Congresswoman for Iowa’s Third District Cindy Axne fears how President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Mexican goods could affect Iowans.

The president has ordered a 5% tariff to go into effect this Monday, unless a deal is worked out between the two countries to stem migrant traffic across the southern border. Axne says she hopes these tariffs do not go into effect, as the trade war with China is already devastating Iowa farmers and increasing consumer prices, “You add this on top of it? Mexico’s one of our biggest trading partners, that’s why we’re trying to work out the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement). This will increase costs on farmers, small businesses, and consumers because remember this, tariffs are a tax. Consumers pay for those in increased costs for the goods that they pay for because our importers, our manufacturers, our retailers bring those products in and they have to pay that extra fee and so they’re going to have to absorb that. And they usually pass that on in the form of increased prices to consumers.”

Axne says tariffs will not secure the border, and that Congress needs to look at serious ways of strengthening border security, such as increased funds for surveillance and security technology and more border agents. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, if the tariffs would climb as high as 25% by October as Trump declared, it could amount to $427,318,446 in imported goods to Iowa.