[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 6, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H1862-H1863]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS WEEK

  (Mr. Meuser of Pennsylvania was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Speaker, this week we recognize National Small 
Business Week and, with it, the incredible contributions of our many 
small business owners, workers, and entrepreneurs across Pennsylvania 
and the United States.
  These individuals, Mr. Speaker, deserve more than recognition; they 
deserve our support and applause. Small businesses aren't just a line 
in an economic report; they are the lifeblood. They are the employers, 
the mentors, and the community leaders, and they are the ones giving to 
local charities and sponsoring youth sports, putting their names on the 
back of Little League jerseys in communities across our Commonwealth of 
Pennsylvania.
  We also recognize the critical role of our local chambers of commerce 
in assisting small businesses. Throughout Pennsylvania's Ninth 
Congressional District, we are blessed with some of the best chambers 
in Pennsylvania, if not the country.
  Throughout my district and Pennsylvania, from Schuylkill County to 
Wyoming County, to the Susquehanna Valley to Lebanon, from Luzerne to 
Lycoming, these chambers are working every day to support job creators 
and bring small businesses together. They serve as a bridge between the 
private sector and government, and they help ensure that entrepreneurs 
have a voice. Their efforts deserve our thanks.
  As someone who worked in small business, I understand the challenges 
entrepreneurs face, and while I was fortunate to help grow a small 
business into a larger business, I never lost that small business 
mindset. That mentality, grounded in what we call the WIT principle, 
Whatever It Takes, is built on hard work, results, teamwork, and 
customer service. It continues to guide my work here in Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, that work, on behalf of small businesses, starts with 
regulatory relief. Small businesses don't have compliance departments 
or teams of lawyers. Every hour spent on paperwork is an hour not spent 
on growing their business.
  That is why House Republicans and the Trump administration have taken 
important steps to roll back burdensome regulations that never should 
have applied to small employers in the first place. We fought to 
eliminate the Biden administration's imposed Beneficial Ownership Rule, 
which would have forced small businesses to submit sensitive ownership 
information to FinCEN, adding compliance burdens and creating legal 
risk with little benefit.
  We pushed back against the CFPB's 1071 rule, which mandated that 
lenders collect and report demographic and financial data on small 
business loan applications, raising costs and potentially limiting 
access to capital.
  To ensure we are hearing directly from those affected, the Small 
Business Administration has also now launched recently a red tape 
hotline, giving small business owners and manufacturers a direct 
channel to report excessive or unworkable Federal regulation so we can 
act on them. As a matter of fact, their hotline phone number at the SBA 
is 1-800-827-5722.
  Beyond regulatory relief, we are advancing smart legislation to 
support growth and innovation. I introduced the Investing in All of 
America Act, which expands access to capital for small manufacturers 
and startups in economically underserved and rural areas by raising the 
leverage cap on small business investment companies.

                              {time}  1045

  My 7(a) Loan Agent Oversight Act improves transparency and 
accountability in the SBA's most widely used lending program by 
requiring annual reports on loan agent activity. This bill ensures 
Congress has the data needed to provide proper oversight, protect 
taxpayer dollars, and keep the program strong for small businesses that 
rely on it.
  The Regulatory Review Improvement Act, which I also introduced, 
ensures that Federal agencies take into account the real-world impact 
of their rules on small businesses. It requires agencies to regularly 
review existing regulations already on the books and evaluate whether 
they should remain in place based upon their effect on small 
businesses. That and ensuring access to capital are some of our major 
focuses here in Congress.
  Finally, through reconciliation--also known as the one big, beautiful 
bill--we are committed to extending the provisions of President Trump's 
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which helped countless small businesses invest, 
expand, and hire.
  Provisions like section 199A, bonus depreciation, and the R&D tax 
credit have had a direct, positive impact on small businesses. These 
provisions, and the broader income tax reductions, must be extended to 
maintain growth and protect jobs.
  By voting for this plan, we are simply continuing the tax plan that 
stimulated the strongest economy in the past 50 to 100 years. A ``no'' 
vote on this plan is a ``no'' vote for small business. Anyone who says 
this reconciliation package doesn't help small businesses either 
doesn't understand it or is choosing to ignore what is in it. This 
legislation is progrowth, proinvestment and pro-small business.
  Separate from the small business provisions, if the individual tax 
cuts are allowed to expire, the average Pennsylvania family, Mr. 
Speaker, will face a tax hike of over $2,500. If my Democratic 
colleagues oppose this bill, they are voting in favor of the largest 
tax increase on working families in American history, plain and simple.
  Frankly, we need Pennsylvania's executive office and State agencies 
to get on board with this progrowth initiative, as well. Mr. Speaker, 
let's thank every entrepreneur, employer, team member, and small 
business for all they do to deliver for America.

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