The Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations held a hearing on Wednesday about the supply chain issues currently facing small business owners. The witnesses all testified that worker shortages were one of the greatest challenges to their businesses being able to survive and thrive. “I begin by placing a spotlight on our workforce. My business faces a dire shortage of workers. At 200 employees we are down roughly 100 from our optimal number of staff. Since December of 2020, we have instituted a 36 percent hourly salary increase, and we still have trouble recruiting workers,” said Christine Lantinen. The members of the subcommittee including Chairman Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and Ranking Member Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) both said they wanted to help small businesses mitigate the economic effects of the pandemic lockdowns and broader supply chain issues that were unearthed by the events of the last 18 …