U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin released the following statement on the Trump Administration’s closure of Wisconsin’s newly established Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center that provides small business owners with technical assistance, assists with access to capital and contracts, and supports job creation and retention:
“The Trump administration owes the small business owners and entrepreneurs of Wisconsin some answers as to why he is ripping away this key resource that helps them create jobs, reach new customers and grow our economy. I fight hard to support our small business owners and their workers, including bringing this office to Wisconsin, and I’m not willing to let Elon Musk and Donald Trump cut the legs out from under them so they can fund new tax breaks for themselves and huge corporations.”
Baldwin worked with Republicans to include the MBDA as an amendment to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021, making the MBDA permanent and increasing its funding authorization and reach. Baldwin then worked to bring a new minority business development center to Wisconsin, along with a $1.61 million grant to support its work assisting small businesses.
Earlier this year, Trump released an executive order requiring a report from MBDA to the director of the Office of Management and Budget explaining which of its components or functions are statutorily required, and to what extent, to determine what can be restructured or cut. As ranking member of the Senate Commerce subcommittee charged with oversight of MBDA, Baldwin requested a copy of that report by April 2, which she did not receive.
