Obama Small Business Forum Favors Beltway Bandits, According to the American Small Business League

On Monday, November 16, at 9 p.m. EST, the Obama Administration released
information on the location, specific time, agenda and a partial list of
attendees for the Administration's forum on small business lending. The
American Small Business League (ASBL) questions the true intent of the
forum, which was announced to the public less than 48 hours before the
event was slated to begin. The ASBL points to the administration's
handling of its forum as a blatant attempt to keep legitimate small
business concerns, small business advocates and the media from
attending. (http://www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/tg406.htm)

The ASBL has predicted that the actual purpose of the forum will be to
change the long standing federal definition of a small business as
"independently owned" to include firms owned by wealthy venture
capitalists that backed President Obama's campaign. Such a change would
divert federal small business contracts away from legitimate small
businesses and into the hands of wealthy venture capitalists.

The ASBL is also concerned that in a worst-case scenario, the Obama
Administration may even try to wind down federal small business
contracting programs under the guise of bolstering the SBA by combining
it with the U.S. Department of Commerce.

More than a year after being elected, the Obama Administration has
failed to honor its campaign promises to the small business community,
or act on behalf of small businesses in a manner that is consistent with
the administration's rhetoric.

Small businesses are the backbone of our nation's economy. According to
the U.S. Census Bureau, small businesses are responsible for more than
50 percent of our nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 50.2 percent of
our nation's non-farm private sector work force, and 97 percent of net
new jobs. (http://www.inc.com/news/articles/200708/data.html)

"This is a sham small business forum intended to mislead the media, and
the people of the United States with PR as opposed to action," ASBL
President Lloyd Chapman said. "This, 'beltway bandit forum,' was
designed to exclude the media and small business groups around the
country that would have otherwise attended. If President Obama really
wanted to help small businesses he would support H.R. 2568, the Fairness
and Transparency in Contracting Act of 2009."

If passed, H.R. 2568 would stop the diversion of federal small business
contracts to large corporations, and redirect up to $100 billion a year
in federal small business contracts to small businesses in America's
middle class economy.

Please click here to watch a short clip about the ASBL's concerns
regarding the Obama Administration's small business conference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JvT7Btd_9s

SOURCE: American Small Business League

American Small Business League 
Christopher Gunn, (707) 789-9575 
Communications Director 
cgunn@asbl.com

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