California State Treasurer Fiona Ma spoke out Wednesday during a national press call hosted by a group of state treasurers. The group raised concerns about the economic harm U.S. farmers are facing due to President Trump’s shifting tariff policies and global market instability.
Ma emphasized California’s major role in agriculture, noting the state grows over 400 commodities and exports more than $20 billion in produce annually. She said California farmers are already struggling with drought, natural disasters, and high labor costs—and tariffs are only making things worse.
Ma pointed to a recent visit to Tijuana Produce in Southern California. The company had four truckloads of produce stuck at the border when new tariffs were announced. They had to pay the tariffs, passed the cost to vendors, and vendors raised prices for consumers. “That’s how these tariffs work,” Ma said. “It is a tax on the people.”
She urged for better global trade relationships, saying California, as the largest agricultural state, needs stable markets. “Air, water, and food are essentials,” she said. “And these tariffs are threatening one of them.”
Listen to her full comments: