Committee Examines SBA Management and Urges Transparency and Compliance with the Law

Press Release

The House Small Business Committee, led by Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO), today examined the priorities and plans of the Small Business Administration (SBA) with testimony from Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet, who has led the SBA since April. The Committee examined the ability of the SBA to meet its statutory obligations to the programs that most benefit small businesses and their role in the economy.

"The SBA is responsible for managing a set of core programs designed to help small businesses succeed, but the agency has a recent history of ignoring the law and being sidetracked by its own pet projects," said Chairman Graves. "The Committee remains concerned that the SBA's resources are not focused on reforms and programs that Congress has mandated. For instance, the number of small businesses trained in many of the SBA's proven entrepreneurial development programs has been in decline while the agency spends millions of dollars to fund unauthorized efforts that duplicate services available from other federal agencies and the private sector. This diversion of resources also comes at the expense of implementing contracting reforms signed into law two years ago that will help small businesses compete in the federal procurement arena. Over 40 of the tasks assigned to the SBA to implement the law remain incomplete."

Source