The United States Chamber of Commerce today sent a letter to top officials in President Donald J. Trump’s administration responsible for tariff work expressing concern about the impact felt by small businesses across the country and asking for immediate relief.
In its letter, the U.S. Chamber is calling for an automatic exemption from tariffs for small businesses and the creation of an exemptions process for larger employers. Even with optimistic assumptions that negotiations will conclude with more than 100 countries in a matter of weeks or months, there are thousands of small businesses that need our help now.
Specifically, the U.S. Chamber is calling for:
- An automatic exclusion for small businesses, which are responsible for one-third of all U.S. imports;
- An automatic exclusion for products not available domestically; and
- An exclusion process similar to the one provided in President Trump’s first term, for instances, where domestic jobs are endangered by the tariffs.
Earlier this morning, U.S. Chamber President and CEO Suzanne Clark appeared on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street to detail the proposal and share stories from small businesses in communities across America whose message is clear: immediate tariff relief is essential for many Main Street businesses.
In a special Federation later today, U.S. Chamber Chief Policy Officer will dive deeper into the policy implications and the Chamber’s asks around this critical issue for American growth.
The U.S. Chamber noted that the President has no greater ally on shared pro-growth priorities—like making current tax policy permanent, reining in regulatory overreach, expanding trade opportunities for American businesses and workers, and unleashing America’s energy potential.