Temporarily Reopening Federal Government Does Not Erase Damage Shutdown Inflicted on Small Businesses

For Immediate Release: 
Friday, January 25, 2019

Small Business Majority Founder & CEO John Arensmeyer made the following statement about the impact a temporary reopening of the entire federal government will have on small businesses:

“While small businesses may benefit from an agreement that will temporarily reopen the entire federal government, it’s an inescapable fact that the partial government shutdown inflicted substantial damage on America’s small firms.

With much of the government shuttered, loan applications sent to the U.S. Small Business Administration have been on hold, small firms that contract with the government have not gotten paid and local small businesses that frequently serve federal employees lost sales. Since most small firms have little if any financial safety net, a small dip in earnings can be an existential blow and many small firms will not recover anytime soon from the losses they incurred over the past month.

Unfortunately, we still do not know how quickly government business will resume with small firms, and temporarily reopening the entire federal government will do little to reassure consumers about the overall state of our economy since we could face yet another shutdown again in a matter of weeks. We must end this political stunt for good and pass a long-term measure to fully fund the entire federal government so America’s job creators can get back to business.”  

 

About Small Business Majority

Small Business Majority was founded and is run by small business owners to ensure America’s entrepreneurs are a key part of a thriving and inclusive economy. We actively engage our network of more than 58,000 small business owners in support of public policy solutions and deliver information and resources to entrepreneurs that promote small business growth. Our extensive scientific polling, focus groups and economic research help us educate and inform policymakers, the media and other stakeholders about key issues impacting small businesses and freelancers. Learn more about us on our website and follow us on TwitterFacebook and Instagram.

Press State: 
National