To the Members of the United States Senate:
As the U.S. Senate considers the nominations of Bill Briggs to be Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Casey Mulligan, Ph.D. to be Chief Counsel for Advocacy at the SBA, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce offers the following observations. We urge quick consideration of these qualified individuals’ nominations and look forward to working with them upon confirmation.
During the confirmation hearing, Mr. Briggs highlighted his commitment to helping small business through effective and efficient SBA programs and partnerships. He demonstrated that commitment in his previous experience at the SBA when he served as the primary liaison between the agency and the Chamber as we worked to connect America’s small business community with SBA’s pandemic relief efforts. We are tremendously grateful for SBA’s help during the COVID pandemic.
Dr. Casey Mulligan expressed a similar commitment to serve Main Street’s employers and entrepreneurs during the hearing. We appreciate Dr. Mulligan’s respect for SBA’s Office of Advocacy and his desire to serve as a “small businesses’ watchdog,” utilizing the authority of that office to be an independent voice for small business.
Additionally, we welcomed Dr. Mulligan’s acknowledgment that small businesses would benefit from legislation strengthening their involvement in the federal regulatory process. Amending the Regulatory Flexibility Act to ensure federal agencies publicly disclose the full impact of their regulations on small business and to lessen red tape that can stifle economic growth remains a top priority for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. We applaud Chair Ernst’s re-introduction of S. 495, the Prove It Act, and we were pleased to hear Dr. Mulligan’s endorsement of that legislation designed to improve the Office of Advocacy’s effectiveness in reducing negative economic impact that one-size-fits-all federal regulations have on small business.
We look forward to working with the Senate in pursuit of our common goals to support American free enterprise and the SBA’s mission to do the same.
Sincerely,
Neil L. Bradley
Executive Vice President, Chief Policy Officer,
and Head of Strategic Advocacy
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
