On Friday, Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen visited a small business that's feeling the weight of President Donald Trump's tariffs.
Isaac Howe, Founder of Orucase, designs and manufactures travel cases and gear for cyclists and athletes who travel with specialized sports equipment.
"I started this company 13 years ago with twenty dollars in my bank account because I was a broke athlete chasing my dreams in professional cycling," Howe said. "I needed a more affordable way to fly with bike, so I built it."
Six months ago, he moved into a location here in Reno, excited about a new adventure.
However, his business relies heavily on imports from Vietnam, and he says that the recent tariffs are negatively impacting his company.
"When I first wrote Senator Rosen, the Trump Administration had just proposed a 46 percent tariff on imports from Vietnam," Howe said. "That tariff would've nearly doubled our landing costs overnight and sent our retail prices up 30 percent."
It's that uncertainty, that he says makes things that much harder.
"Right now, we have cargo on the water, and we have no way of knowing if by the time it lands this administration will have reversed that course and then post a policy that we don't have the cost to absorb," Howe said. "That's not a way to run a business."
Other businesses like Orucase have reached out to the Senator asking for help.
"Countless Nevadans, I've been getting thousands and thousands of emails every week to my office," said Senator Rosen. "They've contacted me because they're worried sick about how recklessly the sweeping new tariffs are being implemented and impact their business."
In regard to the tariffs, Bruce Parks, Chairman for the Washoe County GOP sent us a statement saying, "Small businesses will be better off in the long term. No matter what, it will be better than what the Democrats did to small business during COVID."
Howe does say they already had to navigate the pandemic and do believe they will figure out a way to deal with the tariffs.
