Gas prices are sitting at $4.46 a gallon in Washington, D.C. Transportation is becoming increasingly expensive. The average price of a new vehicle in the United States is $49,461, and the average price of a used car is $26,342. For those looking for simple transportation, finding anything affordable can be difficult.
I support the American worker, understand the national security concerns that require onshoring, and support the revitalization of domestic manufacturing. However, a few executive regulations are making vehicles more expensive for consumers and making the U.S. market less competitive than global markets such as China’s. To make vehicles more affordable for consumers, the United States should eliminate the Chicken Tax and the Most-Favored-Nation tariffs on imported vehicles from Japan and South Korea.
The Chicken Tax was originally enacted after a dispute over poultry exports with Europe. To counter this, President Lyndon B. Johnson imposed a 25% tariff on imported light trucks. As a result, in 2026, the U.S. truck market is largely dominated by domestic manufacturers such as Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis. With the average price of a full-size truck being roughly $65,000, the cheapest option, the Ford Maverick, starts at $29,000.
