WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Small Business is holding a full committee hearing titled “Assisting Entrepreneurs: Examining Private and Public Resources Helping Small Businesses.”

Chairman Roger Williams’ opening statement as prepared for delivery:

Good afternoon and welcome to today’s hearing which will focus on examining the public and private resources available to our nation’s entrepreneurs.

Anyone in our country can become an entrepreneur if they are willing to put in the hard work to bring an idea to life. That is the beauty of our great country. For many people, they do not know where to even start as they try to accomplish this objective. They can talk to their network of friends and family, talk to local chambers of commerce, or research what resources are available in their community, whether that be from the private sector or the federal government.

As we have conducted hearings this year, we have too often heard that navigating the federal bureaucracy and figuring out what resources are available can be too challenging for many business owners. The data backs up this line we have repeatedly heard – 70% of business owners give the government a grade of C or below when asked about the effectiveness of their programs.

While some federal programs can be beneficial to small businesses, we must ensure that they are being utilized to create successful businesses. These are ultimately taxpayer funded programs, and it is our duty in Congress to ensure that these dollars are being used as effectively as possible.

The government does not need to create a new government program and expand government services whenever a new problem arises. Unfortunately, the SBA has done this far too often. While there are programs that have a proven track record of success, such as SBDCs which leverage federal dollars with state and local partners, but there are others that are not as effective.

For example, the Community Navigators program received nearly 200 million dollars over the last few years to do substantially similar work as other counseling services at the SBA, and the performance metrics are abysmal. As we continually look to make the SBA more efficient and effective, we must look to end this type of duplication that is wasting taxpayer dollars.

Additionally, as we are evaluating if a program is beneficial and deserves funding, it is important for us to know if the private sector is already stepping up to fill a specific need. In many cases, the private sector is able to adapt more quickly to the changing needs of small businesses.

If we want to help small businesses in Congress, the best thing we can be doing is enacting pro-growth policies that make it easier for them to keep their doors open. Let’s not burden them with excessive regulations, lets lower their tax rate so they can keep more of their hard-earned money. And let’s stop the reckless government spending that has caused high inflation and high interest rates.

This type of waste across the SBA and other federal agencies leads to inefficiencies, the misuse of taxpayer dollars, and a bloated federal government.

Simply put, our goal here today is to examine the landscape of resources that are available to help small businesses. Once we have an idea, it will make it easier for Congress to utilize what programs are effective, and which ones are duplicative of other resources available to our nation’s job creators.

Small business owners dedicate their lives and finances to the products and services they bring to the marketplace. We salute the small businesses who continue to fight and give selflessly back to their communities, and we are eager to enact policy solutions that will help pave a path toward success for both now and the future.

I want to thank you all again for being here with us today and I am looking forward to today’s conversation.

With that I will yield to our distinguished Ranking Member from New York, Ms. Velázquez.

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