Suzanne Clark, U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO, sits down with CNBC's Megan Casella to discuss why she is asking the White House for tariff exemptions for small businesses, how tariffs are impacting the economy, and more.

Washington

Suzanne Clark, CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is advocating for tariff exemptions specifically for small businesses in the United States. This effort follows numerous requests for relief from small businesses struggling with cash flow due to tariffs. Clark highlighted the challenges small businesses face in hiring lobbyists and lawyers to seek exemptions on their own, prompting the Chamber of Commerce to initiate a lobbying push.

The Chamber of Commerce has previously sued the Biden administration on multiple occasions but opted not to pursue litigation at this time. Clark cited the uncertain and prolonged nature of court processes as a factor in seeking more immediate relief through other channels. The Chamber's focus is on gaining support for extending Trump-era tax cuts and promoting free trade deals, despite current economic uncertainties caused by tariffs.

Addressing concerns about the American administration's approach to tariffs, Clark acknowledged that while growing American manufacturing and revitalizing the economy are valid goals, these tariffs lead to complications for businesses that require immediate solutions. She pointed out that current tariffs on products not produced domestically, such as bananas and coffee, contribute to a lack of stability for small businesses.

The White House's response to calls for relief was to emphasize the provision of substantial tax cuts rather than immediate tariff exemptions. Clark expressed the Chamber's support for extending the Trump tax cuts but reiterated the need for more direct and immediate assistance to small businesses. By sharing the experiences of Main Street businesses, the Chamber aims to inform and influence the administration's policy decisions without resorting to litigation.



Small businesses don't have cash flow to combat tariffs

Carl, thank you. And, Suzanne, thank you for joining me. We're here today because you all are launching this lobbying push, asking for tariff exclusions mostly for small businesses. And this comes just about exactly a month after most of these tariffs have been announced. Why this approach, and why only now? Thank you so much for being here and for the question. Look, at the end of the day, we were just getting inundated by small business requests for information, for relief, people afraid for the very survival of their business. And it just felt that it's hard for them to hire lobbyists and lawyers and make the push on their own. We know this administration cares deeply about the economy, about Main Street businesses. And we wanted to make sure that their stories, their need for relief was really pushing through. You guys sued the Biden administration, I think, at least 20 times. Twenty-one. Twenty-one, and opted not to do that this time. Why not that? Why not take that approach? It's a great question. Look, I think there are legitimate questions about the use of IEPA, and we do worry about government overreach, about government micromanagement of business in any administration. And so the constitutional question about IEPA worries us about what the next president might declare an emergency and what the remedy might be. But in this case, the courts take a long time. And what small business needs, what all business needs is more immediate relief. Even at going for a preliminary injunction or something like that? I think that was an option, but again, not a sure thing. And so the issue is this administration does care about the economy. And what we want to do is get back to January, where people were optimistic about slowing down this regulatory onslaught of the Biden administration, about extending the tax cuts, about energy production, about permitting, when people were excited about the growth that could happen in the United States. And by the way, we're excited about the potential free trade deals. We tried to get the Biden administration for years to do a free trade deal. We think that's great for American businesses, great for American families. But these tariffs are just adding uncertainty and complexity at a time when these small businesses just don't have the cash flow to cover it. I'm curious if litigation might still be an option for you guys, because I want to play some sound for you. We asked the White House this morning to respond to your letter. Take a listen to this. The relief for small businesses is going to come in the form of the largest tax cut in American history. That's a no on tariff relief for small businesses in the short term? It's a yes on tax relief for small businesses. So that was Stephen Miller responding to our Eamon Javers, suggesting there was not tariff relief coming, that taxes would have to be the way to go. What's your response to that? Well, first, my response is, this is great. This is what we want to be talking about, which is small business relief. My second response is the administration has no stronger ally than the U.S. Chamber in getting these Trump tax cuts extended. I'm going to Arizona tonight to do a tax roundtable. We want to make sure we're in 100 districts really building up support and intellectual arguments for why they help American families and grow the economy. That said, this isn't a tax cut. This is the extension of the current tax situation. So the problem with it is, it's not new tax cuts. It's preventing the largest tax increase in history. We need more immediate relief. I think Sarah has a question for you. No, it's good to have you on the show. I'm curious, because part of the goal of the administration is to bring back American manufacturing and grow the economy in a more balanced way, they say, when it comes to global trade. Do you not buy that that's possible, given some of the uncertainties and the negatives you're talking about from tariffs? No, of course we buy that it's possible. But when I talk to CEOs who want to build more and want to invest more here, what they worry about is labor constraints. What they worry about is energy supply. What they worry about is permitting. All things that I think the Trump administration is ready to tackle. They worry about the regulatory scheme after the biggest regulatory onslaught we'd seen in the Biden administration. These are all things that the Trump administration has been focused on, that we're working on them with. So, yes, I think we can build more here and grow more here. But when you have tariffs on things that we don't even grow here, like bananas and coffee, or when you have tariffs on businesses that lead to layoffs, they need immediate relief or they need an exemption process that lets them figure out time to plan a supply chain, to have certainty. You know, Sarah, what I heard a CEO say was, it's like driving in the fog. You don't go faster. You pull over and you put on your hazards until you figure out how to go fast and how to get back on track. In deciding not to take a stronger approach here, and by that I mean not suing, at least at this time, is there a degree to wanting to try to preserve the relationship with the White House so that you can work together on taxes and deregulation, even though you oppose them on the tariff front? I guess that's a good question. I hadn't thought about it like that, because you can imagine that we're working with the administration all the time. Dr. Oz was here this week for a health summit, right? I think it's our job to be working with the administration and helping grow the economy in any way that we can. So I don't see it as an either-or situation. The question was, what's the most effective advocacy for the fastest response? And the truth is, when we talk to people in the administration, they're very eager to hear these stories of small business. They're very eager to hear what the real experience on Main Street is. Suzanne, I think we have to leave it there. Thank you so much for the time today. Thank you.

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