US lawmakers plan to introduce bipartisan bill to kill coffee tariffs, Washington Post reports

Sept 19 (Reuters) - U.S. Representatives Don Bacon and Ro Khanna plan to introduce bipartisan legislation that would exempt coffee products from any tariffs imposed after Jan. 19, 2025, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing a copy of the draft legislation.

The exemption would apply to roasted and decaffeinated coffee, as well as coffee husks, skins, and other drinks or substitutes containing coffee, the report said.

Republican Bacon and Khanna, who is a Democrat, said they focused on coffee because they want to help Americans save on a daily staple, according to the report.

"Why are we tariffing American citizens on something that we don't even grow? It doesn't make sense," Bacon told the newspaper.

Representatives for Bacon, Khanna and the White House did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Coffee is one of the items that are keeping food prices in the United States persistently high since the Trump administration applied a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports at the end of July, including green coffee.

Prices for arabica coffee, the mild variety mostly used by coffee chains such as Starbucks SBUX.O and Dunkin' Donuts, have since jumped around 50% at the Intercontinental Exchange in New York.

Brazil used to supply a third of all the coffee used in the U.S., but shipments have dried up since the tariffs were imposed.