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The Joint Economic Committee - Minority issued a report today on the impact of President Trump’s tariffs, which have driven up costs and triggered economic uncertainty for America’s small businesses. The report includes new Committee data, including that the smallest businesses lost 4.5 times more jobs in 2025 than during the pandemic in 2020. This report comes during National Small Business Week, which runs from May 3 – 9, 2026.
The Joint Economic Committee – Minority analyzed data from the federal government, states,
and industry to see how Trump’s tariffs and other actions have impacted the U.S. travel and
tourism economy. The Committee found that during the Trump administration, American
businesses in nearly every part of the country have seen fewer domestic and international
tourists, harming state and local communities that depend on tourism revenue.
In his inauguration speech, President Trump promised to make the U.S. “a manufacturing nation once again.” One year later, his administration’s policies are having the opposite effect. Since the start of Trump’s second term, the U.S. manufacturing sector has lost 102,000 jobs and factory construction has steadily declined, with especially notable drops appearing after the April 2025 “Liberation Day” tariff announcements. President Trump’s actions have harmed the manufacturing sector overall, and the economic strain has been especially high for smaller manufacturers.
Following President Trump’s 2025 tariff announcements and the ensuing economic uncertainty, home construction costs increased over the last year and fewer new homes began construction. These challenges continue to grow in 2026, which will further drive up the cost to rent or buy homes and make it harder to address the nation’s housing shortage.
The Joint Economic Committee – Minority released a new report on nationwide and state-by-state changes in electricity costs from 2024 to 2025. The updated Committee calculations show that the energy cost crisis facing American families is worse than previously projected, with the average U.S. electric bill increasing by $110, or 6.4 percent, last year.