For millions of Americans, the weekly trip to the grocery store has turned into a stress test for their wallets. The sticker shock at the checkout aisle isn’t just anecdotal—recent data and mounting political pressure show that food prices are climbing at a rate that’s hard to ignore, and the causes are more complex than a simple rise in demand or production costs.
Congresswoman Haley Stevens of Michigan has stepped into the fray, renewing her push for the "No Tariffs on Groceries Act" in response to what she describes as a persistent and deeply felt burden for families. According to a press release published on October 15, 2025, Stevens pointed to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, which underscores significant increases in food costs. "Today's CPI report shows what families in Michigan feel every single day," Stevens said, highlighting the very real impact inflation is having on households across her state and beyond.
Stevens isn’t alone in sounding the alarm. A new RealClear Opinion Research poll, also released this month, found that nearly nine in ten U.S. voters—across the political spectrum—are deeply concerned about the rising price of groceries. The poll’s findings are stark: half of all voters now describe groceries as "very" or "extremely" expensive, with nearly three in four parents reporting that their monthly grocery bill has increased in just the last three months. These numbers put a fine point on the daily reality for many Americans, especially those with children or fixed incomes.
But what’s fueling this relentless climb in food prices? One culprit, according to both Stevens and industry experts, is tariffs—specifically those placed on tinplate steel, a key material used in canned food packaging. These tariffs, first implemented under Section 232 in 2018, have had far-reaching consequences that ripple out from the factory floor to the family dinner table.
Scott Breen, President of the Can Manufacturers Institute, paints a sobering picture of the unintended fallout. Since the tariffs were enacted, nine of the twelve U.S. tinplate production lines have shut down, slashing domestic capacity and forcing can manufacturers to rely heavily on imports from trade partners like Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom. The upshot? Higher costs for canned goods, with little benefit to U.S. tinplate production. Breen argues, "Tariffs on tinplate steel...will translate into higher food prices."
Stevens echoes these concerns, emphasizing the need for congressional oversight to prevent what she calls "unjustified food price hikes." She has been vocal in her criticism of government shutdowns, noting that such disruptions only exacerbate financial struggles for Michiganders and others already feeling squeezed at the grocery store. "We need to take real action to make food more affordable," Stevens declared, reaffirming her commitment to fighting against tariff strategies she believes are hurting families.
The debate over tariffs on tinplate steel isn’t just about economics; it’s also about food security and national priorities. The RealClear Opinion Research poll reveals that 90 percent of Americans believe it’s critical for the United States to grow and produce its own food, rather than relying on foreign imports—especially from countries like China, which six in ten voters say they don’t trust for food products. Nearly 80 percent worry the country is becoming too dependent on low-cost food imports, a concern that resonates deeply in the current climate of global uncertainty.
Yet, as Breen points out, the very policies intended to bolster domestic industry are, paradoxically, giving foreign manufacturers an edge. By making it more expensive to produce canned foods in the U.S., tariffs are tilting the playing field in favor of overseas competitors. "By adjusting tinplate tariffs, the Trump Administration could immediately ease food costs, limit foreign imports of canned foods, provide relief to U.S. farmers, and protect thousands of manufacturing jobs in American can and food plants," Breen wrote in his October 15 opinion piece.
This isn’t a partisan issue, either. The poll found that support for a tariff exemption on tinplate steel is broad and bipartisan: 72 percent of all voters, including 71 percent of Trump supporters, favor such a move. The consensus is even stronger when it comes to food security, with 98 percent of Trump voters saying it’s important for the U.S. to produce its own food, including canned goods. The message from voters is clear—they want action, and they want it now.
Stevens’s "No Tariffs on Groceries Act" is just one of several bills she’s proposed recently, but it’s the one that seems most closely aligned with the urgent concerns of her constituents. Beyond her legislative efforts, Stevens’s financial disclosures show she is among the more modestly wealthy members of Congress, with a net worth of $236,100 as of October 15, 2025, according to Quiver Quantitative. Her fundraising remains robust, with $1.3 million disclosed in the second quarter of 2025, most of which came from individual donors—a sign, perhaps, of grassroots support for her agenda.
Of course, the broader context is worth considering. President Trump’s tariffs have been credited with stimulating investment in certain high-volume steel products, such as reinforcing bar and flat-rolled steel. But tinplate is a niche product, accounting for less than one percent of global steel production. Despite the tough-on-trade rhetoric, there have been no new investments in U.S. tinplate manufacturing in the last seven years, and domestic capacity continues to decline. The intended effect—reviving American tinplate production—hasn’t materialized, leaving consumers and manufacturers alike to deal with the fallout.
For families, the issue boils down to dollars and cents. Every increase in the price of canned soup or baby formula chips away at household budgets already stretched thin by inflation. For policymakers, the challenge is to balance the competing priorities of protecting domestic industries, ensuring food security, and keeping prices in check for American families. For manufacturers and farmers, it’s about staying competitive in a global market where the rules are constantly shifting.
As the debate continues, one thing is certain: the pain at the grocery store isn’t going away on its own. Whether Congress acts on Stevens’s bill, or the administration tweaks its tariff strategy, the pressure for relief is mounting from all sides. Until then, Americans will keep feeling the pinch every time they fill their carts.
