HOUSE PASSAGE OF BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE BILL WILL SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH BUT BUILD BACK BETTER PLAN IS NEEDED TO SECURE LONG-TERM RECOVERY
After an arduous negotiating process, the U.S. House of Representatives has finally passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill investing billions of dollars in our country’s physical infrastructure that will help to bolster recovery for millions of small businesses. We applaud the passing of this bill, but we also urge the swift vote on the Build Back Better plan, which includes much-needed investments in healthcare, childcare, and paid family leave, along with tax provisions needed to ensure that small businesses are at the center of a thriving and equitable economy.
Sending the bipartisan infrastructure bill to President Biden’s desk is good news for small businesses because physical infrastructure reform will support access to customers and suppliers, enhance business operations, and create demand for the goods and services small businesses have to sell. Small Business Majority polling has found that the vast majority (79%) of small businesses support improving our nation’s physical infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, and airports. Additionally, the bipartisan bill includes investments in expanding and enhancing broadband access. Seventy-six percent of small businesses say expanding broadband access is critical to improving business operations and supporting the growing number of online customers and suppliers they built during the pandemic.
However, the stall in progress on the Build Back Better bill comes when 38% of small businesses report that business conditions are on the decline compared to the month before. Small business owners need both the resources in the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the investments in benefits like healthcare and childcare included in the Build Back Better plan to secure long-term support and promote a more resilient workforce. The Build Back Better plan also includes forward-thinking policies to level the playing field through tax reforms to create a more competitive environment for our nation’s job creators and innovators.
Our nation needs the robust investments included in both bills to recover more sustainably from the pandemic. We urge members of the House of Representatives to come together now and quickly pass the Build Back Better plan to get these critical resources to America’s job creators, who have already been waiting far too long.