STATEMENT: Small Business Boom, Biden-Harris Administration Announces Record 16M New Business Applications in Three Years
January 12, 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, a bipartisan group of members from both the Senate and the House of Representatives announced an effort to advance paid leave legislation. The new, bicameral efforts will explore solutions to paid parental, caregiving, and personal medical leave for all Americans. The bipartisan group is seeking input from advocacy, business, and other stakeholder organizations to ensure the policies put forth by the group are effective and meaningful for employers and employees. The Request for Information creates a framework for stakeholder input and ensures that small and large business voices are heard throughout the process.
In May, Public Private Strategies facilitated a roundtable with the
House Paid Leave Working Group and small business leaders and owners from 11 organizations to discuss the opportunities and challenges to offering paid family and medical leave benefits for employees. The roundtable explored potential pathways forward for both small business owners and the self employed. In a
report published by the House Paid Leave Working Group, key findings from the roundtable included:
- Small business owners want to provide paid leave to their workers. Small businesses recognize that paid family leave would level the playing field with large employers, helping them compete with larger employers to attract and retain workers.
- Highlighting how government supported solutions to expand access to paid leave can incentivize entrepreneurship by giving entrepreneurs themselves access to the benefit.
- Small business owners want to provide the benefit, they grapple with two primary challenges in doing so: cost and staffing.
Following the announcement, Katie Vlietstra Wonneberg, Principal of Public Private Strategies, released the following statement:
“The announcement last week of the Senate Bipartisan Working Group and the Bicameral Bipartisan RFI to explore solutions around paid leave is an exciting new step in the right direction to creating a paid leave policy. In the 30 years since the creation of FMLA, we have yet to advance paid leave that is inclusive of all size businesses.
“The business community has been active in the conversations over the past year in coordination with the House Bipartisan Work Group. With the next iteration of these conversations being convened in the Senate, there is a great opportunity to continue to engage with the business community, who see paid leave as a way to ensure small businesses can compete for talent, provide a valued benefit to employees, and ensure continuity in their workforce. Public Private Strategies applauds the bicameral, bipartisan efforts to ensure that all stakeholders are invited to participate and explore innovative pathways forward on paid leave. We welcome the opportunity to work closely with each office to provide insights and expertise on a framework that works for all businesses including the self employed.”
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Rhett Buttle, Founder and CEO of Public Private Strategies, joined Forbes Breaking News to discuss the impacts that President Trump's tariff policies will have on small businesses. Watch the full interview here or below.
Rhett Buttle, Founder and CEO of Public Private Strategies, joined Rahel Solomon on CNN to talk about trade policy and the impact of tariffs on small businesses. Watch the full interview here or below.
Rhett Buttle, Founder and CEO of Public Private Strategies, joined Fox Live Now to talk about the state of the economy and the outlook for 2024. Watch the full interview here or below.
*This article was written by Scripps News Staff. President Joe Biden announced that the government will cover 100% of Hurricane Helene cleanup costs for the next several months to pay for the urgent work to clear the mud, remove downed trees and provide temporary housing. The federal support comes as residents in multiple Southeastern states are still struggling to return to normal following last week’s storm that killed over 200 people. Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg, a small business advocate and political strategist, said it is going to take a significant amount of time to finish the cleanup, no matter how hard the federal government works. Read the entire piece on Scripps News.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This month marks the anniversary of two pivotal pieces of legislation that are helping fuel a small business boom, the CHIPS & Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. Over the past four years, there has been a historic growth of American entrepreneurship across the country, with over 18 million new business applications filed, each one an act of hope and optimism in our economic future. This small business boom is fueled by investments like the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS & Science Act. Rhett Buttle, Founder and CEO of Public Private Strategies, released the following statement: “As we mark the two-year anniversaries of the CHIPS & Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, the positive impact across the business landscape, and particularly for entrepreneurs, is unmistakable. The CHIPS & Science Act is fueling entrepreneurship opportunities by dedicating over $50 million to help develop new ideas and technologies to strengthen domestic semiconductor production and supply chain. “The Inflation Reduction Act has helped lower costs for workers and consumers, driving up demand for small businesses across the country. The healthcare provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act alone are saving millions Americans an average of $800 per year on health insurance premiums. These investments have helped fuel America’s small business boom, including a record 18 million new small business applications filed over the past four years. “We have more work to do to address the issues that business owners have consistently said are their top priorities, from lowering health care and prescription drug costs to expanding and streamlining contracting opportunities for small employers to strengthening and protecting American democracy . We remained committed to working with business leaders to address these challenges and ensure these investments are implemented effectively to grow economies and support communities all across the country.” ### About Rhett Buttle Founder & CEO, Public Private Strategies President, Public Private Strategies Institute Senior Fellow, The Aspen Institute Rhett Buttle is an entrepreneur, advocate, and one of the most trusted leaders at the intersection of business and policy in Washington, DC. He has worked for President Biden, Vice President Harris, President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in government and campaign roles. Rhett is the founder of Public Private Strategies (PPS) and President of the Public Private Strategies Institute (PPSI), which works to bring together the public and private sectors to build coalitions, activate campaigns, and create strategic partnerships to drive policy and market outcomes. In these roles, he advises leading policy makers, foundations, nonprofits, and corporations. In addition to PPS and PPSI, he has helped found the Small Business Roundtable, Small Business for America’s Future, and the Next Gen Chamber of Commerce. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Aspen Institute and a regular contributor to Forbes, where he writes on the intersection of business, policy, and politics. Rhett has also been featured in The New York Times, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and several other business publications. About Public Private Strategies Public Private Strategies (PPS) creates opportunities where the public and private sectors meet. We bring together diverse allies including foundations, associations, corporations, small businesses, and entrepreneurs to solve pressing societal challenges. By harnessing the power of the private sector, we build coalitions, activate campaigns, and create strategic partnerships to drive desired policy and market outcomes. Learn more at www.publicprivatestrategies.com .
