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Washington, DC-At a press conference in Punchbowl, the American senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined a conversation by the fire with the co-founder of Punchbowl, CEO and Anna Palmer, originally from the Dakota of the North. Cramer and Palmer have discussed the future of small rural companies in rural America, the key to the growth of small businesses, government funding, etc.
Government funding:
Government funding to expire at the end of this week, Cramer said the congress could take an extension quickly, “As long as there is complete cooperation.”
He said government funding is a high priority for most members. “It is better than a stop, and put in 2025 in the rear view mirror, at least from the point of view of funding”, “ said Cramer.
The Ministry of Government (DOGE):
With so many discussions on the Trump administration cutting administrative formalities, Palmer asked to burn if he was worried that Doge was going too far.
“The last four years have been somehow scandalous. Part of the reason for which we have a continuous resolution (CR) today is that, although the credit committee was adopted 11 of the 12 bills of credits by the end of July, none of them was brought to the Senate. We therefore have this problem which is not only recent, but decades of waste, fraud and mistreatment which were tolerated by political parties, the congress as well as by the administrations. We suddenly have a president who wants to repair everything in one term. So I think it had to happen.
“I am not as concerned about that as some of my colleagues, but I am less concerned now than the president’s own cabinet has rejected a little. I think you will see what you often see by Donald Trump, which is a pulse followed by a rhythm moderation. But at the same time, I don’t think he wants to remove too much from the accelerator. So we get it out.
Prices:
Palmer asked to burn to know if he was concerned about what is happening concerning the prices.
“I am not too worried. I mean, the reprisals are zero, right? But, but one thing about any type of war, be it a tariff war, a trade war, a firearm war, if you want to start one, you would better win it. And I think that Donald Trump understands well is as the leader of the largest nation consumed in the world from afar, he has all the ammunition. It has the lever effect.
“I do not expect many of these other countries to grow back a very long time, because the pain on them will be worse than for us. That said, the last Trump administration did something similar, especially with China. Northern Dakota is a state producing AG and soy is a great harvest for us. But since then, the Dakota of the North has built not one, but two, with a third on the way, a overwhelming plant of soy. And we have converted an oil refinery into renewable fuel refinery, a diesel refinery that uses soybean oil. We created our own markets as a necessity of what happened before. At the same time, Donald Trump provided additional funding to farmers to pass them through this difficult distribution. I hope this will not become necessary.
Washington DC facilitating access to capital::
Palmer underlined a Goldman Sachs survey which revealed that 76% of small businesses were concerned with access to capital. She asked to burn how the government could help facilitate access.
“There are a lot of programs. I talked about the Northern Dakota Bank, and there are other state programs. There are also federal programs, Small Business Administration, investment companies in small businesses, small business development centers. Having agitation and knowing how to use these federal tools, as well as a state bank and someone like Goldman Sachs, as well as our banks and community credit cooperatives present an ecosystem which can be very, very rich. »»
Make tax reductions to extend the law on tax reductions and 2017 jobs::
With the congress at the early stages of tax reform, Palmer asked to burn if he thought that the tax code could be simplified in the negotiations.
“The complexity of the tax code, like most regulations, is an obstacle to investment, in particular small businesses. The 199a article in the last tax reform bill that we have made, and the one we have is now important for small businesses. Go through, as you all understand, give the opportunity to be able to take at least 20% reduction on books. I give Senator Ron Johnson all the credit in the world during the last bill of tax reform. It was legendary for me as a member of the room, fighting for this other part of America from companies, if you want.
“In my mind, the most important part of this reconciliation package on which we work, whether two or a large bill, is to make as many tax reductions and jobs as permanent as possible. This is why I hope that we can obtain enough votes to make a reference base based on current policy as opposed to the current law. Then, we have to keep the script as close as possible to the previous bill, so that we can, in fact, have this permanence. »»
Artificial intelligence in small businesses::
Palmer interviewed Cramer about the lag between small urban, suburban and rural businesses using artificial intelligence (IA). It noted that only 52% of small rural companies use AI, compared to 63% of small suburban companies and 61% of small urban businesses.
“Well, access and training would be important. The reason, in my opinion, there may be a delay in rural communities is that there is a fear. If fear prevents you from moving forward, you are probably not going to do it. In fact, in fact, and this is where I think that the education play comes into play. There are a lot of tools and opportunities to help people get comfortable with AI, but at the same time, AI, like many other things, requires an ethical response. »»
Advice to owners of small businesses::
“America is worth it. Hang on. The American dream is very much alive, as much as it has ever been. Regarding uncertainty, you know, the timing is everything, and it is the most common denominator. My point is to hang on to it. Get out of the cycle if you can and ask for help. I think there are things that we can do better, like offering more Angel capital opportunities.
“We always have the greatest opportunity of success than any country in the world, and we have access and tools and a government that cares, at least in places like North Dakota.”