WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Roger Williams (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, penned a letter to President Biden regarding the current vacancy of Chief Counsel at the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Advocacy. Chairman Williams issued the following statement.

“Since President Biden took office, small businesses have faced a regulatory onslaught,” said Chairman Williams. “We wrote to President Biden a year ago – and again last April but have still not received any response or action on our request. This is completely unacceptable as the Office of Advocacy serves as a watchdog against burdensome regulations and works to help Main Street thrive. I strongly urge the President to quickly nominate a qualified candidate and hope he understands that small businesses need all the help they can get.”

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Read the full letter here.

Read excerpts from the letter below:

“I write today to follow up on the vacancy for Chief Counsel for Advocacy at the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Advocacy (Advocacy). On February 16, 2023 and on April 28, 2023, we wrote urging you to nominate a Chief Counsel for this critical position. To date, the Committee has not received a response, nor have you selected a nominee for the position. In the year since we made the initial request to nominate someone, small businesses have continued to deal with an unprecedented onslaught of regulations. Your Administration has added nearly 280 million hours of paperwork and $447 billion in regulatory costs to American businesses.

“The Chief Counsel’s role is to direct the office that supports the development of American small businesses. As stated in our two previous letters, the position of Chief Counsel of Advocacy has been vacant for an extended time—since the departure of Darryl L. DePriest in January 2017. Advocacy is an independent voice for small business within the federal government that not only monitors and ensures agencies are complying with the Regulatory Reflexibility Act, but also helps policy makers better understand issues confronting small business owners. It is well past time you do right by the Main Street America and nominate a Chief Counsel immediately.”

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