In terms of the economy, these are uncertain times for just about everybody. Hardworking Americans everywhere are feeling the pinch of the mortgage crisis and rising prices. Small businesses are facing a frightening climate of volatile markets and tight credit. The government has a responsibility to protect citizens from insecurity – but in order to do that, the government has to know where the problems are, and how to fix them.

As we’ve seen before, the President isn’t in the loop when it comes to the everyday struggles of the American people. The same man who was surprised to learn the price of gas is running an administration that thinks it can solve local issues without the input of local authorities.

We’re seeing it play out right now in Gloucester, Mass., where Washington’s fishery policies are gutting local industry and pushing fishermen out of work. After the Bush administration rebuffed Governor Patrick’s attempt to secure emergency funds, Senators Kerry and Kennedy won a $13.4 million line item in the federal budget to bolster the state’s fishermen.

But that money now rests in the hands of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which has decided to impose its own rules on spending – namely, that most of the funds should be used to reduce the number of fishermen through buyouts, and that the NOAA should get to set aside $500,000 of the money for its own “administrative” purposes. That’s not what the senators intended for the $13.4 million, and it’s not what Congress authorized by including it in the budget.

In cities and towns like Gloucester, the administration’s antics are no laughing matter. NOAA directives have harshly restricted days at sea, and fishermen are going into debt just to scrape by. The government should never be in the business of driving citizens into debt, and particularly not under today’s economic conditions. Gloucester’s residents are on the front lines in the credit crisis – especially the small business owners, many of whom are fundamentally tied to the fishing industry.

Today, the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, which Senator Kerry chairs, is going to hear from Carolyn Kirk, mayor of Gloucester, on the impact of the credit crunch on small business. Her message should be heard loud and clear: it’s not just inflation and constricted cash flows that are hurting businesses. Other pressures from the government – unfunded mandates, undercutting fundamental industries like fishing – only add insult to injury.

As Kirk will testify today, the small businesses of Massachusetts are resilient. Through their ingenuity, and with the help of the stimulus package Congress passed in February, the economy can begin to grow at a robust pace once more. But the federal government has to dismantle the barriers that are keeping the economic brakes on. Let’s hope Mayor Kirk’s voice rings loud and clear on Capitol Hill this afternoon.


UPDATE:

Kerry: Massachusetts fishermen will get the help they deserve

BOSTON – Senator John Kerry today announced that he has been notified by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that the agency is planning to accept Massachusetts’ proposal on how to distribute the $13.4 million federal appropriation for the state’s struggling fishermen.


Also, an archived video recording of this hearing has been posted on the SBC website.