Jim Bittner, managing partner of Bittner-Singer Orchards and John Percy, president of Destination Niagara USA, took part in a roundtable discussion with Gov. Kathy Hochul and business leaders and farmers from Western New York on the challenges they’ve faced over the past year while navigating the Trump administration’s tariff policies.
After the Supreme Court ruled the president’s tariffs unlawful, Hochul immediately called for the federal government to return the $13.5 billion illegally taken from New Yorkers. During the Monday’s 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.”
Other participants of the roundtable included:
• AJ Baynes, president & CEO, Amherst Chamber of Commerce
• Angelo Barberic, sales manager, AirSep
• Rebecca Brady, owner, Top Seedz
• Jon Notarius, owner, Premier Wines & Spirits
• Chris Wopperer, vice president, Thermal Foams
• Justine Duquette, owner, Cup of CommuniTEA
• Christian Johnson, founder & CEO, Beautiful Brains
• State Sen. Jeremy Zellner
• Assemblymember Karen McMahon
• Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz
• Amherst Town Supervisor Shawn Lavin
For more than a year, Hochul said she 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, Hochul 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.