Press Releases
The Republican Recap: Week of June 2, 2025
Washington,
June 6, 2025
Here’s a recap of what Republicans achieved on the House Floor this week:
Supporting Americans Struggling from Substance Use Disorders ✅ In 2018, President Trump signed into law the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act to fight the opioid epidemic by expanding access to treatment and recovery services, addressing workforce shortages, and taking an overall comprehensive approach to confronting substance use disorders (SUDs). With overdose rates across the nation beginning to drop, this vital bipartisan legislation had a significant impact on reversing the deadly overdose trend and saving American lives from that tragic outcome. While the 2018 SUPPORT Act has had great success, the fight against the fentanyl and opioid crisis cannot stop here. We must continue funding and expanding the live-saving prevention programs, treatment services, and recovery opportunities by building on this legislation and the work of previous Congresses. Enough is enough: too many loved ones have lost their lives to this devastating epidemic that has ravaged communities across the country. House Republicans passed legislation to continue championing prevention, education, treatment, recovery, workforce, and law enforcement resources to support Americans struggling with SUDs. This legislation will secure access to naloxone for first responders, bolster state Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs), increase treatment options for pregnant and postpartum women, motivate recovering individuals to enter the workforce, and continue resources for Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers. Chairman Brett Guthrie’s legislation, H.R. 2483, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025, reauthorizes vital public health programs for the prevention, treatment, and recovery of Americans suffering from substance use disorders that were established in the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act of 2018. “After several years of bipartisan collaboration on the SUPPORT Act, the House of Representatives passed legislation to continue fighting the fentanyl crisis by improving access to treatment, expanding recovery opportunities, and bolstering prevention initiatives,” said Chairman Guthrie. “The programs within the SUPPORT Act have made significant steps toward reducing the toll illicit fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances take on our communities. By reauthorizing this important legislation, we are increasing prevention initiatives, reducing drug-related deaths, and restoring hope for families. I thank my colleagues for their bipartisan commitment to saving lives.” What Members Said: “Fentanyl is a scourge on our nation, leaving a trail of heartbreak and destruction in its wake. We cannot allow this poison to continue tearing our families apart, and I'm proud that House Republicans are once again leading the fight to protect our communities and get fentanyl off our streets nationally. In 2022, the United States saw over 107,000 overdose deaths. 107,000 in one year,” said Rep. John James. “It’s unconscionable. While I'm thrilled to see the opioid overdose deaths have declined from an estimated 83,000 in 2023 and 54,000 in 2024, there's still so much more that we have to do. The SUPPORT Act plays a critical role by ensuring first responders have access to life saving naloxone, increasing treatment options, and bolstering support services.”
Rep. Diana Harshbarger stressed that H.R. 2483 continues the fight against the opioid and fentanyl crisis with initiatives that help prevent drug overdoses, provide access to treatment for those in need, and support opportunities for recovering Americans.
 Ensuring SBA Loan Assistance Only Goes To American Citizens ✅ In March, the Trump Administration announced the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) would begin requiring proof of citizenship and age verification when applying for SBA assistance – long overdue reforms ensuring taxpayer dollars take care of American citizens first, not people in the U.S. illegally. Earlier this year, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) uncovered flagrant abuse of SBA’s loan programs, including more than $630 million in loans given to applicants older than 115 years old and younger than 11, according to data from the Social Security Administration. This is unacceptable. Hardworking Americans fight every day to run a successful small business and provide for their families – taxpayer dollars should support American owned businesses, not businesses run by illegal immigrants or ineligible fraudsters. House Republicans passed legislation to codify President Trump and SBA Administrator Loeffler’s executive action reforms to the SBA loan application process, putting American families and small businesses first by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse, and making sure SBA loans go only to businesses owned by American citizens. H.R. 2966, the American Entrepreneurs First Act, introduced by Rep. Beth Van Duyne, codifies the SBA’s new verification requirements, including proof of citizenship and age verification, for SBA assistance applications, strengthening protections against fraud and ensuring taxpayer-funded loans go only to Americans. “By passing my American Entrepreneurs First Act, House Republicans have, once again, come together to support common sense reforms protecting America's hard earned tax dollars from being lost to waste, fraud, abuse, and theft by hostile foreign actors,” said Rep. Van Duyne. “The American Entrepreneurs First Act ensures Small Business Administration funds are directed to American businesses and not accessible by individuals or businesses with foreign or undocumented ownership and verifies the age of all recipients. I urge our Senate colleagues to quickly pass this important measure which is supported by President Trump and SBA Administrator Loeffler as a vital verification step to confirm American tax dollars are being spent to strengthen American small businesses.” What Members Said: House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil applauded the passage of H.R. 2966 and underscored that taxpayer dollars should support American owned businesses.
 Rep. Troy Downing noted that by passing H.R. 2966, House Republicans are preventing taxpayer dollars from flowing to small businesses owned by noncitizens and putting Americans first.
