Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) issued the following statement addressing Speaker Kevin McCarthy's "Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023" debt ceiling proposal:

 "Speaker McCarthy's debt ceiling proposal is filled with cruel cuts that will hurt everyday Americans who rely on crucial federal programs and assistance. It is a dangerous and desperate attempt to advance spending cuts and policy wish lists while holding our nation's economy hostage. Raising the debt ceiling is about ensuring the United States can pay its bills and protecting the stability of our economy. 

"The 'Limit, Save, Grow Act' would cut funding for schools and strip away access to childcare, raise mortgage rates and kick thousands of families out of their homes, rip food assistance away from low-income and older Americans, and open the door for corporate polluters to poison our communities while undermining key climate and clean energy policies passed by Democrats last Congress. 

"We need to cleanly raise the debt ceiling without strings attached. Under the last President, congressional Democrats helped raise the debt ceiling three times without tying it to policy considerations or spending cuts. Republicans needs to stop the debt ceiling brinkmanship and help ensure we protect the full faith and credit of the United States. 

"A debt default would be catastrophic for our economy and everyday Americans. It would unnecessarily raise costs on car payments, student loans, mortgages, and credit card bills; seniors would lose access to their Social Security checks; veterans may stop receiving the benefits they rightfully earned; and people near retirement will lose tens of thousands in savings. 

"According to a recent report by the Joint Economic Committee, a debt default would have unimaginable consequences for Virginia's Fourth Congressional District. It would jeopardize Social Security payments for 98,000 families and disrupt roughly $164,000,000 dollars a month in Social Security income. It would also put 315,000 residents at risk for losing their health benefits through Medicare, Medicaid, or Veterans Affairs coverage. Furthermore, it would cost Virginia families an additional $150 per month in mortgage payments and cause small businesses across the country to pay as much as $2,500 more in loan payments. 

"Speaker McCarthy and House Republicans need to stop the political posturing and come together with congressional Democrats to raise the debt ceiling. It's time they put the interests of the American people above the interests of their party." 

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced $3.5 million in grant awards to support outreach organizations focused on veteran small businesses. The grants provide critical funding to create new Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs) in Alaska, California, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, and South Carolina, strengthening training and counseling services for aspiring and existing veteran and military spouse small business owners. In the United States, there are nearly two million veteran-owned small businesses, employing over five million people and generating over $1.3 trillion in annual revenue.

“Our servicemembers have protected our Nation with selfless honor and sacrifice, and the Biden-Harris Administration is committed to supporting them with resources and opportunities as they pursue their American dreams of business ownership,” said U.S. Small Business Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman. “With this expansion of our veteran-focused network of small business centers, we can help more transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard and Reserve members, and military spouses start and grow their businesses and advance our economy.”

“VBOCs are a one-stop shop for business training, counseling, and resource partner referrals to transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard and Reserve members, and military spouses interested in starting or growing a small business,” said Timothy Green, Acting Associate Administrator for the Office of Veterans Business Development. “The new centers will provide additional resources to increase support and access for nearly 2 million veteran-owned small businesses. The expanded locations aim to enhance the veteran small business owner experience with more opportunities for training and less appointment wait times.”

Today’s announcement expands the VBOC program from 22 to 28 locations, fully servicing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. Organizations receiving grants from the SBA have demonstrated a commitment to addressing challenges that veteran-owned small businesses face and helping them succeed through the Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program. Grants will support a range of services, including:

• Business planning: Provides veterans with training and counseling on accounting, financial planning, and management.
• Assistance accessing capital: Provides veterans help in understanding the multitude of sources of capital available to them, as well as helps them in accessing financing, loans, and grants.
• Marketing and outreach: Provides marketing and outreach services to promote veteran-owned businesses in their communities and beyond.
• Transitioning: Provides Boots to Business instruction to help active duty servicemembers transition out of the military.

Grant awardees are as follows:

• Seattle Economic Development Fund - Business Impact Northwest

              Seattle, WA

              Coverage Area:  Alaska

• University of Texas Arlington College of Business

              Arlington, TX

              Coverage Area:  Nevada

• Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center

              Colorado Springs, CO

              Coverage Area:  Colorado

• Nebraska Enterprise Fund

              Oakland, NE

              Coverage Area:  Nebraska and Iowa

• The Citadel

              Charleston, SC

              Coverage Area:  South Carolina

• Long Beach City College

              Long Beach, CA

              Coverage Area:  California - Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, Ventura County, Orange County, Santa Barbara County, and Riverside County

For more information or to find a VBOC near you, visit www.sba.gov/vboc.

To learn more about SBA’s programs for veterans, visit www.sba.gov/veterans.