WASHINGTON– Today, Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) released the following statement regarding the July Producer Price Index (PPI) report: “Today’s report reflects the reality that small businesses across the United States are feeling. Prices for critical products are going up and Main Street is being squeezed by Donald Trump’s tariffs. Today’s PPI reading shows that wholesale prices are r... Read More »
WASHINGTON– Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee, has sent a letter to SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler raising serious concerns over the agency’s decision to grant expedited access to sensitive SBA systems for operatives tied to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). According to the letter, senior SBA officials authorized broad sy... Read More »
WASHINGTON — Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee, issued the following statement on the Small Business Administration’s recent actions targeting the 8(a) Business Development Program: “The SBA’s decision to target the use of a key small business contracting program and pressure federal agencies is deeply disappointing. This move strays from t... Read More »
WASHINGTON– Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee, issued the following statement after the Labor Department released its July jobs report: “Today’s jobs report flashes a bright red warning sign for our economy. Unemployment is up, job growth has slowed across nearly every sector, and revised figures show the past three months were the weakest ... Read More »
WASHINGTON - Today, the House Small Business Committee passed a series of bipartisan bills to combat fraud in federal programs, strengthen SBA oversight and IT modernization, and expand access to capital in rural and underserved communities. Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) praised the collaborative work that brought the legislation forward. “These bipartisan bills reflect a shared commitm... Read More »
WASHINGTON — Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee, announced the endorsement of her legislation, the Protecting Small Business Competitions Act, by a broad coalition of hundreds of small businesses and stakeholder groups representing thousands of small businesses across the country. “As Ranking Member of the Small Business Committee, I frequen... Read More »
WASHINGTON – Today, at a House Small Business Committee hearing titled “Securing America’s Mineral Future: Unlocking the Economic Value Beneath Our Feet,” Democratic Members called for a balanced approach to securing critical minerals, which are essential to clean energy, national defense, and small business innovation. In a prepared statement, Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez emphasized that min... Read More »
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the House Small Business Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development, led by Ranking Member Hillary Scholten (D-MI), held a hearing titled “Beyond the Ballpark: The Role of Minor Leagues in Economic Growth.” The hearing examined how minor league teams support local economies and boost small businesses in communities across the country. “Minor lea... Read More »
WASHINGTON- Today, House Small Business Committee Ranking Member Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Congresswoman Lateefah A. Simon (D-CA), and Congressman Gilbert R. Cisneros Jr. (D-CA), announced two bills designed to protect small businesses during the federal government’s rewrite of its procurement regulations. Together, the bills will help ensure that when changes are made to these contracting rules, th... Read More »
WASHINGTON– Today, during the House Small Business Committee hearing “Budgeting for Growth: Testimony from SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler,” Democratic Members of the Committee pressed Administrator Loeffler on sweeping staff reductions, harmful program cuts, and the Trump administration’s erratic economic policies are impacting small businesses. During the hearing, Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázq... Read More »
WASHINGTON – Today, the House Small Business Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access, led by Ranking Member LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), held a hearing examining how private investment—including venture capital, private credit, and the SBA’s Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program—is shaping the small business economy. During the hearing, McIver emphasized the need for strong ... Read More »
Washington, D.C. — Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee, issued the following statement after a federal court struck down President Trump’s attempt to impose broad tariffs under emergency powers: “Yesterday’s decision is a win for the small businesses that have been hammered by these tariffs. Over the past several months, countless entrepreneu... Read More »
WASHINGTON—Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee, and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), led a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raising alarm over recent enforcement actions targeting restaurants and small businesses in the Washington, D.C. area. The lawmakers expre... Read More »
WASHINGTON – Today, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing titled “A Small Part in a Big Company: Examining the Power of Franchising in the American Economy.” The hearing examined how economic instability and federal policies are affecting the franchise model, which includes many small, independently owned businesses across the country. During the hearing, Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázq... Read More »
WASHINGTON – Today, House Small Business Committee Ranking Member Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and Senate Small Business Committee Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-MA) introduced the SBIR and STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025. The bill would permanently authorize and strengthen two of the federal government’s most successful small business innovation programs: the Small Business Innovation Research ... Read More »
