President of national small business association urges politicians to act on federal deficit

The president and CEO of the National Small Business Association, NSBA President, Todd McCracken, wants Congress to set aside partisan differences and get back to the work they were elected to do: Addressing the national debt.

McCracken joined Sens. Angus King (I-Maine), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill), Chief Counsel for Advocacy Dr. Winslow Sargent, and a handful of other small-business leaders at a roundtable discussing the massive impact the growing debt has on America’s small businesses. The roundtable was organized by the Fix the Debt Campaign and was moderated by former Rep. Jim McCrery (R-La.)

In his remarks, McCracken stated: “We are at a point today where, not only is Congress not fixing the problem, its indecision and infighting is actually creating a larger problem. Policymakers inability—or unwillingness—to work together on a long-term solution to our rising debt is driving small-business uncertainty and having a stifling effect on economic growth.

“In fact, according to recent data from NSBA, the overwhelming majority of small businesses, 86 percent, believe the U.S. economy will be flat or recessionary in the coming year. This rampant economic insecurity has a direct impact on small-business growth: half of all small businesses project no growth whatsoever for their own business this year.

“NSBA was the first small business group to partner with the Fix the Debt Campaign, and our members have voted reducing the deficit as their number one issue. The more our elected officials balk at making the tough decisions our country needs, the fewer incentives there are to starting or growing a business.”

In addition to urging Congress to enact a responsible, long-term solution to the debt which includes broad tax and entitlement reform as well as spending cuts, NSBA has been warning against the negative effects of sequestration. Such a blunt cut to just a portion of the overall federal budget is already having a negative impact on many successful and economically sound small-business programs.

More information on the NSBA’s call for tax reform is at their website.