Today, Rep. Cartwright honored local small businesses as part of the 50th Annual National Small Business Week.
"Today, we celebrate American small businesses, from Carbondale to Tower City, which are the engine that drive our economy. That is why House Democrats have put small businesses at the forefront of our economic plan to create good-paying jobs and grow the economy," said Rep. Cartwright.
To provide certainty to small businesses and expand good-paying jobs, he called for action on a budget that spurs new businesses and creates jobs by replacing GOP sequester cuts with a balanced agreement that creates jobs, strengthens the middle class, and responsibly reduces the deficit.
"Moving forward on a budget agreement is a critical step toward strengthening our economy and bolstering small businesses. And through our American Jobs Act and our Make It In America agenda, Democrats are fighting to provide millions of small businesses with new incentives to expand and hire, make it more cost-effective for small businesses to invest in plants and equipment, and expanding new tools and strategies for small to medium-sized businesses to transition into clean energy and high-tech manufacturing," stated Rep. Cartwright.
Republicans in Congress continue with their NO Jobs agenda -- refusing to consider legislation that creates jobs, blocking debate of economic proposals, and conjuring up one manufactured crisis after another -- and America's small businesses and families have paid the price. Under GOP sequestration, small businesses are estimated to be losing access to more than $900 million in loans, and the non-partisan CBO estimates that the GOP sequester will cost 750,000 American jobs this year alone. Despite repeated GOP calls for a budget in the past, the GOP now is blocking negotiations to get a final budget done, which is critical to creating good-paying American jobs, stopping the sequester cuts, growing the economy, and getting our fiscal house in order.
"During this 50th Small Business Week, we thank the small businesses across the nation, which form the backbone of our communities -- opening new storefronts, training American workers, manufacturing and selling goods in our neighborhoods," said Rep. Cartwright. "We also renew our commitment to expanding economic opportunity so that everyone with an idea for a new enterprise or business venture has the ability and resources to translate their dreams into reality."