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New Data Shows American Businesses Have Paid $265 Billion in Overall Presidential Tariffs & $151 Billion in Illegal IEEPA Tariffs
State by State "Liberation Day" View: Texas has paid $28 billion, Georgia $16 billion, Ohio $8.7 billion, and Florida $9.1 billion in presidential tariffs since March 2025. Businesses in all 50 states are still waiting for refunds of $151 billion in tariffs the Supreme Court ruled were illegally collected. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WASHINGTON, D.C. -- April 2, 2026 -- One year to the day after President Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff announcement, new Census Bureau data shows
We Pay the Tariffs
Apr 2
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Small Business Stories
Tariffs Don’t Just Cost Millions—They Kill Growth
For some small businesses, the cost of tariffs isn’t just what they’ve already paid—it’s everything they never had the chance to earn. For a Nevada-based importer operating with just one employee, the impact has been staggering. “Not only were we forced to pay, mostly out-of-pocket , for these tariff hikes, but the tariffs also were a severe deterrent for receiving more business from our customers due to fear, and uncertainty . Not only did we lose millions, but it also l
We Pay the Tariffs
7 days ago
How Long Can a Business Absorb the Cost?
For many producers, tariffs don’t just raise costs—they test how long a business can hold the line before something breaks. At St. George Spirits, an artisanal distillery with 35 employees, that pressure is already clear. “We import hundreds of thousands of glass bottles directly from Germany. From previously no duty to the now 15% has added thousands and thousands of dollars to every container we import. Other imported items have had tariff surcharges added to our bill. We
We Pay the Tariffs
7 days ago
Tariffs Don’t Just Raise Prices—They Shrink Small Businesses
For small retailers, tariffs don’t arrive in isolation. They ripple through every part of the business—raising costs, squeezing margins, and ultimately driving customers away. Tree Huggers Trading Co., a small gift and coffee shop in Allenspark, Colorado, is feeling that pressure from all sides. As tariffs took effect, the business was hit with additional fees before their wholesale orders could even ship . Costs that had already been negotiated suddenly increased, leaving
We Pay the Tariffs
7 days ago
The Pain Didn’t End with IEEPA—Tariffs Are Still Holding Small Businesses Back
For a California-based wine importer, the financial strain of tariffs didn’t stop with IEEPA—it continues today, driven by ongoing uncertainty and shifting tariff policies. As they explain: “The tariff on my last two shipments of 2025 had unexpectedly increased from 10% to 15% between the time that I had confirmed the orders with my suppliers and when the shipments cleared customs. As a result, I have delayed ordering other needed products because I am afraid I won't have t
We Pay the Tariffs
Apr 14
Pre-Booked Orders, Sudden Tariffs—And a Small Business on the Brink
For a Texas-based sustainable fashion company with just four employees, tariffs didn’t just raise costs—they are pushing the business toward closure. As they explain: “After 12 years in business, our company is now nearing insolvency due to the impact of the IEEPA tariffs implemented in 2025 . As a sustainable fashion brand, approximately 75% of our orders are pre-booked up to a year in advance, and our pricing was not structured to absorb the sudden 50% increase in costs o
We Pay the Tariffs
Apr 14
When Tariffs Hit the Job Site: One Contractor’s $200K Loss
For Central Florida Electrician, an electrical contractor based in Orlando, Florida, tariffs didn’t just raise costs—they wiped out profits on projects that were already signed. As they explain: “ Materials costs increased 48.7% over 3 quarters in 2025 due to tariffs . I was contracted with multiple commercial projects and had no ability for price escalation clauses . I lost hundreds of thousands in materials costs .” Like many contractors, this business operates on fix
We Pay the Tariffs
Apr 14
Running on Fumes: A 27-Year Business Pushed to the Brink
For nearly three decades, Wizard Industries, Inc., a small woman-owned business based in Ukiah, Utah, built its operations the way policymakers often say they want American businesses to operate—long-term investment, steady growth, and a commitment to keeping products flowing to customers. But over time, tariffs began to erode that foundation. “We are a small woman-owned USA business of 27 years. The tariffs from the first Trump administration began tearing us apart finan
We Pay the Tariffs
Apr 7
Closed by Tariffs: A 20-Year Business Comes to an End
For two decades, Sweet Home Industries in Batavia, Illinois, quietly contributed to the American economy as a one-person, family-run business. In 2025, that came to an end. “Our family business is a one-employee enterprise that for 20 years created value for the American economy. In 2025 the tariffs finally made business untenable, and we had to close our doors .” After years of staying afloat, the added cost of tariffs proved to be the breaking point. There were no margi
We Pay the Tariffs
Apr 7
Survival Mode: When Tariffs Hit Small Businesses First
For one small Texas company, tariffs weren’t an abstract policy debate—they were the difference between stability and survival. The business, just five people strong, imports parts from China and assembles their product in the United States. It’s the kind of operation policymakers often say they want to support: small, domestic assembly, value added at home, jobs rooted in the local economy. But when tariffs hit, that model quickly unraveled. “We only had one big import
We Pay the Tariffs
Apr 7
Tariffs Are Hitting Every Corner of Small Business—Even Your Local Coffee Shop
