Douglas Herbert Will Fight For Small Business

Press Conference

There has been a lot of talk lately, as there should be, about how Congress can help small businesses put Americans back to work.

After all, politicians on both sides of the aisle agree that small businesses are the engine of our economic growth. They account for 75 percent of new job creation and according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 99 percent of all employers are small businesses.

It is, therefore, unsurprising that my opponent Rodney Frelinghuysen, would talk about how he supports small business, how he wants to help put people back to work. However, when he has a chance to act, a chance to actually help small business, Rodney Frelinghuysen votes against their interests.

Last week, HR 5279, the "Small Business Lending Fund Act" was put to a vote in the House. It is a deficit neutral bill, which provides for lending to small businesses, and dozens of small business tax incentives. It is exactly the kind of bill, which small businesses need to reinvest and rehire, and Frelinghuysen voted against it.

This year, despite the economic recession, Frelinghuysen has also voted against the Small Business & Infrastructure Jobs Tax Act and the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act.

He voted against all those small business owners who are looking for assistance. Instead, he chose partisanship over solutions.

Nothing should be more non-partisan than helping small businesses grow and putting Americans back to work. The time for talking about the economy and small business has past; Congress needs to act.

Now is not a time to play politics with people's lives. I would have voted to allow small businesses to rehire and reinvest. By putting money in the hands of those who will use it, we can and will create an economic recovery one dollar at a time.

Small businesses in the Eleventh District are facing serious challenges when it comes to financing and investing in their businesses and thus creating jobs in our community. Yet for all the varying challenges there is one clear theme, Congress needs to do more to help small businesses.

That is why I have proposed three approaches, which will help small businesses in our District and America gain access to the resources necessary to start their businesses and to grow them.

1 . I will fight to provide payroll tax credits for small business that hire and rehire Americans currently unemployed. Many small business owners that I have spoken to have told me that they would put this credit back into their business and into hiring new employees.

2 . I will fight to expand government guaranteed loan programs and credit lines to small businesses. As a small-business owner myself, I know that access to capital is a primary concern for many small business owners now. We cannot sit back and allow small businesses to suffocate while Congressmen like Frelinghuysen approve billions of dollars in big bank bailouts. Bills like the one last week are crucial to ensuring business can survive this recession.

3 . Lastly, it is time that we have a Congressman in the Eleventh District who will support innovation and high-tech job creation. Through investments in research and a tax credit so that businesses can innovate, I will work to bring new, high-tech jobs to the Eleventh District. I will not accept the status-quo; there are real steps we can take to create new high-paying and secure jobs here.

We live in the midst of challenging times, but there is also the potential to learn from this recession and come out of it stronger than before. My opponent has decided it is easier to give in to the political establishment than to fight back for hardworking Americans. I will not give in, if elected; I will fight day in and day out to make sure that our small businesses are strong and are provided every opportunity to grow. Small-businesses drive our economy, and I will make sure that their interests and the Eleventh District's interests are represented in Congress.

Douglas Herbert

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