SMALL BUSINESS WELCOMES PRESIDENT OBAMA TO IOWA AND DEMANDS AN EXPLANATION
DES MOINES
(September 14, 2015): Today the National Federation of Independent Business
(NFIB) is welcoming President Barack Obama to Iowa as he joins U.S. Secretary
of Education Arne Duncan, who is making a stop in Iowa as part of a multi-state
“back to school” bus tour this week. While many will be focused on education,
small business in the state would much rather hear the President explain his
theory on how small employers can afford higher labor costs like paid leave and
mandated minimum wage increases.
“We recently
saw the Johnson County Board of Supervisors take the unprecedented step of
increasing the minimum wage in the county without any legislative
participation. Their actions were no doubt motivated by President Obama and his
nationwide effort to strap small employers with increased labor costs,” Said
NFIB Iowa state director, Kristin Failor. “Small businesses are fighting for
survival in Iowa and instead of focusing on reducing regulations and putting a
stop to interfering in the day to day operations of entrepreneurs, the
President is determined to deter growth in the private sector and discourage
businesses from expanding.”
The President’s
visit to Iowa is designed to allow him to speak with high school students and
their parents regarding the apprehension they have with increasing
tuition costs. However, small businesses in Iowa have additional concerns for
those seeking to enter higher education.
“Most NFIB
members already pay way above the current minimum wage, but if you mandate the increase,
it sets the bar higher for those entry-level employees, and the costs for
operating your business escalate. The end result will be that the same high
school juniors and seniors that the President is speaking with today will have
no employment opportunities to subsidize their living expenses. Thanks to
President Obama and his agenda, any opportunity to make additional income will
be destroyed by the time they get to college,” concluded Failor.
