Plan more than doubles the federal minimum wage, expands paid leave mandates, and creates federal enforcement measures
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 15, 2020) – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), issued the following statement on behalf of NFIB Vice President of Federal Government Relations Kevin Kuhlman following the reveal of President-elect Biden’s stimulus plan:
“It is an unprecedented time for small business owners as they work to take care of their employees and keep their doors open while facing a pandemic and government-mandated shutdowns. While we appreciate President-elect Biden’s comments about the importance of small businesses to their communities and the economy, we are concerned that elements of this plan would hurt the businesses that have borne the lion’s share of the pain from the pandemic.
“As President-elect Biden said, small businesses are the economic engine of the country and the glue that holds communities together. They employ nearly half of the private sector workforce and are responsible for half of our GDP. More than doubling the minimum wage to $15 dollars per hour, expanding paid leave mandates, and creating new federal enforcement actions on small businesses will make it even harder for Main Street to survive. Big business may be fine with a dramatic increase of the federal minimum wage and paid leave mandates as they’ve been thriving during the pandemic, but small businesses know these policies will make it even harder for them to compete against their larger competitors.”
