Ed Markey: “I am very troubled that the Senator from Ohio has objected because, obviously, what I am trying to do here on the Senate…”

“I am very troubled that the Senator from Ohio has objected because, obviously, what I am trying to do here on the Senate floor is to make it possible for there to be an exemption for small businesses in our country. Small businesses are 97 percent of our businesses, and they are 30 percent of all companies that engage in trade. Right now, small businesses are caught in a crossfire. They are seeing this chaotic world of tariffs that the President is engaging in absolutely ripple through their business plans. And it is all across our Nation. The reason that I have risen today as the ranking member on the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee is to draw the attention to Main Street being turned into 'Pain Street' all across our country. Big companies, they are in a position where they can forward order by 6 months the inventory which they need. They can do planning that is absolutely outside of the capacity of a small business in our country. Small businesses live week to week, month to month, and they are, right now, trying to plan for what the future might look like. It changes day to day, and it changes product to product, depending upon which country President Trump is playing games with on that particular day, minute--just impulsive commentary out of the President. There is, without question, an impact on small businesses, because that recklessness is being felt by small businesses.”