In the News

"Three Democratic U.S. representatives for California visited the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on Friday to voice their concerns after President Trump told reporters that the slowdown of activity at the ports was "a good thing."

Trump has argued that tariffs are needed to boost manufacturing jobs in the U.S. and that the slowdown in port activity "means we lose less money."

But steep duties on imports from key trade partners have resulted in fewer cargo containers moving through the two ports, which are the busiest in the nation.

With a 145% tariff on China, a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico, and 10% tariffs on dozens of other countries, the flow of goods into the U.S. is expected to slow drastically.

The drop off in activity means fewer jobs for longshoremen and truckers, and down the line, higher prices for consumers, the representatives said.

"Unfortunately, Trump engaged in a trade war without understanding the repercussions of his actions," U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles) told The Times. "This is going to cost them a lot."

During a Friday board tour of the port of Los Angeles, where towering cranes loaded cargo onto waiting ships, Gomez said in an interview that port workers and small business owners would be hit hardest by the tariffs.

The scene was less bustling than usual, port officials said. Seventeen ships have already canceled their planned trips to the Port of Los Angeles in May, port officials said, an occurrence known as a "blank sailing" that means less cargo being processed."