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We Pay the Tariffs: Taking our Case Directly to Congress
In September 2025, small businesses did more than share their concerns about tariffs — they showed up in Washington to be heard . We Pay the Tariffs organized a two-day Capitol Hill lobby day that brought more than 100 small business owners to Washington, D.C . Over the course of two days, participants met with over 150 congressional offices across both the House and Senate , representing communities and industries from across the country. These meetings were not symboli
We Pay the Tariffs
1 day ago
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We Pay the Tariffs: Taking our Case Directly to Congress
In September 2025, small businesses did more than share their concerns about tariffs — they showed up in Washington to be heard . We Pay the Tariffs organized a two-day Capitol Hill lobby day that brought more than 100 small business owners to Washington, D.C . Over the course of two days, participants met with over 150 congressional offices across both the House and Senate , representing communities and industries from across the country. These meetings were not symboli
We Pay the Tariffs
1 day ago
We Pay the Tariffs: Building a Small Business Network
At the start of 2025, many small businesses facing high, unpredictable tariffs had no single place to turn. Many industry-specific groups existed, but tariff impacts did not fit neatly into one sector. There was no cross-sector space where small businesses of all types could organize around the shared reality of paying tariffs. We Pay the Tariffs emerged to fill that gap. The coalition did not begin as a formal advocacy campaign. It began organically, as small business owne
We Pay the Tariffs
2 days ago
From 3% to 55%: Tariffs Are Overwhelming a Third-Generation Ohio Business
For a third-generation, family-owned company in Ohio that wholesales and manufactures equine products, tariffs have gone from a manageable cost to an existential threat. The business supplies equine products to many other small companies across the United States — a supply chain built over decades. Before 2018, tariffs averaged around 3%. That changed dramatically with the China Section 301 tariffs, which pushed rates to 25%. Now, the latest round of tariffs has pushed the
We Pay the Tariffs
Jan 20
A One-Person Shop, Squeezed by Rising Input Costs
A sole proprietor who designs and hand-builds craft amplifiers entirely in the United States expected that making products domestically would shield the business from trade disruptions. Instead, rising tariff-driven input costs have made it harder than ever to keep building here . Every amplifier is designed, assembled, and tested in the U.S. — but the electronic components required to build them are sourced globally, and many simply aren’t made domestically at any viable s
We Pay the Tariffs
Jan 20
Tariffs Are Shrinking Construction Pipelines for Small U.S. Manufacturers
For Harding Autoparts Systems (APS), a 12-employee company based in Denver, tariffs are doing far more than raising the cost of steel and equipment. They are shrinking the entire pipeline of construction projects the company depends on. Harding APS supplies mechanical parking systems and steel components used in real estate developments nationwide. This year, the company has paid over $500,000 in additional tariffs — but the most damaging impact is what happens after those
We Pay the Tariffs
Jan 20
Republican NC Small Business Owner in The Carolina Journal: "Tariffs are taxing Main Street. NC families are paying the price."
READ: Matthew Cagle, a Republican who voted for President Trump, founder and president of Rig'Em Right Outdoors in Morehead City and member of We Pay the Tariffs, published a powerful op-ed in The Carolina Journal today highlighting the devastating impact of tariffs on North Carolina small businesses and families. Matthew Cagle grew up in Greenville, NC, attended Rose High School, and now runs Rig'Em Right Outdoors in Morehead City. He graduated from NC State with a degree
We Pay the Tariffs
Jan 20
A Texas Manufacturer Paid Over $1 Million in Tariffs — While Producing in the U.S.
In Missouri City, Texas, a manufacturing company with fewer than 50 employees is doing exactly what policymakers often say they want: producing goods in the United States . Yet this year, the company has paid more than $1 million in additional tariffs . The reason is straightforward. While final production happens domestically, some raw materials must be sourced overseas — inputs that simply aren’t available in the U.S. at the scale or specifications required. As the company
We Pay the Tariffs
Jan 12
Building Instruments in America — and Fighting Tariffs at Every Step
Cosmodio Instruments is a five-person company in Bedford, Massachusetts, designing and hand-assembling electronic musical instruments in the United States. It’s exactly the kind of small manufacturing business policymakers often say they want to support . But tariffs are making that work harder, not easier. While Cosmodio designs, builds, and assembles its products domestically, it relies on materials like PCBs and electronic components that are largely unavailable in the U.S
We Pay the Tariffs
Jan 12
After 22 Years in Business, Tariffs Are Pushing This New Jersey Company to the Brink
Babco Foods International, a New Jersey–based company, has spent more than two decades building a stable business. This year, that stability has unraveled — not because of falling demand or mismanagement, but because of tariffs that have drained the company’s cash flow at an unprecedented rate . Babco shared the reality they are facing : “Babco Foods is suffering huge cash-flow issues as a result of paying 50% in tariff on goods imported from India. We are a 22-year-old comp
We Pay the Tariffs
Jan 12
LISTEN: small business owner shares how Trump's tariffs affected sales.
LISTEN : Beth Benike, CEO of Busy Baby and We Pay the Tariffs coalition member, went on NPR's Morning Edition to discuss the impact of tariffs on her small business. She states: "We had the low revenue and things were quite difficult and debt was piling up. I had to let my brother go , and then I actually didn't pay myself for the whole summer. I went through my savings and I cashed in my retirement to keep the business afloat. "
We Pay the Tariffs
Jan 7
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