Amazon insists it never intended to reveal how tariffs impact the final price of products on its main shopping platform, despite an earlier report by Punchbowl News on Tuesday suggesting otherwise.
However, Amazon’s clarification came too late to prevent political leaders from seizing the moment to push their agendas.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, denounced the concept as a “hostile and political act,” arguing that Amazon should have shown price hikes driven by inflation under President Joe Biden’s administration.
Over in the Senate, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for other businesses to disclose the effect tariffs have on consumer costs.
“To the large businesses that sell to consumers, I say: Show your customers how much tariffs are hurting in their pocketbooks,” he said. “People deserve to know the impact tariffs have on their finances.”
Schumer contended that if companies displayed the true cost burden, it would ramp up public outrage and generate momentum to end the tariffs altogether.
Doing so, Schumer said, would generate public pressure that would give companies a “chance to get rid of these tariffs, which are so stultifying their ability to move forward.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican from Georgia, reacted to the initial reports with frustration but later acknowledged that tracking tariff costs could actually help consumers choose American-made products.
“Ahhh come on Amazon!!
“I was getting so excited about the Amazon tariff tracker so I could avoid buying anything from China!!
“Americans want to buy American and you were finally going to give us a way to know which products and companies were selling slave labor made goods from… pic.twitter.com/c1yaW2IAQm
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) April 29, 2025
CNN noted that President Donald Trump personally phoned Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder, to voice his displeasure. In recent months, Bezos and Trump have reportedly grown closer, with occasional dinner meetings between the two.
Although Amazon now says it won’t be labeling products with tariff information, just the suggestion that it might do so has reignited sharp divisions in Washington over trade policy.
On Capitol Hill, Democrats overwhelmingly oppose Trump’s tariffs, and a small but notable group of Republicans have also raised objections, with seven GOP senators backing a bill that would curb the president’s tariff authority.
Earlier in April, the Senate approved a resolution aiming to prevent Trump from levying tariffs on Canadian goods, though the measure is unlikely to advance into law.
Speaking to Business Insider on Tuesday, Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said he wouldn’t directly advise businesses on whether they should post tariff data.
“I don’t think I have advice for companies about whether they should show a tariff tax or anything like that,” Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia told Business Insider on Tuesday.
Still, Kaine argued that companies being upfront about how tariffs affect pricing could have a meaningful effect on policy discussions, despite corporate fears of political backlash or hopes for exemptions.
But he said that companies “being candid about the effect” of tariffs could spur a change in policy, even as some companies fear retaliation or hope to secure exemptions.
Kaine further commented on the political climate, saying companies are wary of criticizing tariffs while simultaneously applying for exceptions due to fear of presidential retaliation.
“Nobody wants to be out there trashing the tariffs and then applying for an exception because they’re so worried Trump will retaliate against them,” Kaine said. “That speaks volumes about where we are in our politics right now.”
Peter Cohan, a Babson College management professor and venture capitalist, explained to Business Insider that disclosing tariff-related price increases would have helped customers better understand rising costs.
“Now,” Cohan said, “customers will have less information for deciding whether Amazon is more efficient than its rivals.”
{Matzav.com}
Why does Bezos shave his head?
Alopecia syndrome