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Washington, DC – Today, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) commented in response to new data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on how the shutdown is impacting small contractors.

According to the U.S. Chamber, the government shutdown has already cost small contractors $2.3 billion. Additionally, the Chamber found that over 41,000 small contractors work for affected agencies with a collective contract value of $29 billion across all fifty states and territories. For a state-by-state breakdown, click here.

Velázquez said:

“This is now the longest government shutdown in American history and its economic damage is no longer hypothetical—our small business sector is losing billions.

“Forced to go without a paycheck for over a month, numerous small contracting firms are facing the gut-wrenching prospects of laying off workers and closing their doors. Meanwhile, thousands of small firms turning to the Small Business Administration as a source of affordable capital are left in limbo while billions of dollars in loans remain untapped. This is unacceptable.

“My message to the President is clear, stop using America’s hardworking entrepreneurs as bargaining chips for an ineffective and immoral border wall. House Democrats have now voted eleven times to reopen the government—the President must join us by supporting these efforts.”

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