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Small manufacturers tell Senate tariffs are pushing some firms toward collapse; lawmakers push for exemptions
Summary
Witnesses and senators told the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship that recent Trump administration tariffs and rapid policy changes have sharply increased costs and uncertainty for small U.S. manufacturers, prompting calls for immediate exemptions and emergency relief.
Chair Joni Ernst, chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, opened a hearing on small manufacturers' access to capital and trade policy, and witnesses told the committee the current tariff regime is an immediate threat to many small firms.
"Without immediate relief from the tariffs and ensuing trade war, U.S. manufacturing companies like mine will not survive this summer," said Julie Robbins, chief executive officer of EarthQuaker Devices, a guitar effects pedal manufacturer based in Akron, Ohio.
The warning came during a panel of investors and small-business founders who described rising input costs, plunging orders and growing uncertainty for firms that operate on thin margins. Ranking Member Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., said recent data show acute disruptions at U.S. ports and in supply chains and urged Congress to act quickly.
"The Trump tariffs are not a recipe…
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