Skip to playerSkip to main content
Forbes Breaking News
  • 8 months ago
During a House Small Business Committee hearing, Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH) questioned SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler about workforce challenges, and the Trump Administration's budget cuts.
Transcript
00:00Thank you Administrator Loeffler for being here today. You testified that as
00:05you've traveled around the country you've heard three big concerns from our
00:08small businesses. You talked about workforce challenges, regulations and
00:13red tape and taxes. I'm hearing similar concerns but I want to start I want to
00:19address both. I want to start by asking you about the workforce challenges you've
00:23heard about. As I've traveled around New Hampshire and part of what has really
00:31given me grave concern about the biggest cuts to health care in American history
00:36is the impact that these cuts will have on our small business owners and
00:40employees. Do you have a sense Administrator of what the scale is how
00:45many small business owners and employees depend on Medicaid? Congresswoman we have
00:50to make sure that Medicaid is there for the people that need it and not for
00:53people who are gaming the system or double dipping. We know that there are
00:56Medicaid checks being sent to the same person in two different states and
01:00Americans want to know that this program will be there for them when they need it.
01:03We should make sure that pregnant single women are able to get that and not
01:09able-bodied Americans. The answer is seven million small business owners and
01:13employees depend on Medicaid for affordable health care coverage. We're
01:17talking about the biggest cuts to Medicaid in American history. We're also
01:21not extending the ACA premium tax credits which is going to hurt our small
01:25businesses across this country and it's what I'm hearing from our small
01:28businesses every day on this job. I want to ask you about child care as a
01:34workforce issue and and Administrator will you commit to working with me and to
01:38work with our committee to make child care more affordable?
01:42Congressman I hear to hear child care concerns and we want to make sure that we
01:47are ensuring that small businesses have the resources they need and I would love
01:52to hear your ideas about improving that across this country.
01:56Thank you I appreciate that and I will take you up on that. I want to ask you you
02:01mentioned red tape and taxes. As I've traveled around New Hampshire the number one
02:07concern it's it's I guess my question to you is how important is certainty to our
02:11small businesses? Certainty is is one thing that small businesses would like to
02:19have but running a small business is about anything but certainty and that's
02:22why the tax bill is so important. Thank you. They have the continuity of their
02:26expectations around tax. The primary driver of uncertainty for our small
02:30businesses today is this absolutely hard to follow trade policy in which tariffs
02:38and trade wards have been waged and exemptions have been granted. You testified
02:42earlier administrator that you oppose small exemptions for small businesses
02:46from the president's tariffs. Is that I just want to be sure that we have that
02:50right? I testified that we have to have fair trade for our small businesses who
02:55don't have the resources to fight against the trade war waged against our
02:59small businesses allowing small businesses in China to take away to commit
03:04sabotage and espionage when small businesses produce. Administrator, so I'm
03:08going to take that as you you oppose exemptions for small businesses while some
03:11of the biggest corporations in the world are getting exemptions. I oppose the
03:15following out of this country's manufacturing base and that's happened
03:19across communities. Five million workers have not had a voice. We have to
03:23restore opportunity for our workers for our small businesses to compete on a
03:27level playing. I agree you know in New Hampshire we have an incredible
03:30community of advanced manufacturing small businesses and I'm I'm reading here
03:35from a letter I received from one such business in the town of Fitzwilliam New
03:39Hampshire. This is this is a precision motion and engineering company it's a
03:44small business. They said without relief companies like Abtec representing the
03:49backbone of American manufacturing face significant challenges to
03:53sustaining growth innovation and employment. I've heard from countless small
03:57businesses who are worried that they're not going to be able to stay in business
04:01because of the president's tariffs. Will you commit to working with us in this
04:05committee to make sure that our small manufacturing businesses don't go out of
04:08business? Well certainly I'll always commit to working through exemptions to
04:13find these options and solutions. Our solution of on-shoring our supply chain
04:19through our on-shoring portal is critical but we have to ensure that our small
04:23businesses are never at the mercy of the Chinese Communist Party again. I
04:26couldn't agree more with that and I want them to stay in business so I hope we
04:30can count on you to work with us on that. Administrator Loeffler you you talked
04:35about staffing cuts. Last week you testified before the Senate and you
04:39committed to my colleague Senator Shaheen from New Hampshire to giving us a full
04:43update on how you plan to restaff critical district offices including in
04:47New Hampshire so that you know as we've seen a 60% reduction in our staffing in
04:53New Hampshire. I how is that in any way consistent with strengthening the SBA in
04:57the field? Well we've certainly seen a return to office and and the return to
05:01office did cause some people to opt out of returning to work in office but we are
05:06restaffing those field offices and people are back at work now in the field
05:10office. Well unfortunately in my state of New Hampshire we've seen a 60% reduction
05:14and this is harming our small businesses so I expect that we will be hearing
05:19about from from you with answers to our questions about how you intend to restore
05:24the workforce in that critical field office.
