President Barack Obama announced Friday that he will ask Congress permission to consolidate six government agencies into one. He will introduce the Consolidation Authority Act, which will aid businesses as they seek ways to better navigate through government offices and agencies. The president will also create a new website called BusinessUSA.
Here's a look at what Obama wants to do and why.
Six Agencies
Obama wants to try to make small businesses more competitive. He also claims the last time a president consolidated government agencies was in 1984. The six in question are the Department of Commerce, the Small Business Administration, Office of U.S. Trade Representative, Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.
All of these agencies are responsible for dealing with small-business regulations on the federal level. Obama wants to make it easier for small businesses to navigate through federal laws in order to help make doing business easier.
The Small Business Administration oversees loans and regulations for small businesses in America. The department also represents the interests of small businesses in the federal government. The Department of Commerce regulates international commerce and is designed to open up trade with U.S. companies.
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation aids U.S businesses by helping open up foreign markets for American interests. The U.S. Trade and Development Agency gives grants to companies that invest in projects in foreign countries.
The Plan
The Washington Post reports the new structure of the Cabinet-level position would elevate the Small Business Administration to a higher position. The new position would be confirmed by the Senate like any other member of Obama's executive departments.
The move would also cut back government jobs in all affected agencies. As many as 2,000 jobs would be lost, according to Business Week. The government would save $3 billion over 10 years under the plan. An entirely new department will be created as yet unnamed. The goal is also to increase U.S. exports abroad.
The original idea of consolidating these departments was proposed in the State of the Union address in January 2011. This is the first time Obama has made some concrete steps to ask Congress to make the proposal a reality. The White House claims this move will help spur job creation by making it easier for businesses to wade through government regulations when they are consolidated into one agency.
William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics. Born in St. Louis, Browning is active in local politics and served as a campaign volunteer for President Barack Obama and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill.
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