(NewsNation) — The White House continued its push toward affordability Friday, as President Donald Trump prepared to provide tariff exemptions on some food products.
The administration recently announced new trade deals with Ecuador, Argentina and El Salvador aimed at lowering the costs of coffee, chocolate and even bananas. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer added that broad exemptions were in the works for certain tariffs.
Rising prices for beef imports have been a significant concern for U.S. ranchers. The price of ground beef has increased to $6.32, up from $5.58 a year ago, according to the Federal Reserve. Meanwhile, the average price of a pound of ground coffee reached $9.14 in September, a 41% jump from 2024, according to the Associated Press. Chicken and bread prices have also been inching up.
However, Greer said the president’s trade plan is working.
“We’ve started to reshape the global trade system in a way that you think is better for America. And so now it’s the right time to release some of these items. The president said he was going to release them,” Greer said. “I mean, we look at Southeast Asia and South America. That’s where we get a lot of this stuff, you know, the coffee, the cocoa, the bananas, those kinds of things.”
The White House said Friday the U.S. had essentially reached a trade deal with Switzerland. Duties will be reduced to 15%, according to officials, and more details were expected to be released soon.