Declaraciones del Presidente Sobre Programas para Crear Trabajos en Pequeñas Empresas

EL PRESIDENTE: Buenos días a todos. Acabo de tener una reunión con estos pequeños empresarios y unos cuantos de sus trabajadores. Hablamos de algunos de los desafíos económicos que estas personas enfrentan. Y hablamos de las maneras en que nuestro gobierno puede facilitar que las pequeñas empresas contraten y crezcan.

Estos hombres y mujeres saben cuán importante es eso. Históricamente, las pequeñas empresas han generado dos de cada tres nuevos empleos en nuestro país. Y para recuperar los millones de empleos perdidos en la recesión, tenemos que asegurarnos de que las pequeñas empresas puedan abrir, expandirse y añadir nombres a sus nóminas de pago. Las pequeñas empresas ayudarán a impulsar esta recuperación económica. Y es por eso que continuaremos respaldándolas.
 
Pero asegurar que las pequeñas empresas puedan prosperar no sólo tiene que ver con nuestro éxito económico. Tiene que ver con quiénes somos como nación. Somos un país donde cualquiera con una buena idea y voluntad de trabajar puede tener éxito. Ésa es la promesa de Estados Unidos. Es esa promesa la que atrae a millones de personas a nuestras costas. Es lo que estimula a los trabajadores a convertirse en sus propios empresarios. Es lo que impulsa a los inventores de sótano a llevar sus inventos al mercado.
 
Es lo que llevó a dos muchachos, Bobby Pancake y Steve Wheat, quienes están presentes hoy, a arriesgarse y probar suerte administrando sus propios restaurantes. Claramente tenían que trabajar en restaurantes, se llaman “Pancake” y “Wheat.” Trabajaron para una cadena de restaurantes durante años, pero decidieron dejar las oficinas corporativas y abrir sus propias franquicias. De hecho, Bobby y Steve me dijeron que recientemente abrieron su sexto restaurante. Y Terry Haney, el gerente general de uno de sus locales, también nos acompaña.
 
Esta misma promesa de poder lograr sus sueños y llegar a ser su propia jefe fue lo que llevó a Prachee – Prachee Devadas a venir a este país, hacerse ciudadana y abrir lo que se ha convertido en una exitosa compañía de servicios tecnológicos. Prachee me dijo que cuando ella empezó, sólo tenía un empleado. Hoy, emplea a más de cien personas, entre ellos su esposo Anand, aquí presente.
 
Así que la realidad es que las pequeñas empresas en todo el país están contratando gente, haciendo una diferencia en sus comunidades, devolviéndole a sus comunidades, pero también han sido duramente golpeadas por la recesión. Desde mediados del 2007 a finales del 2008, las pequeñas empresas han perdido 2.4 millones de empleos. Y debido a que los bancos redujeron sus préstamos en la mitad de la crisis financiera, les fue particularmente difícil a los pequeños empresarios obtener préstamos para abrir un negocio o expandirse. Fue difícil financiar inventarios, planillas de pago, equipo nuevo.

Ahora bien, lo he dicho antes y lo repito, el gobierno no puede garantizar el éxito de estas compañías. Pero lo que sí puede hacer es derribar las barreras que impiden que los dueños obtengan préstamos. El gobierno no puede generar empleos en el sector privado. Pero puede crear las condiciones para que las pequeñas empresas representadas hoy aquí, crezcan y contraten a más personas. Eso es lo que ha guiado mucho de nuestro plan económico.
 
Entonces, permítanme dar ejemplos. El año pasado pusimos en vigor créditos tributarios para las pequeñas empresas de Estados Unidos, siete créditos tributarios. Hasta ahora, la Ley para la Recuperación ha respaldado más de 68,000 préstamos a pequeñas empresas, casi $29,000 millones en nuevos préstamos. Más de 1,300 bancos y cooperativas de crédito que no habían otorgado préstamos de la Dirección de Pequeñas Empresas (Small Business Administration o SBA) desde antes de la crisis financiera, ahora han vuelto a otorgarlos. Y más de $8,000 millones en contratos federales bajo la Ley para la Recuperación se han otorgado a pequeñas empresas. De hecho, Prachee ha podido añadir 20 empleados a medio tiempo y de tiempo completo, gracias a la Ley para la Recuperación.
 
Además, como resultado de una ley que promulgué hace unos meses, las empresas ahora cumplen los requisitos para obtener créditos tributarios cuando contratan a trabajadores desempleados. Las compañías también pueden deducir más de sus inversiones en equipo nuevo. Y como parte del paquete de la reforma de salud, 4 millones de pequeños empresarios recibieron recientemente una postal del Servicio de Rentas Internas (Internal Revenue Service o IRS). Y de hecho eran buenas noticias: les informaba que este año podrían cumplir con los requisitos para créditos tributarios por cuidado de salud que equivalen probablemente a decenas de miles de dólares para estas pequeñas empresas.
 
