On October 29, Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) addressed the Senate floor to draw attention to the impact of tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump on American small businesses. The remarks were made ahead of a Senate vote on a resolution seeking to block these tariffs on imports from Canada and shortly before oral arguments are set to begin at the U.S. Supreme Court regarding Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) for tariff implementation. Previous lower court rulings found that Trump’s use of IEEPA in this context was illegal.
“Small business owners are struggling in President Trump’s economy—from energy to health care to food, costs are up, while manufacturing jobs are down. At the heart of it are President Trump’s crushing tariffs. These tariffs are taxes for American small businesses. President Trump is taxing food, clothing, toys, and even tea—and the last time there was a tax on tea, there was a revolution,” said Markey.
He continued: “President Trump says it is ‘enemies of the country’ suing him over tariffs. It is actually Main Street small business owners. For small businesses, this isn’t about politics. It is about survival. Trump’s tariffs have cost small businesses more than $30 billion already this year, while big businesses and CEOs are meeting with the President and receiving generous exemptions.”
Markey concluded: “Small businesses have no Mar-a-Lago memberships, no golden gifts for President Trump, and no margin for error. I will not back down. I will continue to stand up for small businesses across the country from red states to blue states who are bearing the burden of these tariffs.”
Markey has taken several actions aimed at assisting small businesses affected by these economic policies. Last month he held a press conference highlighting stories from impacted business owners and released data detailing how much they have paid due to these tariffs. He also introduced legislation called the Small Business RELIEF Act that would exempt small firms from certain tariffs and require refunds for those who have already paid them.
In August, Markey sent letters to several top administration officials—including Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler—urging their agencies to create clear procedures so companies could seek refunds on tariff payments. Earlier attempts by Markey to pass related legislation in May and August were blocked by Republicans in the Senate.
