American Entrepreneurs First Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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Mrs. McIVER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my amazing Ranking Member Velazquez for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 2966, a bill that does not serve our small business community, despite its name.

At a time when local businesses are working hard to keep their doors open and their workers employed, this bill would make it even harder to access the capital they need to survive.

By adding new documentation requirements around age and citizenship, it slows down the loan process and risks excluding legitimate applicants, particularly those from immigrant and mixed-status communities who already face steep challenges.

Let's be honest about what this bill really does. It uses small business policy as a vehicle for immigration politics. That is not only misguided, it is harmful.

Small businesses are still feeling the aftershock of inflation, supply chain breakdowns, and rising costs. We should be focused on helping them recover and grow, not creating new hoops for them to jump through.

What is especially troubling is that this bill would lock into law a policy that was rolled out without enough input and with little regard for economic consequences.

Immigrant businessowners start businesses at high rates. They create jobs. They invest in their communities. If we care about economic growth, we cannot afford to turn our backs on them.

As someone who has worked closely with small business owners in immigrant communities, I have seen the resilience and determination they bring to our economy.

This bill sends the wrong message and sets the wrong priorities. We should be making it easier for small businesses to access the tools they need to thrive. That means focusing on the actual issues that they raise with us every day. Let me remind my colleagues on the other side that those issues would be inflation, access to capital, workforce shortages, and the lingering effects of--guess what, drumroll--tariffs.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill.

This bill does not put American businessowners first. In fact, it sets them back.

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