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Supporting Small Businesses and Entrepreneurship

Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy, yet they are too often treated like an afterthought in federal policy.

As a small business owner, I know firsthand how limited federal resources can be. While billions (even trillions) of dollars are directed toward military spending, large corporate tax breaks, and expanding federal enforcement budgets, small business owners are often left to navigate rising costs, inflation, payroll, and taxes on their own.

Entrepreneurs carry enormous risk. Many of us pay higher effective tax burdens than traditional W-2 employees, absorb healthcare costs, manage payroll taxes, and reinvest constantly just to stay afloat.

At the same time, we must acknowledge the disparities in business ownership. Black Americans represent a small percentage of total business owners nationwide. This is not because of a lack of talent or ambition, but because of unequal access to capital, credit, and generational wealth.

If we rebalance our national priorities and reduce wasteful spending, we can reinvest in the real drivers of economic growth: small businesses.

I will fight to:

• Establish a $25,000–$50,000 federal startup grant program for entrepreneurs who formally register their LLC, sole proprietorship, or corporation

• Expand access to low-interest federal microloans

• Increase minority and women-owned business access to federal contracting

• Simplify the federal grant and procurement application process

• Provide tax relief for small businesses earning under a defined revenue threshold

• Expand technical assistance and mentorship programs for first-time business owners

New Jersey has strong state-level support systems for small businesses, but federal support must match that energy.

When small businesses thrive, communities thrive. Jobs are created locally. Wealth circulates locally. Innovation grows locally.

If we truly want to strengthen the middle class, we must empower entrepreneurs; not just large corporations.

America does not run on corporate monopolies. It runs on small businesses.