Biden first 100 days a ‘war on small businesses,’ conservative advocacy group says

A conservative business advocacy group said President Biden’s first 100 days amounted to a "war on small businesses."

Alfredo Ortiz, president of the conservative Job Creators Network, told Fox News that Biden’s proposed agenda has put "millions of jobs on the line."

"Small businesses are already reeling after a year of government-imposed lockdowns and just finally getting some breathing room thanks to the vaccine," Ortiz told Fox News. "President Biden could be an advocate for small businesses like candidate Biden was but he is beholden to his left-wing base, as we will see during tonight’s speech. Republicans in Congress and centrist Democrats must resist this lurch toward socialism."

Ortiz cited proposed tax hikes, a federal minimum wage increase and harmful lockdowns as evidence of policies that were hurting America’s small businesses as they attempted to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It’s been like rapid fire of bad policy on small businesses," the group said in a statement. "The policies are costing jobs, raising energy prices, making harder to find workers and operate their businesses."

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The Biden administration has proposed raising the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21%, which will potentially affect some small businesses that organize as corporations.

It also supports raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, which could put pressure on small businesses in some areas of the U.S.

"At a time when businesses are working to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, Biden wants to make it harder for them to keep their doors open and keep workers on the payroll by mandating a $15 minimum wage," the Job Creators Network said.

The advocacy group also cited Biden’s criticism of state’s that have eased lockdown restrictions as an additional measure that could have harmful ripple effects on the business community.

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As previously reported by FOX Business, experts have warned that Biden’s proposed tax increases could end up hurting small businesses.

"Any small business that is currently teetering on the precipice of closing their business is going to be highly sensitive to any proposed tax increase," Chelsie Kugler, Vice President of Business Development at finance and accounting firm CFOshare, told FOX Business.

A source familiar with the administration’s thought process told FOX Business that the president has been and will continue to be a champion for small business.

Fox News' Kelly Laco contributed to this report.