Escaping Trumps tariffs has required navigating a broken system vulnerable to corruption, businesses and academics say | Money [Video]

New York (CNN) — In 2018, Bobby Djavaheri feared his family’s appliance business faced an existential threat from the Trump administration’s tariffs on Chinese air fryers.

Djavaheri, president of Yedi Houseware Appliances, consulted with a customs attorney and applied for a tariff exclusion with the United States Trade Representative to avoid the 25% levy on the Chinese imports.

Yedi’s application, like most others, was swiftly denied.

“They didn’t even give me an explanation,” Djavaheri said, adding that his LA-based company had to lay off workers and cancel plans to expand. “We were on the up and up. And this just halted our growth.”

Many US businesses have tried, and often failed, to avoid the costs from US tariffs on China. And it underscores frustrations with a tariff exclusion process launched during the first Trump administration that is often described as murky and messy.

“The exclusions process is broken. It’s convoluted and incredibly confusing,” said Tom Madrecki, vice president of campaigns and special …