A small coffee roaster in Ohio is facing a reality many small businesses know well: rising tariff costs with no room to absorb them. As they explain: “We are a small coffee roaster in Ohio. We had to eat much of our cost increases. We ended up spending 67% more in inventory cost for green coffee but ended of the year with 40% less inventory . Not only did the tariffs increase our cost of goods, but the impact of the tariffs on the secondary market were devastating to o
We Pay the Tariffs
Mar 25
Tariffs Didn’t Raise Costs—They Forced This Small Business to Downsize
Studio 2b, LLC, a small furniture importer based in Lakewood, Colorado, has paid over $15,000 in tariffs—and like many small businesses, they’ve had to absorb all of it . Their story shows how tariffs don’t just impact prices—they reshape businesses. As Studio 2b explains: “ We recently sold our building in Denver due to costs , we now have 2 smaller locations, we still work with clients and order furniture directly from the manufacturers, so we are the importer of recor
We Pay the Tariffs
Mar 25
“Made in America” Still Means Paying the Tariffs
Hapco Inc., a 15-person plastics manufacturing company based in Baraboo, Wisconsin, represents exactly the kind of business tariffs are often supposed to protect: a domestic manufacturer creating products and jobs here in the United States. But their experience tells a very different story. As Hapco explains: “We are a small plastics manufacturing company that imports some products that are not made in the USA. We started importing several years ago and based pricing on d
We Pay the Tariffs
Mar 25
Tariffs Hit Where You Least Expect Them
Tariffs don’t just affect manufacturers or importers. They can ripple across the economy in ways many people wouldn’t expect —affecting small businesses far removed from global trade. That’s what happened to Krug Development, a three-person company working on a new hotel project in Red Lodge, Montana . The company had ordered furniture, fixtures, and equipment (often called FFE in the hospitality industry) for the project well before the tariffs were announced. “We purc
We Pay the Tariffs
Mar 16
“We Paid $1,210,152.45 in Illegal Tariffs”
For one small business in New Jersey, the impact of tariffs is not theoretical — it’s measured down to the cent. “The President’s comments that the foreign countries are paying these tariffs is completely wrong,” the owner says. “We have paid $1,210,152.45 since the tariffs were announced last April . We have absorbed a significant portion of these added costs , and it has hurt our overall sales” For a small business, absorbing more than $1.2 million in additional costs i
We Pay the Tariffs
Mar 16
How tariffs can ripple across an entire small business
MMA International LLC, a small wholesale jewelry business in Austin, Texas with six employees, relies on a global network of suppliers to bring unique products to the U.S. market. “I import geographically specific products like Baltic amber from Poland, Ancient Roman glass from Israel, chain from Italy, and cultured pearls from China — products that simply could never wholly be made here,” the owner explains. “I buy from some domestic manufacturers as well.” When tariffs
We Pay the Tariffs
Mar 16
Tariffs Drained This Small Business. Refunds Could Help It Recover.
For Speedway Shelters in Sequel, California, the impact of tariffs has been immediate and severe. The company has spent more than 18 years manufacturing motorcycle shelters , building a niche product and a loyal customer base over nearly two decades. But the sudden rise in tariffs dramatically increased the cost of bringing their products into the United States — threatening the financial stability of the business. “Speedway Shelters has been making motorcycle shelters for ov
We Pay the Tariffs
Mar 10
Tariffs on the Ground: A Memphis Business Forced to Cut Back
For many small businesses, tariffs are often discussed in abstract terms — percentages, trade disputes, or geopolitical strategy. But for companies on the ground, the costs show up immediately in the form of higher bills, tighter cash flow, and difficult decisions about staffing and growth . One Memphis, Tennessee business has paid more than $250,000 in additional tariffs since April 2025. “Tariffs have hit us and our customers hard,” the company explains. “On a shipment
We Pay the Tariffs
Mar 10
When Tariffs Threaten a Growing Business: 7P Solutions’ Story
At the start of 2025, 7P Solutions in Nashville, Indiana was doing exactly what policymakers often say they want small businesses to do: grow, hire, and invest in the future. “We ended 2024 as a strong, growing business and entered 2025 with incredible momentum,” the company explains. “In the first quarter of 2025 alone, we generated nearly three times our entire 2024 profit. We were building, hiring, investing, and planning for the future .” The trajectory was clear. The
We Pay the Tariffs
Mar 10
“We Chewed Through Our Profits. Then Our Retirement.”
For Cat in the Bag, LLC in New Castle, Pennsylvania, the IEEPA tariffs were an existential threat. The company paid 50% tariffs for six months to receive inventory from India — resulting in between $60,000 and $70,000 in additional tariff costs . For a small business, that is not a margin squeeze. That is survival on the line. As the company explains: “Faced with this enormous increase in tariffs, we had options of abandoning our inventory in India and wrecking our rela
We Pay the Tariffs
Mar 3
Paid Again and Again — and Still Paying More
Ganesh Himal Trading is a fair-trade import business that has worked with artisans in Nepal since 1984 . For more than 40 years, the business has operated on long-term relationships, ethical sourcing, and stable pricing for customers. That stability unraveled over the past year . Under the IEEPA tariff regime, Ganesh Himal Trading paid between $5,000 and $10,000 or more per shipment — and received six shipments subject to those tariffs . Each shipment meant another unexpec
We Pay the Tariffs
Mar 3
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