WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Small Business is holding a full committee hearing titled “Fueling America's Future: How Investment Empowers Small Business Growth.”

Chairman Roger Williams’ opening statement as prepared for delivery:

Welcome to today’s hearing, “Fueling America’s Future: How Investment Empowers Small Business Growth.”

I want to thank our witnesses for being here today. Many of you have traveled a long way to share your experiences and perspectives, and we deeply value your time and voice.

When small businesses succeed, America succeeds. Small businesses excel when they have access to the capital needed for growth on terms that support them.

Today’s hearing will focus on the essential role of private capital and public-private partnerships in small business investment. Given the tightening of bank lending standards and the persistence of high interest rates from Biden’s disastrous economic policies, creating investment opportunities for small businesses is more valuable today than ever.

Thankfully, under the leadership of President Donald Trump, Main Street America is more hopeful than ever. President Trump is bringing back American manufacturing, cutting regulatory red tape, revitalizing small businesses, and supporting American investment. By prioritizing economic growth over political agendas, we are unleashing capital back into the hands of job creators and innovators and fueling a new era of prosperity that strengthens Main Street and empowers small business owners.

Renewed optimism in America’s next golden age is inspiring greater investment in small businesses which drives entrepreneurship and American innovation. These private investments help fuel small business growth, creating opportunities for strategic guidance, mentorship, and industry connections. 

In addition to private investment, small businesses can also seek out public-private partnerships. The SBA’s Small Business Investment Companies program, known as the SBIC program, demonstrates how the government partnering with private investors and allowing the private sector to make investment decisions stimulates innovation, strengthens domestic supply chains, and enhances national security.

SBICs are privately owned companies that are licensed and regulated by the SBA. SBICs raise private capital to invest in small businesses through debt and equity. The SBA doesn’t invest directly in SBICs, but supplements private capital with government-backed funds to strengthen support for small businesses.

My friend and colleague, Congressman Dan Meuser, from the great state of Pennsylvania, introduced a bipartisan bill, the Investing in All of America Act of 2025, to expand access to capital through SBICs for small businesses in manufacturing, critical technology industries, and rural areas. I look forward to working across the aisle and with the Senate to move this bill forward. 

When investors support business growth and businesses generate returns for investors and the business itself, it creates a cycle of success that strengthens America’s economy and propels Main Street toward economic success.

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

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