April 12, 2023 4:20 a.m.  

On Monday, Senator Ron Wyden said that he and a group of Senate colleagues are urging the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations to provide robust funding for entrepreneurial development programs at the Small Business Administration.

A release from Wyden said the programs provide “critical support and resources” to small businesses and entrepreneurs in Oregon and nationwide.

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

Wyden’s release said 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.

The text of the full letter is linked: https://www.hassan.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/letter_to_office_of_entrepreneurial_development.pdf

It was led by Senator Maggie Hassan, Democrat of New Hampshire. Alongside Wyden it was signed by 13 other lawmakers.