Presidential Document2022-09764
National Small Business Week, 2022
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
May 5, 2022
Signed
April 29, 2022
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 87 (Thursday, May 5, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 87 (Thursday, May 5, 2022)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 26667-26668]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-09764]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 87 / Thursday, May 5, 2022 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 26667]]
Proclamation 10384 of April 29, 2022
National Small Business Week, 2022
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
For generations, small businesses across America have
shaped and embodied our Nation's entrepreneurial spirit
and driven our economy forward. Today, more than 32
million small businesses employ almost half of
America's workforce and represent the heart and soul of
countless communities. During National Small Business
Week, we celebrate America's small businesses and their
enormous contributions to American life and prosperity.
When I first took office, the pandemic had devastated
America's small business community. Hundreds of
thousands of small businesses had closed, main streets
were shuttered, and millions more Americans were out of
work through no fault of their own. Even with the
creativity and resilience of small business owners and
workers, COVID-19 took an incalculable toll on so many
lives and livelihoods. That is why I made it a top
priority to provide substantial, immediate relief to
our Nation's small businesses, giving them the tools,
resources, and support they needed to reopen, rehire,
and rebuild.
My American Rescue Plan and other emergency relief
programs distributed hundreds of billions of dollars to
millions of small businesses to keep the lights on and
keep workers on the payroll. My Administration also
removed historic barriers to level the playing field
for businesses across rural and urban America,
especially businesses owned by veterans, women, and
people of color. These efforts have helped millions of
small businesses not only weather the pandemic, but
thrive.
My Administration is committed to unlocking new
opportunities to help small businesses grow and
compete. Through the American Rescue Plan, our State
Small Business Credit Initiative provides States,
territories, and Tribal governments with resources to
establish loan and equity capital programs to support
entrepreneurs. In addition, the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law has created unprecedented
contracting opportunities for small businesses in every
community. Already, more than 4,000 projects have been
announced to upgrade America's infrastructure, creating
significant opportunities for small businesses to grow.
The law is delivering affordable high-speed internet
access to every community--urban, rural, suburban, and
Tribal--so every small business can use digital
technologies and gain new customers across the country
and around the world. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
makes the Minority Business Development Agency within
the United States Department of Commerce a permanent
entity--seeded with a record amount of funding--so
minority-owned businesses can receive tailored
assistance for their unique challenges and access the
capital they need to grow.
I firmly believe that equal opportunity is the bedrock
of our democracy. That is why my Administration is
committed to using Federal procurement dollars to
support firms owned by underrepresented people and to
help small businesses build generational wealth. Last
year, I announced a set of reforms to increase
contracting opportunities for underserved businesses by
up to 50 percent by 2025. We are also capitalizing on
our historic investments in supply chain resilience and
``Made in America'' manufacturing so small businesses
can innovate, compete, and build the products
[[Page 26668]]
of tomorrow. To position small businesses for success
in the long term, the United States Small Business
Administration's Community Navigator Pilot program is
forging stronger partnerships with local organizations
to get resources to underserved small businesses.
Thanks to these initiatives and the resilience of the
American people, America's entrepreneurial spirit has
never been stronger. New business applications grew by
more than 30 percent over the course of the pandemic,
with almost 5.4 million new applications in 2021 alone.
More Americans than ever before--including more women
and people of color--are following their dreams and
starting new enterprises. My Administration will
continue to support them, build upon this remarkable
resurgence, and strengthen the foundation of our
economy with America's small businesses at the
forefront.
This National Small Business Week, let us renew our
commitment to supporting our Nation's small businesses.
From local ``mom and pop'' shops to innovative start-
ups, small businesses are pillars of our communities
and the engine of our economy. By rebuilding our
economy from the bottom up and middle out, we can
maintain our global competitiveness and build a
stronger Nation where everyone can succeed.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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, 2022, as National Small Business Week. I call
upon all Americans to recognize the contributions of
small businesses to the American economy, continue
supporting them, and honor the occasion with programs
and activities that highlight these important
businesses.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
sixth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2022-09764
Filed 5-4-22; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 5, 2022.
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