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Regulatory Rundown: March 03-17, 2025
SBA announces 2025 Nat’l Small Business Week, award winners. On Mar. 14, the Small Business Administration (SBA) released its list of state and territory Small Business Persons of the Year ahead of this year’s National Small Business Week, which the agency announced will take place May 4-10. SBA later announced that the 2025 National Small Business Week virtual summit, a free two-day online event, will take place May 6 and 7.
During National Small Business Week, SBA will recognize the national program and award winners for, among other things, businesses and resource partners that have demonstrated exceptional efforts in government contracting and disaster recovery. More information about the 2025 awards is available here.
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SBA announces “Made in America Manufacturing Initiative,” relocation of field offices. On Mar. 10, SBA announced its new Made in America Manufacturing Initiative.
As part of the initiative, the SBA will undertake various actions including (but not limited to):
Cutting $100 billion in regulation through the Office of Advocacy.
Launching a Red Tape Hotline for small business owners and manufacturers “to share feedback and submit onerous regulations for review.”
Deploying the newly announced Office of Manufacturing and Trade “to offer small manufacturers dedicated resources and training” in partnership with SBA field offices nationwide.
Under a separate initiative, SBA announced it would be moving field offices out of “sanctuary cities” and promulgating a new policy requiring agency loan applications to include a citizenship verification provision “to ensure only legal, eligible applicants can access SBA programs.” More information on these new policies is available here.
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Trump signs order eliminating CDFI Fund, MBDA. On Mar. 14, President Trump signed an executive order eliminating a number of governmental entities including the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund and Minority Business Development Agency. Whether Trump can eliminate these entities in the absence of congressional action remains to be seen.
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Trump adjusts tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico. Following the White House’s announcement that President Trump would proceed with implementing tariffs on Canada and Mexico earlier this month, several days later on Mar. 6, the White House announced adjustments to those tariffs “in recognition of the structure of the automotive supply chain that strives to bring production into America.”
According to the White House announcement adjusting the tariffs, the following duties now apply:
25% tariffs on goods “that do not satisfy U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) rules of origin.”
A 10% tariff “on those energy products imported from Canada that fall outside the USMCA preference.”
A 10% tariff “on any potash imported from Canada and Mexico that falls outside the USMCA preference.”
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Chavez-DeRemer sworn in as Secretary of Labor. Following her bipartisan Senate confirmation, on March 11, Lori Chavez-DeRemer was sworn in as Secretary of Labor. Prior to the confirmation vote, NSBA voiced its support for Chavez-DeRemer to Senate leaders. NSBA congratulates and looks forward to working with Chavez-DeRemer in her new role.
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USTR announces Trump trade agenda. On Mar. 3, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer delivered President Trump’s 2025 Trade Policy Agenda, 2024 Annual Report, and World Trade Organization at Thirty report to Congress, laying out the administration’s vision for trade.
The agenda also “articulates a plan for rebalancing a trade to address” the economic and national security challenges facing the U.S. More information on the agenda is available here.
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