Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor told a group of independent insurance agents in Washington, D.C., that Congress should be “helping small business right now, not imposing more burdens on them.”

Eric Cantor

Speaking at the Independent Insurance Agents & Broker’s Big I Legislative Conference & Convention Breakfast, Cantor, the U.S. House Republican whip, said the country faces tough choices on the economy.

“No question, we are at a crossroads in this country,” Cantor said. “If you do the math, about 15 people a minute are losing their jobs. When we’re looking at this economy, it makes no sense to me to penalize the job makers. We ought to be helping small businesses right now, not imposing more burdens on them.”

Most of the Big I membership owns independent insurance agents, and members of the group were to follow the breakfast with visits to their legislators on Capitol Hill to address concerns to their businesses.

Cantor addressed the regulatory outlook and said “the desire and the attempt to over-regulate is very real.” On health care reform, Cantor said “it is the centrality of the doctor/patient relationship that must drive health care reform.”

Robert Rusbuldt, Big I president and CEO, said Cantor has “emerged as the face of the Republican Party” and that “he is truly a defender of Main Street America.” In addition to his position as the House Republican whip, Cantor serves on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which has direct jurisdiction over taxes, trade, Social Security, Medicare, health care and welfare reform.

Cantor thanked the agents for taking time away from their businesses “to come to Washington to offer some plain ole’ common sense to this town.”

This story originally appeared in the June 2009 print edition of Insurance & Financial Advisor.