Congress demands public tariff cost reports—transparency on trade policy's real impact

What it does

This bill requires the Small Business Administration to publish quarterly reports on the costs that tariffs imposed after January 20, 2025 impose on consumers and small businesses, with annual totals included in the final quarterly report each year. The reports must be made public within 90 days of enactment and then every three months thereafter.

Why we flagged it

The bill's sole operative mechanism is a mandatory public reporting requirement. It does not change tariff policy, impose new tariffs, or alter existing trade law—it simply requires disclosure of tariff costs to affected parties, a classic transparency/accountability tool.

What the text implies

• Reports may reveal tariff costs large enough to generate political pressure for tariff policy changes, potentially constraining executive trade authority indirectly through public opinion.
• Quarterly reporting cadence creates a recurring public record that persists across administrations, making tariff impacts difficult to obscure or reframe retroactively.
• SBA consultation with Bureau of Economic Analysis ensures reports use consistent federal economic methodology, reducing disputes over cost calculations.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill increases transparency about tariff costs borne by ordinary consumers and small business owners, enabling them to understand the economic impact of trade policy on their own finances and business operations. Public reporting of aggregate costs strengthens democratic accountability by making tariff consequences visible rather than opaque.

Named in the bill

Small Business Administration (SBA), Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Small Business Act (Section 3), consumers, small business concerns

Where it stands

3 cosponsors: 3 Democrats.

• Dec 18, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Dec 18, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Small Business · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Small Business”

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

Money around this bill

2 lobbying clients named this bill on 3 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $770,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 3 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 41% of bills with at least one filing.

Brittany Pettersen, the sponsor, reported $1,044,865 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc — $740,000 on 2 filings
• National Taxpayers Union — $30,000 on 1 filing

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