Congressman Evans: Tariffs Are A Costly Burden on Colorado Small Businesses By: Ryan Wirth

A recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey revealed that small business confidence declined for a second consecutive quarter. Without question, much of that pessimism stems from one source: tariffs. For entrepreneurs across Colorado – home to over 730,000 small businesses – tariffs make an already difficult environment costlier and increasingly unpredictable.

As a small business owner, my primary goal is straightforward: grow, hire, and serve customers well. Dealing with supply chain disruptions – and sudden cost increases – make this goal harder to achieve. Unfortunately, I lack the resources to easily shift suppliers or absorb price hikes; and I must choose between hurting future growth by downsizing or risking customer loyalty by raising prices. 

At a telephone town hall last year, Representative Gabe Evans (R-CO-08) stated: “I’m a big believer in free trade, but free trade has to be fair trade as well." I don’t disagree with that in principle. But in practice our current trade policy is deeply confusing and unfair to entrepreneurs like me. Even Rep. Evans admitted it “seems like everything’s in flux.”

I hope Rep. Evans can be a voice of reason to GOP colleagues and urge a course correction with tariffs. He’s already proven he can stand up for our district – joining an effort last year to protect energy tax credits tied to $3.7 billion in projects in our area. Our small business community needs that same kind of leadership to oppose tariffs and strengthen our local economy.

Ryan Wirth is a Colorado resident and business strategist with a background in public policy, economic development, and government relations.