by Greg Walcher, E&E Legal Senior Policy Fellow
The Daily Sentinel
In the 1967 classic, “The Graduate,” Dustin Hoffman gets pulled aside for the ultimate one-word advice about his future: “Plastics.” It was a prophetic view of the entire nation’s economic future.
In President Trump’s speech to Congress on March 4, he did not shy away from talking about his tariff plan. Tariffs are controversial, pitting the concepts of free trade against fair trade, but one thing is virtually certain in the coming months — there’s going to be a run on products made in America.
Given the amount of toys made in China, it stands to reason that American toy makers are seeing a historic uptick in orders since the announcement of the tariffs. A New York Post headline read: “US toy factories slammed with orders after Trump tariffs on China, Mexico imports.” It seems that the 20% duty on Chinese-made goods and the 25% tariff on Mexican and Canadian products are directing demand in the U.S., especially toward a small group of toy manufacturers — including 3D printing farms that can make products domestically for companies that typically manufacture overseas. One company, Pye Games, operates 560 3D printers and is openly touting not only “made in the USA,” but also “no tariffs.”
Colorado has a number of innovative, local manufacturers like Kodo, a maker of STEM toys and games for kids, and Apogee, a model rocket company. In addition to such small businesses, Colorado is also home to multiple Lockheed Martin facilities and hundreds of medical device companies. What do toys, satellites and medical equipment all have in common?
Plastic.