Rhett Buttle, Founder and CEO of Public Private Strategies, joined LiveNOW Fox to talk about Night 3 of the Democratic National Convention.
Rhett Buttle, Founder and CEO of Public Private Strategies, joined LiveNOW Fox to talk about Night 2 of the Democratic National Convention.
Rhett Buttle, Founder and CEO of Public Private Strategies, joined Scripps News to discuss Night 1 of the Democratic National Convention.
Rhett Buttle, Founder and CEO of Public Private Strategies, joined Scripps News to discuss what a Kamala Harris Presidency could mean for small businesses. Watch the interview below
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This month marks the anniversary of two pivotal pieces of legislation that are helping fuel a small business boom, the CHIPS & Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. Over the past four years, there has been a historic growth of American entrepreneurship across the country, with over 18 million new business applications filed, each one an act of hope and optimism in our economic future. This small business boom is fueled by investments like the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS & Science Act. Rhett Buttle, Founder and CEO of Public Private Strategies, released the following statement: “As we mark the two-year anniversaries of the CHIPS & Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, the positive impact across the business landscape, and particularly for entrepreneurs, is unmistakable. The CHIPS & Science Act is fueling entrepreneurship opportunities by dedicating over $50 million to help develop new ideas and technologies to strengthen domestic semiconductor production and supply chain. “The Inflation Reduction Act has helped lower costs for workers and consumers, driving up demand for small businesses across the country. The healthcare provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act alone are saving millions Americans an average of $800 per year on health insurance premiums. These investments have helped fuel America’s small business boom, including a record 18 million new small business applications filed over the past four years. “We have more work to do to address the issues that business owners have consistently said are their top priorities, from lowering health care and prescription drug costs to expanding and streamlining contracting opportunities for small employers to strengthening and protecting American democracy . We remained committed to working with business leaders to address these challenges and ensure these investments are implemented effectively to grow economies and support communities all across the country.” ### About Rhett Buttle Founder & CEO, Public Private Strategies President, Public Private Strategies Institute Senior Fellow, The Aspen Institute Rhett Buttle is an entrepreneur, advocate, and one of the most trusted leaders at the intersection of business and policy in Washington, DC. He has worked for President Biden, Vice President Harris, President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in government and campaign roles. Rhett is the founder of Public Private Strategies (PPS) and President of the Public Private Strategies Institute (PPSI), which works to bring together the public and private sectors to build coalitions, activate campaigns, and create strategic partnerships to drive policy and market outcomes. In these roles, he advises leading policy makers, foundations, nonprofits, and corporations. In addition to PPS and PPSI, he has helped found the Small Business Roundtable, Small Business for America’s Future, and the Next Gen Chamber of Commerce. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Aspen Institute and a regular contributor to Forbes, where he writes on the intersection of business, policy, and politics. Rhett has also been featured in The New York Times, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and several other business publications. About Public Private Strategies Public Private Strategies (PPS) creates opportunities where the public and private sectors meet. We bring together diverse allies including foundations, associations, corporations, small businesses, and entrepreneurs to solve pressing societal challenges. By harnessing the power of the private sector, we build coalitions, activate campaigns, and create strategic partnerships to drive desired policy and market outcomes. Learn more at www.publicprivatestrategies.com .
