NFIB Weekly News

Stay up to date with the latest National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and other small business news. NFIB, founded in 1943, is known as “the voice of small business” because of their credibility with the government and the media.

NFIB Weekly News

Leading the News

Small Businesses Applaud CRA Disapproving Final WOTUS Rule (03/10/2023)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 10, 2023) – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization, announced H.J.Res. 27, the Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval for the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) final rule, as an NFIB Key Vote for the 118th Congress.

“The WOTUS standard and definition has changed numerous times, complicating the clarity small businesses need in order to comply with government regulations,” said Kevin Kuhlman, NFIB Vice President of Federal Government Relations. “The final rule issued by the EPA and the Department of the Army was premature as the U.S. Supreme Court has yet to issue a decision on Sackett v. EPA. Small businesses applaud the U.S. House for passing this disapproval of the final rule and working to ease the regulatory burdens on small businesses.”

NFIB members have identified “unreasonable government regulations” as one of the top problems facing their businesses. Last year, NFIB filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case Sackett v. EPA arguing that the EPA should reverse the lower court’s decision and clarify the proper test for determining the outer bounds of federal authority under the Clean Water Act.

Business Climate

New FY 2024 Budget Would Make It Tougher for Small Businesses to Operate and Pay Employees (03/09/2023)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 9, 2023) – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization, issued the following statement in response to President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget proposal:

“The small business economy is still recovering, and business outlook is near historic lows. The expanding list of tax increases included in the FY 2024 proposed budget would crush Main Street’s ability to grow and create jobs,” said Brad Close, NFIB President. “Certain tax increases are being wrongly characterized as a closing of a ‘loophole’ and would compound with other rate hikes. The combination would directly hit small businesses as they manage ongoing economic headwinds. Congress and the administration should instead focus on policies that will provide certainty and promote economic growth to allow small businesses to create jobs and raise wages.”

NFIB released a “Small Business Growth Agenda for the 118th Congress,” which features feedback from NFIB small business members and highlights legislative priorities that would benefit small businesses.

Wages and Benefits

NFIB Jobs Report: Small Businesses Report Record High Levels of Job Openings (03/09/2023)

Nearly half of small businesses have job openings they can’t fill

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 9, 2023) – Forty-seven percent (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in the current period, according to NFIB’s monthly jobs report.

“The small business labor demand remained strong in February,” said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg. “Small business owners are working to maintain competitive compensation and are raising compensation in the hopes of filling their open critical positions.”The percent of small business owners reporting labor quality as their top small business operating problem remains elevated at 21%, down three points from January. Labor cost reported as the single most important problem to business owners increased two points to 12%, down one point below the highest reading of 13% reached in December 2021.

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