Before hundreds of local franchise owners at 2026 IFA Advocacy Summit at Union Station, White House Director of Domestic Policy Council reiterates Administration’s commitment to passing the legislation, declaring “we have to get it done this year”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Coalition to Save Local Businesses (CSLB) today praised the Trump Administration’s full support for the bipartisan American Franchise Act, announced by Vince Haley, the White House Domestic Policy Council Director, during a keynote address at the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) 2026 Advocacy Summit.
Speaking to hundreds of franchise owners, brands, and business leaders, Haley declared, “I want to say up front, I know the biggest item on the agenda at this gathering is driving momentum for passage of the American Franchise Act. I think you already know this, but I want to assure you that the Trump Administration fully supports this bill, and no matter what happens this year, we have to get it done this year.”
The video is available here.
IFA President and CEO Matt Haller comments on the remarks, saying, “During the decade-long debate over the federal joint employer standard, the franchising community has had no firmer ally than the Trump Administration, and we are grateful for their support for the American Franchise Act at this critical juncture. Ending the regulatory whiplash once and for all would be a powerful boost for America’s 832,000 franchise small businesses, the nearly 9 million jobs they support, and the upward mobility they create. This is the most important piece of legislation for the franchise community in a generation, and with bipartisan momentum building, the time is now to get it done.”
The following day, more than 500 franchisees, franchisors, and suppliers, including 88 IFA Franchisees of the Year, made the case for the American Franchise Act directly to lawmakers on both sides of Capitol Hill.
Introduced in September 2025 by a bipartisan group of seven Republicans and seven Democrats, the AFA is bipartisan, bicameral legislation that establishes a single, franchise-specific joint employer standard under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Since 2015, the standard has changed four times, creating continuing uncertainty for franchisors and franchisees about when they may be treated as responsible for the same employees.
The video is available here:
During a speech at McDonald’s Impact Summit in November 2025, President Trump highlighted the importance of a clear “joint employer” standard, stating that an expanded version of the joint employer rule favored by the Obama and Biden Administrations would be “death to businesses like yours and others.”
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The Coalition to Save Local Businesses is an initiative of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, American Pizza Community, the Association of Kentucky Fried Chicken Franchisees, CHRO Association, EPCON Communities, Family Enterprise USA, Family Business Coalition, the Health and Fitness Association, Home Care Association of America, the International Franchise Association, International Salon/Spa Business Network, International Spa Association, National Association of Black Hotel Owners, National Association of Convenience Stores, National Federation of Independent Business, Operators, and Developers, National Franchisee Association, National Restaurant Association, NATSO (National Association of Truckstop Operators), Professional Beauty Association, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, SIGMA: America’s Leading Fuel Marketers, and the U.S. Travel Association. Together, they are united in support of a transparent joint employer standard that reaffirms the independence of local franchise owners. Learn more at https://savelocalbusinesses.com/.