{"id":157937,"date":"2023-03-28T12:13:39","date_gmt":"2023-03-28T19:13:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=157937"},"modified":"2023-03-28T12:13:39","modified_gmt":"2023-03-28T19:13:39","slug":"president-biden-at-the-sba-womens-business-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=157937","title":{"rendered":"President Biden at the SBA Women\u2019s Business Summit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC&#8230;Thank you.  My name is Joe Biden.  (Laughter.)  I\u2019m Dr. Jill Biden\u2019s husband.  (Laughter.)  And I eat Jeni\u2019s Ice Cream, chocolate chip.  (Laughter.)  I came down because I heard there was chocolate chip ice cream.  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sXCWS59Cc00\" title=\"President Biden Hosts the SBA Women\u2019s Business Summit\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>By the way, I have a whole refrigerator full upstairs.  (Laughter.)  You think I\u2019m kidding, I\u2019m not.<\/p>\n<p>Ben, how are you, pal? <\/p>\n<p>SENATOR CARDIN:  Well.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  One of the best guys in the United States Congress, Ben Cardin.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>Folks, welcome to the White House.<\/p>\n<p>AUDIENCE:  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  And it\u2019s a delight to have you all here.  And who are those good-looking kids back here?  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>MS. BLAKELY:  Those are my kids.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  They\u2019re your kids?  All four of them?<\/p>\n<p>MS. BLAKELY:  Yes.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, stand up, guys.  (Laughter and applause.)<\/p>\n<p>Well, I want you to know, like you, I had two brothers \u2014 there were three in our family, three brothers, and one sister.  And my sister is smarter than all of us.  (Laughter.)  Not a joke. <\/p>\n<p>She used to be three years younger than me; now she\u2019s 23 years younger than me.  (Laughter.)  You know, she managed every one of my campaigns for office, even back when I was in high school.  We went to the same university two years apart.  She graduated with honors; I graduated.  (Laughter.)  And we had a simple rule in the family: Listen to Val.  (Laughter.)  My sister, Valerie, is incredible.<\/p>\n<p>So, guys, be nice to your sister.  You\u2019re going to need her.  (Laughter.)  You\u2019re going to need her.  I promise.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the same lineup.  You\u2019re the oldest?  Who\u2019s number two?  Number two?  Who\u2019s number three?<\/p>\n<p>AUDIENCE MEMBER:  It\u2019s both.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  You\u2019re twins?  Are you guys twins?<\/p>\n<p>AUDIENCE MEMBER:  No, we\u2019re not twins.  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Okay.  All right.  Just how \u2014 just how it was in our outfit.  Well, I\u2019m so glad to see you all, and thanks for coming with mom.  Okay?<\/p>\n<p>You got to take care of your mom.  Dads are much harder to raise.  But, you know, we\u2019re \u2014 (laughter) \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Before I begin to speak, and the reason I spent a little time on the kids, I \u2014 I just want to speak very briefly about the school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p>You know, Ben and I have been doing this our whole careers, it seems.  And it\u2019s just \u2014 it\u2019s sick.  You know, we\u2019re still gathering the facts of what happened and why.  And we do know that, as of now, there are a number of people who are not going to \u2014 did not make it, including children.<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s heartbreaking.  A family\u2019s worst nightmare.<\/p>\n<p>And I want to commend the police who repo- \u2014 responded incredibly swiftly \u2014 within minutes \u2014 to end the danger.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re monitoring the situation really closely \u2014 Ben, as you know \u2014 and we have to do more to stop gun violence.  It\u2019s ripping our communities apart, ripping the soul of this nation \u2014 ripping at the very soul of the nation.  And we \u2014 we have to do more to protect our schools so they aren\u2019t turned into prisons.<\/p>\n<p>You know, the shooter in this situation reportedly had two assault weapons and a pistol \u2014 two AK-47.  So I call on Congress, again, to pass my assault weapons ban.  It\u2019s about time that we begin to make some more progress.<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s more to learn.  But I just wanted to send my concern and hearts out to so many parents out there.  I\u2019ve been to so many of these sites, as Ben knows, by \u2014 virtually every one.