The 10,000 Small Businesses Voices community has sent an open letter to Congress signed by over 3,000 small business owners from all 50 states. The letter calls on lawmakers to reauthorize the Small Business Administration (SBA) in 2023 for the first time in more than two decades – a move that would modernize the agency and ensure it is best-equipped to meet the needs of today’s small business owners. The letter, below, was published in Politico on Wednesday, November 16 to kick off a broader campaign to prioritize small businesses and modernize the SBA in the next Congress.    

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Dear Congress,

America’s small business owners deserve a modern Small Business Administration (SBA). Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and employ nearly half of the nation’s workforce, but Congress hasn’t reauthorized the SBA – providing the critical review and creation of resources necessary to modernize – in more than 20 years.

The SBA was on the frontlines of the federal government’s pandemic response, and they helped millions of small businesses remain open and retain workers. But the pandemic also exposed significant gaps, inefficiencies, and areas where SBA reform is needed to more effectively support our nation’s job creators and innovators. The potential is huge – and would benefit communities across the country in the ongoing economic recovery.

We, the 10,000 Small Businesses Voices community, believe small businesses need a federal agency built for today’s economy. An agency that can equip us with the tools and resources to succeed both now and in the future. By reforming and reauthorizing the SBA, Congress can:

• Modernize technical assistance and entrepreneurial development programs to reflect today’s technology
• Ensure that access to capital programs meet the various financing needs of small businesses to continue to grow and attract investment
• Expand federal procurement opportunities for more small businesses to do business with the government,
• Build a more responsive customer support center to ensure that questions and inquires do not go unanswered, and
• Develop a 21st century communications and marketing strategy to bring more awareness to the resources available for small businesses

A lot has changed in the past two decades. The SBA should, too.

Support small businesses. Reauthorize the Small Business Administration.