Main Street Alliance Unveils Bold Economic Agenda Ahead of Jobs Report
Main Street Agenda 2025 carves out a legislative path to give small business owners a fair shot.
Washington, DC – With the Bureau of Labor Statistics set to announce August non-farm payrolls this week—a report that will provide critical insight into the health of the US economy—Main Street Alliance is rolling out its Main Street Agenda 2025, which is a comprehensive plan designed to uplift small businesses and drive equitable economic growth across the country. Main Street Alliance’s Agenda reflects the testimony of its 30,000+ members and gives elected officials a blueprint of the issues that matter most to America’s entrepreneurial class.
The Agenda sheds light on the state and federal policies that will support entrepreneurs, bolster local economies, and help millions of citizens realize the promise of the American Dream. With polling still showing the economy as the top concern for voters—and with Democrats and Republicans invoking the economic power of Main Street at their conventions—the Main Street Agenda 2025 could not come at a better time.
"The Main Street Agenda 2025 is more than a policy proposal; it is a movement-building strategy that centers the voices of small business owners in shaping the future of our economy," said Richard Trent, Executive Director of MSA. "At a time when Main Street is under unprecedented pressure from corporate concentration and a patchwork care economy, we are championing policies that restore competitiveness, fairness, and inclusivity to our markets. This agenda is about ensuring that every entrepreneur, regardless of background, gets a fair shot at success."
Key Pillars of the MSA’s Main Street Agenda 2025:
MSA Cares: A campaign dedicated to improving the care economy, ensuring that small business owners and their employees are supported through comprehensive paid leave, affordable healthcare, and accessible childcare. This pillar includes efforts to implement Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) in Minnesota and Maryland, and to advocate for PFML in Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Virginia. At the federal level, MSA is pushing for the passage of the FAMILY Act and the Childcare for Every Family Act.
MSA Thrives: A focus on creating vibrant Main Streets by advocating for stronger antitrust enforcement, fair tax policies, and expanded access to capital. This includes efforts to revise the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, support the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice Antitrust Division, and fight against cuts to critical small business funding from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and other agencies.
MSA Futures: Preparing small businesses for the future by providing educational resources around the clean energy transition, AI in the workplace, and protections for the creator economy. MSA plans on supporting the continued implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act and powering educational programming, like their Getting Up to Speed (GUTS) webinar series and elected leaders training.
MSA’s Strategy for Change
The Main Street Agenda 2025 also outlines MSA's innovative approach to driving policy-shaping and advocacy. MSA leverages a four-pronged approach—featuring data-collection, coalition-building, elected official engagement, and high-leverage digital advocacy to ensure that the needs of local entrepreneurs are front and center in the policy debates that will shape the economy. Recognizing that BIPOC, women, and LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs have historically been cut out of policy-making, MSA is committed to elevating the voices of those marginalized communities and grounding their movement-building in the testimony of those small business owners.
A Call to Action
Main Street Alliance calls on all small business owners, community leaders, and policymakers to join in the critical work of strengthening local economies. They are hoping to elevate small business voices to build an economy that works for everyone—where Main Street, not Wall Street, drives the American Dream.
For more information on the Main Street Agenda 2025, visit www.mainstreetalliance.org or contact press@mainstreetalliance.org
About Main Street Alliance
Main Street Alliance (MSA) champions the voices of small business owners to create a thriving economy. They cultivate a network of entrepreneurs, connecting them with resources to build sustainable enterprises. MSA’s membership drives state and federal policymaking that gives a fair shot to small businesses and strengthens communities nationwide.
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