<\/p>\n<p>And one of the things you folks should \u2014 I know you do know, but you should focus on \u2014 you know, just like when \u2014 in the military \u2014 when my son was in Iraq for a year, other places, you \u2014 there\u2019s so many members of the military coming back with post-traumatic stress after witnessing the violence and participating in it.<\/p>\n<p>Well, these children, these teachers, they should be \u2014 should be focusing on their mental health, as well.<\/p>\n<p>And so I\u2019m grateful \u2014 anyway, sorry to start off that way, but I couldn\u2019t begin without acknowledging what happened.  And now I\u2019m grateful that all of you are joining us here today. <\/p>\n<p>Natalie, thank you for that introduction and for doing such an amazing thing in Detroit \u2014 Detroit \u2014 making chan- \u2014 chargers for electric vehicles in the Motor City \u2014 (laughs) \u2014 keeping going during the pandemic.  And I want to welcome your son, Diop.  Where\u2019s Diop?<\/p>\n<p>Oh, there you are, pal.  (Laughter.)  How are you?  (Applause.)  You got to be proud of your mom.  You got to be proud of your mom.<\/p>\n<p>And thanks to folks like Natalie, in cities and towns all across America, we\u2019re seeing pride coming back.  You know, there\u2019s nothing that just sort of saps the pride of a city or a town when they lose a business, lose a significant employer.  It just feels like you got your soul ripped out.<\/p>\n<p>But for so many pe- \u2014 you\u2019re bringing so many people back.  You\u2019re bringing back businesses all across America, not just in the East and the West Coast.<\/p>\n<p>So, look, SBA Administrator Guzman is \u2014 I want to thank you for everything you\u2019ve done, and for your team too, supporting small businesses across America.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re also joined, as I said, by Senator Cardin, a chair of the powerful Small Business Committee and literally, not figuratively, a true champion of businesses everywhere.<\/p>\n<p>And, by the way, he\u2019s got more integrity in his little finger than most people have in their whole body.  I mean it.  (Laughter and applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And most of all, thank all of you, the small business owners and entrepreneurs who have joined us today.  That includes three incredible panelists.<\/p>\n<p>Sara started her business in \u2014 out of her apartment with $5,000 in a startup capital, and now she built just a little ole billion-dollar company.  (Laughter and applause.)  Whoa.<\/p>\n<p>As my mother would say, \u201cGod love you, dear.\u201d  (Laughter.)  Whoa. <\/p>\n<p>Guys, you\u2019re going to be okay.  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>Melissa began her business in a kitchen while working on Wall Street.  Now it\u2019s the largest Black-owned makeup company sold in Target stores all across America.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And Payal combined her business training with her lifelong passion for dance, and created an exercise platform that has been used in 2,500 cities around the world.<\/p>\n<p>And, by the way, you were here a couple of months ago performing with the dance company for Diwali celebration.  You got it all, kid.  You got it all.  (Applause.) <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not sure \u2014 I\u2019m not sure what\u2019s in the cards today about dance, and I\u2019m not making any promises.   But just \u2014 just know she can.  <\/p>\n<p>And women \u2014 these women know what it takes to start a company out of nothing and build it into something that\u2019s consequential. <\/p>\n<p>You know \u2014 and they know how many women out there have the talent, the skills, and the commitment to start successful businesses if they only had the opportunity. <\/p>\n<p>I used to have a friend who was a great basketball player, and his name is Pete McLaughlin.  He used to say, \u201cYou got to know how to know.\u201d  You\u2019ve got to know how to know.  And that\u2019s part of what the SBA is all about, when people know how to know.<\/p>\n<p>Today it\u2019s all about lifting up women entrepreneurs and making sure they have the support they need to succeed. <\/p>\n<p>The businesses represented in this room stretch across industries, from restaurants to architectural firms to hardware stores, plus Jeni\u2019s Splendid Ice Creams.  (Applause.)  And by the way \u2014 by the way, it is splendid.  (Laughter.)  You think I\u2019m joking.  If I were allowed to take you upstairs, we got a whole freezer full of Jeni\u2019s chocolate chip ice cream.  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>You know, it\u2019s pretty dull when you\u2019ve been in public life as long as I have and you\u2019re known for two things: chocolate chip ice cream and Ray-Ban sunglasses.  (Laughter.)  But what the hell, you know? <\/p>\n<p>Look, you\u2019re en- \u2014 entrepreneurs.  You\u2019re innovators.  You\u2019re job creators.  And small businesses are the engine of our economy \u2014 the absolute engine.  They\u2019re the glue and the heart and the soul of our communities. <\/p>\n<p>Twelve million businesses across America are owned by women.  Twelve million.  Small businesses like yours account for 40 percent \u2014 (applause) \u2014 you account for 40 percent of the nation\u2019s GDP.  You create two thirds of all the new jobs.  And you employ nearly half of all private-sector workers. <\/p>\n<p>For an American economy is \u2014 to be strong, it\u2019s going to have to have a strong sal- \u2014 small-business base.  It has to be strong. <\/p>\n<p>We learned that again during the pandemic.  When I came into office, the \u2014 this economy was reeling.  Small businesses were hurting.  Literally hundreds of thousands of small businesses had closed across the country.  Millions of Americans, many of whom worked in small businesses, lost their jobs through no fault of their own. <\/p>\n<p>To jumpstart American economic recovery, we needed to help the small businesses and we needed to help them fast.  So we got to work.  I signed the American Rescue Plan.  Since I took office, we\u2019ve delivered more than $450 billion in emergency relief to 6 million small businesses to help you pay your bills, to pay your workers, to keep your doors open. <\/p>\n<p>We gave additional support to more than 100,000 restaurants; more than 13,000 live entertainment venues, which are \u2014 were especially hard hit; and we powered historic assistance to 220,000 child centers \u2014 childcare centers, 90 percent of which are owned and staffed by women. <\/p>\n<p>By keeping those centers open, millions of women keep their job.  Working parents could go to work again knowing their children were being cared for.  It\u2019s constant.  They\u2019re all connected.  All this is closely connected. <\/p>\n<p>Today, thanks to actions like these, we\u2019ve achieved the fastest, strongest, most equitable recovery in American history.  We\u2019ve created 12.4 million new jobs.  That\u2019s more jobs \u2014 (applause) \u2014 that\u2019s more jobs in two years than any president has created in a four-year term.  And a m- \u2014 (applause) \u2014 and a majority \u2014 a majority of those jobs are held by women.<\/p>\n<p>Unemployment is near a 50-year low.  And record number of people have applied to start new businesses \u2014 nearly 10,500,000 applications in the past two years. <\/p>\n<p>You know, as all of you know, every time someone moves to start a new business, it\u2019s an act of hope.  It\u2019s an act of hope.  We\u2019re seeing a lot of these across the country.  A lot of hope.  And once again, it\u2019s women leading the way. <\/p>\n<p>In 2021, women started and owned half of all the new businesses in the United States, up from less than a third had women started by them in 19- \u2014 in 2019.   Women-owned businesses like yours add $1.8 trillion \u2014 $1.8 trillion to America\u2019s GDP every year, and that number grows. <\/p>\n<p>And now \u2014 now we\u2019ll keep that progress going. <\/p>\n<p>And you know that the Small Business Administration runs a network of Women\u2019s Business Centers across \u2014 (applause) \u2014 you got to know how to know.  You got to know how to know.  (Laughter.)  Across all \u2014 all 50 States; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico, as well. <\/p>\n<p>These are places where women who want to start or grow a small business can get free business counseling; apply for an F- \u2014 SBA loan; and compete for federal contracts. <\/p>\n<p>Today, I\u2019m announcing that we\u2019re expanding the network of W- \u2014 Women\u2019s Business Centers to 160 centers nationwide, the largest number of all American history.  (Applause.)  <\/p>\n<p>Plus, through the American Rescue Plan, we are investing $10 billion to make capital available to small businesses.  Ten billion dollars is going to programs run by states and U.S. territories and Tribal governments, which then match \u2014 are matched with public and private dollars, leveraging tens of billions more and \u2014 for small businesses. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s about leverage.  This is vital.  Because we kn- \u2014 we know \u2014 we know that plenty of companies with potential don\u2019t get off the ground, or can\u2019t grow because they can\u2019t get the startup funds or venture capital.  