As President Donald Trump’s Executive Orders continue to gut federal programs, U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) are urging U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to protect the Minority Business Development Agency.
Trumps’ March 14 EO guts the minority entrepreneurship agency and would functionally dismantle it. Cantwell, the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, said secretary should stay true to his response to questions during his confirmation hearing where he said he did not support dismantling MBDA.
“We welcomed your clear commitment to upholding the law and protecting the MBDA’s vital mission,” the senators wrote. “Notwithstanding your testimony, President Trump has now ordered the MBDA to ‘be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.’ As the Cabinet Secretary ultimately responsible for executing the President’s directive, you should not allow the MBDA’s programs and duties to be compromised by the White House’s latest attempt to override congressional authority.”
Created by President Richard Nixon in 1969 and codified by Congress in 2021, the agency promotes the growth and global competitiveness of minority-owned businesses. The MBDA assists with access to capital, contracts, markets and business networks through partnerships both public and private. In Fiscal Year 2024, the senators said, the MBDA helped more than 12 million businesses access more than $1.5 billion in capital and create or retain approximately 23,000 jobs.
The lawmakers urged Lutnick to oppose Trump’s executive order.
“Simply put, such a move would reflect the exact type of ‘dismantling’ of the MBDA that you promised not to carry out,” the letter said. “We urge you to stay true to your testimony.”