White House dismisses Chamber push for small businesses tariff relief

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday rebuffed an effort to give small U.S. business owners any immediate relief from tariffs, saying those companies would get economic relief from tax cuts that Congress is seeking to extend.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, asked for small companies to be excluded from tariffs if they can show it would harm U.S. workers and for products that cannot be made in the United States or are not readily available.

"The relief for small businesses is going to come in the form of the largest tax cut in American history," White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller told reporters when asked about the request.

Asked if that was a no to short-term small business tariff relief, Miller added: "It's a yes on tax relief for small businesses."

Trump's fellow Republicans in Congress are seeking to pass legislation to extend U.S. President Donald Trump's 2017 tax plan, which expires at the end of this year.

Congressional Republicans, who have a 220-213 hold on the House and a 53-47 advantage in the Senate, have said they aim to enact their tax-cut bill by July 4, though they must navigate their narrow majorities in each chamber.

The Chamber said it supports Trump's goal of eliminating unfair trade but that small businesses are being hurt by higher costs and interrupted supply chains amid ongoing tariff negotiations, calling on the administration to "work together to avoid a recession."

"These deals take time, and many businesses simply can’t afford to wait while negotiations proceed," the business lobbying group's President and CEO Suzanne Clark said in a separate statement. "They need immediate relief from tariffs."

She added that the Chamber was also seeking an exclusion for businesses of all sizes where U.S. jobs were threatened.

"The reality is certain things just can’t be produced in the United States," Clark said. "Raising prices on those products will only hurt families struggling to pay their bills."

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Susan Heavey; additional reportin by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Franklin Paul)