On June 1 and 2, NSBA Chair Tim Reynolds, NSBA CEO Todd McCracken and small-business owners from across the country met with lawmakers in Washington D.C., attended a high-level White House Briefing, and heard from a host of lawmakers on key small-business issues.

The attendees visited the White House to hear from top administration officials including Rob Diamond, Special Assistant to the President and Director of Private Sector Engagement who noted the important role NSBA has played in shaping small-business policy and Maria Contreras-Sweet, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, who outlined the various changes that have been underway at SBA to expand its reach and improve offerings to small business.

Jason Miller, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, discussed the deficit and ongoing efforts to address tax reform, Greg Nelson, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the National Economic Council, talked about the importance of various trade deals the White House is currently negotiating, and Jordan Brooks, Assistant Director for the council on Women and Girls, discussed paid leave initiatives.

The delegation heard from eight Members of Congress. The first to address the group was Rep. Grace Meng (NY) who discussed the importance of trade, specifically how the U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-In Bank) is a critical resource for small firms. Rep. Tim Walberg (MI) talked about recent hiring issues with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO) discussed the importance of small-business ownership and the need to remove barriers to entrepreneurship.

House Small Business Committee Chair Steve Chabot (OH) highlighted the focus of his committee in four key areas to help small firms, including the need for tax reform. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (LA) underscored the need for regulatory restraint and reform to ensure small businesses can prosper, and Sen. Joe Manchin (WV) discussed common-sense legislating and the importance of bipartisanship among lawmakers.

Senate Small Business Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (NH) outlined some of the work the Senate Committee has been doing and underscored the importance of entrepreneurship in communities across the United States. Rep. Tony Cardenas (Calif.) who, as a former small-business owner, urged attendees to consider running for office and stated that Congress and state legislatures would benefit greatly from more small-business representation among lawmakers.

A handful of NSBA’s leadership participated in a roundtable with other business groups and a number of U.S. Senators as part of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee to discuss the need to promptly reauthorize Ex-Im Bank. Despite broad small-business support and one of NSBA’s Top 10 Issues, reauthorizing Ex-Im Bank has been a contentious issue on Capitol Hill with the Bank set to expire in just a matter of weeks.

Following the roundtable, NSBA President and CEO Todd McCracken, NSBA Chair and Tribute, Inc. President Timothy Reynolds and NSBA Past Chair David Ickert all participated in a press conference where remarks were made by Sens. Richard Durbin (IL), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Heidi Heitkamp (ND), Maria Cantwell (WA) and Chris Coons (DE). NSBA stated they will continue to urge lawmakers to support Ex-Im Bank.

NSBA leadership thanked the many small-business owners who attended the Washington Presentation and applauds their efforts in giving small-business a voice in Washington, D.C. For more information on NSBA , click here.  

Tribute, Inc. is a provider of business management software for industrial distributors, fabricators, and systems integrators.