HARRISBURG (TNS) — Republican U.S. House members from Pennsylvania generally fall in line with President Donald Trump but a state that’s home to Hershey and other big candy makers, they are drawing a hard line on cocoa.

“Cocoa inputs represent one of the largest costs to many of these companies so the additional costs associated with tariffs will put considerable strain on companies small, medium, and large,” the GOP lawmakers wrote in a June 30 letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. “This strain represents a threat to the domestic manufacturing jobs this administration is seeking to protect.”

WGAL-TV reported that most cocoa imports come from Cote d’Ivoire, Ecuador and Ghana. The Trump administration imposed tariffs of 21% on Cote d’Ivoire and 10% on Ecuador and Ghana.

According to the National Confectioners Association, an industry trade group, imports to the United States of confectionery, chocolate and cocoa total $4.4 billion annually.

Signing the letter were U.S. Rep. Scott Perry of York County, Rep. Lloyd Smucker of Lancaster County and Rep. John Joyce of Blair County and six other members. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler from southwestern Pennsylvania was the only GOP member from the state not to sign the letter.

Perry, whose 10th Congressional District covers Hershey, said in a statement on X/Twitter that he has asked the Trump administration for a “fair and balanced trade policy” on cocoa imports.

“Everyone loves chocolate. But confectioners of all sizes are under significant threat if we don’t revise the looming tariffs on our chocolate manufacturing industry,” Perry said. “With the support of my colleagues, I contacted the Trump administration to request a fair and balanced trade policy – one that won’t inadvertently hamstring thousands of hardworking Americans in the chocolate industry, especially here in Pennsylvania.”

In that same X post, Perry said that cocoa trees exclusively grow within 20 degrees of the equator, making “America’s chocolate industry entirely dependent upon imports.”

Perry said that “we need to protect our domestic chocolate industry, which employs tens of thousands of Americans, and is part of what makes Pennsylvania such a sweet place to call home.”

Perry’s mild break from Trump administration policies, though, is not enough to insulate him from criticism on his unwavering support for the recently approved tax and spending law. The act has been decried by Democrats as a tax giveaway to the wealthy and a devastating blow to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

On Tuesday, Affordable Pennsylvania, a project of the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy, launched a $4 million ad blitz on radio, TV, print and digital urging Perry to oppose Trump’s widespread tariffs.

The ad features Andrea Grove, the founder of Elementary Coffee Co. in Harrisburg, addressing how tariffs and tax cuts for the rich and corporations hurt small businesses and working families.

In the ad, Grove says, “I built my coffee shop from the ground up. Every penny counts. So, these tariffs are creating chaos. Coffee beans are imported. I can’t afford to pay the tariffs out of pocket.”

She goes on to say that “tariffs have the potential to destroy my business, but Congressman Scott Perry supported the tariffs. They’re another tax driving up costs on small businesses like mine, to give tax cuts to big corporations and billionaires. Scott Perry should be looking out for small businesses instead of big corporations. I wish Scott Perry was looking out for us.”

Perry, who narrowly defeated former TV host Janelle Stelson last November, is considered a target for Democrats in 2026 and Stelson has indicated that she might run again.

A Perry spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ad.