U.S. Senate Bid to Fast-Track "No Coffee Tax Act" Denied

"On the Senate floor, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) asked for unanimous consent - a procedure that allows noncontroversial bills to pass without a roll-call vote - to immediately consider and pass the No Coffee Tax Act, which she co-authored with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Video of the session shows Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), the Republican chair of the Senate Finance Committee, objecting - a move that blocks the unanimous-consent request and sends the bill back to committee."

"The proposed legislation is part of a broader push by lawmakers and industry groups to exempt coffee from President Donald Trump's "reciprocal tariffs" - fees paid by U.S. importers - on imported goods. Tariffs on goods from nearly all coffee-producing countries currently range from 10% to 50%, with the 50% tariff on Brazil having an outsized impact on the U.S. coffee market."

Senators attempted to fast-track the bipartisan No Coffee Tax Act via unanimous consent, but a single objection by Sen. Mike Crapo blocked the move and returned the bill to committee. The legislation would exempt coffee from reciprocal tariffs that currently range from 10% to 50%, with a 50% tariff on Brazil especially affecting the U.S. market. U.S. domestic coffee production is negligible relative to demand, with Hawaii and Puerto Rico supplying only a fraction of one percent of green coffee needs. Grocery and coffee shop prices have risen sharply, with monthly and annual indexes showing significant inflation.

Read at Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine