Positioning Minnesota for trade success amid tariff talks

By Doug Loon
President and CEO
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce

It’s been an interesting week, with some whiplash around tariffs and ongoing trade challenges with our global partners. The pause this week by President Trump comes as a bit of a relief, but the broader conversation around trade and tariffs will certainly continue.

At the Minnesota Chamber and across the state, we view trade through the lens of creating fair and effective trade agreements. Past trade deals have helped Minnesota expand its global partnerships and grow our economy. Today, our exports alone account for about $30 billion in value. That’s approximately 6% of the state’s GDP and supports roughly 750,000 jobs.

Minnesota’s economy is deeply connected to global supply chains – both imports and exports – which is why we need to be thoughtful about how tariffs may impact our businesses and workers. We're working with partners in Washington and here at home to ensure Minnesota remains in a strong position. If the goal is to secure better, fairer trade deals, we want to make sure our state is poised to benefit.

This effort ties directly into our current policy priorities at the Minnesota Legislature. During these uncertain times, we must strengthen our economic foundation. That means focusing on smart tax policy, responsible budgeting, regulatory reforms like permitting, and addressing mandates – such as leave policies – that increase costs for businesses. Our goal is to maintain Minnesota’s competitive edge.

As the Legislature heads into its weeklong break, we encourage you to connect with your legislators while they’re back in the district. This is a critical time for them to hear directly from you – business owners, leaders, and managers – about the importance of a balanced budget, avoiding new taxes, and advancing bipartisan solutions like permitting reform and workplace mandate reforms that affect both employers and employees.

You can learn more about our work on permitting reform and other priorities by visiting our website.

Lastly, Governor Walz joined the Chamber’s Board of Directors earlier this week. We had productive discussions around paid family and medical leave, permitting reform, and tax policy, including areas of agreement like the R&D tax credit. We thank the Governor for engaging with the business community and look forward to positive outcomes from this session.

But we need your help. Please take a moment to reach out to your legislators. Now is the time to support policies that strengthen our private sector economy across Minnesota.

Thanks for all you do to support Minnesota’s business community. I’ll catch up with you again on next week’s episode of the Minnesota Business Podcast.