The United States Chamber of Commerce has sent an urgent letter to high-ranking federal government officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, requesting the immediate implementation of a tariff exemption process to protect small businesses affected by recent tariff increases.
"We receive daily testimonies from small business owners whose chances of survival are threatened by the recent tariff hike," the letter stated.
The central request is to immediately implement a waiver system that serves as a temporary lifeline while trade agreements are finalized.
The proposal includes automatic exemption for all imports made by small businesses, arguing that they lack the capital necessary to absorb additional costs or reconfigure their supply chains overnight. It also calls for the immediate elimination of tariffs on products not manufactured on U.S. soil, such as coffee, bananas, or certain strategic minerals, whose prices have driven inflation in key sectors.
The most sensitive point concerns employment, as the Chamber warns that more than 40 million jobs depend directly or indirectly on international trade, and it proposes an expedited mechanism for companies to demonstrate when tariffs put their workforce at risk.
"While we are confident that these agreements can be reached soon, we are deeply concerned that, even if it takes only weeks or months, many small businesses will suffer irreparable damage," the text emphasized.
It is worth remembering that the administration of President Donald Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, with the aim of incentivizing domestic production and addressing concerns related to border security and international trade.
