Monterey Times

Representative Jimmy Panetta, currently serving in the U.S. Congress representing California’s 19th district, vocalized his critical assessment of the Trump Administration's tariff policies in recent social media posts. His comments addressed the economic impact of these policies, emphasizing their influence on market stability and the financial strain they impose on American citizens and businesses.

On April 9, 2025, Panetta expressed concern about what he described as the administration's detrimental impact on the nation's strength. He noted, "The President’s 40-year fetish with tariffs is causing market volatility and shaking confidence in our economy. These fluctuations aren’t the result of any outside disaster, just Trump's poor decisions."

Further elaborating on the economic repercussions, Panetta stated in another post on the same day, "I spoke candidly about the incoherence of the Trump administration’s tariff regime and the real harm it's inflicting on working families, American businesses, and our national security." He pointed out the incoherence of the current tariff strategy and its wide-ranging impact on different sectors.

He also highlighted the extent of the tariff measures, declaring, "President Trump’s 10% across-the-board tariff regime is 10 times larger than what was in place when he took office. It’s one of the largest self-imposed tax increases in modern American history, costing working families over $3,800 a year." Panetta underlined the broad economic consequences these tariffs have triggered, characterizing them as one of the most volatile shifts in modern fiscal policy.

Jimmy Panetta, 53, a long-standing representative in the U.S. Congress since 2017, was born in Washington, D.C., and currently resides in Carmel Valley. With degrees from the University of California, Davis and Santa Clara University, Panetta has continuously engaged in discussions pertinent to national economic policies and their implications.