Committee chairman pushes SBA changes, tax cuts to expand small-business capital

Chairman (unnamed) said expanding access to capital for small businesses will be a central focus of his committee in 2026, pointing to recent changes at the Small Business Administration and tax policy as levers to increase lending.

"Main Street America, you know, 99% of the businesses in America are small," the chairman said, arguing that lower taxes, fewer regulations and measures such as "100% expensing" will help small firms invest and hire. He said the goal is to make it easier for banks to extend loans to smaller businesses and for companies to increase payrolls and cash flow.

The chairman raised a specific administrative change at the SBA, saying the agency has increased manufacturing loan limits from $5,000,000 to $10,000,000 and that the change is "sitting over in the Senate" awaiting passage. He also said SBA lending volume is higher than a year ago, noting a 75% increase in SBA loans in the past year.

He tied capital access to the interest-rate outlook, saying a December rate cut has already begun to ease borrowing costs and predicting an additional 0.25 percentage-point cut by March. "Lowering of interest rates is gonna be huge for access to capital," he said, adding that when businesses have cash flow they invest it back into hiring and production.

The chairman framed these moves as part of a broader agenda that includes tax provisions (which he referred to as encouraging investment and spending) and regulatory relief for banks so they can lend more to small businesses.

The chairman closed by saying he looks forward to chairing the committee and working to shepherd these policies through the legislative process; he did not identify specific bills or timelines for floor action.