Senate Democrats introduce bill to shield small businesses from Trump’s new tariffs

## Summary
Photograph: Heather Diehl/Getty Images Senate Democrats introduce bill to shield small businesses from Trump’s new tariffs Bill is in response to president’s latest push to impose tariffs, but it’s likely to stall in Republican-majority Senate US politics live – latest updates A new Democrat-led bill seeks to exempt small businesses from Donald Trump ’s latest round of tariffs , as small business owners continue to reel from the impacts of the battle over the president’s signature economic policy. Introduced by the senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, the bill , known as the “Small Business Liberation 2.0 Act”, would exempt goods imported by or for the use of small businesses from new tariffs, which Trump enacted on 20 February, immediately after the US supreme court’s ruling invalidating his “liberation day” tariffs . Small business owners doubt they’ll see refunds after supreme court invalidates Trump’s tariffs Read more “Trump’s tariff tax scam is simple: if at first your policies are ruled illegal, double down and try, try again,” Markey, who is ranking member of the Senate small business and entrepreneurship committee, said. “America’s small businesses cannot bear another bruising round of uncertainty and consumers in Massachusetts and across the country cannot foot the bill for another punishing round of Trump’s tariff taxes.” After the supreme court’s decision, the president announced he would enact a new 10% global baseline tariff under section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the president to impose tariffs for 150 days. The bill’s introduction could be a welcome development for small businesses owners, who have struggled to navigate the fallout from Trump’s global tariff wars.

## Article Content
Ed Markey, one of the senators sponsoring the bill, in US Capitol on 25 February 2026.
Photograph: Heather Diehl/Getty Images
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Ed Markey, one of the senators sponsoring the bill, in US Capitol on 25 February 2026.
Photograph: Heather Diehl/Getty Images
Senate Democrats introduce bill to shield small businesses from Trump’s new tariffs
Bill is in response to president’s latest push to impose tariffs, but it’s likely to stall in Republican-majority Senate
US politics live – latest updates
A new Democrat-led bill seeks to exempt small businesses from
Donald Trump
’s latest round of
tariffs
, as small business owners continue to reel from the impacts of the battle over the president’s signature economic policy.
Introduced by the senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, the
bill
, known as the “Small Business Liberation 2.0 Act”, would exempt goods imported by or for the use of small businesses from new tariffs, which Trump enacted on 20 February, immediately after the US supreme court’s ruling
invalidating his “liberation day” tariffs
.
The bill text also prohibits price gouging as a result of the latest tariffs. Democratic senators Chuck Schumer, Mazie Hirono, John Hickenlooper, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar and Chris Van Hollen are signed on as co-sponsors of the bill.
Small business owners doubt they’ll see refunds after supreme court invalidates Trump’s tariffs
Read more
“Trump’s tariff tax scam is simple: if at first your policies are ruled illegal, double down and try, try again,” Markey, who is ranking member of the Senate small business and entrepreneurship committee, said.
“America’s small businesses cannot bear another bruising round of uncertainty and consumers in Massachusetts and across the country cannot foot the bill for another punishing round of Trump’s tariff taxes.”
After the supreme court’s decision, the president announced he would enact a
new 10% global baseline tariff
under section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the president to impose tariffs for 150 days.
The bill’s introduction could be a welcome development for small businesses owners, who have
struggled to navigate the fallout
from Trump’s global tariff wars. However, it is unlikely to advance in the Senate, where Republicans hold the majority.
Entrepreneurs across the country
shared their experiences with the Guardian
, with many dealing with extreme stress and financial hardship due to increased costs.
“The tariffs, especially those on Brazil, have raised our costs by about $1m in the last year,” Dr Charlie Elrod, who runs a company that makes natural health products for livestock, previously told the Guardian. After six months of eating the cost, the company increased prices by 5%. “That helped some, but our profitability is definitely lower this year,” he said.
Both before and after the supreme court ruling,
more than 1,000 companies
filed lawsuits against the government over its tariff policy. Last week, a US trade court judge
ordered
the government to begin paying billions of dollars in refunds to importers who paid
tariffs
that the court said were collected illegally.
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
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### Areas for Consideration
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### Implications
- Photograph: Heather Diehl/Getty Images Senate Democrats introduce bill to shield small businesses from Trump’s new tariffs Bill is in response to president’s latest push to impose tariffs, but it’s likely to stall in Republican-majority Senate US politics live – latest updates A new Democrat-led bill seeks to exempt small businesses from Donald Trump ’s latest round of tariffs , as small business owners continue to reel from the impacts of the battle over the president’s signature economic policy.
- The bill text also prohibits price gouging as a result of the latest tariffs.
- The bill’s introduction could be a welcome development for small businesses owners, who have struggled to navigate the fallout from Trump’s global tariff wars.
- Both before and after the supreme court ruling, more than 1,000 companies filed lawsuits against the government over its tariff policy.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers tariffs, bill, small topics. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 519.