Congress Kicks Off Usual SBA Budget Dance
Mar 3rd, 2008 | By Dawn R. Rivers | Category: Politics & PolicyHere’s a shocking news flash for you: neither of the Chairpersons of the House or Senate Small Business Committees is happy with the President’s proposed fiscal 2009 budget for the SBA. In their separate View and Estimates letters, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia Velazquez and Senate Small Busines and Entrepreneurship Committee Chairman John Kerry urged their respective Budget Committees to beef up SBA funding, on the grounds that small business support is critical at a time when the economy is twitching. Meanwhile, baffled Senators grilled SBA Administrator Steve Preston during a Senate budget hearing last week, where lawmakers expressed both concern about and frustration with the Bush Administration’s apparent unwillingness to invest in the nation’s small businesses. This is a rerun of previous budget fights and the only question is how much additional funding Congress will manage to find for the SBA this year.
