An Open Letter to Congress

Moms across this nation carry the burden of keeping food on the table while stretching every dollar to cover the rising costs of everyday life. As the cost of grocery bills increase, one policy has had unforeseen results making it harder for families to provide affordable, healthy meals: the tariffs on tinplate steel, the key material used to make steel food cans.

We write to urge you, our elected leaders, to put families first by addressing this price increase in the pantry.

For millions of moms, the grocery bill is one of the biggest strains on the family budget. Canned foods such as soups, vegetables, beans, fruits, and baby formula are essential. They are shelf-stable, safe, and affordable, often costing 50% less than fresh and 20% less than frozen foods. When the cost of tinplate steel goes up, so does the cost of feeding our children.

Since 2020, the price of canned fruits and vegetables has already risen 31%, with tinplate tariffs being one of the contributing factors. In fact, a new study from the American Action Forum concludes that there is “likely to be even greater canned food inflation throughout the remainder of 2025 if current tariff levels are maintained. While tariffs may account for 12 percent of total costs, certain canned food could rise well beyond that level.”

These increases don’t just show up in one aisle; they affect every pantry staple that depends on cans. For the 47 million Americans in food-insecure households, including 7.2 million children, these tariffs mean fewer meals, fewer options, and more hunger.

Moms want to feed their families food that is grown and made in America. Yet tinplate steel tariffs are having some at-home side effects. Instead of strengthening our domestic economy, they are raising production costs here at home while making it cheaper to import canned goods from overseas, particularly from China.

Imports of canned food from China have been on the rise since the original steel tariffs went into effect in 2018, displacing American-grown produce from grocery store shelves and even from our schools. This doesn’t just undermine U.S. farmers and manufacturers; it exposes families to food with labeling and safety standards that don’t match America’s.

Tinplate steel has no national security use. It should not be treated as though it were military-grade steel, especially when considering that domestic tinplate steel capacity has decreased since tariffs were first imposed in 2018. This means that well-intentioned tariffs have not stimulated more U.S. tinplate steel production. The few tinplate steel manufacturers that have remained active in the America cannot keep up with U.S. canned food industry demand.   

The result now is that the current tariffs hand foreign food producers, including China, an advantage by making their canned goods cheaper in the U.S. marketplace while placing the burden on American families, farmers, and food brands. No mom wants her family’s dinner table dependent on Beijing.

There is a stronger way forward. Congress and the Administration can act now to protect families and strengthen American food security by exempting tinplate steel from Section 232 tariffs, imposing stronger tariffs on imported canned goods that undercut U.S. farmers and manufacturers and passing the American CANS Act to ensure moms know where their food really comes from. President Trump has the opportunity to fine-tune tariffs in a way that lowers grocery bills, keeps more profits in the hands of American farmers, and secures U.S. manufacturing jobs. Moms for America urges you to stand with the American family, so we are never priced out of feeding our children or forced into dependence on China for our food.

When America puts families first, we all thrive.

In Freedom,
Moms for America