The Lancaster News
August 27, 2021
Frank Knapp Jr. is co-chair of Small Business for America’s Future and president/CEO to the S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce.
The July 9 announcement from the Biden Administration on a new executive order aimed at increasing competition in the marketplace is welcome news for America’s small business community. It includes a thoughtful and detailed set of initiatives that will help small businesses by lowering health-care costs, providing more opportunity for federal contracts and restoring government’s role in protecting all consumers from marketplace dominance by corporate giants.
A recent Small Business for American’s Future survey found that small business owners are being crushed by health-care costs. Ninety-six percent said the Biden-Harris administration and Congress must prioritize bringing down these costs. This executive order on health care is welcome news for the nation’s more than 30 million small business owners.
As the nation’s largest customer of goods and services, the U.S. government can play a bigger role in supporting small businesses through federal procurement. This executive order instructing more contracting opportunities be given to small businesses by federal agencies will open up this market to more small business owners.
The order’s emphasis on enforcing antitrust laws recognizes what makes the U.S. economy the greatest in the world – free market competition. All consumers, including small businesses, benefit from competition that promotes better goods and services while keeping costs down.
Small business owners have long been the backbone of our nation’s economy, and will play a central role in fueling our economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an effective first step to creating a more equitable business environment for Main Street, allowing our small business community to flourish and continue to provide the economic growth and jobs our nation’s economy needs.
Small Business for American’s Future and all small businesses applaud this executive order. We look forward to working with the Biden administration and Congress to build other new ways of supporting small businesses and driving our communities and our economy forward.