Relocating SBA Offices Away from Sanctuary Cities ✅ Sanctuary cities work against our nation’s interest, blatantly ignoring U.S. immigration laws to shield illegal aliens from facing the consequences of their actions – threatening the safety of American families, communities, and small businesses and weakening rule of law. The Democrat politicians implementing harmful ‘sanctuary’ policies could repeal these policies at any time and comply with federal immigration enforcement to the benefit of their communities – they choose not to. It’s time for these sanctuary cities, counties, and states to be held accountable for their disastrous policies. Under the Trump Administration, sanctuary cities are once again being held accountable and the rule of law is being restored. President Trump continues to take steps to redirect federal resources away from jurisdictions that disregard immigration laws and put Americans at risk and toward communities that prioritize Americans’ safety. House Republicans passed legislation to ensure the SBA is focused on supporting the growth and safety of American workers, businesses, and communities by providing vital resources while rejecting woke Democrat sanctuary policies that put our communities, SBA workers, and offices in danger. This legislation codifies President Trump's executive order to ensure taxpayer resources are not used to benefit lawless jurisdictions that endanger American citizens by harboring criminal aliens. H.R. 2931, the Save SBA from Sanctuary Cities Act, introduced by Rep. Brad Finstad, relocates SBA offices from sanctuary cities and jurisdictions to non-sanctuary municipalities to better make sure these federal resources are going to benefit American small businesses and communities. “By circumventing federal law and encouraging illegal immigrants to come into our communities, failed sanctuary city policies have created a growing public safety crisis,” said Rep. Finstad. “This week, my legislation, the Save SBA from Sanctuary Cities Act, passed on the House Floor. This important legislation codifies two of President Trump’s pro-business executive orders that protect SBA employees and safeguard our entrepreneurs by relocating SBA offices out of sanctuary cities. In doing so, it ensures that communities which uphold the rule of law will have access to the resources they need to better serve small business owners. I am proud that my House colleagues passed this legislation, and I look forward to supporting it through the legislative process.” What Members Said: “This is not about a culture war in America. This is about putting American small business owners first while ensuring lawless sanctuary cities do not reap the benefits of hosting SBA offices. It's pretty simple, folks: This is all about protecting American small businesses and making sure that federal taxpayer dollars are not funneled into lawless sanctuary cities that put illegal aliens ahead of their own citizens. Why should hard working American entrepreneurs and law abiding communities be second in line to support from their own government? They shouldn't be,” said Rep. Mark Alford. “This bill will relocate SBA regional offices from sanctuary jurisdictions to communities that actually respect the rule of law, that actually put American citizens first – and that is not controversial, it's just common sense.”
Rep. Gabe Evans highlighted that H.R. 2931 allows the SBA to relocate to safer municipalities so they can focus on serving small businesses instead of being undermined by dangerous sanctuary policies.
Protecting SBA Loan Programs From Over-Licensing of SBLCs ✅ The Small Business Administration’s 7(a) lending program provides financial support to small businesses by offering private banks government guarantees to encourage loans to small businesses struggling to secure credit elsewhere. The SBA can issue these government-backed loans through certified depository institutions, such as banks or credit unions, or certified non-depository Small Business Lending Companies (SBLCs). Because non-depository SBLCs are solely regulated by the SBA, while depository institutions are regulated by the federal reserve, the SBA capped the number of SBLCs it would license to 14 in 1981 to ensure it was able to dutifully oversee these entities. In 2023, however, the Biden Administration’s SBA issued a rule getting rid of the SBA’s self-imposed 40-year moratorium limiting new SBLC licensing, potentially overburdening the agency by expanding despite the lack of resources and putting the integrity of the SBA’s loan programs at risk. Now, the total count is 16 SBLCs. In order to protect the integrity of the SBA lending program and ensure it remains able to support small businesses in need, House Republicans passed legislation that aligns with Trump Administration executive action to reverse the Biden-era change and make sure future administrations don’t extend the program beyond the SBA’s oversight capabilities. This would not remove existing SBLC licenses, just prevent new licenses. Rep. Rob Bresnahan’s legislation, H.R. 2987, the Capping Excessive Awarding of SBLC Entrants (CEASE) Act, limits the number of SBA-licensed for-profit Small Business Lending Companies (SBLCs) to 16 to restore proper oversight capabilities to the SBA and protect the integrity of SBA loan programs. “Small businesses deserve a reliable program that works for them, and that means keeping our community banks at the core of the system,” said Rep. Bresnahan. “President Trump and I agree, we shouldn’t be incentivizing fraud and abuse by flooding the program with risky, underregulated institutions. My legislation caps the number of non-bank SBLC licenses, ensuring taxpayer-backed guarantees are not handed out to lenders the SBA cannot properly oversee. I am proud to see my legislation passed this week, and I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to send the legislation to the White House.” What Members Said: “This bill is simply a reversal of an irresponsible change made by the Biden Administration's SBA, which raised concerns on both sides of the aisle. Unlike traditional community banks, Small Business Lending Companies, or SBLCs, are regulated by the SBA. Historically, the SBA recognized that they had finite resources to conduct oversight of the SBLCs, reinforcing the need for a cap on the number of SBLCs. Now, despite this, the 2023, the Biden Administration lifted the 40 year moratorium on licensing SBLCs to participate in his flagship 7(a) program, a government backed lending program. Now the SBA heard concerns from members from both chambers and on both sides of the aisle,” said Small Business Committee Chairman Roger Williams. “This legislation puts the guardrails back and restores integrity to the 7(a) program, ensuring taxpayer dollars are safe. I'm confident that the 16 SBLCs can and will be overseen effectively under Administrator Loeffler’s leadership.”
Rep. Ronny Jackson emphasized that H.R. 2987 restores integrity and accountability to the Small Business Administration's loan programs by rolling back Biden's reckless rules and regulations.
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