Executive Calendar

Floor Speech

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Mr. DAINES. Madam President, it is National Small Business Week, and in Montana, small businesses are a critical part of our life. In fact, I grew up watching my parents build a small business. They are made up of hard-working families who lift up their companies and neighborhoods, and it is what keeps our economy growing and keeps our economy strong.

In fact, when I am back home in Montana and back in my hometown of Bozeman, you might find me in the morning grabbing a cup of coffee from Cold Smoke with my sweet wife Cindy, or I might be heading over to Butte. I might be picking up a new mount from my taxidermist, Marc, who does a great job there in Butte. Or maybe it is time for dinner and grabbing a bite to eat at the Mint in Belgrade. Of course, if you are over in Billings, you have to stop and get a cinnamon roll at Stella's. If you are heading through Helena, get a great lunch there at Steve's Cafe. Or if you are up in the northwest part of the State, you might grab a beer at the Cabinet Mountain Brewery. Or there is nothing like breakfast at Syke's in Kalispell.

In fact, one of the old-time favorites in Missoula is the Thunderbird Motel. They have a great owner there, Thelma, who has been a friend for years. I still remember how excited the men and women who were stationed in Afghanistan and from our very own 495th from Kalispell were when we brought over--hand-carried over to Afghanistan--back in December, some Hi-Country beef jerky from Lincoln, MT, because for them, that Hi-Country beef jerky tasted like being back home.

These mom and pop shops of Montana tell the story of the ideals that make our Nation great. In fact, in Montana, 90 percent of our businesses are small businesses--90 percent. Montana's small business owners are hard-working Montanans. They have taken a leap of faith to pursue the dream of owning their own business.

They get up early, they roll their sleeves up, and they don't stop working until they get the job done. They are folks who put everything they have into starting a business. They are working all day, oftentimes into the night, to keep that business growing. Their voices that make our economy run in Montana are seldom heard on the national stage.

Those businesses that I mentioned earlier that I like to frequent are not household names across our country. They are well-known names back in their respective communities, but they are not on the national stage, and it is my honor to be their voice, to fight for policies that make their lives back in Montana easier.

Thankfully, under Republican leadership over the last 3 years, our country has experienced record economic growth. That is not by accident.

Since we passed tax reform, over 3\1/2\ million new jobs have been added to this economy, and we are seeing more money in the pockets of Montanans. Wages are up. Productivity is up. The unemployment rate sits at a 50. That is a five-decades-old low of 3.6 percent. Many said that can never be done. Guess what. Under President Trump's leadership, working with this Republican Congress, they have gotten it done.

I want to make sure this economic hot streak continues because our rural communities back in Montana rely on these small businesses. That is why just last month I introduced the Main Street Tax Certainty Act, which would give these small businesses permanent tax relief. When government stands out of the way, when burdensome regulations are lifted, and when Congress finally understands that it is not government that creates growth but it is the individuals--the hard-working men and women in this country--then, there is no telling how far we can go as a nation. We have to keep this economy booming, and we must keep Montana's small businesses thriving.

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