| Weekly Update from Sam |
Dear Friends,
America’s rising debt is now over $16.7 trillion and the nation has spent more than $3.5 trillion annually for the past four years. Clearly, something must change. This week, the House of Representatives passed a budget that addresses the real problem – spending – and balances the budget over ten years. That’s a responsible way to approach our unsustainable deficits. Requiring fiscal responsibility of the government helps create a more stable economy in which to do business.
This Sunday marks the anniversary of the 2010 signing of the health care law, and another reminder of the heavy hand of the federal government. For three years, we’ve seen how the health care law has been an impediment for hiring and small business growth. The House budget would replace the health care law with patient-centered alternatives.
Getting the country’s fiscal house in order would be great news for small businesses. Putting America on a strong financial footing would be good for the dollar and much better for economic confidence. Small businesses stay within budgets; now it’s time for the federal government to do the same.
Sincerely,
Sam Graves
Chairman
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Latest Committee Action
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On Tuesday, the Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce conducted a joint subcommittee hearing with the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. The hearing highlighted challenges facing small businesses owned by service-disabled veterans seeking federal contracts using the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Department of Veterans Affairs contracting programs.
On Wednesday, the Committee held a hearing examining inefficiencies and duplication across federal programs to seek savings for the taxpayer and better assistance for America’s entrepreneurs. This oversight hearing focused on fragmentation, overlap, and duplication in entrepreneurial assistance programs, particularly between the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has identified opportunities for improvements across 52 entrepreneurial assistance programs. The Committee will explore legislative options to improve efficiency and eliminate duplication in entrepreneurial assistance programs.
On Thursday, Small Business Subcommittee on Health and Technology held a hearing to examine the increased incidence and complexity of cyber-attacks on small business, especially as new technologies present new challenges, and the role of the federal government in helping to address cyber-security issues.
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News from Washington
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On Thursday, the House passed a budget that balances in ten years. This responsible budget recognizes that the country can no longer spend money it simply doesn’t have, as the U.S. has for 50 of the past 60 years. Instead, the budget reforms spending, repeals and replaces the burdensome health care law, and gets the nation back on track. By contrast, the budget proposal by the Senate majority never balances. Balancing the budget and working to solve the debt and spending problem is vital to the next generation and preventing a major fiscal crisis.
The House also passed a measure funding the federal government to prevent a government shutdown and keep the focus on real budget reforms.
On Tuesday, Chairman Graves led a general aviation discussion with actor and pilot Harrison Ford. Read about it in the Washington Post and The Hill and Politico. The conversation centered on concerns over the administration’s proposals to close 238 air traffic control towers and add a user fee to general aviation flights. The Small Business Administration (SBA) estimates that 94 percent of the 2,700 firms that provide cargo or passenger air transportation services are small businesses. Graves also co-chairs the House General Aviation Caucus.
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| Notable Op-Eds |
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