FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2025
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ICYMI: Tariffs Drive Louisiana Toward Recession, Data Shows
As the Trump administration continues to implement across the board tariffs on a wide range of countries, Louisiana is facing growing economic strain across multiple sectors. Economists are warning of a looming recession. Businesses across a range of sectors from coffee to oil and gas are seeing higher costs and raising prices for consumers.
KADN | Louisiana’s economy nears recession; economists blame tariffs
Economists are warning that Louisiana is teetering on the edge of a recession, with new data showing the state’s GDP has fallen to the worst in the Southeast.
“Produce from Mexico, there’s obviously … tariffs on Mexican goods now, which is going to affect grocery prices.” Said Economic Analyst Thomas Fellow.
“There are tariffs with aluminum and steel, which are obviously affecting the construction industries as well”
Times-Picayune | Louisiana coffee roasters have been squeezed by new tariffs. Now they are raising prices.
“Tariff concerns just add another layer of stress and anxiety to coffee importers, roasters, and retailers in the U.S. as we try to keep our prices low but figure out what we need to charge to cover our costs.” Said Clarke Cadzow, owner of Highland Coffees in Baton Rouge.
“You cannot understate the effect that it will have on coffee. It will be unfeasible for most coffee companies to purchase Brazilian coffee if the 50% tariff is charged.” Said Drew Cambre, sustainability manager at International Coffee Corp., on the proposed 50% tariff on Brazilian coffee
Shreveport-Bossier Advocate | Less business, higher costs: Survey says tariffs, uncertainty affecting oil and gas in LA, TX
A new Dallas Fed survey of oil and gas firms across Louisiana and Texas found that business activity is declining, costs are rising, and smaller companies are struggling to survive.
“The challenge is that in oil and gas, you make investments. Some of these investments can be longer life, and if you are uncertain, then it makes it harder to deploy that capital.” Said Dallas Federal Reserve Chair, Kunal Patel.
From rising grocery costs to struggling oil producers, tariffs are dragging Louisiana’s economy toward a breaking point. With the state’s GDP now the worst in the Southeast, the economic toll is becoming impossible to ignore.
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