[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 6, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H1861]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HELP SMALL BUSINESSES THRIVE AGAIN

  (Mr. Mann of Kansas was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, the Big First District of Kansas is home to 
more than 20,000 small businesses who employ over 80 percent of working 
adults in my district. These small businesses are the backbone of our 
economy. Their stories, defined by sacrifice, hard work, and 
determination, serve as a reminder of what the American Dream is all 
about: that anyone, from anywhere, can come to the U.S. the right way, 
work hard, make an honest living, and succeed. That is what it is all 
about.
  Many of the small businesses I represent are family owned and 
operated. As the fifth generation to grow up on my family farm and 
feedyard in western Kansas, I understand the immense sense of pride and 
gratitude that comes with growing up around a family business. It is 
much more than a 9 to 5; it is a personal investment of endless hours 
to see a dream come to life. When that dream gets off the ground, 
families give it their all to keep it afloat. They take pride in 
serving their neighbors and leaving their communities better than they 
found them. Our Federal policies ought to help them do just that.
  Since I came to Congress, I have worked nonstop to make this a 
reality. Every year, I have introduced legislation to preserve stepped-
up basis and to stop far-left Democrats' farm killer tax. For decades, 
stepped-up basis has protected families from being forced to pay 
capital gains taxes on inherited assets.
  President Biden tried his best to remove this provision, which would 
have resulted in the destruction of family farms across my district and 
around the country. I have always and will continue to oppose any 
effort to impose new taxes on small, family-owned businesses, period.
  I have fought to protect similar exemptions for students from family 
farms and small businesses. Last year, new FAFSA provisions altered the 
Federal formula for student aid, counting assets in small businesses 
and family farms as part of the family's net worth. My Family Farm and 
Small Business Exemption Act seeks to correct this flaw and to level 
the playing field for students who come from these families.
  When these students are applying for higher education financial aid, 
assets tied up in a small business should not count against them. As 
their families work tirelessly to make an honest living and serve their 
neighbors, we should make it easier for them to succeed and pass on 
these businesses to the next generation.
  My bill evens the playing field and protects the American Dream for 
every student. I was proud to see it included in the bill that the 
House Education and Workforce Committee marked up last week.
  Congress should also roll back burdensome regulations that further 
handcuff our small businesses in an already challenging environment. 
For the last 4 years, our small business owners navigated regulation 
after regulation imposed by the Biden administration. President Biden 
attempted to regulate every aspect of small business owners' 
livelihoods if they didn't fall in line with his Green New Deal agenda.
  Small business owners, already struggling with sky-high inflation, 
begged Washington, D.C., for less regulation and more freedom to just 
make a living. The Republican majority has spent the last 4 months 
rolling back these regulations. That is what our small business owners 
want and that is what they deserve.
  Most importantly, Mr. Speaker, over the last few months, this body 
will work to further support small business owners by extending the 
2017 tax cuts. These historic tax cuts by President Trump during his 
first term ushered in an economic boom that benefited America's small 
businesses and the communities they serve. We have a duty to bring back 
the growing economy and to ensure that family businesses that are the 
backbone of our country can thrive again.

  If we fail to extend the Trump tax cuts, small businesses will see 
their tax rates nearly double, harming local economies and Main Street. 
This financial burden would limit small businesses' ability to grow and 
force some to reduce the size of their staffs or even close their doors 
entirely. America can't afford to leave these men and women out to dry.
  During this National Small Business Week, we thank the hardworking 
men and women who make up the more than 33 million small businesses 
across our great Nation, employing nearly 62 million Americans, and 
equipping them to feed their families, put a roof over their heads, and 
clothes on their backs. I look forward to working with my colleagues in 
this body to see America's small business community thrive once again.
  Mr. Speaker, if our small businesses fail, America fails, and the 
world cannot afford that. I recognize that over these next few weeks we 
will have very difficult conversations on the best way to extend these 
cuts and enact President Trump's agenda, but they are conversations 
worth having.
  Mr. Speaker, America is counting on us.

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