Congress locks in coffee tariff rates, blocking executive price hikes
S. 3072 — No Coffee Tax Act · Filed by Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) · 4 cosponsors · Introduced Oct 29, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill freezes tariff rates on coffee and coffee products imported from countries with which the U.S. has normal trade relations at the levels in effect on January 19, 2025, and prohibits the government from imposing higher tariffs on these items in the future, even during emergencies. Ordinary consumers and coffee importers benefit by avoiding tariff increases that would raise coffee prices.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is a statutory ceiling on tariff rates for coffee products, preventing executive escalation. It is a narrow trade-policy constraint, not a broad tariff reform or trade agreement.
What the text implies
- Freezes tariff authority at a specific date (Jan 19, 2025), which may reflect a particular tariff environment; if tariffs were already elevated on that date, the freeze locks in higher baseline rates rather than restoring pre-tariff levels.
- The phrase 'notwithstanding any regulation imposing tariffs on a country-by-country basis' may constrain retaliatory or targeted tariff authority, limiting the executive's ability to respond to trade disputes with specific countries.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
coffee importers and distributors; coffee retailers and food service operators; consumers (indirect benefit via price stability)