By Natalie Sherman

Copyright bbc

“It just seems like a blatant political move,” said Justin Turbeest, a craft brewer in Hudson, Wisconsin, who shut his tap room and laid off 20 staff this summer.

He said tariffs were the final blow for his business, prompting costs to jump roughly 40%, as suppliers of everything from aluminium cans and barley to brand merchandise raised prices.

Mr Turbeest acknowledged that offering wider relief would be impractical, given the vast number of businesses affected.

But the 42-year-old said the discrepancy still stung.

“On a personal level, of course it feels unfair,” he said. “The position we’re in now is due not to normal economic factors. It’s political costs.”