WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations is holding a hearing titled “Restoring the SBA: Putting Main Street America First.”

Subcommittee Chairman Mark Alford’s opening statement as prepared for delivery:

Good morning, and welcome to today’s hearing, which will focus on restoring the SBA to its original mission of serving Main Street America.

First, I want to thank our witnesses for joining us today. I hope this hearing will continue a productive dialogue on how we can ensure that the Small Business Administration returns to its mission to assist small businesses while increasing efficiency at the agency.

Owning your own small business is one of the most rewarding careers in our great nation.  The SBA has dedicated resources to aid job creators who find themselves having a hard time navigating their entrepreneurial journey. Through the public-private partnerships with Small Business Development Centers, small businesses at all stages can receive critical counseling and training. SBDCs have many solutions to support Main Street, from preparing a loan application to workforce development.

Since we spend taxpayer dollars providing these resources to entrepreneurs, we must ensure these programs operate effectively and efficiently. Importantly, these programs must be consistent with the intent and mission of the SBA.

Unfortunately, during the Biden-Harris Administration, the SBA strayed from its core mission and prioritized politics and misguided policies over American small businesses.

An overall theme was the SBA’s flawed operations that limited the agency’s day-to-day work. Notably, the agency’s work-from-home policy for SBA staff hindered its ability to execute its mission—up until a few weeks ago, thanks to President Trump.

Biden’s SBA falsely claimed that it could operate remotely, but the reality was that the SBA was a ghost town. When Members of this Committee visited the SBA Headquarters, we found rows of empty desks, calendars that had not been moved since 2020, and this was when they knew we were coming! The Biden SBA repeatedly failed to deliver for America’s small businesses while also failing to conduct sufficient oversight of its programs. Instead, they focused on turning the agency into a voter registration arm of the Biden-Harris reelection efforts.

It's critical that we conduct the necessary oversight over the SBA’s operations, especially for political initiatives, like voter registration, that were well outside the scope of the agency’s core mission: providing support to American small businesses.

As I just mentioned, thanks to President Trump, steps to address these egregious failures, and more, are being taken with the new SBA Administrator, Kelly Loeffler.

During this hearing, we will dive into what went wrong. However, it’s equally vital to focus on creating positive change. These efforts should begin with the untapped potential of the SBA Office of Advocacy—better known as just “Advocacy.”

The Office of Advocacy is supposed to serve as the independent voice for small businesses within the federal government, monitoring and ensuring compliance with the Regulatory Reflexibility Act and helping policy makers better understand issues confronting small business owners.

Over the years, Advocacy has faced several challenges in advocating for small businesses. Of top concern, the Biden Administration refused to even nominate an individual for the position of Chief Counsel for the Office of Advocacy, leaving the top small business advocate vacant.

Last Congress, the Committee sent letters to then-President Biden calling on him to fill the position, but instead, reckless rulemaking followed. While small businesses were forced to endure Biden’s unprecedented onslaught of regulations, his administration shamefully did not prioritize appointing an independent voice for small businesses.

These failures have shown just how out of touch the SBA had become. It is time to return the SBA to its core mission and finally meet the needs of Main Street. That is why I am proud to announce that I have introduced the “Returning SBA to Main Street Act” in the House.

The Returning SBA to Main Street Act was first introduced in the Senate by the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair, Senator Ernst.  I am honored to introduce the House companion to ensure that the SBA workforce is no longer centered around D.C. and will meet the needs of small businesses where they are, especially in rural communities in Missouri’s fourth district.

I also just sent a letter to Administrator Loeffler requesting that the SBA’s Kansas City regional office to Columbia, Missouri in accordance with her initiative to move SBA offices out of sanctuary cities. While Kansas City’s policies are only sanctuary city-adjacent, Columbia offers a far superior alternative thanks to its closer proximity to the University of Missouri, Missouri’s Small Business Development Center, and the rural communities that reflect the heart of America.

I want to thank the witnesses again for being here to testify before this important subcommittee hearing.

And with that, I yield to Ranking Member Tran.

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