Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) this week asked President Obama to include better representation of small business owners on his recently announced Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. In a letter sent yesterday afternoon, Senator Snowe, the Ranking Member on the Senate’s Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, pointed out that in the two months since announcing its creation, the President has appointed 26 members to serve on the Council, yet only one is a small business owner.

“This is about fair representation for one of the key job creating sectors of our economy. I am very concerned the significant role small and medium sized businesses play in our nation’s economy has been diminished during the formation of this council,” said Senator Snowe.  “This absence is regrettable and underscores the disconnect between Washington bureaucrats and America’s nearly 30 million small businesses.”

The President’s Council on Jobs and Competiveness was created to provide non-partisan advice to the President on ways to strengthen the national economy thus ensuring the fiscal competitiveness of the United States.  According to the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, small businesses have created 64 percent of net new jobs over the past 15 years, and employ more than half of America’s private sector employees.  As such, they are vital to job creation and economic recovery efforts.

Senator Snowe’s full letter may be accessed by clicking the link below.