HR-9718-119
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 23 - 0.
Sponsored by Tony Wied (R-WI)
What it does
This bill would require the Small Business Administration to create and maintain a website, within 60 days of enactment, listing resources and contact information for small businesses interested in moving manufacturing operations to the United States. It would require the SBA's Office of Manufacturing and Trade to annually update the site's content with input from the agency's Office of Advocacy.
Who benefits
Small manufacturing businesses seeking information on relocating or expanding production domestically, particularly those without existing knowledge of SBA programs. Trade associations and partner organizations that would gain a formal referral channel through the website. SBA staff in the Office of Manufacturing and Trade, whose role would be codified in statute.
Who is hurt
No group is meaningfully harmed; the bill creates an informational resource rather than a regulation or subsidy. SBA would bear modest administrative costs to build and maintain the site, and taxpayers would fund those minor costs.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that small manufacturers often lack awareness of existing federal resources for reshoring production, and that a centralized website would lower the informational barrier to bringing manufacturing capacity back to the United States. They contend this is a low-cost, low-risk step that consolidates existing SBA programs into one accessible location, potentially supporting supply chain resilience without new spending or regulation.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that creating a website does little to address the actual economic barriers to reshoring, such as labor costs, capital investment needs, and global supply chain economics, making the bill largely symbolic. They contend that Congress could better spend its time on substantive reshoring incentives rather than mandating an information portal that agencies could create administratively without new legislation.
Constitutional context
This bill raises no constitutional question beyond Congress's Article I authority to establish and direct the operations of an executive agency like the Small Business Administration.
Checks and balances
Congress directs the SBA, an executive branch agency, to create and maintain a specific informational resource, with no new rulemaking or enforcement authority granted to the agency.
Historical precedent
The SBA has previously been directed by Congress to create informational websites and resource portals for small businesses on other topics, such as disaster assistance and export promotion.