Last week, Congressman Roger Williams (R-TX), who serves as Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, introduced a bipartisan resolution in Congress to reaffirm support for Small Business Saturday. The initiative highlights the importance of Main Street businesses in supporting the American economy.
During Black Friday Weekend, President Donald Trump and his administration celebrated what they described as historic shopping activity across the country. This economic activity has reportedly contributed positively to public perception of Trump's handling of the economy.
Rep. Williams encouraged Americans to support local small businesses by shopping on Main Street. Drawing from his experience as a car dealer for nearly 60 years, Williams stated in an earlier interview with the Washington Reporter that “everything Trump is doing is geared towards small business.”
Williams further emphasized the significance of small businesses, saying, “small businesses are the heartbeat of the American economy, making up over 99 percent of all businesses in America. From corner stores to coffee shops, I am honored to be a voice for the over 36 million small businesses that create jobs and drive economic growth.”
He also expressed enthusiasm about recognizing entrepreneurs nationwide: “celebrate the entrepreneurs who serve communities across our country.” In addition, Williams proposed a Texas-style bounty system intended to incentivize Americans to report fraud related to COVID-era loans. Under this proposal, individuals could receive commissions for identifying misused funds.
“Let’s empower everybody to find this money,” Williams said previously. “We’re not going to find $220 billion, but let’s just say we found $50 million…That’s taxpayers’ money, it’s your money and it’s my money. People made a deal. They said they’d pay this stuff back, then pay it back. And so I’m all over that, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Williams explained earlier this year how the bounty system would work: “If you’ll find money that is missing, and you bring it back, the Treasury will pay 10 percent of what you found, and if it comes back from China, we’ll pay you 15 percent.”
