Political Quotes

“Mr. President, this week the Senate also returns to the small business jobs bill. Small businesses are central to our efforts to create jobs. Unemployment insurance helps people who are out of work. We want to help create the jobs so people can get the work. Small businesses employ half of America's private sector workforce. In my home State of Montana, small businesses employ more than 90 percent of all private sector employees. Over the past 15 years, small businesses have created two-thirds of Americans' new jobs. That is about 12 million new jobs. Historically, during recessions, small businesses bear the brunt of employment losses. The great recession has been no exception. Over the course of the great recession, small firms have accounted for between 64 percent and 80 percent of net job losses. Plainly, to create jobs, we need to find ways to help small businesses. Small businesses continue to face significant obstacles to expanding and hiring. One of the biggest obstacles is getting capital. A recent study by the National Federation of Independent Business found that only half of small businesses trying to borrow are able to get the capital they need. Nearly a quarter are not able to get any credit at all. Compare that to 2005. Five years ago, 90 percent of small businesses were able to get the capital they needed, and only 8 percent were not able to get any credit at all--a big change. Small business lending has dropped.…”