Shortly after the U.S.-led war in Iran began in late February, Ondrey Lawson noticed the surge in gas prices. Mr. Lawson, who owns Phrostbite Italian Ice with his wife, Mia, went to fill up the heavy duty pickup truck that they use to haul their sweet frozen treats around Houston. The cost stopped him cold. A tank of regular unleaded gas usually ran him $70. The total this time was $90.“Within a couple of days, things already started to skyrocket and get out of control,” he said.
Small Business News
03/25/2026 |
WCIA (Champaign, IL)
Geri Aglipay, senior fellow at Small Business Majority, said this time around, they have the needed supporters to turn this into law. “We feel we have the right partners, the right sponsor, the right leaders at the table to get this passed, because this is rising costs and affordability,” Aglipay said.
03/25/2026 |
LAist
“ A lot of folks are unfamiliar with it,” said Bianca Blomquist, California director at Small Business Majority…Blomquist said self-employed workers don’t have access to human resources departments or other resources that can tell them about these state leave programs. In addition to the lack of awareness, she said the program also works differently than the program for workers who are on payroll.
03/24/2026 |
Woodstock Institute
Small business owners, legislators and advocates gathered at the Illinois State Capitol today to call on lawmakers to pass the Small Business Financing Transparency Act (HB744 HA #1), also known as APR for All, legislation that would require non-bank lenders to disclose the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of loans offered to small businesses. The Coalition for Small Business Lending Transparency (CSBLT) member organizations include Small Business Majority.
03/23/2026 |
The Business Journals
A February survey by the Small Business Majority found that 60% of small businesses saw higher costs due to tariffs, and 50% ended up raising their prices because of it, up from 31% in a survey in August.
03/21/2026 |
CNN
Looking out his shop window, across the street, just to the right, Paloma Clothing co-owner Mike Roach sees one of Portland, Oregon’s, most expensive gas stations.His customers can see the price, too: $4.85 a gallon. “It’ll really get people’s eyeballs popping when it goes over $5,” Roach said. “We don’t have control over consumers’ confidence; we only have control over the price we sell to them,” said Roach, who has owned Paloma with his wife, Kim Osgood, for 50 years.
03/20/2026 |
Senator Chris Murphy
"Having seen the ways in which price fixing and similar anti-competitive practices can put small businesses at a severe disadvantage, we're pleased that Congress is taking action to strengthen existing antitrust law to give regulators greater power to stop repeat offenders who are committing violations of the Robinson-Patman Act.
03/20/2026 |
Small Business Trends
For instance, the Small Business Majority highlighted that about half of small business owners have raised prices on materials or products, with a notable percentage delaying the importation of goods. John Arensmeyer, the organization’s Founder and CEO, shared how businesses reliant on U.S. suppliers that import materials are disproportionately affected, as they lack the negotiating power that larger companies possess
03/17/2026 |
Daily Caller
American small business owners have also been facing climbing uncertainty and increased shipping costs due to tariffs, according to Renard Beaty, owner of Kick Start Martial Arts in Atlanta. “The biggest tool any [small business owner] has is certainty,” Beaty stated. “I can’t plan [around tariffs] because I don’t know what to expect, because … in the short run, it seemed like every other week there was something new, you know … You can’t plan around that. You can’t think around that.”
03/16/2026 |
MedCity News
In a letter to lawmakers on Monday, employer advocacy groups applauded the introduction of the Healthy Competition for Better Care Act, a bill that aims to increase competition in healthcare. The letter was signed by Small Business Majority.