Port of Seattle's Precipitous 30 Percent Cargo Decline
The Port of Seattle and its maritime partner, the Port of Tacoma, could be forgiven for thinking the Trump Administration has singled them out for punishment. The ports are both suffering from a combination of Trump Administration tariffs on foreign goods, crackdown on DEI programs, and get-tough immigration policies.
The Northwest Seaport Alliance, a joint venture of the Seattle and Tacoma ports, saw cargo drop 30 percent in May due to Trump Administration tariff taxes on imported Asian products. That translates into far fewer hours for longshore workers and truck drivers in the harbor.
This was before Trump bumped tariffs against China, the NWSA’s largest trading partner and imposed added taxes on imported steel and then lowered them again. Steel is the NWSA’s number one container import from Taiwan and the number four import from Japan.
The Trump anti-DEI and immigration policies also are threatening millions of dollars in funding for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport terminal and airfield projects. The Port of Seattle, along with King County and several other cities across the country, won a preliminary injunction in federal court to preserve the grants, at least for now.
https://www.postalley.org/2025/06/20/port-of-seattles-precipitous-30-percent-cargo-decline/
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