Dear NFIB Member,
The President this week announced his pick for the open U.S. Supreme Court seat: 10th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Neil Gorsuch. I was pleased to have been invited to the White House to attend the announcement, as well as a meeting on Wednesday with the President to explain why small business owners have a big stake in the next Supreme Court justice.
NFIB members know first-hand the difference that one justice can make. We were the lead plaintiff in NFIB v. Sebelius, the landmark case against Obamacare. The controversial law, which has driven up costs for small businesses, was upheld by a single vote. We are in court fighting against several major regulations, including the EPA Waters of the U.S. Rule, the EPA Clean Power Plan, and the Department of Labor Overtime Rule. If they reach the Supreme Court, Judge Gorsuch could be the deciding vote. We’re not taking any chances.
In reviewing Judge Gorsuch’s record, NFIB found him to be consistently tough on regulatory agencies seeking to expand their authority by rewriting the law. In a very influential decision, Judge Gorsuch challenged the Chevron Doctrine, which gives deference to regulatory agencies to interpret laws in ways that expand their power. That’s a positive signal to small business owners who have struggled for decades with ball-and-chain regulations. To learn more about NFIB’s support for Judge Gorsuch, visit the NFIB Justice for Small Business section of our website. Visit our Take Action page to urge your senators to support Judge Gorsuch.
Earlier this week, President Trump signed an executive order requiring federal agencies to eliminate two regulations for every new one approved. His actions to reign in excessive regulation is good news for the small business community. Small and independent businesses have been crushed by the aggressive regulations of the past eight years. According to the 2016 NFIB Small Business Problems and Priorities report, overregulation is now the second most important problem for small business owners.
President Trump also signed an executive order to revive the Keystone XL Pipeline. Keystone is an important infrastructure project that will create economic activity, job growth, and long-term energy security for America. It was a key issue for NFIB, and we are very pleased that President Trump made it one of his first actions.
Finally, we are very active on tax reform, one of our key priorities for 2017. President Trump and Congressional leadership agree that taxes are far too high for both pass-through businesses and C corporations. The tax code strongly favors large corporations. NFIB believes that no small business should be paying a higher tax rate than Exxon Mobil.
I have made it clear to Congress and the President’s team that tax reform starts with small business. Small business employs 58 million Americans and creates more than half of all jobs. If the purpose of tax reform is to grow the economy and create jobs, then it must focus on small business.
Please visit our NFIB Tax Reform Page for updates and details. Congress and the White House are working on tax reform now, and it’s important for NFIB members to be involved. The best way to ensure that your voice is heard is to send a message to your representatives in Washington that tax reform starts with small business.
We are looking forward to an exciting and productive year. We have had a number of significant victories already in January, and there will be more to come. In the meantime, thank you again for your membership. Please don’t hesitate to contact our office in Washington, DC, or your state with any concerns or questions.
Sincerely,
