[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 130, 114th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9438 of April 29, 2016

National Small Business Week, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Responsible for creating nearly two-thirds of net new jobs in the United
States each year and employing more than half of all Americans, small
businesses have always been a vital part of our country's economy. As
outlets for creativity and ingenuity, small businesses do more than
create jobs and foster growth--they represent the spirit that has always
driven our Nation forward. Throughout National Small Business Week, we
celebrate the irreplaceable role these enterprises play in our national
life by pledging to support them and equip them with the tools and
resources they need to succeed.
Across America, small businesses support economies, employ local
residents, and contribute to the vibrancy of their communities. My
Administration is dedicated to helping these businesses and the
entrepreneurs who took a chance on turning ideas into realities. We have
enacted 18 tax cuts for small businesses, and because of the Affordable

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Care Act, a tax credit of up to 50 percent is available for certain
small businesses to help offset the cost of insurance. And our
businesses have created jobs in every month since I signed this law.
Our Nation does best when we help our startups and small businesses
expand into new markets and offer goods and services to more people.
Ninety-eight percent of the American companies that export are small and
medium-sized businesses, but less than 5 percent of our country's small
businesses export. In our 21st-century economy, it is imperative that we
break down the trade barriers that too often hold small businesses back
from extending their reach to those abroad to sell more goods made in
the United States. Last year, we reached an agreement with 11 other
nations that allows us to write the rules of our global economy and
gives more of our people the fair shot at success they deserve. The
Trans-Pacific Partnership will eliminate over 18,000 taxes imposed by
other countries on our goods and services and level the playing field
for American workers and businesses, and I look forward to working with
the Congress to implement this agreement.
My Administration has taken action to ensure the Federal Government does
its part to support our Nation's small businesses. During fiscal year
2015, we awarded an all-time high of more than a quarter of eligible
Federal contracts to small businesses, and we made great strides in
ensuring more Government contracts are given to women-owned small
businesses--nearly $18 billion worth. We have launched next-generation
manufacturing hubs, and we have made more online tools available to
entrepreneurs to give them the resources they need to start a business
in a single day--and the Startup in a Day initiative is continuing to
engage with all levels of government to streamline the process of
beginning a business.
Our Nation's small businesses play a critical role in generating
economic prosperity, and the effort poured into them by ordinary
citizens across our country reflects the hard work and determination
inherent to who we are as a people. This week, we renew our support for
these engines of growth and recognize their incredible contributions to
our country.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 1 through May 7,
2016, as National Small Business Week. I call upon all Americans to
recognize the contributions of small businesses to the competitiveness
of the American economy with appropriate programs and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of
April, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
fortieth.
BARACK OBAMA