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Lawmaker: tariffs are hammering farmers and small businesses
Summary
A lawmaker told the committee that farmers in eastern Oregon and small businesses in Portland face higher input costs and closures due to tariffs, saying farmers are "barely hanging on" and citing local examples.
During opening remarks to the Senate Committee on Finance, a lawmaker said the Trump administration's tariff actions have increased costs for families and businesses and left many producers and small firms struggling.
"The wheat farmers in Eastern Oregon told me they are barely hanging on to family farms," the lawmaker said, adding that input prices for fuel and equipment are driving hardship. The lawmaker also cited a local toy shop forced to close and "Portland coffee roasters" losing jobs as examples of tariff-driven business distress. He said uncertainty is causing businesses to delay hiring and investments.
The speaker framed these examples as occurring about a year and a half into the Trump second term and said supply-chain disruptions and higher costs are translating into lost jobs and delayed investments.
