It has become clear that the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), the only federal agency dedicated to supporting minority entrepreneurship, effectively no longer exists. We mourn this loss. Where the agency once had upward of 100 employees, MBDA now has no more than one politically appointed staffer remaining. As for the state-level business development centers supported by MBDA funds, their federally funded work has stopped and their federal contracts have been or will soon be terminated. The sudden and ruthless halting of MBDA operations happened because the Trump administration is using DEI as an excuse to eliminate any and all government programs that help level the playing field.
Press Releases
Press Release Date:
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Statement from Small Business Majority Founder & CEO John Arensmeyer about the impact that dismantling the Minority Business Development Agency could have on entrepreneurship
Topic(s):
Access to Capital, Entrepreneurship, Minority entrepreneurship, Technical Assistance
Press Release Date:
Monday, April 7, 2025
Statement from Hunter Nelson, Colorado Director for Small Business Majority, with advice for the Colorado House of Representatives on how to help small businesses ahead of this week’s expected budget vote
Statement from Hunter Nelson, Colorado Director for Small Business Majority, with advice for the Colorado House of Representatives on how to help small businesses ahead of this week’s expected budget vote
“We know that Colorado lawmakers have difficult choices to make this year when it comes to the budget given the state’s $1.2 billion shortfall. One decision, however, should be easy: do all they can to support small businesses.
Topic(s):
Entrepreneurship, Healthcare
Press Release Date:
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Statement from Small Business Majority Founder & CEO John Arensmeyer explaining why new tariffs are deeply concerning for America’s entrepreneurs
Far from a ‘Liberation Day’ today for small businesses, President Trump’s latest announcement that there will be new tariffs – including 10% on all imports – could spell doom for many small firms. We’ve heard from small business owners who said that any cost increases can be devastating for businesses already operating on thin margins. And widespread tariffs of the type the president just announced will mean most small businesses have no choice but to pass their costs on to customers. Larger businesses, however, are more likely to have flexibility to absorb increased overhead, keeping prices lower and undercutting their smaller competition.
Topic(s):
Entrepreneurship, Exports
Press Release Date:
Thursday, March 27, 2025
Statement from Small Business Majority Founder & CEO John Arensmeyer on what it could mean for small businesses if a reduction in Health and Human Services Staff impacts Affordable Care Act, Medicaid
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ plan to cut about 10,000 staff on top of 10,000 staffers who have already agreed to resign raises serious questions about the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its ability to deliver for small businesses. This is a major concern for small business owners because so many entrepreneurs and their employees rely on the ACA for quality, affordable health insurance. In fact, more than 6.2 million small business and self-employed workers have gained coverage under the ACA. Thanks to the ACA, the uninsured rate for small business employees dropped from 25.2% in 2013 to 16.3% in 2022. Similarly, the uninsured rate for self-employed individuals fell from 27.3% in 2013 to 16.4% in 2022. None of this would have been possible without the ACA.
Topic(s):
Healthcare
Press Release Date:
Friday, March 21, 2025
Statement from Small Business Majority Founder & CEO John Arensmeyer on the Trump administration’s decision to reduce SBA staff by 43%
The Trump administration’s move to reduce the U.S. Small Business Administration’s workforce by 43% is a decision that is as devastating as it is unnecessary. SBA in recent years has provided critical resources to entrepreneurs despite being understaffed. Yet, this administration bafflingly concluded that the best way to support small businesses is through fewer workers. It’s also asking SBA to do more with less, as the agency would now be responsible for overseeing student loans in addition to small business lending, according to the administration’s announcement.
Topic(s):
Access to Capital, Entrepreneurship, Government Accountability
Press Release Date:
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Statement from Small Business Majority Founder & CEO John Arensmeyer on the firing of Commissioners Slaughter and Bedoya
We’re deeply worried about the future of anti-monopoly and fair competition enforcement at the Federal Trade Commission following President Trump’s decision to fire Commissioners Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya. Commissioners Slaughter and Bedoya have been champions for small businesses, supporting a ban on non-compete agreements, working to rein in big tech companies that harm small firms and advocating for Robinson-Patman Act enforcement to stop price discrimination.
Topic(s):
Entrepreneurship, Financial Reform
Press Release Date:
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Negron, a former White House advisor on economic policy, joins a board of seasoned small business professionals whose experiences and perspectives inform the direction of Small Business Majority
Washington, D.C. — Small Business Majority is pleased to announce that Michael Negron, a former White House special assistant to the president for economic policy and former member of the National Economic Council, is the newest member of the organization’s Board of Directors.
Topic(s):
General Small Business
Press Release Date:
Saturday, March 15, 2025
Statement from Small Business Majority Founder & CEO John Arensmeyer about the impact dismantling the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund and Minority Business Development Agency would have on entrepreneurs
President Trump’s executive order seeking to gut the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is the wrong approach to small business development.
Topic(s):
Access to Capital, Entrepreneurship, Minority entrepreneurship
Press Release Date:
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Statement from Small Business Majority Founder & CEO John Arensmeyer on the continuing resolution, which would keep the federal government open but guts funding for small business resources
Congress put small businesses in an impossible position. On one hand, a government shutdown would be bad for small firms, depriving them of access to critical resources at a time when they are already facing enormous uncertainty due to the Trump administration’s unpredictable approach to tariffs, threats of mass deportations of immigrants, and reckless approach to government staffing and funding cuts. On the other hand, the continuing resolution (CR) that would keep the federal government operating through September falls far short of meeting the needs of our nation’s growing small business community.
Topic(s):
Access to Capital, Entrepreneurship, General Small Business, Healthcare
Press Release Date:
Friday, March 7, 2025
Statement from Small Business Majority Illinois Director Tasha Brown on why the U.S. Small Business Administration should reconsider its plan to relocate offices away from major cities
“With over 100,000 licensed businesses in Chicago, the city is a hub of small business activity. Closing the Chicago office of the SBA would likely make it more difficult for Chicago’s robust entrepreneurial community to access valuable resources. It’s also not clear why a city’s policies toward immigrants would disqualify it from serving small businesses well. With that in mind, we urge Administrator Loeffler to reconsider her plan to shutter offices in or near major cities like Chicago.”
Topic(s):
Access to Capital, Entrepreneurship