Alsobrooks introducing legislation to exempt school supplies from Trump tariffs

Senate Alsobrooks introducing legislation to exempt school supplies from Trump tariffs Comments: by Max Rego - 08/06/26 3:27 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Max Rego - 08/06/26 3:27 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Democratic Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (Md.) on Thursday will introduce legislation to exempt school supplies from President Trump’s tariffs, as families nationwide prepare for the start of a new academic year.

The bill, titled the Back-to-School Supplies Affordability Act, proposes shielding school supplies from tariffs Trump has imposed since returning to office. Qualifying supplies include backpacks, lunch boxes, notebooks, pencils and crayons, according to the bill text, which was shared with The Hill.

Parents are spending $146.45 per K-12 child on school supplies this year, up $2.68 from last year, according to projections from the National Retail Federation (NRF). Alsobrooks’s legislation specifically proposes exempting items used “in an elementary or secondary school classroom.”

The Maryland Democrat told The Hill the bill is intended to lower costs for families, teachers, school and local governments impacted by Trump’s tariffs.

“I think it will really go a long way just to putting a few dollars back into the pockets of families at a time where everything else is rising,” Alsobrooks said in a phone interview.

While the Supreme Court in February struck down tariffs the president issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Trump has cited other statutes in imposing levies on imports since.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has also opened probes into multiple foreign countries under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the president to impose tariffs in response to “discriminatory” trade practices by other countries.

Under Alsobrooks’s legislation, Trump can still issue tariffs on the supplies already included under Section 201 of the aforementioned act — which also allows him to provide temporary relief to an American industry so it can adjust to outside competition.

The senator noted Thursday she is not fully against import taxes — saying the president can utilize them as a “tool” in a broader economic strategy. But the first-term lawmaker argued the Trump administration has not been “transparent” about its tariff policies and Congress has shirked its oversight responsibility.

“Whatever the goal is, these tariffs have been too chaotic and too arbitrary to achieve that goal,” Alsobrooks said. “So yes, they can be used as a tool, they’ve been used strategically in the past. This is not what these are.”

If passed, the legislation would require Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to submit reports to the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees regarding which items are excluded from duties every 180 days. The bill would also allow Congress to pass a resolution disapproving of any exemptions.

The senator said she plans on referring the bill to the Senate Finance panel, chaired by GOP Sen. Mike Crapo (Idaho). The Hill has requested comment from Crapo and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the ranking member on the panel.

Democratic Sens. Lisa Blunt Rochester (Del.), Chris Coons (Del.), John Hickenlooper (Colo.), Andy Kim (N.J.), Jacky Rosen (Nev.) and Chris Van Hollen (Md.) have agreed to co-sponsor the legislation, Alsobrooks told The Hill. She also said she will “try to attract” co-sponsors from across the aisle.

Prices have increased across the board amid the war with Iran, with gas prices spiking from less than $3 per gallon before the conflict to roughly $4.06 as of Thursday, according to AAA.

A recent analysis from the Groundwork Collaborative and the Century Foundation noted parents are particularly sensitive to the rise in gas prices, as most children travel to school by car. That report also noted specific increases in school items this year, citing Trump’s tariffs, as many of those products are manufactured overseas.

The price of a lunch box, for instance, rose 26.8 percent from 2025 to 2026, surpassing $18.90. Four other items — one-subject notebooks, index cards, notebook paper and tissues — also increased in average cost by at least 20 percent, the analysis found.

“This has become yet another area of everyday life that has become a challenge for the average family,” Alsobrooks said of school supplies.

“I was in Mississippi this past weekend campaigning,” she added later. “I was in Georgia the weekend before that. People everywhere are really concerned about the cost of living, from Maryland to Mississippi and … beyond.”