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 in civil engineering. Cagle is a member of We Pay the Tariffs, a coalition of over 800 small businesses advocating against tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

"The mom-and-pop businesses that anchor towns across Eastern North Carolina have been devastated by tariffs. All rely on imported products or imported components. Unlike giant corporations, small businesses can't raise prices overnight without losing customers."

Read the Full Op-Ed Below:

Tariffs are taxing Main Street. NC families are paying the price.

By Matthew Cagle

Carolina Journal | January 16, 2026

Small businesses are the backbone of America, and tariffs are straining it to the breaking point. Whether you're a parent buying a backpack, a retiree picking up a camp chair, or a small business owner trying to keep the lights on, you are paying for tariffs. I'm not speaking as an economist or political operative. I'm speaking as a small business owner from eastern North Carolina.

I grew up in Greenville, went to Rose High, and run a company in Morehead City. I see how these policies affect real people in payroll, inventory costs, and the purchasing power of local families.

I want to be transparent: I am a Republican. I voted for President Trump. I voted for a successful businessman who wasn't beholden to Washington and cared about working people. For years, I have traveled to Washington, DC, to meet with North Carolina's lawmakers about how tariffs hurt us. All said, they understood my pain, and it was Democrats who were blocking any possible tariff relief.

A tariff is an import tax. Just like North Carolina and Carteret County add a 6.75% sales tax at checkout, tariffs are a tax the US government adds to imported products that must be paid before a business can take possession of the goods. That tax becomes part of the product's cost and shows up on your receipt.

New tariffs this year impacted almost everything imported into the US. Rates on the types of products I sell jumped from 10% to 90%. A folding camp chair that costs $39.99 now costs $55.99. Tariffs on a basic backpack increased about 20%, raising a hidden tax from $6 to $10.98.

The mom-and-pop businesses that anchor towns across Eastern North Carolina have been devastated by tariffs. All rely on imported products or imported components. Unlike giant corporations, small businesses can't raise prices overnight without losing customers. We absorb a lot of the increases. But the money must come from somewhere. That means cutting margins, delaying hiring, freezing wages, and postponing growth.

Tariffs choke small business expansion and job creation; the data proves it. The latest ADP National Employment Report shows companies with fewer than 50 employees cut 120,000 jobs in November. This isn't a one-time thing. ADP shows small business employment peaked in April 2025, the same month "Liberation Day" tariffs were announced, and has fallen by more than a quarter of a million jobs.

The common response is: "Just make it in America." But who will make it?

The national unemployment rate is about 4.5%, below the "full employment" figure of 5%, meaning there aren't enough workers to go around as it is. Many counties in North Carolina are even lower. Businesses struggle to fill the jobs they already have. The US does not have the available workforce to manufacture every product American consumers buy. China has roughly one billion more people than we do; that's why they make so many everyday goods — they have the labor force to do it. Americans' strength is in designing, marketing, distributing, shipping, and selling products. We should not torch our modern economy in an attempt to force every business to become a manufacturer.

To be clear: I support American manufacturing. We should manufacture products that matter to our national security. But do we care who manufactures our backpacks, rubber spatulas, or tennis shoes? Are my camping chairs a national security threat because the frames are metal? Most families want these items to remain affordable. Small businesses need them to remain affordable.

If tariffs continue to rise, we won't bring manufacturing back. We will push American businesses closer to the brink.

Many of the lawmakers I've met with know these tariffs are harmful, but few are willing to speak out. Let's be direct: Tariffs are a tax on every working American and every Main Street business. They raise prices, slow wage growth, suppress hiring, and punish the people our leaders claim to champion. Prices are spiraling. People are upset at the high costs. Tariffs fuel the fire.

If Washington won't stand up for small-town America, then small-town America must stand up for itself. The people being forced to pay these costs are not in Beijing or in corporate boardrooms — they are right here in North Carolina.