05:27Dental ladies time is up.
Be the first to comment
Add your comment

Recommended

GOP Lawmaker Urges SBA Administration Kelly Loeffler To Increase 'Access To Capital And SBA Lending Programs'
Forbes Breaking News
8 months ago
'Do You Care? Yes Or No?': LaMonica McIver Mercilessly Grills SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler
Forbes Breaking News
8 months ago
SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler Touts Progress In Fueling U.S. Economic Growth And Cutting Red Tape
Forbes Breaking News
7 months ago
'Small Businesses Can Now Compete On A Level Playing Field': Kelly Loeffler Touts Trump Trade Strategy
Forbes Breaking News
8 months ago
Dale Strong Rapid-Fire Questions Witness Claiming Tariffs Would Reduce American Economy Efficiency
Forbes Breaking News
9 months ago
‘Why Is 2,700 The Right Number?’: Nick LaLota Asks Kelly Loeffler For Rationale Behind SBA Staff Cuts
Forbes Breaking News
7 months ago
Jon Husted Questions SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler About Changing Manufacturing Loans Demand
Forbes Breaking News
8 months ago
Josh Hawley Questions SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler About Disaster Relief Efforts For St. Louis
Forbes Breaking News
8 months ago
SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler Testifies Before House Small Business Committee
Forbes Breaking News
8 months ago
Patty Murray Grills SBA Head Kelly Loeffler About Impact Of Trump's Tariffs On Small Businesses
Forbes Breaking News
8 months ago
Brendan Boyle Reads Musk's Brutal Tweets About GOP Budget Out Loud To Treasury Secretary Bessent
Forbes Breaking News
7 months ago
Deb Fischer Urges SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler Raise Awareness About Paid Leave Benefits
Forbes Breaking News
8 months ago
‘Can You Please Give Me Some Numbers?’: Mazie Hirono Grills Loeffler About SBA Staff Reductions
Forbes Breaking News
8 months ago
Gil Cisneros Confronts SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler On Moving SBA Offices Out Of Metropolitan Areas
Forbes Breaking News
7 months ago
'I Think That's Un-American': Hassan Spars With Sec. Bessent Over Trump's Tax Cuts, Tariff Policy
Forbes Breaking News
7 months ago
Emily Randall Presses Forest Management Official On The Consequences Of Trump’s ‘Skinny Budget’
Forbes Breaking News
8 months ago
Bill Hagerty Asks SBA Administrator Loeffler How Tax Cuts Will Strengthen Domestic Manufacturing
Forbes Breaking News
8 months ago
John Boozman Asks Kelly Loeffler About Improving Awareness Of Federal Aid For Small Businesses
Forbes Breaking News
8 months ago
‘It Would Eviscerate A Balanced Budget’: Melanie Stansbury Rails Against ‘Decimating’ Cuts Of GOP Tax Bill
Forbes Breaking News
8 months ago
‘These Services Are Make Or Break’: Janelle Bynum Decries Trump Admin’s Program Funding Cuts
Forbes Breaking News
8 months ago
'Public's Going To Pay For It One Way Or Another': John Hickenlooper Grills SBA Head Kelly Loeffler On Tariffs
Forbes Breaking News
8 months ago
'Literally Killing Our Small Businesses': Dem Lawmaker Rails Against Trump's Tariff Policies
Forbes Breaking News
8 months ago
'It's Hard To Imagine A More Anti-Family Agenda': Kelly Morrison Tears Into Trump, GOP Cuts
Forbes Breaking News
9 months ago
Bobby Scott Tells Linda McMahon To Her Face That Her Budget 'Does Not Signal A Path Of Success'
Forbes Breaking News
8 months ago
Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler Demands Interest Rate Cut In Trump Cabinet Meeting
Forbes Breaking News
5 months ago