Washington, D.C.— Today, the House Democratic Caucus voted to approve Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) as the Chairwoman of the House Committee on Small Business for the 117th Congress. The appointment marks Chairwoman Velázquez’s fourth term as leader of the Committee. Velázquez has served on the Committee since 1993 and previously made history as the first Hispanic woman to serve as Ranking Member and Chair of a House standing committee.
“It is an honor to have the confidence of my colleagues to serve another term as Chairwoman of the Small Business Committee,” said Chairwoman Velázquez. “The challenges facing entrepreneurs are daunting, but I value the chance to continue to lead the fight to help small businesses during this tumultuous time.”
As Chairwoman of the Committee, Velázquez will lead oversight of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Committee efforts to create a positive business environment for entrepreneurs. During the COVID crisis, the Committee has played an integral role in providing relief to small businesses impacted by the pandemic. Velázquez will continue to work to ensure that small businesses have adequate relief and that federal programs related to the pandemic are operating optimally. Velázquez will also address the most pressing issues facing small businesses, including accessing affordable capital, ensuring women-owned and minority-owned firms have adequate resources, and working to even the playing field between big tech companies and small businesses.
“There is still much work to be done to guide small businesses to full recovery. As Chairwoman, my principal focus will be making sure that small firms have the resources they need to make it through this crisis,” said Chairwoman Velazquez. “But as a vaccine is adopted and the public health threat hopefully abates, we must explore post-recession stimulus measures to drive long-term small business growth. Small businesses will lead the way as our country recovers. Next Congress, my colleagues and I on the Committee will be working tirelessly to facilitate a small business comeback.”
