Sam Graves

There are 12 million illegal immigrants in this country - drawing welfare benefits, sending their children to public schools, and pushing down wages for American workers - but the problem extends well beyond amnesty and open borders.

Time and time again, small businesses testify before the Committee on Small Business that they simply want the government to 'get out of the way.'

Claiming to 'fight for small business' is often used as a political tool in Washington D.C., but it is actually the policies behind that battle cry that small firms care about.

Trade agreements are important because they open up new marketplaces to small businesses, which ultimately translates into more jobs and greater economic growth.

Economic recovery begins with our small businesses.

Small business owners are experiencing great uncertainty because of the possibility of tax increases, the inconsistent flow of credit, an outrageous national debt, high energy costs, and overreaching federal regulations.

When the EPA says that property owners, farmers, and livestock producers must stomach higher costs, longer delays, and bigger headaches, it's up to Congress to put up a roadblock.

Administrator McCarthy and the EPA will soon find out that Washington bureaucrats are becoming far too aggressive in attacking our way of life. Administrator McCarthy should be apologizing to Missourians. EPA aggression has reached an all-time high, and now it must be stopped.

I understand that the nature of politics sometimes involves fending off frivolous, anonymous allegations.

The mismanagement of the Small Business Health Options program is very frustrating.

By necessity, budgets require hard choices.

If we don't enforce visa laws, we basically have open borders.

Saying that you are advocating on behalf of small business does not grant a license to spend at will on more and more programs without congressional input, oversight, or statutory authority.

It is key that Kansas Citians make the call as to what kind of airport they want.

The federal government has invested billions in Metro, yet the system is not safe and is not reliable.

There are a lot of folks out there that love the convenience of the Kansas City airport. That's one of the biggest things it's got going for it.

There is no doubt that the majority of Kansas Citians are happy with their three-terminal airport. I will advocate in Washington for our city to keep its unique airport as long as we want it.

I do not like toll roads. Taxpayers are already paying for those roads through their gas taxes, and then to turn around and tell them they need to pay more to drive on the roads, I don't like it.

The majority of ground in the U.S. is owned by the federal government, and right now, very little of it is accessible to anybody that is trying to produce oil and gas, and we need to be opening that up.

Gov. Perry has led the way in Texas on creating an environment for job growth.

It's important for Republicans to nominate someone who not only has a vision of how to create jobs, but who has done it. That's why I am endorsing Texas Governor Rick Perry for President.

Improving small business opportunities through federal contracts creates jobs and saves taxpayer money.

A long-lasting and sustained recovery will never be achieved through massive government spending programs.

There are over 20 federal agencies that provide some, or all, of the steps in the export process. This can paint a very confusing and intimidating picture for small companies who often don't have designated export officials or trade representatives on staff to navigate the process for their businesses.

Having grown up on a family farm, I am all too familiar with the effects a drought can have on a crop.

Part of any solution to get our economy going should include steps to free up our small businesses by peeling back unnecessarily burdensome regulations, ending the continual threats of tax hikes, and addressing the cloud of federal debt that hangs over our economy.

The federal government has gone too far on many nonessential regulations that are harming small businesses. Employers are rightly concerned about the costs of these regulations - so they stop hiring, stop spending, and start saving for a bill from the federal government.

Simply put, our nation's economy will only go as far as our small businesses will take it.

Growing up on a family farm, I know firsthand the challenges of running a small business... challenges that only seem to be growing for today's entrepreneurs.

In order to help small businesses gain access to the credit and capital they need to run their business successfully, Congress must adopt policies that support functional capital markets without imposing undue restrictions on providers of debt and equity capital.

Congress can protect small businesses by providing effective oversight over SBA policies and make sure they take into account the needs of small businesses while also protecting taxpayer dollars. Congress also needs to make sure that new banking regulations do not make it more costly for community banks to lend to small businesses.

Government should stand aside and let the business community prosper instead of imposing new regulations that will only stifle growth and limit access to capital.

Small lending institutions lack the capability of their larger counterparts to hire the additional manpower necessary to deal with the hundreds of additional regulations created by Dodd-Frank.

Many small businesses rely on small financial institutions, like credit unions and community banks, to meet their capital requirements. Without them, these small businesses would have to close their doors.

The JOBS Act will allow entrepreneurs to utilize 'crowdfunding,' which permits them to raise equity capital from a large pool of small investors.

Just as water is a key ingredient to growth on the farm, capital is required for businesses to thrive.

When we stop running up huge budget deficits and start acting responsibly in Washington, we will provide small-business owners with the certainty they need to put Americans back to work.

As newly created P2P businesses disrupt the status quo and compete with established companies, they face the difficulty of fitting a square peg into a round hole when it comes to existing regulatory regimes that don't contemplate their business models.

The P2P marketplace extends into other markets where individuals are monetizing underutilized assets. Lodging is one example. Instead of finding a hotel room, in the sharing economy you can rent a spare room from a local resident.

Bringing buyers and sellers together through a single platform is not a new idea - most of us know about eBay's success - but with advancing technology comes new innovative methods for businesses to connect customers with those who want to offer services.

Competition is a powerful and essential part of this nation's economy and vital to cutting government costs.

The value of small business contracting is indisputable. These firms bring healthy competition to the federal market to drive down prices. They are our nation's innovators and job creators, and securing a federal contract helps them grow and offers more benefit to the economy.

At every turn, small businesses should be encouraged to compete. When they do, we all win.

Removing government-created obstacles to small business growth is what Washington should be addressing, and this focus should start with removing the herculean impediments to job creation found in the health care law.

By and large, small companies don't want to settle for part-time employees over full-time positions.

The federal government spends nearly half a trillion dollars on contracted goods and services; therefore, we must ensure that the money is being spent efficiently, and small businesses have proven that they can do quality work cheaper and often faster.

Small businesses all across this nation are tired of the uncertainty created by Washington.

It's time for some common sense from federal agencies.

The sweeping, unfocused cuts of sequestration are certain to have unintended negative consequences, including for America's small businesses.

Despite overwhelming support for the United States to adopt English as its official language, we have still not taken that important step.