PAST EVENTS

WASHINGTON D.C. – Last week, the Public Private Strategies Institute (PPSI) hosted a Business Leader Briefing featuring the President's Chief Economic Advisor, Lael Brainard, Director, National Economic Council, The White House. The event brought together a few hundred small business leaders to hear directly from Director Brainard about the Biden-Harris Administration’s Lowering Costs Agenda, including efforts to lower health care and prescription drug prices, make childcare more accessible and affordable, and create a level playing field for small businesses. Moderated by Carolina Martinez, CEO of the California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity (CAMEO) Network, business leaders also engaged in Q&A with administration officials and provided feedback and insights drawn from their experiences. A full recording of the briefing is available for viewing here . Director Lael Brainard discussed the Administration’s commitment to small businesses, saying, “The President and the Vice President believe that small businesses are the backbone of our economy. You all are the job creators, you're huge contributors to GDP, you breathe life into Main Streets all over the country and you represent the best in service and innovation.” Director Brainard highlighted recent efforts made by the Biden-Harris administration to lower costs for small businesses, adding, “We couldn't be prouder that there has been a record number of applications in each of the last three years – each one an act of optimism. We know that to start a small business it is critical to have access to health insurance, and affordable childcare, to see costs coming down, to provide a little bit of breathing room at the end of the month…That’s why the President has a comprehensive plan to keep lowering costs across nearly every area of a budget.” Rhett Buttle, President of the Public Private Strategies Institute said, “We hope this briefing was informative and provided valuable insights into the current administration’s efforts to support small businesses and families. We believe in the power of collaboration between the public and private sectors to drive positive change, economic growth, and innovation for Main Streets across America." A full recording of the briefing is available for viewing here . To learn more about the Lowering Costs Agenda, please explore this factsheet and remarks from D irector Brainard announcing the initiative last month. ###

Readout of PPSI Business Leader Briefing with Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan WASHINGTON D.C. – On Wednesday, June 21, 2023, Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan joined the Public Private Strategies Institute (PPSI) for a Business Leader Briefing. Chair Khan was joined in discussion by Rhett Buttle, President of PPSI. The virtual event was joined by hundreds of business leaders to learn more about the FTC’s priorities and initiatives, and how the agency’s work impacts communities across the country. Chair Khan provided remarks on the history and the core missions of the FTC, as well as how her agency is dedicated to not only protecting consumers and consumer interests but also businesses who are trying to find their space in the marketplace. “Today the FTC enforces antitrust laws, which are really about promoting competition, making sure that businesses are able to compete on the merits.” said Chair Khan. “If somebody has a good idea and they’re able to get financing for that idea, the goal is to make sure whether they succeed or fail is linked to the success of their idea and not whether they are upsetting one of the existing giants.” Chair Khan discussed the agency’s recently proposed rule to ban non-compete clauses, current policy initiatives to promote consumer and small business safety within the digital space, and useful tools and services for small businesses nationwide. Additionally, Chair Khan had a conversation with Buttle and answered questions from small business owners and business leaders, about topics ranging from how the FTC works to support small businesses, to how the FTC approaches the balance of ensuring consumers have protections while supporting the usage of tools to drive small business growth. “During the pandemic many small businesses saw huge digital acceleration and a lot of Main Streets really turned to digital tools,” said Buttle . “We hear a lot of businesses empowered by digital tools, but also businesses struggling with Digital Tools. I’m curious how does the FTC approach this balance of protecting consumers and small employers, while at the same time allowing support for the many small businesses who are being accelerated by the digital economy?” “One of the top sources of complaints that we get from smaller businesses in the space of digital markets is that a lot of the key tools that you need to compete and access digital markets are controlled by a relatively small number of companies, so that’s one of the things that we’re looking at,” said Chair Khan. You can view an event of the recording below Note, this conversation was originally recorded on June 21, 2023.

Listen in to this recorded virtual Bu siness Leader Briefing with White House official Aviva Aron-Dine, Deputy Director, National Economic Council. Aviva Aron-Dine briefed business leaders about the latest policy developments on the debt limit and what it means for the private sector. Note, this conversation was originally recorded on April 24, 2023.

President and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), Reta Jo Lewis and Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the White House National Economic Council, Sameera Fazili, join Public Private Strategies Institute for a discussion about how businesses can engage with and access opportunities through the EXIM Bank. EXIM Bank President Reta Jo Lewis also covers a new domestic financing program, which is part of the Biden-Harris Administration's Make More in America Initiative that provides opportunities for business leaders to grow by boosting their ability to manufacture in America, which will help strengthen the domestic supply chain.

On Friday, March 25, 2022, Public Private Strategies Institute hosted a Bu siness Leader Briefing with White House Advisor Minyon Moore . This event brought together thousands of business leaders, owners, and advocates from across the country to hear from Minyon about the White House effort to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court of the United States. You can watch a recording of the event below:

Listen in to this recorded virtual business leader briefing with USTDA Acting Director Ambassador Vinai Thummalapally (ret.) . Learn how USTDA develops sustainable infrastructure in emerging markets while supporting U.S. jobs through exports. As we celebrate Black History Month, learn how Black small business can work with USTDA. Note, this conversation was originally recorded on February, 17, 2022, at 3:00 pm ET.

Listen in to this recorded virtual business leader briefing with Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee, Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer . Congressman Luetkemeyer will brief our local business leader network about what Congress is doing to help small business owners recover from the pandemic. Note, this conversation was originally recorded on September, 30, 2021, at 3:00 pm ET.

Listen in to this recorded virtual business leader briefing with former Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee, Congressman Steve Chabot of Ohio . Congressman Chabot will brief our local business leader network about what Congress is doing to help small business owners recover from the pandemic. Note, this conversation was originally recorded on September, 2, 2021, at 3:30 pm ET.