Trump’s Tariffs Are Causing A Swamp Feeding Frenzy

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For more information, please contact AAF Policy Director John Shelton at jshelton@advancingamericanfreedom.com

Trump’s Tariffs Are Causing A Swamp Feeding Frenzy

TOPLINE: The D.C. Swamp loves tariffs. President Trump’s tariff policy is boosting K Street lobbying revenue to all-time highs while Main Street businesses continue to pay the price.

K STREET COFFERS TO THE MOON: • 834% increase in tariff lobbyist revenue compared to pre-Trump levels. • 599% increase in tariff lobbyist revenue this year compared to last. • 233% increase in registered tariff lobbying disclosures in Q2 2025 compared to Q2 2024. • 110% increase in the average tariff lobbying contract in Q2 2025 compared to Q2 2024.

• Apple recently received a tariff exemption after Apple CEO Tim Cook presented President Trump with an award and promised to invest $600 billion in the US over the next 4 years.

o Meanwhile, millions of American small businesses continue to pay tariffs. WATCH: AAF Chairman Marc Short on the true cost of tariffs.

Tariffs Still Tank Main Street: • Economic growth is sputtering this year at a 1.35% annual growth rate and markets are still below pre-Liberation Day highs. • More than 1 million full-time jobs and 28,000 manufacturing jobs have disappeared since January. • Inflation hit 3.4 % in June and is even higher in import and tariff-sensitive sectors.

o READ MORE: AAF OPED - Lobbyists love our swampy tariff exclusion process

BOTTOM LINE: Despite what TV talking heads may say, economics is still real. The truth is that Americans, not foreign countries, pay tariffs. American families know the truth: tariffs hurt hardworking American families while funding the very swamp that President Trump ran on draining. “Drain the Swamp” means stopping the tariff funding for K Street, not growing it.