Editor’s note: Cardinal has asked a Republican for a counterpoint. We’ll publish that when it becomes available.
Do you feel liberated yet?
Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the MAGA Republicans are executing the very Project 2025 agenda they once claimed they’d never read or even seen. Remember when they promised it wouldn’t influence their policy decisions? Those assurances have vanished faster than your retirement savings.
As Trump now promotes his fictional, made-up “Liberation Day,” it’s worth examining what exactly is being “liberated.” Trump’s misguided economic experiments didn’t work for McKinley in the 1890s or Hoover in the 1930s. Similar policies that he’s now pushing deepened recessions and worsened the Great Depression. As the old saying goes, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Unfortunately, these lessons from history are being repeated — this time at our personal expense.
Due to Trump’s erratic tariff policies, Virginians have seen their retirement and college savings accounts shrink by nearly $15,000 since January. The blame rests solely on Trump and the Republican-controlled House and Senate. There’s no shifting the blame or responsibility to Democrats, Biden, or Clinton; this is all on them. Trump needs to find President Truman’s famous desk plate, “The Buck Stops Here.”
These figures represent the indirect consequences of tariffs, hitting working families and retirees who rely heavily on investments to fund their futures and their children’s futures. As a conservative economist famously said, “A tariff is just a tax by another name.” Yet Republicans hope you won’t notice the extra $3,000, $6,000 or even $20,000 “tax” that you’ll pay for your next pickup truck or SUV.
Beyond indirectly depleting your savings, they’re also directly targeting your wallet. If you dislike dealership markups — which you could sometimes negotiate — you’ll absolutely despise these tariffs. They’re non-negotiable taxes passed along directly to you. Trump won’t pay them, Musk won’t pay them, the dealer won’t absorb them, and neither will the manufacturer. By a simple process of elimination — congratulations, Trump is “liberating” even more money directly from your family’s pocket.
Do you feel more “liberated” knowing your federal tax dollars, previously used to maintain the Shenandoah National Park, have now been cut, leaving fifteen Virginians in the valley without jobs?
Do you feel “liberated” when you read headlines, like the one from Cardinal News: “Dozens of community projects halted after federal funding was omitted from Congressional stop-gap spending bill”? These aren’t abstract numbers from someplace in California — these are dozens of vital community projects here in rural Virginia. We’ve already paid our taxes to fund these projects, but Trump and the MAGA Republicans have decided to “liberate” us from the benefits for which we’ve already paid.
Communities in Roanoke County, the New River Valley, Lexington, Buena Vista, Floyd County, Craig County, Wise County and many others are losing more than $50 million in crucial funding. Here are three stark examples of the real-life consequences:
• Affordable Housing Development in Floyd County: Plans to extend utilities to enable affordable housing construction have stalled, jeopardizing families who need accessible homes and worsening the region’s economic disparities. ($1.5 million cut)
• Drinking Water Infrastructure Upgrade in Pound: Wise County residents have lost $2 million earmarked for upgrading essential drinking water facilities. Without these improvements, residents face continued health risks, and basic services remain compromised.
• Health Care Facility in Rockbridge Area: A desperately needed healthcare facility for Lexington, Buena Vista (my hometown) and Rockbridge County has been halted. Residents must now live longer without improved access to vital healthcare services, worsening health outcomes, and stretching limited local resources. ($2.5 million cut)
And, as if the financial pain weren’t enough — let’s talk eggs. Trump might claim he’s liberated you from high egg prices, but only because domestic eggs are now harder to find. His administration is importing eggs from Turkey, Brazil and South Korea to alleviate shortages.
On his made-up “Liberation Day,” President Trump can indeed proclaim, “I did that!” He’s responsible for your retirement and college savings shrinking by $15,000 in just 72 days. He’s made it harder for seniors to access their hard-earned Social Security benefits. If you’re a veteran who served our country, Trump’s administration has made accessing your healthcare and disability benefits even more difficult. And his indiscriminate tariffs will tack an extra $3,000 to $20,000 onto your next Ford F-150, Chevy Suburban or Dodge Ram.
Virginians deserve real solutions, not empty promises of liberation that leave us financially strained, communities underfunded, and our families struggling. Trump’s “Liberation Day” is a costly joke — and we’re the ones paying the price.
Del. David Reid, D-Loudoun County, has 35 years’ experience in the Northern Virginia business community, serves as the Democratic House Caucus business liaison, and served as the chair of the Manufacturing Development Commission.