This can be a major barrier for women entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, startups with all-women teams received less than 2 percent \u2014 less than 2 percent of all the venture capital dollars.<\/p>\n<p>My administration \u2014 and in particular Vice President Harris \u2014 are working hard to change those numbers so more Americans with great ideas and strong plans can get the boost they need to launch successful businesses.<\/p>\n<p>Because, by the way, it helps everybody.  It helps everybody.  And then, as we implement major pieces of legislation that I signed into law during the past two years, we\u2019re ensuring that women are fully at the table.  And I mean that sincerely. <\/p>\n<p>From the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law rebuilding roads, bridges, water systems, high-speed Internet across America, we\u2019re investing a \u2014 over 1 trillion 200 billion dollars. <\/p>\n<p>If we\u2019re going to be the leading country in the world economically, we have to have the leading infrastructure in the world.  And we rank at the \u2014 near the bottom of major \u2014 major companies now \u2014 countries, I should say. <\/p>\n<p>And the CHIPS and Science Act \u2014 I had trouble convincing people of this \u2014 but investing hundreds of billions of dollars \u2014 $300 billion \u2014 to restore America\u2019s technological edge by \u2014 including by manufacturing semiconductor chips.<\/p>\n<p>By the way, we invented those chips.  (Laughter.)  No, we did.  We, the United States of America.  And then we got fat and happy.  (Laughter.)  And it seemed like major corporations thought it was better to export jobs to get cheaper jobs and import product.  Not anymore.  (Applause.)   <\/p>\n<p>And, by the way, for the first time, firms receiving significant federal dollars will have to make sure that high-quality childcare is available to their workers \u2014 (applause) \u2014 so parents can keep their jobs and keep good jobs.<\/p>\n<p>You know, by the way, those so-called \u201cfabs\u201d that they \u2014 where they build these computer chips \u2014 you know what the average salary is going to be in the fab?  $130,000.  (Applause.)  And you don\u2019t need a \u2014 you don\u2019t need a college education.<\/p>\n<p>The Inflation Reduction Act \u2014 our country\u2019s biggest investment climate ever, anywhere.<\/p>\n<p>Across all these laws, we\u2019re making the \u2014 sure that women have access to new jobs, new contracting opportunities in sectors where they\u2019ve been historically underrepresented \u2014 from manufacturing, to construction, to clean energy.<\/p>\n<p>And, by the way, I\u2019m now supposed to \u2014 I\u2019m \u2014 I\u2019m known as America\u2019s most pro-labor senator.  Well, guess what?  And then as \u2014 now, as President.  Well, guess what?  They\u2019re, in fact, increasing the number of women who are in labor unions.  It\u2019s got to be \u2014 oh, no, you think I\u2019m kidding?  I\u2019m not kidding. <\/p>\n<p>Women are more than 50 percent of the population, to state the obvious.  We want to have the strongest economy in the world.  We can\u2019t leave half the workforce behind.  It\u2019s that simple. <\/p>\n<p>And when we make major investments like these, small businesses are going to benefit as well.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, I went up to Syracuse, New York, where I went to school.  Micron Technology, a big semiconductor chip manufacturing, is investing $100 billion to build a huge manufacturing facility \u2014 a so-called \u201cmega fab.\u201d  Well, guess what?  It\u2019s going to create 9,000 good-paying jobs. <\/p>\n<p>I met a woman named Shawni Davis.  She studied at Syracuse University.  Her dad introduced her to electrical work.  He was an electrician.  She joined the IBEW \u2014 the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, completed her apprenticeship, was the first Black woman in the city to become a master electrician.  Now she owns her own electrical business.  (Applause.) <\/p>\n<p>And with Micron \u2014 with Micron making this huge investment in Central New York thanks to the law we passed and pushed, that means more opportunity for her company and her workers.<\/p>\n<p>And here\u2019s what she said.  She said, \u201cI\u2019m a small business now, but I\u2019m not planning to stay a small business.\u201d  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>Well, all of you in this room know that kind of determination.  That entrepreneurial drive is the heart of America\u2019s spirit.  And we have to be unleashing it by helping more women entrepreneurs launch their businesses and achieve their dreams.<\/p>\n<p>Let me close with this.  During Women\u2019s History Month, we recognize the history of women entrepreneurs in America, and it stretches back centuries.  