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Chairman Williams on Tariffs and Small Business, Reacting to SBA Administrator Loeffler

April 7, 2025 · House Committee on Small Business · 0:04:08

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

The segment opened with a clip of Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler saying President Trump is standing up for the American worker, for small businesses, and for farmers, and calling the prior trade policy unsustainable. House Small Business Committee Chairman Roger Williams — also a car dealer of over 52 years — was asked for his take as a small business owner.

Williams said he is not afraid of tariffs and that the car business is resilient: dealers will discount to keep product moving, used car prices may rise a little, and tax cuts will come back to the public, so consumers could quite possibly buy a car with tariffs cheaper than without them. He said Main Street is looking for tax cuts, 100 percent expensing, and less regulation more than it fears tariffs.

On polling showing concern in the small business community, Williams said owners are concerned but nobody is afraid: they have product and the ability to sell it, the jobs report was strong, and he expected tariffs to level out over time and make the United States more competitive, ultimately helping the consumer. On deal pressure with China, Mexico, and Canada, he called the President a deal maker and described much of the tariff posture as setting a floor.

Why it matters

The interview shows the administration’s small-business defense of the tariff program in its early weeks: an SBA administrator’s framing amplified by the House committee chairman who oversees the sector.

Sources: House Committee on Small Business, “Chairman Williams on How President Trump’s Tariffs Will Help Consumers and Small Businesses”, 2025-04-07 (official upload, embedded above; published 2025-04-07). Transcript via Supadata (private research store, paraphrased and attributed, not republished). All figures and characterizations as stated by the speakers.