Congress quietly subsidizes tire retreading—but mostly for big fleets

What it does

This bill creates a tax credit for businesses that purchase U.S.-made retreaded tires (up to $30 per tire or 30% of purchase cost, whichever is less) through the end of 2028, and requires federal agencies to buy retreaded tires when available instead of new ones. The stated goal is to support domestic tire retreading jobs, reduce waste, and strengthen supply chain resilience.

Why we flagged it

The bill's primary mechanism is a business tax credit for purchasing retreaded tires, combined with a federal procurement mandate. While framed as supply-chain and sustainability policy, it functions as an industry subsidy targeting a specific product category.

What the text implies

• The $30-per-tire cap may incentivize bulk purchases by large fleet operators (UPS, JBHT, trucking companies) more than small businesses, concentrating subsidy benefits.
• Federal procurement mandate could increase costs for GSA and agency budgets if retreaded tires are more expensive than new tires in some categories, shifting costs to taxpayers.
• Sunset in 2028 creates uncertainty for retreading businesses and may not establish a sustainable long-term market for the sector.
• No explicit requirement that tax credit or procurement preference be tied to labor standards, wages, or job quality in the retreading sector—subsidy may not guarantee meaningful job creation.

Who it affects

Citizens may benefit from job creation in the retreading sector and reduced tire waste, but the tax credit is a subsidy funded by general taxpayers and primarily benefits businesses that purchase tires in bulk (logistics, fleet operators). The federal procurement mandate could reduce costs for government operations, but the overall public benefit is modest and indirect.

Who stands to gain

• tire retreading companies
• large fleet operators (logistics, trucking)
• businesses with high tire replacement costs

Named in the bill

General Services Administration (GSA), Internal Revenue Code Section 45BB, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), UPS, JBHT, MPC, TSCO, SFL

Where it stands

9 cosponsors: 6 Republicans, 3 Democrats.

• May 14, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• May 14, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and House Committee on Ways and Means · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

6 lobbying clients named this bill on 11 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $3,375,758 in lobbying spend. A filing names 4 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 82% of bills with at least one filing.

Darin LaHood, the sponsor, reported $1,837,341 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company — $1,010,000 on 2 filings
• National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies — $1,005,758 on 2 filings
• American Trucking Associations — $720,000 on 1 filing
• Bridgestone Americas Inc — $500,000 on 2 filings
• U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association — $80,000 on 2 filings

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.