Confirmations for Treasury, Labor, Health, and EPA should be expedited so reformers can get off to a fast start, says the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)
Washington, D.C. (December 21, 2016) – The country’s leading small business advocacy group yesterday urged the United States Senate to expedite the confirmation of four cabinet nominees so they can start right away repealing and reforming federal policies that suffocate growth and hamper competitiveness.
“For the past eight years, the federal government has overtaxed and overregulated small business,” said Juanita Duggan, President and CEO of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). “The sooner these nominees can get to work reforming the system, the sooner we’ll see the kind of robust economic growth that the country needs.”
Duggan sent letters to Senate leaders urging quick action on Steve Mnuchin, nominated for Treasury Secretary; Andrew Puzder, nominated for Labor Secretary; Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), nominated for Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary; and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt for EPA Administrator.
“Each of these nominees will play a critical role in executing a pro-growth agenda, which features major tax reform, health care reform, and regulatory reform,” Duggan said. “Every one of those reforms is necessary for small business to lift the economy and spread prosperity. They should be confirmed without delay.”
Duggan noted that small businesses represent 99.7 percent of all U.S. employers and they account for half of all jobs. According to the 2016 NFIB Problems and Priorities report, in which small business owners rank a list of 75 concerns, their top three headaches were federal taxes, regulations, and the high cost of health insurance. The four nominees will be instrumental in comprehensive tax reform, regulatory reform, and repealing and replacing Obamacare.
“Small business is the engine of economic growth. Regulations and taxes are like sand in the gears,” Duggan said. “Every one of these nominees has exactly the right experience to get the engine revving again.”
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