U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation ranking member, and Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee ranking member, along with nine other senators recently sent a letter to Kelly Loeffler, Small Business Administration (SBA) administrator, and Howard Lutnick, secretary of commerce, questioning the Trump Administration’s actions eliminating support for small businesses, including small minority-owned businesses.
On March 14, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) and several other agencies to reduce their functions to the minimum amount required by law. Nearly every MBDA employee was let go or reassigned on April 10. All MBDA grants and business center contracts were cancelled.
“These actions are unacceptable and harm the American economy,” the letter said. “Minority-owned businesses employ millions of Americans and generate more than $2 trillion in annual revenue. In the contracting space, the importance of a fully inclusive supplier base has also been well-documented, including in the manufacturing industry.”
The senators requested Loeffler and Lutnick explain how the decision to fire staff and cancel Business Center contracts were made and how the Department of Commerce plans to utilize congressionally appropriated MBDA funds, and detail how the Trump administration plans to meet the existing SDB contracting goal.