DELAWARE — Delaware Congresswoman Sarah McBride is urging the Trump administration to exempt essential childcare products from new tariffs, warning that these tariffs will raise costs for struggling families.
McBride, alongside Representatives Kelly Morrison of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, led a coalition of 40 lawmakers in a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. They are asking for key baby safety items, including car seats, highchairs, strollers, and cribs, to be excluded from tariffs imposed on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China.
“These are not luxury items; they are basic safety products that every parent needs,” McBride said. “With families already dealing with rising costs, we should be working to ease the financial burden on parents, not making it harder to care for their children.”
According to estimates, families with infants and toddlers already spend around $20,000 in a child’s first year, including nearly $1,000 on safety gear. Lawmakers argue that the tariffs on these necessary items would add additional strain on parents.
McBride and her colleagues pointed to a decision by the Trump administration in 2018, which excluded baby safety products from earlier tariffs. They are urging the current administration to follow that example and either take executive action or create a waiver process to exempt these products.
“Parents should not have to choose between financial stability and their children’s safety,” McBride said. “This is an opportunity to show that we are serious about building a pro-family economy—one that supports parents, reduces costs, and ensures every child has a healthy start.”
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