Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sba Field Ops topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
SBA official tells House committee field offices are 'boots on the ground' as agency touts onshoring portal and outreach
Summary
Associate Administrator Lisa Shimcad told the House Small Business Committee the SBA has moved most field staff out of Washington and highlighted outreach, disaster response and an onshoring portal listing more than one million suppliers; lawmakers pressed her on staffing reductions and local office relocations.
Associate Administrator Lisa Shimcad told the House Small Business Committee on June 4, 2025, that the SBA’s Office of Field Operations has moved the bulk of its workforce into district and regional offices to better serve small businesses.
"Small businesses succeed when federal programs support rather than hinder innovation, growth, and entrepreneurship," Shimcad said in her opening statement, and she added that "Today, 97% of SBA Office of Field Operations employees are located outside of Washington DC." She described a 2025 field-year that included more than 30,000 events and outreach connecting nearly a half‑million entrepreneurs, and highlighted the agency’s onshoring work, including a portal Shimcad said "is able to connect over a million suppliers."
Why it matters: Committee members said district offices are the government’s most frequent point of contact for Main Street firms; Shimcad framed the field network as a way to deliver counseling, contracting opportunities and access to capital while also providing disaster response and lender outreach.
What Shimcad told lawmakers: She listed several program metrics and initiatives the field teams support, including lender engagement, disaster deployments and the "Made in America" road show. She described disaster activity for 2025 and said field staff were deployed to disaster centers to provide direct assistance. Shimcad also said the field teams work with chambers, resource partners and local economic development organizations to help businesses access capital and contracting opportunities.
Lawmakers’ follow‑up requests and examples: Members repeatedly asked for supporting metrics and documentation. Rep. Sculton (transcript) urged the agency to provide publicly facing data showing how field staffing and reorganization have affected response times and local outcomes. Rep. Muer praised the work and asked how higher loan limits for manufacturers would affect access to capital; Shimcad said lenders had raised similar examples that higher limits would enable more transactions.
Limits and cross‑office responsibilities: Multiple members pressed Shimcad about grant delays and withheld payments to resource partners; Shimcad said those grant‑payment and program funding questions fall under the Office of Entrepreneurial Development rather than the Office of Field Operations and she offered to coordinate with colleagues and members’ offices.
What’s next: Members requested additional documents and metrics; Chairman Williams gave the witness five legislative days to respond in writing and the Committee adjourned with additional materials to be submitted to the record.
