The President:
Good morning, everybody.
For the last several months, I
have been urging Congress to
pass a jobs bill that will
do two big things for small
businesses -- cut their taxes and make loans more available.
I have been adamant about this
because small businesses are the
backbone of our economy.
They create two out of every
three new jobs in this country.
And while a lot of big
businesses and big banks have
started recovering
from this recession,
small businesses and community
banks that loan to small
businesses have
been lagging behind.
They need help.
And if we want this economy to
create more jobs more quickly,
we need to help them.
A report yesterday from the
Labor Department underscores why
this is so critical.
In the final few
months of last year,
small businesses with fewer than
50 employees accounted for more
than 60% of the job losses in America -- more than 60%.
These are the businesses that
usually create most of the jobs
in this country.
And this report, combined
with this morning's news that
unemployment claims rose
again, compels us to act.
It compels us to stand with the
small businessmen and women who
are trying to grow their
companies and make payroll and
hire new workers.
The jobs bill that is stalled
in Congress would completely
eliminate taxes on key
investments in small businesses.
It would allow small business
owners to write off more expenses.
And it would make it easier
for community banks to do more
lending to small businesses,
while allowing small firms to
take out larger SBA
loans with fewer fees,
which countless entrepreneurs
have told me would make a big
difference in their companies.
I'd also like to point out this
legislation is fully paid for
and will not add one
single dime to our deficit.
So this is a bill
that makes sense,
and normally we would expect
Democrats and Republicans to
join together.
Unfortunately, a partisan
minority in the Senate so far
has refused to allow this jobs
bill to come up for a vote.
Now, I recognize that there
are times when Democrats and
Republicans have legitimate
differences rooted in different
views about what's
best for this country.
There are times when good
people disagree in good faith.
But this is not
one of those times.
This small business jobs bill is
based on ideas both Democrat and Republican.
In fact, many provisions in the
bill were actually authored by
Republican senators.
It has been praised as being
good for small business by
groups like the Chamber of
Commerce and the National
Federation of
Independent Businesses.
A majority of senators are in
favor of the bill and yet the
obstruction continues.
It's obstruction that stands in
the way of small business owners
getting the loans and the tax
cuts that they need to prosper.
It's obstruction that
defies common sense.
So let me just make
this simple point.
There will be plenty of time
between now and November to play politics.
But the small business
owners I met with this week,
the ones that I've met with
across the country this year,
they don't have time
for political games.
They're not interested in what's
best for a political party.
They're interested in what's
best for the country.
When Congress reconvenes, this
jobs bill will be the first
business out of the gate.
And the Senate Republican
leadership needs to stop its
efforts to block it.
Let's put aside the partisanship
for awhile and work together for
small businesses, for employees,
and the communities that depend
on them across
this great country.
Thank you very much.