Así que éstas y otras medidas tienen un impacto positivo. Hace poco más de un año, la economía caía en picada. Hoy, está creciendo de nuevo. Hace poco más de un año, la economía perdía un promedio de 750,000 empleos por mes. Ahora, por cinco meses consecutivos, se han agregado empleos. Pero aunque estamos levantándonos de esta recesión, todavía no hemos salido de ese hoyo bastante profundo. Millones de nuestros familiares, amigos y vecinos todavía están buscando empleo, y enfrentan la perspectiva de desempleo a largo plazo. El acceso al crédito todavía no es como debiera, en particular para las pequeñas empresas.

Y los pequeños empresarios como Prachee y Bobby y Steve les dirán que sí, nos estamos recuperando, pero todavía no estamos totalmente recuperados. Necesitamos seguir avanzando.
 
Por eso estoy exhortando al Congreso a que apruebe rápidamente un conjunto de créditos tributarios e incentivos de préstamo para impulsar la contratación y el crecimiento en las pequeñas empresas. Esta ley que se está debatiendo ahora mismo eliminaría los impuestos a ganancias de capital para pequeñas inversiones -- para inversiones en pequeñas empresas, lo cual ayudará a movilizar capital hacia estas compañías en todo Estados Unidos. Y les daría un alivio tributario a las pequeñas empresas que recién empiezan para alentar a la gente a abrir su propio negocio también.
 
Para impulsar el otorgamiento de más crédito, este conjunto de medidas creará el fondo de préstamos para pequeñas empresas que propuse en mi Discurso sobre el Estado de la Nación, que ayudará a garantizar los préstamos a través de bancos comunitarios. Y crearemos un programa estatal nuevo de crédito a pequeñas empresas, porque los estados que enfrentan déficits han tenido que disminuir sus préstamos a pequeñas empresas y fábricas, lo cual afecta nuestra recuperación [económica]. También exhorto al Congreso que expanda y extienda los exitosos programas de la SBA, aumentado los topes para préstamos, por ejemplo, algo que podría beneficiar a gente como Bobby y Steve.
 
El hecho es que, desde el inicio de mi gobierno, venimos escuchando de pequeñas empresas que desean retener y contratar a más empleados, pero necesitan crédito adicional. Y venimos escuchando de bancos comunitarios pequeños que desean otorgar más préstamos a pequeñas empresas, pero necesitan capital adicional. Así que esta ley ayudaría a atender ambas necesidades. Y para ayudarnos a generar más empleos sin aumentar nuestro déficit, estamos tomando decisiones difíciles para pagar estas propuestas.
 
Entonces, tengo la esperanza de que la Cámara de Representantes apruebe estas medidas la próxima semana, y que el Senado haga lo mismo tan pronto como sea posible, con el apoyo de demócratas y republicanos. Y estoy deseoso de promulgar esta ley de créditos tributarios y préstamos adicionales. Es así que podremos hacer que nuestro país siga adelante, que siga por el camino que nos saca de la recesión, nos lleva a la recuperación pero también, finalmente, a la prosperidad.
 
Muchas gracias a todos.

Remarks by the President on Small Business Jobs Initiatives

Rose Garden

11:02 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning, everybody.  I just finished a meeting with these small business owners and a few of their workers.  And we talked about some of the economic challenges facing these folks.  And we talked about the ways that our government can make it easier for smaller firms to hire and to grow. 

These men and women know how important it is because, historically, small businesses have created roughly two out of every three new jobs in our country.  And to replace the millions of jobs lost in the recession, we’re going to need to make sure that small companies are able to open up and expand and add names to their payroll.  Small businesses will help lead this economic recovery.  And that’s why we will continue to stand by them.

But ensuring that small businesses can thrive is about more than just economic success.  It’s also about who we are as a people.  It’s about a nation where anybody who’s got a good idea and a willingness to work hard can succeed.  That’s the central promise of America.  It’s that promise that has drawn millions of people to our shores.  It’s what drives workers to become their own bosses.  It’s what propels some basement inventor to bring a new concept to market. 

That’s what led two guys, Bobby Pancake and Steve Wheat -- their real names -- who are here today, to take a chance and try their hand at actually running restaurants.  Obviously, they’d have to be restaurateurs, named “Pancake” and “Wheat.”  They worked for a restaurant chain for years, but they decided to leave the corporate offices and open up their own franchises.  In fact, Bobby and Steve told me they recently opened up their sixth location.  And Terry Haney, the general manager of one of their locations, is also here. 

