Oct 8, 2026
Family-Owned Business Leaders Gather in Dirksen Senate Building to Hear Rep. Kustoff and Rep. Panetta, plus Dr. Frank Luntz, Discuss Voter Attitudes, Midterm Legislative Landscape
Washington, DC (Hagerstown, MD), United States, October 8, 2026 -- The Congressional Family Business Caucus met last week in the Dirksen Senate Office Building where family businesses discussed wealth taxes, voter attitudes, and how the post midterm legislative agenda will affect family-owned businesses next year.
The meeting, which saw Rep. David Min (D-CA) become the 50th House member to join the bipartisan Caucus, focused on the themes “The Price of Prosperity” and “Family Business Strategies for Battling All Taxes on Success."
Attendees also heard from two house members, Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN) and Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), who shared their overview of the upcoming midterms and how they may affect family-owned businesses.
The Caucus, the last for the 119th Congress, is co-chaired by Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) and is comprised of 22 Democrats and 28 Republicans. Family Enterprise USA was the organizer of the Caucus. Family Enterprise USA advocates for family-owned businesses across the country.
With the House of Representatives out of session, Caucus attendees and family business leaders shifted to the Dirksen Building on the Senate side of the Capitol Building.
In the morning session, which began at 8:30AM, legislative updates were provided by Capitol Hill insiders Russ Sullivan and Jared Jones, both from the legal and government affairs firm, Brownstein.
Dr. Frank Luntz, the well-known communications consultant and pollster, presented his views on the political landscape and new research on what Americans will be thinking when they vote this November.
Luntz gave attendees a particularly alarming report on the state of America’s mindset. Luntz presented new research among 1,000 voters which showed voters “don’t want more taxes, they want our government to better manage the funds it already has and stop the wasteful, uncontrolled and unaccountable spending.”
Other findings focused on the barrage of wealth tax proposals in both state and federal chambers.
Luntz’s observations were tough: “Wealth taxes could push good American jobs out of America” and “don’t punish success, rather protect opportunity.”
Another speaker, EY’s Dianne Mehany, Private National Tax Leader at consulting firm EY, presented on “The Cumulative Tax Burden,” a topic that covered how income, estate, gift, and transaction taxes add up on family-owned businesses across generations, and how high-leverage planning can create opportunities.
A panel of family-owned business leaders shared strategies on maintaining businesses growth, tax concerns, and solutions for passing their businesses on to the next generation.
The panelists were Jeff Ahola, of Ahola Corporation, George Gleason, II, of Bank OZK, John-Paul Lake of Rain for Rent, and Casey Roscoe of Gerking Ranch.
Tim Schultz, Chief Executive Officer, and Pat Soldano, President, Family Enterprise USA led the discussions, along with John Gugliada, Director of Engagement, Family Enterprise USA.
“It’s important Members of Congress, including those in the Senate, understand what a powerful economic engine family-owned businesses are for our country, and these Caucus meetings help craft policies that keep them strong and growing,” said Family Enterprise USA’s Schultz.
America’s family businesses are the largest private employers in the country, accounting for 83.3 million jobs in some 32 million family businesses across the country, according to research. These businesses contribute $7.7 trillion annually to U.S. gross domestic product.
For more information on Family Enterprise USA go to: www.familyenterpriseusa.com
About Family Enterprise USA
Family Enterprise USA promotes multi-generational family business creation, growth, viability, and sustainability by advocating for family businesses and their lifetime of savings with Congress in Washington, D.C. FEUSA represents and celebrates all sizes, professions and industries of family-owned enterprises and multi-generational employers. FEUSA is a 501.C3 organization
Contact Info:
Name: Bob Chew
Email: Send Email
Organization: Family Enterprise USA and Family Enterprise USA Action
Address: 712 H Street NE Suite 1330, Washington DC, United States
Phone: 310-383-0528
Website: https://familyenterpriseusa.com/
Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI1Mo5Reyig
Release ID: 89205511
In case of identifying any errors, concerns, or inconsistencies within the content shared in this press release that necessitate action or if you require assistance with a press release takedown, we strongly urge you to notify us promptly by contacting [email protected] (it is important to note that this email is the authorized channel for such matters, sending multiple emails to multiple addresses does not necessarily help expedite your request). Our expert team is committed to addressing your concerns within 8 hours by taking necessary actions diligently to rectify any identified issues or supporting you with the removal process. Delivering accurate and reliable information remains our top priority.
Though the center has said it plans only limited programming during a two-year renovation, it has named a new leader to oversee its concerts and shows.
Bela Bajaria was a few months into her job as the leader of Netflix’s international content expansion campaign in 2019 when she fully realized the significance of the opportunity ahead. The production of local original content was not destined to be a side business for Netflix — it is the business, and increasingly so as […]
Khloe Kardashian wants fans to keep up with her family’s statement about AI. After The Kardashians star and her fam received criticism for using artificial intelligence in an apparent anti-AI...
Ken Urker's sister is looking back on his final days. One week after Gypsy Rose Blanchard's partner died on his 34th birthday, Autumn Snyder detailed how he was doing in the weeks leading up to...
The new Skydance, formed from the merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, has consolidated its publishing and consumer-products teams into one group — Skydance Products & Publishing — led by Josh Silverman. Silverman, who joined Paramount Skydance in 2025 as president of global products and experiences, now serves as president of global products and […]
In a cozy suburb of Minneapolis, a guy in a blue jumpsuit is once again stuck aboard a space station with his robot pals, watching the worst movies ever made. To paraphrase the show’s catchy theme song, if you’re wondering how that works, it’s just a TV show, so you should really just relax. In […]
EXCLUSIVE: Miles & Juliette, the new feature from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Bill Pohlad and his River Road Entertainment, has started production in Paris. The film stars Damson Idris as Miles Davis and Anamaria Vartolomei as Juliette Gréco. Joining Idris and Vartolomei are J. Alphonse Nicholson as Kenny “Klook” Clarke, Jay Reeves as Tadd Dameron, Grammy-winning musician […]
“I don’t know what to tell you.” For a time, that was Jeissy Trompiz’s answer when his Brazilian filmmaker friend would ask him about Venezuela. Trompiz left Maracaibo, the oil city where he grew up, in 2014 to study filmmaking at the International School of Film and TV in Cuba, just before Venezuela’s economic and […]
It's Latine Heritage Month, and it's time to celebrate the stories that highlight the cultures, people, and countries. View Entire Post ›
Though Mike Ditka emphasized success isn’t permanent, his legacy certainly is. The Chicago Bears former tight end and legendary coach Mike Ditka has died, his family announced Oct. 9. He was...
It was a “helluva” time at New York City Comic-Con, where an audience remember interrupted the “Helluva Boss” panel by repeatedly shouting over the cast. Following multiple attempts to silence the heckling, actor Brandon Rogers seemingly threatened the fan in a video posted online. “You need to shut the fuck up right now,” Rogers said […]
France-based music company Believe has named Adriana Sein to the newly created role of President, Americas. She will lead Believe’s commercial operations across North and South America, overseeing the Label & Artist Solutions business lines and driving the company’s continued expansion across the Americas, including the U.S., Canada and Latin America. She will report to […]
YOUR NEWS, OUR NETWORK.
Do you have Great News you want to tell the world?
Be it updates about your business or your community, you can make sure that it’s heard by submitting your story to our network reaching hundreds of news sites across 6 verticals.