Washington, DC - The Latino Coalition (TLC), the leading national non-partisan advocacy organization representing Hispanic businesses and consumers, released the following statement congratulating President-Elect Donald J. Trump and the new 115^th U.S. Congress:

“The Latino Coalition congratulates President-Elect Donald J. Trump on a hard-fought victory,” said Hector Barreto, The Latino Coalition Chairman and former U.S. Small Business Administrator. “After one of the most contentious races in modern history, the voters spoke loudly on Election Day, rejecting the status quo and electing real change for the direction of our country and our government. The electorate of this nation used their vote as a referendum on big government, regulations stifling small business, unwarranted intrusion on financial institutions and anti-growth policies.” 

“For far too long, our nation’s small business community has been burdened with higher taxes, more regulations, the Affordable Care Act and U.S. jobs shipped overseas,” Barreto explained. “In spite of all that, the Latino entrepreneurial spirit has not been broken. In fact, Latino entrepreneurs are 1.5 times more likely to become business owners and those businesses are growing at 15 times the national growth rate. In total, there are more than four million Hispanic-owned businesses in America, with more than $660 billion in combined annual revenue.

“We look forward to working with the Trump administration and the new congress to expand opportunities and a create positive economic environment for Americas 28 million small businesses. Small business has always been the engine of America, providing immeasurable contributions and unmatched economic, job-creating power to our economy.”

“With a network and database encompassing over one million small businesses and 90 organizations nationwide, The Latino Coalition looks forward to rolling up our sleeves and working with the Trump administration and the new Congress to bring about true change and confront the challenges the American people are facing,” added TLC’s National Executive Director, Allen Gutierrez. “Our number one goal is to bring prosperity back through growing our economy, creating jobs and lowering the disparity in education and income gaps in the Latino community. We believe strongly that a united America can still be that beacon of hope to the world, especially if our entrepreneurial sector is strong again.”

ABOUT THE LATINO COALITION- The Latino Coalition (TLC) was founded in 1995 by a group of Hispanic business owners from across the country to research and develop policies solutions relevant to Latinos. TLC is a non-profit nationwide organization with offices in California, Washington, DC and Guadalajara, Mexico. Established to address and engage on key issues that that directly affect the well-being of Hispanics in the United States, TLC’s agenda is to create and promote initiatives and partnerships that will foster economic equivalency and enhance and empower overall business, economic and social development for Latinos. Visit www.thelatinocoalition.com.