Tariffs

On May 4, Small Business Majority sent a letter to congressional leadership outlining how rising costs and economic headwinds, including fluctuating tariff rates and the war abroad, are stifling small businesses across the nation. Sent at the start of National Small Business Week, the letter urges lawmakers to address the challenges facing small firms today by prioritizing policies that lower costs and level the playing field. 

Small Business Majority Founder & CEO John Arensmeyer sent a letter to President Trump outlining the state of small businesses ahead of the State of the Union address. The letter examines the stark reality facing Main Street: the dual pressures of skyrocketing healthcare costs and the direct consequences of sweeping tariffs and escalating immigration enforcement have made it increasingly difficult for small businesses to sustain and grow their operations. To provide immediate relief to Main Street, Mr. Arensmeyer urged the administration to adopt small business-friendly policies, which include ending sweeping tariffs, renewing expired healthcare premium tax credits that lower costs for marketplace participants, and halting disruptive immigration enforcement tactics that exacerbate workforce shortages.

On September 10th, Small Business Majority Colorado Director Hunter Nelson sent a letter to Governor Polis, Senate President Coleman and Speaker of the House McCluskie urging them to act in any way they can to invest in small businesses in order to help offset the harm of tariffs. 

On November 20, Small Business Majority network member Shirley Modlin, co-owner of 3D Design and Manufacturing in Powhatan, VA, testified at a House Committee on Small Business hearing to discuss issues impacting her business and small manufacturers nationwide, including tariffs, workforce shortages and rising healthcare costs.

Watch her testimony »

On November 5, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Learning Resources v. Trump, the case challenging the administration’s authority to impose broad global tariffs under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA). On the morning of the oral arguments, Small Business Majority National Small Business Council member Mike Brey attended a press conference to urge the Supreme Court to stand up for small businesses by striking down the tariffs implemented under IEEPA.

Watch Mike's remarks.

As new global tariffs wreak havoc on small businesses, Small Business Majority released a new fact sheet detailing findings from a recent national poll that explores how small businesses are responding to evolving tariff policies. 
 

As members of Congress return to their home states and districts for the August recess, now is a key moment to engage with your elected officials and make your voice heard as a local small business owner. From tariffs and taxes to access to capital, healthcare, and workforce challenges, your representatives need to hear directly from you to better understand how Congress can support the success and resilience of small businesses across the country.

On April 18, Small Business Majority submitted a statement for the record in response to an April 8th Senate Finance Committee hearing with United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Jamieson Greer titled “The President’s 2025 Trade Policy Agenda.” The statement underscores how sweeping, unpredictable tariffs have directly harmed small businesses across the country, fueling uncertainty on Main Street. Small Business Majority submitted a similar statement in response to the April 9th House Ways & Means Committee hearing with Ambassador Greer. 

On April 14, Small Business Majority submitted a statement for the record in response to a recent joint House and Senate Small Business Committee hearing titled “Prosperity on Main Street: Keeping Taxes Low for Small Businesses.” Our statement urges Congress to reform the 199A pass-through deduction to deliver more meaningful tax relief for small businesses, particularly as they face increasing economic uncertainty from the administration’s unpredictable rollout of global tariffs.