U.S. families heading into the back-to-school season are contending with sharply higher prices on basic classroom items, a development retailers and lawmakers attribute to President Donald Trump’s widening tariff regime. Representative Steven Horsford cited data showing index cards up 42.6%, notebooks 17% and binders 13% from a year earlier, while merchants report parents shopping weeks earlier than usual to buffer the impact. July consumer prices overall rose 2.7% from 2024, with core inflation at 3.1%, and economists say import duties—now averaging roughly 18% and as high as 145% on some Chinese goods—are feeding through to household budgets. Retail analysts also warn that Canadian shoppers could see higher bills as companies “harmonize” prices with the tariff-driven increases in the United States, pushing up the cost of electronics, clothing and footwear. The squeeze comes as Congress debates health-care and tax measures, intensifying partisan clashes over who bears the cost of the trade policy. Across the Atlantic, the picture is different. A study by NielsenIQ found that school-supply prices in France fell between 3.4% and 6.2% in July compared with a year earlier, helped by aggressive promotions. The French papeterie association AIPB, which represents 145 brands, said it does not expect significant price swings during the summer buying season, although most discounts cluster around mid-August. The findings contradict a July survey by consumer group UFC-Que Choisir that pointed to a 2% increase, underscoring how the impact of global trade frictions can diverge by market.