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Conan Knoll
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Small Business Group: Small Businesses Need Grants and an Extension of Enhanced Unemployment Benefits to Drive Consumer Demand

Statement by Shaundell Newsome, Co-Chair of Small Business for America’s Future and Owner of Sumnu Marketing in Las Vegas, NV

Washington, D.C., Nov. 24, 2020—We’re glad to see the incoming Biden Administration is urging lawmakers to pass a stimulus package even before he takes office in January. A November national survey of more than 1,000 small businesses shows that 73% of small business owners say that passing financial relief for small businesses should be the top priority of the Biden Administration.

That’s not surprising considering the survey also finds 39% of small business owners say that they won’t make it past the end of the year without further financial assistance. Clearly, small businesses can’t wait months for help. Our leaders must put aside their political differences and provide Main Street small business owners with no-strings-attached grants and their employees with enhanced unemployment benefits to get through what is sure to be a long hard winter. If they don’t, consumer demand will collapse and many small businesses will fail, taking jobs with them, forever changing our communities for the worse, and weakening any economic recovery.

Due to the lack of a national plan from the Trump Administration to control the Covid-19 virus, many small businesses once again face increased social distancing orders that will diminish demand and likely lead to layoffs. The stalling in providing aid is hard to fathom. Have the legislators in the Senate holding up any movement on a package walked their Main Streets lately? Have they seen the emptied storefronts, listened to the desperation of Payroll Protection Program recipients whose loans didn’t save them, talked to restaurant owners struggling with a takeout model?

Many of the 30 million small business owners in this country who employ nearly half of all American workers, are desperate for help. We sincerely hope our leaders in Washington will listen to the incoming Biden administration, make small business a priority now and do what’s necessary to ensure our Main Street small businesses survive, recover and thrive.

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About Small Business for America’s Future
Small Business for America’s Future is a national coalition of small business owners and leaders working to provide small businesses a voice at every level of government. We’re committed to ensuring policymakers prioritize the nation’s 30 million small businesses to create an economy that works for them, their workers and their communities. Visit www.smallbusinessforamericasfuture.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. #SmallBizAF.