Secretary of Business?

Afternoon Brief
October 29, 2012  
Secretary of Business?

Back in January, President Obama announced a proposal that would merge various federal offices that deal with business, including the SBA, into one agency. Nothing happened.

This morning the President revived the discussion saying, “We should have one Secretary of Business, instead of nine different departments that are dealing with things like giving loans to SBA or helping companies with exports. There should be a one-stop shop.”

But small business advocates have had mixed feelings about merging the SBA with other agencies. As Kent Hoover of the Washington Business Journal writes, “Yes, it probably would be easier for businesses if all the government services they could possibly need were under one roof. But the interests of small business might not get as much attention if their programs are housed in a mega-agency that also services big business.”

Could this proposed agency serve the needs of Wal-Mart AND Hal’s Cafe at the same time? That remains to be seen, but we do know Wal-Mart has a quite a few more lobbyist’s than Hal.

Watch the conversation at Coleman’s Small Business Lending LinkedIn Group

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