Trump continues to turn Main Street into Pain Street with cruel cuts, terrible tariff taxes, and catastrophic cost increases

(Washington, May 4) – Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today released the following statement at the start of National Small Business Week (May 3-9) celebrating America’s 36 million small businesses and congratulating the 2026 National Small Business Persons of the Year, including Bryan Corso, owner of Corso Plumbing and Heating in Haverhill, MA. National Small Business Week acknowledges the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners.

“In Massachusetts and across the country, small businesses like Corso Plumbing and Heating in Haverhill are the backbone of our communities—creating jobs, driving local economies, and enriching Main Streets. From the shopkeepers and makers who ignited a revolution to the inventors and immigrants who today are pursuing the American Dream, small businesses have shaped the first 250 years of our nation’s history. I am committed to ensuring our nation’s innovators and entrepreneurs, including the more than 730,000 small businesses in the Bay State, have the tools and support they need to compete, grow, and thrive for America’s next 250 years."

Ranking Member Markey also condemned the Trump administration’s policies which are putting Pain on Main Streets in the Bay State and in communities across the country. Since the beginning of the Trump administration, costs have only increased for American small businesses, workers, and families due to Trump’s reckless economic policies, including his tariff taxes, cuts to affordable health care, rising electricity rates, and his reckless war of choice on Iran which has sent gas prices skyrocketing. Last month, Trump’s SBA proposed a nearly 94% cut to counseling and training services that support small businesses, such as Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, SCORE, and more—despite the fact that these resources help nearly 1 million small businesses per year, including at least 20 of this year’s National Small Business Week awardees.

“One thing is clear: Trump’s reckless, anti-American small business policies are turning Main Streets into Pain Streets. From his cruel cuts to SBA’s counseling and training programs, which have helped small business owners achieve great things, to his terrible tariff taxes, which have cost small businesses at least $166 billion, to his racist policy to deny loans to legal immigrants, Trump has revealed to us his Art of the Steal—stealing American jobs, American futures, and American Dreams. I will do everything I can to fight back against Trump’s policies and fight for America’s 36 million small businesses and the communities they serve.”

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