WA Commerce chief warns tariff fallout could hit state hard
Washington’s top commerce official says the state cannot shield its economy from the fallout of rapidly escalating tariffs, particularly in sectors like agriculture, aerospace and technology.
“There is no way in Washington state that we can cover the gap for a global tariff trade war,” said Department of Commerce Director Joe Nguyễn in a wide-ranging interview on “Inside Olympia”. “We haven’t recovered from the last trade war [in 2018],” he told host Austin Jenkins, “We’re still down 30% of exports to the Asia Pacific region because of the previous ones.”
Washington is among the most trade-dependent states in the nation, with more than $58 billion in exports in 2024 and 40% of jobs tied to trade. According to the governor’s office, new and retaliatory tariffs could cost the state’s agriculture sector $7.5 billion, with significant hits expected to apples, cherries, potatoes, wheat and dairy. India, for example, has imposed a 20% retaliatory tariff on U.S. apples, which the state says has caused shipments to fall dramatically.
Nguyễn emphasized that while the state has launched a tariff information resource and is engaging international partners like Canada, Vietnam and Mexico, its capacity is limited.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/04/21/wa-commerce-chief-warns-tariff-fallout-could-hit-state-hard/