Lansing (July 1, 2014) – The National Federation of Independent Business
(NFIB) today announced its support for former Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land in the race to replace
outgoing US Senator Carl Levin.
“It’s
been a long time since Michigan small businesses have had an advocate in the
United States Senate and our members are very strongly committed to electing
Terri Lynn Land,” said NFIB/Michigan
Director Charlie Owens.
Land,
who grew up working in her family’s motel business, identified America’s
massive national debt as the biggest long-term challenge for small businesses,
taxpayers and the economy. NFIB has
called for a balanced federal budget and its members in Michigan have backed a
state resolution calling on Congress to convene a Constitutional Convention to
adopt a balanced budget amendment.
“Our
members see the national debt and the huge annual deficits as a runaway train
that will eventually swamp the economy and weaken the country,” said Owens. “Terri Lynn Land shares our concern and she’s
committed to restraining the federal government’s fiscal excesses.”
Land
has been a vocal critic of the federal Affordable Care Act, which small
business owners broadly oppose and which NFIB challenged all the way to the US
Supreme Court. She calls the law a
“failed promise.”
“With
respect to health care, none of the President’s promises came true, almost all
of our original concerns have been validated,” said Owens. “The ACA has driven up the cost of insurance. It has reduced the quality and availability
of medical care. It creates a powerful
disincentive to create new jobs and it’s a big drag on small business.”
NFIB
is the country’s leading advocate for small business owners representing
roughly 10,000 members in Michigan and
more than 350,000 nationwide. The
group endorses candidates based on their voting records on key issues
identified by its members such as health care, taxes, labor and regulatory
issues. NFIB tracks the votes of every
member of Congress and the respective state legislatures. Land’s opponent, Congressman Gary Peters, has earned a lifetime NFIB Voting Record of 14 percent. In fact, he voted only four times with small
business owners over the length of his career in Congress.
“He’s
one of the least reliable members of Congress when it comes to defending small
business,” said NFIB Vice President Lisa
Goeas, who heads the organization’s political and grassroots
operation. “Michigan small business
owners deserve much better representation in the United States Senate.”
Goeas
said the race is shaping up to be competitive and that it could determine which
party controls the United States Senate.
“This
is a really interesting race that is getting more national attention and observers
on both sides agree will be competitive,” she said. “It could determine whether we have a US
Senate that genuinely supports small business or whether it remains a rubber
stamp for policies that damage the economy.”
Land’s endorsement was made by the NFIB SAFE
Trust, the organization’s political action committee. Surveys show that small business owners are
influential in their communities and NFIB members in Michigan will work hard
this year to send Terri Lynn Land to
Washington.
For more information about NFIB,
please visit www.nfib.com.
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