This same promise of being able to build your own dreams and be your own boss led Prachee -- Prachee Devadas to come to this country, become a citizen, and open up what’s become a successful technology services company.  Prachee told me that when she started, she had just one employee.  Today, she employs more than a hundred people -- including her husband Anand, who is here today.
 
So the fact is that small businesses all across the country are hiring people, making a difference in their communities, giving back to their communities, but they’ve also been especially hard hit by the recession.  From the middle of 2007 to the end of 2008, small businesses lost 2.4 million jobs.  And because banks shrunk from lending in the midst of this financial crisis, it’s been particularly difficult for small business owners to take out loans to open up shop or expand.  It’s been hard to finance inventories and payroll and new equipment. 

Now, I’ve said before and I’ll repeat, government can’t guarantee success for these companies.  But it can knock down barriers that prevent owners from getting loans.  Government can’t create private-sector jobs.  But it can create the conditions for small businesses like these to grow and to hire more people.  That’s what’s guided much of our economic agenda.

So let me be specific.  Last year, we enacted seven tax cuts for America’s small business -- seven tax cuts.  So far, the Recovery Act has supported over 68,000 loans to small businesses, which translates into nearly $29 billion in new lending.  More than 1,300 banks and credit unions that had not made SBA loans since before the financial crisis are now lending again.  More than $8 billion in federal Recovery Act contracts are now going to small businesses.  In fact, Prachee has been able to add 20 part-time and full-time workers because of the Recovery Act.

In addition, as a result of a bill I signed into law a few months ago, businesses are now eligible for tax cuts when they hire -- when they hire unemployed workers, they're eligible for tax cuts.  Companies are also able to write off more of their investments in new equipment.  And as part of the health reform package, 4 million small business owners recently received a postcard in their mailboxes from the IRS, and it was actually good news:  It told them that they could be eligible for a health care tax credit this year that could be worth perhaps tens of thousands of dollars to these small businesses. 

So these and other steps are making a difference.  Little more than a year ago, the economy was in freefall.  Today, it’s growing again.  Little more than a year ago, the economy was losing an average of 750,000 jobs per month.  It’s now been adding jobs for five months in a row.  But even though we are in the process of digging ourselves out of this recession, we’re still in a pretty deep hole.  Millions of our family members, our friends, our neighbors are still looking for work -- they're still faced with the prospects of long-term unemployment.  Credit is still less available than it should be, particularly to small businesses.

As small business owners like Prachee and Bobby and Steve will tell you, we may be recovering but we’re not yet recovered.  We have to keep moving forward.

And that’s why I’m urging Congress to swiftly approve a set of tax breaks and lending incentives to spur hiring and growth at small businesses.  The legislation that's being debated right now would eliminate capital gains taxes for small investment -- for investments in small firms, which will help move capital to these companies across America.  It will provide tax relief to small start-ups to encourage folks to open up businesses, as well. 

To foster more credit, the package would create the small business lending fund I proposed in my State of the Union address to help underwrite loans through community banks.  And we’d create a new state small business credit initiative, because states facing budget shortfalls are scaling back lending to small firms and manufacturers.  That's working against our recovery.  I’m also urging Congress to expand and extend successful SBA programs -- by increasing loan limits, for example -- something that could benefit people like Bobby and Steve.

In fact, since the start of my administration, we’ve been hearing from small businesses that want to retain and hire more employees, but they need additional credit.  And we’ve been hearing from small community banks that want to lend more to small businesses, but they need additional capital.  So this bill helps fulfill both needs.  And to help us create jobs without adding to our deficit, we’re making the tough choices to pay for these proposals.

So I’m hopeful that the House will pass these measures next week, and that the Senate will follow as soon as possible -- with both support from Democrats and Republicans.  And I’m eager to sign this tax relief and additional lending into law.  That’s how we can continue to move our economy forward -- to continue on the path from recession to recovery, but also, ultimately, to prosperity.

Thank you very much, everybody.

END
11:10 A.M. EDT

Background on the President's Small Business Event Today

Today, the President will meet with small business owners at the White House and make a statement to the press in the Rose Garden on his small business jobs initiatives.  The President has put forth a series of proposals to help small businesses grow and hire new workers, and he’ll continue to urge Congress to act on these proposals that are essential to strengthening our economy and putting Americans back to work.

Standing behind him will be representatives from Synergy Enterprises, Inc. (a local information technology and management consulting firm) and High 5, LLC (a franchisee of Buffalo Wild Wings – 6 locations in Delaware and Maryland).

