Pelosi Remarks at Steering & Policy Hearing: 'Small Business Entrepreneurs: Engine for American Jobs'

Contact: Nadeam Elshami/Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee held a hearing today on small business entrepreneurs, the engine for American jobs, that emphasized how Congress can best help small businesses grow and hire. Below are the Leader’s opening remarks:

“I’d like to thank the co-chairs of our Steering and Policy Committee—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Congressman George Miller—for bringing us together under the auspices of the Steering and Policy Committee.

“I want to especially recognize our leading Democrat on the Small Business Committee, Congresswoman Velazquez, who has served as Chair of that committee and has been a champion for small businesses in our country. I want to commend Congressman Henry Cuellar, who can’t be with us today, but who has been working very hard on this issue, and in terms of engaging Members of the House Democratic Caucus in communication with our small businesses, as well as the Chair of our Caucus, John Larson.

“Today’s witnesses—Anne Shybunko-Moore, GSE Dynamics, Long Island, New York. Welcome, and thank you for joining us. Diana Gadison, whom I met in Denver—Diana [DeGette] will introduce, but we are delighted you are here. Mr. Joe Perry, thank you for joining us. Fran Pastore and Dr. Lawrence Mishel. We are very honored by your presence. We look forward to your testimony, and we will act upon it.

“I’m very pleased that in preparation for this hearing, we assigned Members the task of communicating, the pleasant chore of communicating with small business leaders in their community over last week’s break. And I think we can safely say that they communicated with nearly 2,000 small business leaders to hear what their views were about access, better access to credit, to trained personnel, to customers, to support from the SBA and other agencies of government. We believe that small business is the key to America’s recovery and our sustained strength, and maintaining being number one in the world.

“We think all of the ABCs that we advocated: American made, ‘Make It In America’, that is; B – building the infrastructure of America; C – community recovery through small business. All of it is advanced by strengthening and creating more small businesses in our country. We wanted to know how small businesses reacted to President Obama’s [American] Jobs Act. We want to make sure that you know that we are taking your message to the table of 12, the Supercommittee, so that they know the entrepreneurial spirit, the entrepreneurial spirit and the focus on small business, we believe is the answer.

“The American Jobs Act has key provisions for small businesses. We think we can do more than that. That’s why we’re listening to you, to see what you have to say about that. I won’t go into the provisions of the American Jobs Act, except to say that we want to know what you think about it. We commend the President for putting it forth.

“With that I would like to yield to—who should I yield to? George? I thank you, Mr. Miller, for your leadership on this issue over time.”

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