New York state Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday held a roundtable with business leaders and farmers from Erie and Niagara counties to hear about the challenges they’ve faced over the past year while navigating the Trump administration’s tariff policies. After the Supreme Court ruled the tariffs unlawful, Hochul immediately called for the federal government to return the $13.5 billion taken from New Yorkers.

During the conversation, the roundtable participants underscored how the economic chaos coming out of Washington has upended their families’ financial livelihood and made planning for the future impossible.

“Our small business owners and farmers are the backbone of New York’s economy, and they’ve shouldered the burden of the Trump administration’s reckless and illegal tariffs,” Hochul said. “I am honored to be in Western New York today to hear directly from those most impacted by the economic turmoil of the past year. Their stories make clear just how imperative it is that the federal government refund the $13.5 billion taken from New Yorkers.”

Participants of today’s roundtable included: AJ Baynes, President & CEO, Amherst Chamber of Commerce; John Percy, President, Destination Niagara USA; State Sen. Jeremy Zellner; Assemblywoman Karen McMahon; Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz and Amherst Town Supervisor Shawn Lavin.

For over a year, Hochul has been meeting with New Yorkers to discuss the impact of Trump’s tariffs on their lives. Just last week, she visited Victor Schwartz, the owner of VOS Selections and a plaintiff in the lawsuit that recently led to a Supreme Court decision. The same day, the Governor sent a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent calling on him to immediately work with federal agencies to refund all tariff payments to New Yorkers.

Based on estimates by the Budget Lab at Yale, the average New York household has faced an estimated $1,751 in added costs due to tariffs since they were enacted last year, for a total estimated $13.5 billion statewide impact.

While she continues to press for a refund, as part of her 2026 State of the State, the governor proposed $30 million in tariff relief to help support impacted farmers across the state. Even with the recent Supreme Court ruling overturning Trump’s tariffs, for many farmers the damage has already been done — with farmers across New York facing higher equipment and supply costs and other major challenges.