But it was only 35 years ago, in 1988, that the Women\u2019s \u2014 that the Women\u2019s Business Ownership Act was signed into law.  Before then, in many states, if a woman applied for a business loan, she needed her husband, her father, or her brother to cosign for her.  I\u2019m not joking.<\/p>\n<p>When I passed the Violence Against Women Act [Equal Credit Opportunity Act], I eliminated that because you used to have to \u2014 to get to \u2014 to get a bank account too.  Can you imagine?<\/p>\n<p>Well, thanks to all of you, we\u2019re making up for lost time.  (Applause.) <\/p>\n<p>And for the women \u2014 for all the women who, through decades, have dreamed of having their own bus- \u2014 business, making their own money, carving out the slice of independence but couldn\u2019t because the laws wouldn\u2019t let them or they didn\u2019t have the money or family support, that\u2019s why what you\u2019re doing today, along with women across the country, is so important.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re helping America be a company [country] where everyone \u2014 everyone can participate, where everyone\u2019s contribution is valued, and where everyone has the freedom to pursue the dreams and build the future that they dream of. <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s been the promise of our nation from the start.  And you\u2019re making it real for this generation and future generations.  And because of you, we\u2019re going to continue our progress in the years ahead. <\/p>\n<p>You may have heard me say it before, but I can honestly say it without fear of contradiction: I\u2019ve never been more optimistic \u2014 I mean this from the bottom \u2014 and I\u2019ve been doing this \u2014 I know I don\u2019t look it, but I\u2019ve been doing this a long time.  (Laughter.)  I need one of you to help me out here.  But at any rate \u2014 (laughter) \u2014<\/p>\n<p>But I\u2019ve been doing this a long time, but I\u2019ve never been more optimistic about America\u2019s future than I am today.  I mean it sincerely. <\/p>\n<p>We just have to remember who in the hell we are.  We\u2019re the United States of America.  There\u2019s nothing, nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we set our mind to it.  Nothing.  So \u2014 (applause) \u2014 I mean it.  I mean it.<\/p>\n<p>(Inaudible) asked me if I could only do one thing, what would I do.  I said, \u201cI\u2019d cure cancer.\u201d  And they said, \u201cWhy is that?\u201d  It\u2019s not just because cancer affects so many people.  It\u2019s a big thing.  And Americans are beginning to wonder whether they can do big things anymore. <\/p>\n<p>Well, guess what?  We\u2019re going to cure cancer.  We\u2019re going to cure cancer in about 25 years.  (Applause.)  We\u2019ve just invested $5 billion more than I used to do it.<\/p>\n<p>So, look, on behalf of a grateful nation, I want to thank you all because you\u2019re such an inspiration to so many men and women around the country.  You really are.  You truly are. <\/p>\n<p>And God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops. (Applause.)  Thank you, thank you, thank you.<\/p>\n<p>Folks, I can\u2019t stay.  I\u2019ve got to go, but I hope you have a good conference here, and I hope you have a good roundtable.  And there\u2019s a little thing going on in \u2014 around the world. <\/p>\n<p>But anyway, I better \u2014 thank you so very, very much for everything.  (Applause.) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC&#8230;Thank you. My name is Joe Biden. (Laughter.) I\u2019m Dr. Jill Biden\u2019s husband. (Laughter.) And I eat Jeni\u2019s Ice Cream, chocolate chip. (Laughter.) I came down because I heard there was chocolate chip ice cream. (Laughter.) By the way, I have a whole refrigerator full upstairs. (Laughter.) You think I\u2019m kidding, I\u2019m not. Ben, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":157938,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,20,5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-157937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-featured","category-government","category-news","last_archivepost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Fullscreen-capture-3282023-121303-PM.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=157937"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":157939,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157937\/revisions\/157939"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/157938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=157937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=157937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=157937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}