Julie Su Doubles Down on Anti-Franchising Agenda in House Hearing
WASHINGTON, DC – The International Franchise Association (IFA) today released the following statement after Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Su’s appearance before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce on the Department’s FY2024 budget request. The hearing comes as Su’s nomination to serve as Secretary of Labor is pending in the U.S. Senate.
“Today’s hearing is a reminder of why Julie Su’s nomination is in peril,” said Michael Layman, IFA senior vice president of government relations and public affairs. “Despite the strong bipartisan consensus that small businesses – including franchised businesses – should be protected, Su continues to support policies that would lead to their detriment. Su reiterated her anti-franchising agenda today and said nothing to reassure the American people that the Department won’t work against small businesses. There should be no question as to why the U.S. Senate should reject this nomination.”
Small businesses, especially the franchising community, have been outspoken in their opposition to Su’s nomination. State business groups in Maine, Montana, West Virginia and Arizona have written their senators urging opposition, and several franchisees and franchising leaders have published op-eds in opposition to the nomination, including in the Arizona Daily Star, Arizona Capitol Times, and Billings Gazette, among others.
Along with IFA, dozens of groups have voiced their opposition including the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the National Restaurant Association, the American Trucking Association, the Flex Association, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, and several others.
Celebrating over 60 years of excellence, education, and advocacy, the International Franchise Association (IFA) is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations, and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising and the approximately 790,492 franchise establishments that support nearly 8.4 million direct jobs, $825.4 billion of economic output for the U.S. economy, and almost 3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees, and companies that support the industry in marketing, law, technology, and business development.