Trump’s tariffs are wreaking havoc on main streets across America. Our trade policy should:
Enact Trade Policy that Prioritizes Workers, Farmers, and Small Businesses
- Ensure that trade negotiations don’t create market chaos and that they focus on the interests of independent farmers and workers, not corporate profits.
- Ensure small businesses aren’t hit with unexpected exponential price increases.1
- Use tariffs strategically to enforce strong labor, environment, and health standards and to develop industries vital to economic and national security.
- Close loopholes that allow giant corporations to evade tariffs and inspections.
- Strengthen food labeling. Multinational corporations use lax country-of-origin labeling requirements to manipulate and mislead consumers while taking advantage of American farmers and ranchers. Families have a right to know where their food comes from, and it should be easy to identify the American farm products at the grocery store.2
- The Biden Administration cracked down on misleading ‘antibiotic-free’ meat and poultry labeling that stunts the growth of our local and regional food systems. It updated the requirement that the agency’s red meat purchases must come from animals born, raised, and slaughtered in the U.S.. The FTC adopted transparency rules governing “Made in the USA” labeling, and the USDA finalized a rule closing the loophole so that only meat, poultry, and eggs that are born, raised, and processed in the U.S. can be labeled “Product of USA.”
Notes
- See the Small Business Liberation Act, which would have exempted small businesses from the April 2, 2025 tariffs. The U.S. Trade Representative, the Departments of Commerce and the Treasury and the Small Business Administration should work together to develop comprehensive education and resources to help small businesses navigate exemption requests and stay compliant with evolving tariff regulations.
- Passing the American Beef Labeling Act of 2025 reinstates mandatory “Country of Origin Labeling” on beef and pork.