Letter to the Editor: Investing in America’s local communities

Dear editor,

America is in the midst of a historic small-business boom. Since January 2021, more than 18 million Americans have filed to start a business. We’re seeing signs of that boom in Small Business Administration offices across the state with high demand for our services, record levels of lending and awarding of government contracting for small businesses, and we’re expecting even greater opportunities thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America initiatives.

Investing in America refers to four major laws: the American Rescue Plan Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. 

One of those laws, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is expanding the amount of funding available directly to local governments. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is the largest long-term investment in our infrastructure and economy in our nation’s history. It provides $550 billion over fiscal years 2022 through 2026 in new federal investment in infrastructure, including roads, bridges, mass transit, water infrastructure, resilience and broadband.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law delivers historic investments for local projects to counties, cities, towns and tribal nations. Because local governments often rely on local small businesses to supply goods and services to complete public projects, businesses are poised to benefit from these opportunities. When local businesses are selected, it helps build the local economy and support workers and their families in the local community.

Under Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman’s leadership, the U.S. Small Business Administration is working to make sure local small businesses have the resources, tools, and know-how to capitalize on the federal investments to local communities. That’s why SBA launched the new Investing in America: Small Business Hub. This resource hub equips small-business owners with straightforward outlines on government contracts, grants and potential cost-saving rebates provided as part of the President’s Investing in America agenda.

SBA is committed to ensuring small businesses can continue to step up and lead in capitalizing on these generational investments. Visit the Investing in America: Small Business Hub at SBA.gov/IIAhub or look up your nearest SBA office or Resource Partner at SBA.gov/local to get more information about free business counseling, capital programs and contracting certifications.

—Mindy Brissey, SBA’s regional administrator in the Great Plains Region, serving Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska