In Fall River, Massachusetts, a city that long relied on textiles and voted Republican in a presidential race for the first time in roughly a century, sweeping import tariffs touted by President Donald Trump are testing the promise of a manufacturing revival.
Local firms report higher costs for imported materials, difficulty hiring workers amid stricter immigration enforcement and uncertainty about sustained demand — a combination that has left some companies declining domestic production opportunities and others trimming investments.
In a corner of a converted 1890s factory, Accurate Services Inc. runs about 15 sewing machines producing neonatal hospital gear — a fraction of the family-run business’s scale in previous decades. Co-owner Frank Teixeira said the company has fielded more inquiries from firms seeking U.S.-based sewing after the administration’s tariffs took effect, but Accurate has turned down work because of hiring challenges and doubts that new orders will last. "It's just not going to happen," Teixeira said, adding that tariffs are a bad policy that will eventually have negative consequences for American businesses.
The tariffs, which the administration has applied to a range of imports in recent months at rates reported between roughly 10% and 50%, were promoted as a way to encourage domestic production and lower costs in the long run. Economists and trade experts warned that they would act as a tax on imports and likely increase costs for U.S. companies that rely on foreign inputs, and recent reporting from manufacturing executives in Fall River has shown those concerns translating into higher expenses and constrained operations.
Up the road from Accurate Services, luxury bedding maker Matouk said tariffs had added more than $100,000 in monthly costs between April and August by hitting raw materials such as cotton fabric from India, Portugal and other suppliers. "Because the materials are subject to tariffs just like everything else, the benefits are not there," said George Matouk, whose company employs about 300 people. He said the additional expense has led Matouk to cut back on investments in equipment and marketing and could force price increases that weigh on sales.
Smaller manufacturers reported mixed effects. Vanson Leathers, a motorcycle jacket maker founded in 1974, saw input costs rise about 15% this year. Owner Mike van der Sleesen, who supported the president, said he shared some concerns about foreign companies’ access to U.S. markets but criticized the uneven impact of tariffs on his supply chain and customers. "It's been a very uneven and unfair trade path for a company like Vanson," he said. Demand for Vanson's high-end jackets has held up so far, and some U.S. suppliers are reporting increased orders, but the company’s workforce remains a fraction of its size two decades ago.
The local business accounts align with broader indicators showing strain in the manufacturing sector. After an initial post-pandemic expansion, payrolls at U.S. manufacturing firms have decreased this year; one recent month saw a drop of 12,000 manufacturing jobs. Surveys of manufacturers signal contraction: the Dallas Federal Reserve reported that 71% of manufacturers it polled said the tariffs had already hurt their operations by raising resource costs and squeezing profits.
Studies of earlier, narrower tariff measures during the previous administration found that modest job gains in protected industries such as steel were offset by losses in firms dependent on imported parts. Economists say the net effects depend on the structure of supply chains, the share of costs born by consumers, and firms’ ability to substitute domestic inputs.
Local residents who backed the president’s tariff-driven message said they were willing to give the policies time. Retired transit worker Tom Teixeira, who is not related to the manufacturing family, said he voted for Mr. Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024 and remained hopeful that manufacturing could return, though he did not expect improvements overnight. "A year from now, if things aren't cheaper, we'll see," he said.
Still, business owners expressed frustration about being penalized by a policy that raises their costs while they have already invested in the United States. Matouk described the current challenges as "demoralising in a new way," saying the company had taken steps to support U.S. industrial capacity only to face higher input costs as a result of trade measures.
The mixed local accounts underscore the complexity of steering a revival in manufacturing through tariffs alone. While some suppliers report upticks in domestic orders and a few firms see potential for reshoring activity, many manufacturers that rely on imported raw materials and intermediate goods report immediate cost increases and constrained investment.
As the tariffs take hold, their broader economic effects will continue to be monitored through employment figures, industry surveys and company decisions on sourcing and investment. For towns like Fall River — where manufacturing once dominated the economy and where voters have been receptive to promises of renewed industrial prosperity — the coming months will test whether policy shifts translate into sustained, locally felt gains or primarily raise costs for businesses and consumers.
