The voters made clear their views on what Team Biden had done to the U.S. economy in November. Jobs that vanished during COVID lockdowns didn’t come back at the speed people hoped. Higher prices brought about by the inflation created by the now-former administration’s major legislative initiatives played havoc with family budgets.

Now, the inflation rate is down, and prices generally aren’t rising faster than working people can keep up with. At places like the supermarket and the gas station, however, the lingering effects of Bidenflation are still taking a big bite out of our paychecks. But policies that will lead to reduced prices and keep the economy moving forward are pouring out of the White House at record speed.

There’s only one wrinkle. Some people close to the president are talking about imposing across-the-board tariffs that might produce pressure that drives retail prices up just as we’re turning the corner on the inflation fight. According to some economists, the imposition of hefty tariffs on everything from soup to nuts could cost U.S. consumers between $46 billion and $78 billion in spending power each year.

Tariffs may have their time and place. Influential people in economics and business argue that tariffs help protect critical domestic industries from unfair foreign competition. That’s different from the blanket, indiscriminate tariffs some are talking about imposing on a limitless range of consumer goods that are probably inflationary and eat away at take-home pay.

Every credible research project related to imposing and raising tariffs on our trading partners concludes the same thing: American families will end up paying higher prices for discretionary and non-discretionary products and services alike.

A tariff is a tax paid by the U.S. importer, not a foreign country or the exporter. That makes it easy to raise, which in turn makes it a dangerous source of new revenue. It may not look like it, but it’s a tax that is ultimately paid out of what’s in the consumers’ pockets as prices rise.

Trade is an economic security issue. It is forever and always a two-way proposition. Countries seeking to benefit from trade with the United States should open their markets to U.S. goods and services indiscriminately. They will retaliate against higher tariffs imposed by us with tariffs of their own on American-made products, imperiling thousands of jobs across the U.S. and unfairly burdening small- and medium-sized businesses.

We all understand that international trade and security issues are rife with challenges that require serious policy responses. The new administration should be innovative in its search for solutions to the challenges global trade presents. Still, it must ensure that increased tariffs are a last resort rather than the sole recourse when America’s trading partners act unfairly.

Peter Roff is former U.S. News and World Report contributing editor and UPI senior political writer now affiliated with several DC-based public policy organizations. You can reach him at RoffColumns@gmail.com