Small Businesses Want Debt Ceiling Fix as Congress Votes

The majority of small businesses want a long-term solution to the debt ceiling so the U.S. can pay its bills and the issue does not repeatedly come up for votes in Congress, according to a new survey.

The poll, by the advocacy group Small Business Majority, found a 55 percent majority of small business owners polled believe there should be a long-term solution, versus a 36 percent minority who disagreed.

The poll came the same day as a vote in Congress to temporarily suspend the debt limit for nearly four months. The House passed a bill Wednesday by a 285 to 144 vote that would raise the debt ceiling. The bill would require lawmakers to pass a budget by the April 15 deadline or risk having their pay withheld until the beginning of the next term of Congress in 2015. The bill now goes to the Senate. Senate Democrat leaders have indicated they would vote for the Republican-led bill, and President Obama plans to sign it into law.

Senator Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said on Meet the Press on Sunday that Democrats have always intended to pass a budget, and they plan to include tax reform in the next budget.

“In our budget that we will pass, we will have tax reform, which many of my Republican colleagues like, but it’s going to include revenues,” he said.

The House measure would temporarily suspend the debt ceiling limit for four months, at which time Congress would once again debate increasing the limit.

The findings of the Small Business Majority poll buttress previous opinion polling that found small business owners are more interested in fixing the economy than wrangling over the deficit. That poll found that by a 5:4 ratio, small employers believe a plan to create more jobs is the most important task for Congress and the president over the next year, compared to a plan to reducing the deficit.

“Small businesses clearly do not want Congress to revisit the debt ceiling debate over and over again,” said Small Business Majority CEO John Arensmeyer in a statement. “Small employers want a lasting solution to our country’s fiscal challenges so that they have the economic certainty they need to thrive. With a long-term debt ceiling solution in place, lawmakers will be able to focus on small businesses top priority—job creation.”