Greg Abbott backed the emergency tariffs Trump placed on Canada, Mexico and China in February 2025, calling them a tactic for border security, and his spokesman told the Texas Tribune he supported every tool the president used against fentanyl. The Supreme Court ruled on February 20, 2026 that the emergency law behind those tariffs gave the President no power to impose them.
The Yale Budget Lab estimated in March 2025 that those tariffs would cost the average household $1,600 to $2,000, and China answered the higher tariff on its goods with a 10% tariff on U.S. sorghum; U.S. sorghum shipments to China dropped by over 95% in the first half of 2025, leaving Texas growers with a weaker market.
Greg Abbott's Statements Backing the 2025 Tariffs
- Abbott Defended Trump's Tariffs on Canada and Mexico as a Tactic in February 2025. In an interview with CBS News Texas after his State of the State address, Greg Abbott said of the tariffs the president had announced on Canada and Mexico: "Everyone knows Trump uses tariffs as a tactic to achieve another goal," and "Trump levied or said he was going to levy these tariffs to achieve the goal of having a safer United States, of having a more secure border." CBS published the interview on February 4, 2025. Those emergency tariffs stayed in force until February 20, 2026, when the Supreme Court held that IEEPA, the emergency powers law, "does not authorize the President to impose tariffs." Refunds go to the importers that paid the tariffs, and only those that have sued are in line for full refunds, Holland & Knight reported.
- Abbott's Office Said He Stood by Whatever Tariff Tactics Trump Used, as Tariffs Projected to Cost Households $1,600 to $2,000 Took Effect. In a statement on the new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, Greg Abbott's office said that he agreed with their goal of reducing drug trafficking and stood by whatever tactics the president used, the Tribune reported on February 27, 2025. His spokesman, Andrew Mahaleris, said: "Governor Abbott fully supports President Trump using every tool and strategy to protect Americans from this deadly crisis." The Yale Budget Lab estimated on March 3, 2025, as these tariffs were set to take effect, that they would raise prices by 1.0 to 1.2 percent, the equivalent of a $1,600 to $2,000 loss for the average household, with households at the bottom of the income scale losing $900 to $1,100 and motor vehicles and food among the goods rising most in price.
- Abbott Backed the Added China Tariff in February 2025; China Answered With a Sorghum Tariff and Sorghum Shipments to China Collapsed. Greg Abbott's office backed the February 2025 tariffs, which added a further 10% tariff on Chinese goods, saying he stood by whatever tactics the president used to fight drug trafficking, according to the Texas Tribune. On March 4, 2025, China answered the increase in the fentanyl tariff with a 10% tariff on U.S. sorghum and soybeans and a 15% tariff on wheat, corn and cotton, starting March 10, Faegre Drinker reported. As the trade dispute went on, U.S. sorghum "Shipments to China fell more than 95% in the first half of the year" in 2025, and "for farmers across Texas and the Southern Plains, the result has been a fragile Gulf basis," Southern Ag Today reported.
What the Tariffs Greg Abbott Backed Cost Texas Farmers and Businesses
- Texas sorghum growers lost most of their largest foreign market. The United States supplied about 72% of China's sorghum imports in 2019 to 2023, and after China's 2025 duties Australia and Argentina moved in to fill part of the gap, leaving growers in Texas and the Southern Plains facing an unstable Gulf export price, Southern Ag Today reported.
- The tariffs reached the $142 billion in goods Texas imported from Mexico in 2023. Mexico is Texas's largest trade partner, and Texas bought more than $142 billion of goods from Mexico in 2023, all of which would be subject to the tariffs, the Texas Tribune reported on February 27, 2025, as Mexico, Canada and China threatened retaliation against Texas exports.
Frequently Asked Questions About Greg Abbott on Tariffs and Prices
What is Greg Abbott's record on tariffs under Trump?
Greg Abbott's record on tariffs is his public backing of them: in February 2025 he called the president's tariffs on Canada and Mexico a tactic to secure the border, and his spokesman Andrew Mahaleris told the Texas Tribune that Abbott supported every tool the president used. The Yale Budget Lab projected those tariffs would raise prices, and China answered the added China tariff with a tariff on U.S. sorghum. The Supreme Court struck down the emergency tariffs in February 2026.
Has Greg Abbott said tariffs would hurt the Texas economy?
No. Greg Abbott said in February 2025 that Texas had come through the tariffs of Trump's first term and would do so again. At the time, CBS reported, business owners in Texas, the largest exporting state, were worried about retaliatory tariffs from Mexico and Canada.
Will Texans get their money back for the tariffs Greg Abbott backed?
Greg Abbott backed the emergency tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China that the Supreme Court ruled unlawful on February 20, 2026, but refunds go to the importers that paid them, and full refunds are going only to importers that filed suit, according to Holland & Knight.
Last updated: 2026-10-26