President Obama was in Seattle today, meeting with small business owners in the area to discuss the economic challenges small business owners face. Flanked by Commerce Sec. Gary Locke, Sen. Patty Murray, Joe Fugere of Tutta Bella Neopolitan Pizzeria, Gillian Allen-White of Grand Central and Tiffany Turner of Inn at Discovery Coast in Long Beach, Obama blasted Republicans for continuing to block legislation that would open up more capital to small businesses and boost job growth.
Now, unfortunately, a partisan minority in the Senate has been standing in the way of giving our small businesspeople a simple up-or-down vote on this bill. They won’t even let it go to vote. And every day this obstruction goes on is another day a small business somewhere in the country can’t get a loan or can’t get the tax cuts that it needs to grow and to hire.
I think Patty would agree with me when I say there will be plenty of time between now and November to play politics, but the small business owners beside me and around the country 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 their employees and their communities and for the country.
So when Congress reconvenes, this jobs bill will be the first business out of the gate, and I ask Senate Republicans to drop their efforts to block it. I believe we can work together to get this done for the folks standing beside me, and for small businesses, their employees, and communities that depend on them all across the country.
The bill, which Republicans blocked before August recess, would create a $30 billion lending program in Treasury that would be administered through local banks as well as expanding already existing lending program. It would also provide more than $12 billion in tax breaks for small businesses.