Small Business Statement on Spending Bill that Fails Immigrants

Statement from Amanda Ballantyne, National Director of Main Street Alliance, a national network of small business owners, on the spending bill Congress passed in the early hours today:

"Congress passed a spending bill last night that compromises the ability of 700,000 Dreamers to continue to work, own businesses, and contribute to the economy. Small business owners across the country are concerned and disappointed about this short-sighted action. Each year, the young immigrants who are currently enrolled or eligible for DACA contribute an estimated $1.7 billion in state and local tax revenue. Without them, GDP is expected to drop $460.3 billion in a decade. It's wrong to imperil the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Dreamers and the small businesses where they work and spend money simply because it's hard to clean up the mess President Trump made when he rescinded DACA.

Small businesses need immigrants, who breathe life into an economy and help sustain it. Main Street needs Congress to pass a clean Dream Act immediately."