The New York Times
June 16, 2017
“ ‘A New Sheriff’ Enjoys Loyalty at Small Firms” (front page, June 3) grossly generalizes the views of American small-business owners toward President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.
As the former acting administrator of the Small Business Administration and the former chairman of the Export-Import Bank, I have met with tens of thousands of small-business owners. Of course, they prefer less red tape, lower taxes and less involvement from Washington. But they also need consistent, predictable policies that allow them to plan and grow, as well as policies that maintain America’s global leadership. The Paris climate agreement did all of those things.
Entrepreneurs look to the future, often finding market opportunities in innovative sectors, and few are bigger than those involving clean energy and greening existing technologies. For small businesses that export, the strongest brand they have is Made in America — a brand that took a serious hit with our recent repudiation of the community of nations.
Some small-business owners may be cheering Mr. Trump’s withdrawal from Paris. But most, I believe, are certainly shaking their heads at the lost opportunities and lost leadership that will inevitably result from this decision.
FRED P. HOCHBERG
MIAMI BEACH