More than 100 small businesses in Utah signed a letter to Congress initiated by the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices program calling on members to work together on legislation reauthorizing the Small Business Administration (SBA).
As Congress returns to session for the first time since the midterm elections and newly elected members participate in orientation, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices announced the grassroots advocacy campaign to encourage lawmakers to reauthorize the 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, Goldman Sachs leaders said.
The program also launched a bipartisan television ad that includes both Republican and Democratic senators calling for a modernized SBA. In the coming months, the new campaign will utilize public events, paid advertisements and other measures to ensure the voices of small-business owners are heard in the halls of Congress.
The effort formally kicked off recently with the delivery of the letter signed by more than 3,000 small-business owners from all 50 states.
While Congress has enacted important policies since the last time it authorized the SBA, it has not taken the step of actually reauthorizing the SBA, which will allow lawmakers and the agency to take a step back and ask searching questions about its mission and structure. It will offer a chance to double-down on the SBA’s strengths and ensure that it can adapt to a shifting landscape and continue serving thousands of small businesses each year, Goldman Sachs said.
“Few things are as important as ensuring that small-business owners have the tools and resources they need to get ahead,” said Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices national director Joe Wall. “That’s why we are fully committed to ensuring that Congress reauthorizes the SBA next year for the first time in 22 years so that federal government programs and services are tailored to better meet the needs of small-business owners today.”