New $5 Million Campaign Spotlights American Business Owners Hit by Tariffs
“Small Businesses Against Tariffs” launches with firsthand accounts of how American businesses are hurting & aims to help people understand who really pays the tariffs
WASHINGTON – February 11, 2026 – Today a new $5 million campaign called Small Businesses Against Tariffs launched, featuring real business owners from across the country telling the story of how tariffs have affected their livelihoods. The campaign, which is a project of Defending Democracy Together Institute, aims to cut through the confusion about tariffs and help educate the country on who really pays: American small businesses, workers, and consumers.
Despite extensive news coverage of trade policy, polling consistently shows that many Americans believe foreign countries pay US tariffs. In reality, tariffs are paid by American importers, and those costs are passed on to businesses and consumers in the form of higher prices. Ultimately, they cause businesses to have to scale back operations, cut staff, or shut down altogether, with devastating consequences for these businesses and the local communities they serve. Small Businesses Against Tariffs will help make this story real for people.
Coinciding with the launch, Small Businesses Against Tariffs is running a brand-new paid ad on YouTube targeting financial, business, coffee, and other issue-specific channels that reach a small-business-minded audience. In the months ahead, the campaign will expand to additional streaming platforms, television, and billboards nationwide to bring this message to an even broader audience.
In addition to this paid ad, nine small business owners are sharing their stories as the campaign launches. All of them are real people whose lives and livelihoods have been impacted by the tariff regime, and all now face dire consequences if the tariffs and trade war continue. They include:
- Chris Gibbs (OH), a farmer in Ohio who is struggling to import his fertilizer and farming equipment
- Joann Cartiglia (NY), a doll-maker in upstate New York who can’t afford the parts for her high-quality dolls
- Rebecca Melsky & Eva St. Clair (DC), owners of a children’s fashion brand, who are struggling to find a manufacturer in the ever-changing tariff environment
- Jennifer Bergman (NY), a toy-store owner in New York City, who was forced to close her doors after 44 years because of the tariffs
- Candy King (VT), who started a wood stove business with her husband 25 years ago, and was hit by a 65 percent tariff
- Gabe Hagen (AZ), co-founder and CEO of a coffee shop and roasting company that might have to cut back headcount or even close due to the tariffs
- Kimberly Daniels (DC), a licensed customs broker who helps small businesses import their goods into the US, and is having to apply “stacks upon stacks” of new tariff duties
- Valerie Bressler (FL), owner of a hose clamp company in Florida, whose customers need certain products that are sourced overseas and cannot be produced in the US
- Sari Wiaz (IL), who manufactures and distributes products for babies, and who now has to raise her prices up to 20 percent just to cover the cost of tariffs
“It’s very important to understand there are humans behind these companies,” said Kimberly Daniels, the licensed customs broker, “and these are good people who are just struggling to survive. Running a business is hard enough. Staying in business is hard enough. Having your own government look like it doesn’t care about you unless you’re a billionaire—that is the heartbreaking part.”
“It’s not sustainable unless the consumer is willing to just keep paying more and more and more for products,” said Sari Wiaz, who runs the company making products for babies. “The tariffs are devastating my industry. Our industry is seeing huge amounts of layoffs. There are so many companies that are closing their doors.”
“This tariff policy is affecting small businesses much harder than larger corporations. It changes so quickly that it’s another hat on the head of a small business owner,” said Valerie Bressler, the hose clamp company owner. “It’s in danger of crushing small US businesses into the ground.”
“We’re a true family business. We’ve been very careful and conservative in our growth, and we’ve prospered,” said Candy King, the wood stove retailer. “When the tariffs hit, unexpectedly, we were taxed at a 65 percent tariff on all our goods, and it was horrifying … I grew up in a country that believed in the American dream, and it was true that everybody who worked hard, paid their taxes, did the right thing, succeeded. Today that’s not true.”
To be connected with the business owners associated with this campaign, please reach out to franquiz@smallbusinessesagainsttariffs.org. Small Businesses Against Tariffs is a project of Defending Democracy Together Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Learn more at SmallBusinessesAgainstTariffs.org.