Toro Spends $170,000 Lobbying as Commerce Weighs 14 New Tariff Lines

Toro Co. and its outside lobbying firm reported $170,000 in third-quarter federal lobbying filings tied to Section 232 steel and aluminum derivatives tariffs, according to disclosures signed Nov. 6.

The in-house filing lists $100,000 for the quarter, up from $0 in both the second and third quarters of 2025. Continental Strategy LLC, the outside firm, filed $70,000, up $10,000 from $60,000 in the second quarter. Michael Blake Bezruki, Toro's senior manager for government relations, is the only lobbyist named on the filing.

The spending tracks a live policy fight. On Aug. 6, the Commerce Department requested comments on adding 14 derivative articles to Section 232 duties. Derivatives are downstream products made with steel, aluminum or copper. The notice proposes an extension, not a final rule.

What does the proposal change?

A June 1 presidential proclamation, published in the Federal Register on June 4, adjusted tariff treatment for imported aluminum, steel, copper and derivatives. The stated goal: push manufacturers toward greater use of U.S. metals in downstream products.

A Congressional Research Service report dated Sept. 17 says the tariffs changed repeatedly through 2026. It puts 2025 imports at $25 billion in steel articles and $18 billion in aluminum, excluding derivatives. Business groups argue the duties hurt U.S. manufacturers; domestic steel and aluminum producers call them critical to boosting output.

The stakes for equipment makers are large. A coalition's Sept. 16, 2025 letter said the expansion covered 407 tariff codes and roughly $240 billion in imports.

Who is pushing back?

Opponents of the tariffs include the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, Associated Equipment Distributors, the American Clean Power Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Their Feb. 10 letter says the tariffs' scope raises costs, compliance burdens and uncertainty for importers and manufacturers.

For Toro, whose mowing and turf equipment depends on steel and aluminum inputs, the derivative expansion flows directly into material costs and factory margins. The filing's issues text names Section 232 steel and aluminum derivatives tariffs, trade import and export duties, and Section 232 steel derivatives.

What else is on Toro's lobby agenda?

The filing also names "CARB SORE," shorthand for California's small off-road engine rules. The Environmental Protection Agency granted California's authorization on Jan. 6, 2025. On Aug. 26, OPEI opposed the waiver as Congress weighed a September vote on overturning it.

Right to repair appears in the filing as well. The Repair Association argues consumers and independent shops should have access to parts, tools and repair information. OPEI counters that current legislation is overly broad and says it fails to distinguish repair from modification, a difference it says can affect safety.

What comes next?

Watch whether Commerce finalizes the 14 proposed derivative articles. The Aug. 6 notice remains a proposal only.

Toro's lobbying now runs through two channels: its in-house lobbyist and Continental Strategy, which has filed reports since the first quarter. If the derivative duties take effect, equipment makers' input bills rise with them.