National Small Business Week, 2016

Proclamation 9438 of April 29, 2016

National Small Business Week, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Responsible for creating nearly two-thirds of net new
jobs in the United States each year and employing more
than half of all Americans, small businesses have
always been a vital part of our country's economy. As
outlets for creativity and ingenuity, small businesses
do more than create jobs and foster growth--they
represent the spirit that has always driven our Nation
forward. Throughout National Small Business Week, we
celebrate the irreplaceable role these enterprises play
in our national life by pledging to support them and
equip them with the tools and resources they need to
succeed.

Across America, small businesses support economies,
employ local residents, and contribute to the vibrancy
of their communities. My Administration is dedicated to
helping these businesses and the entrepreneurs who took
a chance on turning ideas into realities. We have
enacted 18 tax cuts for small businesses, and because
of the Affordable Care Act, a tax credit of up to 50
percent is available for certain small businesses to
help offset the cost of insurance. And our businesses
have created jobs in every month since I signed this
law.

Our Nation does best when we help our startups and
small businesses expand into new markets and offer
goods and services to more people. Ninety-eight percent
of the American companies that export are small and
medium-sized businesses, but less than 5 percent of our
country's small businesses export. In our 21st-century
economy, it is imperative that we break down the trade
barriers that too often hold small businesses back from
extending their reach to those abroad to sell more
goods made in the United States. Last year, we reached
an agreement with 11 other nations that allows us to
write the rules of our global economy and gives more of
our people the fair shot at success they deserve. The
Trans-Pacific Partnership will eliminate over 18,000
taxes imposed by other countries on our goods and
services and level the playing field for American
workers and businesses, and I look forward to working
with the Congress to implement this agreement.

My Administration has taken action to ensure the
Federal Government does its part to support our
Nation's small businesses. During fiscal year 2015, we
awarded an all-time high of more than a quarter of
eligible Federal contracts to small businesses, and we
made great strides in ensuring more Government
contracts are given to women-owned small businesses--
nearly $18 billion worth. We have launched next-
generation manufacturing hubs, and we have made more
online tools available to entrepreneurs to give them
the resources they need to start a business in a single
day--and the Startup in a Day initiative is continuing
to engage with all levels of government to streamline
the process of beginning a business.

Our Nation's small businesses play a critical role in
generating economic prosperity, and the effort poured
into them by ordinary citizens across our country
reflects the hard work and determination inherent to
who we are as a people. This week, we renew our support
for these engines of growth and recognize their
incredible contributions to our country.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim May 1 through May 7,
2016, as National Small Business Week. I call upon all
Americans to recognize the contributions of small
businesses to the competitiveness of the American
economy with appropriate programs and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and fortieth.