A policy group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence issued a memo to lawmakers Monday highlighting the sharp increase in lobbying revenue as a result of the Trump administration’s aggressive use of tariffs.
“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,” states the memo from Advancing American Freedom Foundation, which was obtained exclusively by The Hill.
The memo cites a 599 percent increase in tariff lobbyist revenue this year compared to 2024, with the total value of tariff lobbying contracts totaling roughly $8.8 million, according to House Clerk Lobbying Disclosures.
It also shows the average tariff lobbying contract from between April and June of this year was up 110 percent compared to the same time in 2024.
The memo argues tariffs have hurt the economy, and small businesses in particular. It points to data showing economic growth for the year is at just 1.35 percent, and data showing financial markets are still below where they were before Trump announced a wave of tariffs on imports in early April.
The former vice president has for months warned against the potential economic impacts of President Trump’s use of tariffs. Advancing American Freedom launched an ad campaign in April pushing back on the tariffs as harmful for American farmers and consumers.
Trump last week followed through on his threat to impose sweeping tariffs on dozens of countries, with some facing as high as a 50 percent tariff, and top trading partners such as Canada also facing steep duties. Those “reciprocal” tariffs had been delayed twice, first in April and then in July.
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