February 2025

February 1st

Trump signs an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican goods and a 10% tariff on goods from China. Further tariffs are also in discussion. This could cost US households thousands of dollars per year through higher prices, and disproportionately burden low and middle-income families who spend a larger share of their income on consumer goods

A 24-hour consumer spending boycott, protesting wealth inequality and high prices, putting money into local businesses for essential needs. This “economic blackout” was intended to send a message on the power of consumers, and working against large corporations’ price-gouging

Extensive rollbacks of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) disproportionately impact Native communities, as much of their tribal land will lose environmental protections. These rollbacks narrow the scope of environmental review, limit consideration of climate change and environmental justice, and speed up project permitting.

February 28th

Late February

The Impact ..

ROLE OF THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA)

While many white and wealthy Americans are protected by a “pollution privilege,”
Black and Indigenous communities are trapped in “diesel death zones”

Pollution privilege refers to the social advantage of privileged groups living "eco-friendly" lifestyles, or living in neighborhoods with better environmental quality. This allows some people to benefit from clean air, water and green spaces, while marginalized communities often face the largest amounts of pollution and climate change.

Discriminatory Housing & Land-Use Policies

For example; Alligator Alcatraz, an inhumane immigrant detention center in the Everglades. This facility is located on lands important to the Everglades ecosystem, and the Muscogee and Seminole Trbal homelands

Major Highways & Trucking Corridors

For example; Route 66 was built through the Isleta Pueblo Reservation in New Mexico, and Interstate 94 in St. Paul Minnesota, destroying the Black neighborhood of Rondo

Higher Asthma Rates & Serious Health Concerns

Short Term Impacts; headaches, dizziness, irritation of eyes, nose and throat, chest tightness and loss of muscle control

Long Term Impacts; (Increased risk); Aggravated asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, heart attacks, high blood pressure, lung and bladder cancer

NEPA evaluates risk before permitting projects to enter communities, and without this program, will see an increase in harmful projects that will impact not only the environment, but the health and wellness of minority communities nearby.

LET'S TALK TARIFFS

An analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation found that the tariffs now imposed on Canada, Mexico and China would amount to an average tax increase of $1,072 per U.S. household.

The median income for Native American households in the US is approximately $42,224, and for Black American households is approximately $56,669.

With an already increasing cost of living, and low household income for these communities, an additional $1,072 per year will force families and individuals to have to make tough decisions in regard to their consumption of basic necessities.

Current tariff rates range from 10% to 120%, varying by country and product type. Trump changes these rates arbitrarily and often, leading to confusion among many. For more information on tariff rates by country, visit the link HERE to view a Trump Tariff Tracker from the Atlantic Council.