the plan. No one ever pulled me aside to explain how international trade policies or import taxes might one day shape the cost of materials, the future of U.S. manufacturing, or the kinds of jobs that would still be around for my kids.
But here we are.
If you’ve worked in or around manufacturing over the last five years, you’ve probably felt it. That slow, creeping shift in how things get made, where materials come from, and how much harder it’s gotten to keep things moving on time and under budget. And while there are a lot of moving parts to that story, tariffs (those taxes we put on imported goods) are a big one.
They’re not new. Tariffs have been around since the beginning of this country. But that’s not the point.
The point is what they’re doing now.
What’s Actually Happening
Right now, tariffs are not just a talking point.
They are policy.
Tomorrow is April 2. President Trump has officially declared it “Liberation Day.” And with that declaration comes a sweeping new tariff policy that will impact nearly every foreign-made product entering the United States.
We’re not just talking about steel and aluminum anymore.
This time, it is everything. Every imported bolt, battery, bearing, appliance, tool, machine, and microchip will be taxed under what the administration is calling a universal baseline tariff.
It is bold. It is aggressive. And depending on where you stand in the supply chain, it is either a necessary correction or a massive disruption. Or maybe it is both.
If this sounds familiar, that is because it is.
Back in 2018, the Trump administration imposed a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum, along with additional tariffs on goods from China, Canada, and Mexico. Some industries got a boost. Others took a hit. And many of the manufacturers we work with at FlexTrades got caught somewhere in the middle.
Now here we go again. Only this time, it is bigger. Louder. And for most companies, a whole lot harder to plan around.
The Cost of Protection
Tariffs do not just raise prices on foreign goods.
They raise prices on everything.
If your business depends on imported materials, your costs are going up. If your vendors rely on imported components, their costs are going up. And when that happens, you are either eating those costs or passing them down the line.
Eventually, those added costs land in one of two places. Either they show up on your balance sheet. Or they show up in your customer’s final invoice.
And it is not just businesses feeling the strain. It is the welders, the machinists, and the maintenance techs. It is the folks walking into the shop every morning wondering how many more curveballs this industry can throw at them.
It is the shop foreman trying to make a delivery deadline with parts that did not arrive. It is the business owner staring at a spreadsheet and wondering how to pay ten percent more for steel when the contract was signed six months ago.
Some shops adapt. A few even thrive.
But others? They are running out of road.
The Bigger Question
Tariffs are not inherently good or bad. They are tools. And like any tool, they can build or they can break depending on how they are used.
The idea behind them is simple. Protect domestic production. Level the playing field. Keep jobs at home. All of that makes sense.
But when tariffs go too far, they do not just hurt foreign competitors. They hurt the people we are trying to protect. And if we are being honest, manufacturing in America is already hard enough.
We do not need more pressure.
We need more support.
So, What Now?
Liberation Day is tomorrow.
That is not a headline. That is real.
And what comes next will impact American manufacturing in a big way. The question is, are we ready?
Because the goal of bringing jobs back is a good one. But goals without preparation tend to collapse under their own weight.
If we want this to work, we need to:
- Invest in skilled trades and train the next generation of workers
- Strengthen our supply chains instead of just shifting their cost
- Support the companies who are doing things the right way
Tariffs might shape the playing field.
But it is people who build the field in the first place.
Every bolt. Every beam. Every overnight shift and every early morning run to the yard. It all starts with someone showing up, doing the work, and doing it right.
So the next time you see a “Made in America” label, stop and take a second look.
Because behind that label is someone’s livelihood. Someone’s future. Maybe yours.
What do you think?
Are these new tariffs going to help your business or hurt it?
And more importantly, are we doing enough to support the workers who keep this country moving?
Let’s talk.
Because this conversation matters.
