Wyden, Colleagues Call for Robust Funding to Strengthen Entrepreneurial Development Programs

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today that he and Senate colleagues are urging the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations to provide robust funding for entrepreneurial development programs at the Small Business Administration (SBA), which provide critical support and resources to small businesses and entrepreneurs in Oregon and nationwide.

“SBA entrepreneurial development programs are now more important than ever, helping to promote small businesses and provide critical support to entrepreneurs. America’s 33 million small businesses support approximately 61 million jobs, and provide employment opportunities in rural and urban communities alike. When American small businesses are strong, they help grow our economy while strengthening the communities that they serve,” Wyden and colleagues wrote in a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government.

The Office of Entrepreneurial Development and the Office of Entrepreneurship Education at the SBA play a vital role in supporting and promoting small businesses in Oregon and nationwide. These offices provide small businesses with advising, mentoring, and training assistance by leveraging the resource partner network of Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, and the non-profit association SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), as well as the Regional Innovation Clusters, Entrepreneurship Education, SBA Learning Center, and Emerging Leaders programs.

The letter was led by U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan, D- N.H. Alongside Wyden, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Ben Cardin, D-Md., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Angus King, I-Maine, Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Edward Markey, D-Mass., Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Tina Smith, D-Minn.

The text of the letter is here.