Rural America

WASHINGTON – Today, Chairman Steve Chabot (R-OH) and Subcommittee Chairmen Rod Blum (R-IA), and Dave Brat (R-VA) sent a letter to the Honorable Sonny Perdue, Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), urging USDA to utilize the Committee’s findings from previous hearings to help rural America increase access to capital, improve quality of life, advance rural workforce development, and progress technological innovation. “Ensuring the prosperity of rural America is vital to o... Read more

WASHINGTON – This week, the House Committee on Small Business Subcommittees on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access and Agriculture, Energy, and Trade held a joint hearing to examine venture capital’s role in helping small businesses access capital and highlight success stories of organizations that provide resources to small businesses in rural America. “Access to capital continues to remain a top concern for American small businesses—nowhere more than rural America, which has been slower t... Read more

WASHINGTON—Today, Members of the House Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy, and Trade heard from a panel of farmers and experts on how federal regulations affect America’s small farmers. “The current regulatory environment in the agriculture industry disproportionately burdens small farmers,” said Subcommittee Chairman Rod Blum (R-IA). “With many regulations taking a one-size-fits-all approach and with many federal agencies having the authority to regulate agriculture... Read more

PADUCAH, KENTUCKY—Today, the House Committee on Small Business held a field hearing in Congressman James Comer’s (R-KY) congressional district on the state of Western Kentucky’s small businesses and what recommendations they have about federal policies. “Small businesses were responsible for 1.9 million net new jobs in 2015 (including more than 17,000 net new jobs in Kentucky),” said Congressman James Comer. “As most of you know, Paducah is a dynamic, fast-growing city that engages its citizens ... Read more

MISSISSIPPI – This afternoon, the House Small Business Committee held a field hearing in Southaven, Mississippi to examine issues facing rural small businesses including access to capital, lack of reliable broadband, and finding qualified employees. Subcommittee Chairman on Investigations, Oversight, and Regulations Trent Kelly (R-MS) said, “Although the economy is getting stronger, rural America is still recovering from the 2008 recession. Today we asked these small business owners to share wit... Read more

WASHINGTON—Today, Chairman Steve Chabot (R-OH) convened a full Committee hearing to examine the small business perspective of the development and use of America’s infrastructure. The witnesses delved into how surface transportation and access to broadband promote economic growth among small businesses. “Innovations are transforming the movement of people, goods, and services. But it appears that our current transportation infrastructure system is stuck in a different generation,” said Chairman S... Read more

WASHINGTON – Today, Members of the Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Investigations, Oversight, and Regulations heard from a panel of experts on entrepreneurial development and the interdependent relationship between a community and small businesses. “With 29.6 million small businesses employing 47.8 percent of the workforce, small business success is essential to the economic well-being of both individual communities throughout the country as well as our nation overall. While there ar... Read more

WASHINGTON – This week, Chairman Chabot released the following statement after the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) published a report evaluating SBA’s 7(a) loans made to poultry farmers: “Unfortunately, the report confirms what the Committee already suspected: that there is misuse within the program regarding 7(a) loans made to poultry farmers that began in previous Administrations. OIG found loans made to farmers did not meet the SBA’s regulatory requi... Read more

WASHINGTON—Today, Members of the Subcommittees on Health and Technology and Agriculture, Energy, and Trade held a joint hearing on the challenges in the current regulatory and operational environment that limit the ability of small carriers to bridge the rural digital divide. “As our world becomes increasingly dependent on a robust telecommunications service and wireless internet, the lack of it in places like American Samoa and rural America becomes even more glaring,” said Subcommittee Chairwo... Read more

WASHINGTON—Today, Subcommittee Chairman Rod Blum (R-IA) and the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy, and Trade heard from a panel of witnesses who are driving agricultural entrepreneurship and innovation. “Agricultural innovations and technologies (agritech) have the ability to increase farm productivity, reduce resource use, and boost profits,” said Subcommittee Chairman Rod Blum. “Agritech entrepreneurship activity is also spurring rural revitalization with agritech initiatives in America’s He... Read more