STAGE PARTICIPANTS

Prachee J. Devadas, President & CEO, Synergy Enterprises, Inc.
Anand A. Devadas, Vice President of Corporate Operations, Synergy Enterprises, Inc.
Bobby Pancake, Partner, High 5, LLC, A Franchisee of Buffalo Wild Wings
Steve Wheat, Partner, High 5, LLC, A Franchisee of Buffalo Wild Wings
Terry Haney, General Manager of Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar in Dover, Delaware
 
BACKGROUND ON STAGE PARTICIPANTS

Synergy Enterprises, Inc. (SEI)
Synergy Enterprises, Inc. is an 8(a)-certified, woman-owned company that provides information technology and management consulting services to local, national, and international clientele in the public and private sectors.

Before starting SEI, Prachee J. Devadas worked for small 8(a) companies gaining experience in business development, managing multimillion-dollar contracts while providing professional services in training and technical assistance, publication development, grant review and conference management.  In 1986, Prachee arrived in the United States after receiving her bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pune, India.

Since inception, Synergy Enterprises, Inc. has grown from 1 to over 120 employees and was named among Washington Technology's 2008 Top 25 8(a) contractors.

SEI has received multiple Recovery Act contracts, the largest being the Department of Education’s Investing in Innovation Fund (i3) for which they currently provide logistical support and technical assistance for the grant review process.  Since the beginning of the year, as a direct result of the receipt of Recovery Act contracts, SEI has hired approximately 20 part time and full time employees.

Anand A. Devadas is the Vice President of Corporate Operations at SEI and will accompany Prachee on Friday.

High 5, LLC, A Franchisee of Buffalo Wild Wings
Bobby Pancake and his business partner Steve Wheat are the owners of five Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar franchises in Bear, Middletown, Dover, Newark and Wilmington, Delaware. They recently opened their sixth restaurant in Bel Air, Maryland.

The business partners met while working for Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc., when Pancake was the senior director of company operations and Wheat was the local store marketing manager.  They spent many business trips discussing their dream of starting their own restaurant and developing their business plan. At the time, the franchise was in the process of transitioning from a local wing joint targeting college campuses to today’s national model of a suburban, family-oriented sports bar and grill.

In the past 12 years, Buffalo Wild Wings has grown from less than 50 restaurants to more than 678 locations in 43 states. Pancake and Wheat own the development rights for the entire state of Delaware and three counties in Maryland.

Since opening in 2004, the Delaware restaurants have more than doubled in sales and expanded to over 450 part time and full time employees. In the past twelve months they have hired 103 additional employees – 85 percent of those jobs were the result of the new Bel Air, Maryland location that opened in December 2009 and 16 additional positions have been added in 2010.

Bobby and Steve are currently looking to add an additional location in Delaware that will create between 75-100 new part time and full time jobs.  They have reached their limit for SBA loans, and fear that financing will be difficult to secure in the current lending environment regardless of existing cash flow.  If the provision for larger loan limits passed they could take advantage of SBA loans in order to expand.

Terry Haney joined the organization in November 2008 and is the general manager of the Dover, Delaware restaurant. His restaurant was named the top performing franchise location by Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc in 2009 and was the General Manager of the Year. Terry will accompany Bobby and Steve on Friday.

Statement by the President on the Anniversary of the Equal Pay Act

On June 10, 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed into law the Equal Pay Act, which sought to end wage discrimination on the basis of sex. At the time, women were paid 59 cents for every dollar earned by men. 47 years later, pay parity remains far from reality, as women in the United States still only earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. For women of color, this gap is even wider.  This remains unacceptable, as it was when the Act was signed.  All women – and their families – deserve equal pay. Women now make up nearly half of the nation’s workforce, most homes have two working parents, and 60 percent of all women work full-time. As we emerge from one of the worst recessions in American history, when families are struggling to pay their bills and save for the future, pay inequity only deepens that struggle and hampers our economy’s ability to fully recover.
 
But we have taken some important steps to address this inequality.  I am proud that the first bill I signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restored the right to seek a remedy for women who, like the law’s namesake, face wage discrimination during their careers.  In my State of the Union address, I pledged to crack down on violations of equal pay laws, and I’ve created the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force, bringing together federal agencies to improve the enforcement of equal pay laws.  We’ve also increased funding for federal agencies charged with enforcing equal pay laws and other civil rights statutes.  The agencies themselves have taken steps to address disparities. For instance, the Department of Labor Women's Bureau is conducting research and analysis, providing technical assistance, and building partnerships to increase women's incomes, narrow the wage gap, and reduce income inequality.  And the White House Council on Women and Girls is actively working to close the wage gap.

More needs to be done.  I appreciate the House acting on the Paycheck Fairness Act early last year, and I renew my call to the Senate to modernize and strengthen the Equal Pay Act by closing loopholes, providing incentives for compliance, and barring certain types of retaliation against workers by employers.  On this anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, let us all renew and redouble our efforts.