In September, SBAM invited U.S. Senate candidates Mike Rogers and Elissa Slotkin to speak directly to our VIP and Elite members in separate virtual events about their stances on issues important to the small business community.
At the conclusion of these events, both candidates were given the opportunity to provide their Q&A answers in writing for all of our members to view. Congresswoman Slotkin declined that opportunity; Mike Rogers’ answers are below.
SBAM Advocacy Q&A between SBAM President & CEO Brian Calley and Mike Rogers
Brian Calley: Mike, can you please introduce yourself to our SBAM members today by giving a background of your personal life as well as your career so we can all get to know you a little better?
Mike Rogers: I am the youngest of 5 boys, raised in Brighton MI. My dad was a shop teacher and vice principal of a public school. My mom was a leader with the Brighton Chamber of Commerce, which started with about 50 members when she took over and it grew to over 1,000 by the time she retired. I graduated from Howell High School, Adrian College, and ROTC from the University of Michigan. I served in the Army, FBI, State Senate, and Congress as Chair of the Intelligence Committee. I left on my volition and went into the private sector on radio and television, and started cyber security businesses.
Calley: As you mentioned, you have served in D.C. before, can you tell us why you want to go back as Michigan’s next U.S. Senator and maybe give some insight into what your campaign is focused on when it comes to issues?
Rogers: Today everything is broken. Out of control spending, sky high inflation causing families to live paycheck to paycheck, the border is wide open, our kids are not being educated to the extent that nearly 70% cannot read at grade level. My son and his Naval Academy friends say they find themselves in a military unfocused on protecting our country. Think about how scary that is. Our country has so many issues that even our own service members struggle to pay attention. As Senator, I can get to work on day one and end reckless spending, secure the southern border, stand up to radical EV mandates, and get our children back on track.
Calley: At SBAM, we are always watching the policy landscape here at home in Michigan and then of course at the Capitol in Washington. As we approach the expiration of the tax cuts enacted during the Trump presidency, we find ourselves in the rich versus poor debate again that puts some small businesses in the “rich” category. Many small businesses are organized as “pass through” companies and might appear to have high income on paper, but small business owners tend to reinvest in the business. The owner is often the last one to be paid. How do we protect them from tax increases?
Rogers: At the very least, I will extend the 2017 tax cuts and see if there are some things we can do to better help small businesses. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and we need to focus on getting the government out of your way so you all can do what you do best.
Calley: As you are probably aware, SBAM is suing Treasury over the unconstitutionality of the Corporate Transparency Act. Among other arguments, we believe it to be a violation of the 4th and 5th Amendment Rights of Small Business Owners. We do intend to take this to the US Supreme Court if necessary, but Congress could repeal or modify it. Would you support making substantial changes to the CTA (if so what?) or repealing it altogether?
Rogers: This is an onerous and intrusive law that exemplifies everything wrong with Washington. We need more border patrol and ICE agents, not more IRS agents investigating money laundering. That’s the job of the FBI, not America’s revenue services. Government should be working to make your lives easier, not force you to jump through more hoops to get the job done. This law places a huge burden on small businesses and I will work to repeal it in the Senate.
Calley: The US Department of Labor has taken steps that have been quite hostile toward independent contractors who have become an increasingly important part of the small business landscape. Many small businesses are or start as independent contractors and many more small businesses use independent contractors to grow. What can be done to protect independent contractors from being forced into W2 jobs, snuffing out new small businesses before they even start?
Rogers: This is yet another area where the regulators have overstepped and overreached. As Senator, I will work to get rid of these kinds of rules that hinder small businesses from growing, expanding, and giving jobs to everyday Americans. Again, the government should be working to make your lives easier by getting rid of red tape and regulations. I will work to expand the definition of an Independent Contractor to make your lives easier.
Calley: The Independent Contractor rule change from the Spring of this year is an example of an increasingly aggressive bureaucracy toward small businesses. A Department of Labor rule is also increasing the mandatory overtime threshold from $35,568 to $43,888 to $58,656 over the period of just 6 months. In addition to that, while a federal court has struck it down (for now), the SEC recently created a new, overly broad rule that was advertised as a ban on non-compete agreements, but went way further. It essentially banned non-solicitation agreements too. What can be done to prevent these agencies from stifling small businesses so much?
Rogers: Overreach by government agencies is just another downfall of the Democrats. They believe big government is the way to solve problems. That’s why they inflate these agencies and create needless red tape. Republicans, like myself, want to rein in these kinds of rules that stifle small businesses. In the Senate, I will be your watchdog.
Calley: We are also always advocating here for immigration reform. Many of our members utilize the H1-B2 Visa process, which has become restrictive and cumbersome for the needs required in today’s challenging workforce. Can you tell us where you stand on immigration reform? To be clear – we are not talking about border security, but people who come here legally to work and obtain citizenship.
Rogers: First, we must secure and close the southern border. Once that’s done we can begin to address the illegal migrant crisis in our country. I will reinstate Remain in Mexico that was removed under the Biden administration and work with our police and FBI to get our streets secure from fentanyl. I understand your concerns about filling jobs, as Senator I will allow employers to rehire each year’s same employees, once they are vetted without going through the lottery.
Calley: We have obviously seen a full court press toward more if not all green energy as the one and only source. Michigan recently passed stringent energy policy that will be nearly impossible to achieve on the timetable set due to pressure out of D.C. SBAM believes that for energy to be reliable and affordable – it needs to maintain a diverse portfolio. Can you give us some insight into what your energy policy stance is?
Rogers: I’m an all of the above energy guy. I believe unleashing American energy will bring down prices, make life more affordable and make America less reliant on countries that hate us, like China. Energy independence is directly linked to our national security. That’s why EV mandates are not reflective of our reality. The reality is America doesn’t have the power grid to charge these cars and enforcing these mandates would be detrimental to our infrastructure and make us more reliant on
China.