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Washington, D.C.— Today, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) released the following statement in response to President Trump’s 2021 Budget request:            "Instead of serving as a blueprint for the future, the Trump budget seeks to slash the funding our small businesses rely on to stay competitive and innovative in a 21st… Read more »

Washington, D.C.— Yesterday, Rep. Abby Finkenauer (D-IA), Chairwoman of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Rural Development, Agriculture, Trade, and Entrepreneurship gathered small business owners and an education expert to examine the impact that childcare has on small business and regional economies.  “When parents can’t access affordable childcare, the effects are… Read more »

Washington, D.C.— Today, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) led four Members of Congress in a bipartisan letter to the Associate Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) Allen Gutierrez regarding the agency’s progress in implementing its outreach goals to better provide entrepreneurial services to Historically Black Colleges and… Read more »

Washington, D.C.— Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Chairwoman of the House Small Business Committee, conducted oversight of the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Credit Risk Management (OCRM). OCRM is responsible for assessing the risk levels of SBA lending partners and oversees the $120 billion 7(a) and 504 loan portfolios.  “The SBA 7(a) loan program plays… Read more »

Washington, D.C.— Today, the House Small Business Committee under Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) conducted oversight of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Field Operations (OFO). The OFO oversees SBA regional and district offices that are the point of delivery for most SBA initiatives and serve as the agency’s “boots on the ground.”   “SBA’s field team… Read more »

Washington, D.C.— Today, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and eight Committee Democrats sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer expressing concern over the Trump Administration’s decision to impose retaliatory tariffs on European wines, which they say will mainly hurt American small businesses. In October, the Trump Administration… Read more »

Washington, D.C.— Today, the House Small Business Committee under Chairwoman Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) held a hearing examining the issue of patent diversity and how a lack of diversity in the innovation process is hindering the economy and small business. Studies show that women and minorities apply and obtain patents at a rate significantly lower than their white male counterparts,… Read more »

Washington, D.C.— Today, the House Small Business Subcommittee on Innovation and Workforce Development, chaired by Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), held a hearing examining how small businesses are driving growth in the agricultural technology (ag-tech) industry and how these technological developments are benefiting America’s small farms.  “Farming and agriculture are at the heart of… Read more »

Washington, D.C.— Today, the House passed two bipartisan prison reform bills authored by House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). The two bills, H.R. 5078, the Prison to Proprietorship Act and H.R. 5065, Prison to Proprietorship for Formerly Incarcerated Act would improve entrepreneurship opportunities… Read more »

Washington, D.C.— Today, the House passed bipartisan reforms to improve opportunities for small businesses to be competitive in the marketplace. H.R. 5130, the Capturing All Small Businesses Act of 2019, was authored by Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX) and Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK). H.R. 5146, the Unlocking Opportunities for Small Businesses Act, was authored by Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-MN) and Vice… Read more »