“The Chamber supports many of the President’s policy goals, including eliminating unfair trade and non-trade barriers, and driving American investment. At the same time, we have heard from a historic number of small businesses who have made it clear: they need immediate relief from tariffs,” said Suzanne P Clark, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the US Chamber of Commerce.
“As each day goes by, small businesses are increasingly endangered by higher costs and interrupted supply chains that will cause irreparable harm. We applaud the administration’s efforts to negotiate as many new trade agreements as possible that expand market access for US companies and benefit American workers, but these deals take time, and many businesses simply can’t afford to wait while negotiations proceed,” added Clark.
The US Chamber of Commerce has urged the Trump administration to ease tariff burdens on small businesses by granting automatic and conditional exclusions.
Highlighting rising costs and supply chain disruptions, the Chamber proposed relief for products unavailable in the US and protection for jobs at risk.
Thousands of firms shared concerns about tariff impacts on operations and employment.
The Chamber in its letter urged the administration to provide tariff relief for small businesses. The announcement coincides with the Chamber’s CO—Small Business Day, which marks the start of small business month and hosts hundreds of small enterprises. Over 3,000 small businesses recently joined a Chamber call to discuss tariff challenges. It continues to highlight cases where unplanned tariff expenses and product disruptions are impacting operations and straining resources.
In addition to helping small businesses, the Chamber is seeking to protect businesses of all sizes and their workers by establishing an exclusion process for companies and American workers whose jobs are threatened by tariff impacts. Also, it has asked the administration to prevent escalating prices for consumers through exclusions on products that are not produced in the US.
“Whether it is coffee, bananas, cocoa, minerals or numerous other products, the reality is certain things just can’t be produced in the US,” said Clark. “Raising prices on those products will only hurt families struggling to pay their bills. In addition, the administration should protect American workers facing imminent job loss from the impact of tariffs by allowing for exemptions for companies at risk of layoffs.”
“We must work together to avoid a recession and to realize America’s economic potential. The President has no greater ally than the Chamber on our shared pro-growth priorities, like making our current tax policy permanent, reining in regulatory overreach, expanding trade opportunities for American businesses and workers, and unleashing America’s energy potential,” he further added.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
