On the morning President Trump was expected to make an announcement at the White House regarding a reached trade deal with the United Kingdom, the Leader of the House Democrats, Hakeem Jeffries, delivered pointed remarks at the Steering & Policy Committee during Small Business Week.
Jeffries praised small businesses as “the foundation of our economy” and the “heart beat of communities all across America.” He used the occasion to launch a scathing critique of President Trump’s economic agenda, singling out his tariff policies for particular condemnation.
“More than 100 days into Trump administration,” Jeffries said, “Life in America is more expensive.” He said that President’s “costly tariffs” are making the environment for small business “more difficult” waring that “small businesses are being forced to shut down. Companies are laying people off.”
Jeffries warned that businesses are “unable to invest” because of the “uncertainty that has been created in a chaotic economic environment Donald Trump and Republicans who continue in this Congress to rubber stamp his extreme agenda.” Jeffries accused Republicans of “crashing the economy in real time, driving us toward a recession.” The reason? According to Jeffries: to provide tax breaks for wealthy billionaires like Elon Musk.
Jeffries denounced the approach as “UnAmerican” and declared that Democrats would not be “quietly stand by.” Instead, he insisted, Democrats “must protect” American families and small businesses.
Representative Nydia Velázquez of New York’s 7th congressional district followed Jeffries’ remarks, emphasizing that the witnesses were present “to shine line” on and discuss “real issues” facing small businesses. She accused Republicans of being “wildly out of touch.”
Representative Pete Aguilar accused Trump and the Republicans of launching an “all out attack” on American small businesses. He claimed that Trump’s “reckless” agenda benefits only the rich.
Michael Negron, a Policy Fellow at Groundwork Collaborative, was the first to testify. He was previously Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy at the National Economic Council and has held senior roles in the Illinois Department of Commerce, the City of Chicago, and the Obama administration.
In his testimony, Negron, who most recently worked at the White House, said, “tariffs are tax,” emphasizing that the administration had pursued this strategy “with eyes open.” He warned that American households would pay $50,000 more annually for products. “American people do not like this policy,” he added.
He argued that Trump had “chosen this path” and led the nation to the “precipice of stagflation.”
Representative Sean Casten serving as the U.S. representative for Illinois’s 6th congressional district pressed Negron on the impact of Trump’s policies. Negron responded that grocery costs had already increased by half a percentage point since Trump took office. “I mentioned that eggs, ground beef and coffee are at all time highs,” he said.
Negron also noted that mortgage rates, which were at 7% when President Biden took office, had dipped to around 6.6%, but started to rise again. “Right around Liberation Day, they started to shoot down 6.8 and so we’ll see where they land if this policy, this policies continue,” he said. “We’ve seen used car prices, jump 4.9%,” he added, attributing the surge to consumers rushing to buy cars before tariffs increase further.
His central argument was that businesses “need certainty,” and Trump had instead announced a set of policies that would be “very expensive.”
Representative Grace Meng, who serves New York’s 6th congressional district, questioned the impact of President Trump’s tariffs on US ports. She cited reports of “empty ports” in cities like Seattle, and “significant, significant declines” in port volume across California and her home state of New York.
Michael Negron warned that key retail periods may be jeopardized. “Back to school and Christmas may be at risk as the result of tariffs on the consumer side,” he said. “If this policy persists, I think we can expect over time, empty shelves and lost, jobs, and the President is running out of time to change the course.”
Representative Lateefah Simon, currently serving her first term as the Representative for California’s 12th district, raised concerns about Elon Musk and DOGE, noting they “have taken a chainsaw” to small, disadvantaged business services. Negron responded that compounding the situation was “the insult to injury”—namely, “the massive cuts to SBA.”
Rep. Simon noted that Democrats had asked small business owners across America to share firsthand what they had experienced four months into the Trump administration.
“Now let’s hear their stories,” she said, before a video reel titled Fight for Americans played. It featured minority small business owners delivering soundbites critical of Trump-era policies.
The next witness was Walt Rowan, a third-generation owner of Susquehanna Glass in Columbia, Lancaster County. He addressed the challenge of providing health coverage to employees. “That’s financially impossible,” he said, citing rising costs under Trump’s economic policies. “I urge you to champion policies that create an equitable environment where small businesses can flourish,” he pled to the Democrats.
Representative Robin Kelly introduced entrepreneur Haley Pavone, founder of Pashion Footwear. Pavone, who famously walked away from a Shark Tank deal, now leads a multimillion-dollar company. She has developed patented technology that allows high heels to convert into flats.
She testified that Trump’s tariffs have forced her to consider relocating production out of China—yet the issue lies in the uniqueness of Chinese manufacturing.
“There’s simply nowhere to go,” she said. Her cost of goods, previously $38 per pair with a $90 profit margin, has now inverted. “I’m losing $45 on every single sale,” she said. “I’m now incredibly motivated to move the supply chain.”
Among the other small business owners who testified was Sarah Wells, founder of a company producing breastfeeding bags. She described the toll of tariffs on her company’s viability and warned that families would soon face “economic decisions around essentials.” She added that her company’s sales were “already affected.”
Representative Katherine Clark delivered the closing remarks at the hearing, choosing to depart from her prepared speech to share a personal sentiment: she is “angry.”
Clark spoke of the “leap of faith” taken by small business owners in pursuit of the American dream, and condemned what she described as an economy where Donald Trump and his wealthy allies are growing richer “on the backs” of the American people.
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