This week, we celebrate Small Business Week and recognize the countless men and women across the nation who contribute so much to our communities, states, and our economy – I believe that every week should be Small Business Week. Unfortunately, for more than three years, small businesses have all felt the same crushing weight upon their shoulders. Why do you think that’s the case? It’s because of the Biden administration’s relentless efforts to regulate them straight into the ground. We know for a fact that small businesses have always made our economy great, and that the dedicated men and women who show up every day to run them are exemplary people. The very last thing that they deserve is a heavy-handed administration looming over their shoulders every hour of every day.

Consider this: since President Biden was inaugurated, the cost of federal regulations that impact small businesses has reached $1.3 trillion. When compared to the Trump administration, the Biden administration’s regulatory costs are 45 times higher – and they even equal the cost incurred during the entire time that former President Obama was in office. Notice a pattern yet? I certainly do.

How do small businesses feel given these circumstances? The National Federation for Independent Business (NFIB) released a report in March of this year indicating that small business optimism has fallen every year since President Biden took office. Small business owners cite inflation as the single largest issue that’s on their minds. Unfortunately, the report also indicates that small business owners are largely expecting that sales will decline in the coming months.

We understand that small businesses have always been, and will always be, the reinforced backbone of our nation’s economy. From Bidenomics to increasingly burdensome red tape, tax increases to unnecessary regulations, President Biden has failed small businesses across every zip code. You can always count on me to push back against the failed political agenda of this administration, and to fight for pro-growth policies that protect small businesses and allow them to succeed on their own terms.

My Newest Letter

On Tuesday, Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer joined me in sending a letter to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Metro Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela Smith raising concerns about MPD’s refusal to assist in clearing out an encampment of antisemitic protestors on the George Washington University’s campus. The Constitution grants Congress legislative authority over the District of Columbia in all cases. If the District of Columbia and MPD refuse to exercise their authority to assist GWU in securing the safety of its students and faculty, Congress will be obliged to exercise its legislative powers to do so. To read our letter, click here.

Confronting Rampant Fraud

Recently, Representative Michelle Steel (R-CA) joined me in sending a letter to Department of Education Inspector General Sandra Bruce raising concerns about considerable fraud within the federal student financial aid system and demanding answers on the Department’s efforts to prevent and remedy these issues. Here is a short excerpt:

“Loosely affiliated groups of criminals have been exploiting low cost or free programs by using the identities of others (with or without their consent) to obtain federal student aid fraudulently. … From the fall of 2021 through the present, over $5 million in federal student aid has been fraudulently paid to individuals who enrolled at California community colleges, received financial aid, and did not attend college. … The personal toll on students who are prevented from improving their lives through education, as well as the financial toll on this nation, is unacceptable.”

To read our full letter, click here.

Quote of The Week

“Small business people are people with goals and values that can't be calculated on a profit and loss statement.”

-Linda McMahon

Have a blessed weekend,