Schumer Says Dems Will ‘Force Votes’ On Trump Tariffs After Jobs Report

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is once again trying to undermine President Donald Trump’s America First economic agenda, vowing Friday that Democrats will “force votes” on tariffs after the August jobs report showed just 22,000 new jobs and a rise in unemployment to 4.3%.

Schumer seized on the numbers, calling them “a blaring red light warning” and accusing Trump of “squeezing the life out of our economy.” He claimed tariffs have raised prices and slowed growth, promising that Democrats will move to reverse them in the coming weeks.

But while Schumer was blasting tariffs as “chaotic” and “failed,” the White House countered with a flood of data showing Trump’s trade policies are bringing record revenue and strengthening the U.S. economy long-term.

In August alone, tariffs generated $31 billion in revenue — pushing the 2025 total to $158 billion, more than double last year’s pace. Even the Congressional Budget Office projects Trump’s tariffs will cut deficits by $4 trillion over the next decade.

The administration also pointed out that all half a million new jobs created since Trump returned to the White House have come from the private sector, and employment among native-born Americans is up by 2.4 million since January.

“Democrats can whine about tariffs all they want,” a senior administration official said, “but these policies are bringing manufacturing back, cutting the deficit, and protecting American workers from predatory trade practices. That’s what leadership looks like.”

Other bright spots touted by the White House:

• Blue-collar wages are up 1.4% since Trump’s second term began — one of the fastest wage-growth starts for workers on record.
• Small business confidence is at a five-month high thanks to regulatory rollbacks and tax relief.
• Gas prices and airfare costs are at their lowest Labor Day levels in at least five years.
• $8 trillion in new investment has flowed back into U.S. industries under Trump’s trade realignment.

Meanwhile, Schumer and Senate Democrats have struggled for years to reverse Trump’s tariffs. Their most recent attempt fizzled in April when they lacked the votes to undo Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs on adversarial nations.

For Trump and his supporters, Schumer’s outburst is less about jobs and more about politics. With Democrats panicked over his trade success and rising public support for tougher economic policies against China and other bad actors, the Minority Leader is gambling that bashing tariffs will energize his base.

But as DeSantis recently quipped about critics of Trump’s trade agenda: “They’re more worried about hurting China’s feelings than helping American workers.”