U.S. Chamber Urges Swift End to Tariffs Set to Go into Effect; Highlights Real Harm to American Businesses, Workers, and Consumers (Washington, D.C.) – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today urged reconsideration of, and a swift end to, the 25% tariffs set to go into effect on most goods from Canada and Mexico under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
“American families and businesses are struggling with high costs. It’s one of the top issues that they want policymakers to address,” said Neil Bradley, Chief Policy Officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “The Chamber supports the administration’s efforts to advance pro-growth policies like fewer regulations and less taxation that will grow our economy and expand opportunity; and to fix serious problems like our broken border and stopping the flow of fentanyl in this country. We also want to work together to keep costs down, but tariffs will only raise prices and increase the economic pain being felt by everyday Americans across the country. We urge reconsideration of this policy and a swift end to these tariffs.”
The U.S. Chamber represents businesses of all sizes who will be immediately hit by tariffs, forcing them to raise prices or risk going out of business.
“My company will feel an immediate, detrimental impact as a result of these tariffs,” said Traci Tapani, Co-President of Wyoming Machine, a sheet metal fabricator in Minnesota that relies on aluminum, much of which is imported from Canada. “The threats and uncertainty have made it hard to make business decisions, and these kinds of tariffs will make it extremely difficult for small businesses like mine to grow.” Tapani serves as Vice-Chair of the U.S. Chamber’s Small Business Council.
U.S. total goods traded with Canada were an estimated $762.1 billion in 2024, while goods traded with Mexico were an estimated $839.9 billion in 2024. Mexico and Canada are the two largest individual trading partners with the United States, supporting 13 million American jobs.
“New tariffs on Canada and Mexico will put unnecessary pressure on Kentucky businesses and families,” said Ashli Watts, President and CEO of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. “As a state that thrives on trade, we know firsthand how these policies disrupt supply chains, increase costs, and threaten jobs. We’ve seen it before—when Kentucky’s bourbon industry was hit by retaliatory tariffs, it lost nearly $600 million in exports. These policies have real consequences. We urge policymakers to support free enterprise and trade policies that allow Kentucky businesses to compete and grow. Our economy depends on it.”
Read more about how tariffs hurt businesses and workers here.
U.S. Chamber Urges Swift End to Tariffs Set to Go into Effect; Highlights Real Harm to American Businesses, Workers, and Consumers
