Baby on board: Mass. lawmaker asks Trump to keep strollers, cribs out of his trade war

A Democratic lawmaker from Massachusetts, joined by more than two dozen of her colleagues, has called on the Trump White House to exempt already pricey baby products from its overseas trade war.

In a letter shared exclusively with MassLive, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District, called on U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to move ahead with exemptions for such key products as strollers, car seats, cribs and highchairs from current and future tariffs.

“We urge you to relieve families of the high tariffs on products they need to care for their children,” Pressley and her colleagues wrote “As you are aware, baby products are not optional luxury goods. They are necessities for millions of American families to ensure a safe environment for infants.”

Other signatories to the letter included U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Chris Pappas, D-N.H.

The nation’s top treasury official told the Boston Democrat that such an exemption was “under consideration” when the two squared off during his appearance before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee in May.

During that hearing, Pressley asserted that nearly 90% of the car seats sold in the United States are made in China, which has been targeted with steep tariffs.

President Donald Trump later confirmed the White House was mulling such an exemption. But more than a month later, the Republican administration has yet to take action, Pressley and her colleagues wrote.

Prices for key baby products have jumped by as much as 30% during the White House’s on-again, off-again trade war.

That’s put a “significant and unnecessary burden on working families,” who spend as much as $20,000 during their child’s first year, Pressley’s office asserted.

That includes nearly $1,000 on baby safety gear alone.

An analysis prepared by Democratic staff on Congress’s Joint Economic Committee put hard numbers to those increases.

New parents could pay as much as an extra $875 million for baby products this year, with Massachusetts parents on the hook for as much as an extra $20.6 million, according to Pressley’s office.

During his first term, Trump’s top trade representative created specific carve-outs for baby products, Pressley and her colleagues noted.

“At a time when families are already struggling with the rising costs of food, housing, and healthcare, trade policies that further inflate essential childcare expenses are both counterproductive and deeply concerning,” the lawmakers wrote. “We therefore urge you to immediately work with the president to exempt baby and toddler products from current and future tariffs, particularly those involving imports from China.”

They requested a response to their letter by July 10, 2025. The Treasury Department could not immediately be reached for comment for this story.