"Committee on Small Business Holds Hearing on the Office of Advocacy’s Role as the Voice for Main Street"
Summary
An announcement dated January 7, 2026 of a House Committee on Small Business hearing titled "A Voice for Small Business: How the SBA Office of Advocacy is Cutting Red Tape," led by Chairman Roger Williams. It quotes Williams and gives excerpts of questions from Williams, Rep. Van Duyne and Rep. Downing to Dr. Mulligan, Chief Counsel of the Office of Advocacy. Mulligan describes filling the regional advocate position and, asked by Van Duyne about a predecessor in the Chief Counsel position, says it was an empty chair for nine years. Mulligan states that 12,025 final rules were published in the Federal Register during the Biden Administration and estimates their cost to the economy at six trillion dollars. Mulligan also estimates over a hundred billion in reduced costs from agency actions under President Trump.
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Committee on Small Business Holds Hearing on the Office of Advocacy’s Role as the Voice for Main Street January 7, 2026 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Roger Williams (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, held a hearing titled “A Voice for Small Business: How the SBA Office of Advocacy is Cutting Red Tape” to examine the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, its role as the voice for small businesses, and how it is advancing the Trump Administration’s deregulation agenda. “The Biden-Harris Administration’s refusal to appoint leadership to the Office of Advocacy left small businesses voiceless and defenseless as the cost of regulatory burdens grew,” said Chairman Williams. “Under President Trump, we are restoring accountability to federal agencies and reversing the regulatory assault on Main Street. With Dr. Mulligan serving as Chief Counsel, the Office of Advocacy will fulfill its mission—holding federal agencies accountable, pushing back against harmful regulations, and serving as the voice for Main Street.” Watch the full hearing here. Below are some key excerpts from today’s hearing: Chairman Williams: “As we said today, the Office of Advocacy was created to be the voice of small businesses in the federal government. Can you discuss how Advocacy is uniquely positioned to hear directly from small business owners, and specifically, what concrete steps your office has taken since President Trump took office to expand outreach, gather meaningful feedback, and ensure small business concerns are effectively represented in federal policymaking?” Dr. Mulligan: “I mentioned a number of regulatory partners in the administration—one of the unique things Advocacy has is its outreach. A significant fraction of my staff is not in Washington; they don’t have an office or a desk here. Every day, they’re out listening to small businesses. One of the things we did—I believe we set a record with no close second—is filling the regional advocate position, making sure someone was in place. We put together quite a training program for them, and they are very well integrated with what we are doing here in Washington. So that outreach is crucial to the whole mission of Advocacy—and really having good government here.” Rep. Van Duyne: “I’m listening to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, and it sounds like you have the most important job—for small businesses—in the government. Like, your job is to be the massive advocate. Can you tell me a little bit about your predecessor in your position? Since this is such an important job under the Trump Administration, and everybody on—my Democrat colleagues—recognize the fact that this is such an important job that small businesses have this advocate voice, can you tell me about your predecessor?” Dr. Mulligan: “Thank you for your question. We have an empty chair right here. That’s what it was for nine years. President Biden didn’t even bother to nominate somebody for this. I think it’s an important job. I enjoy doing it, and I’m blessed that President Trump asked me to do this job.” Rep. Van Duyne: “Well, I recognize that, and I recognize that we finally realized that we need to have a voice for our small businesses because it seems like during the four years of the Biden Administration, they got absolutely crushed. How many additional regulations did you say that the Biden Administration put on our small businesses?” Dr. Mulligan: “If we just count the final rules that were published in the Federal Register, it’s 12,025.” Rep. Van Duyne: “12,025 in four years. What was the cost of all this?” Dr. Mulligan: “There are so many. It’s a little but hard to say, but my best estimate is for the entire economy: six trillion dollars—with a T.” Rep. Van Duyne: “Wow. Okay, and that crushed small businesses, right? Because they are at a disadvantage when you’re looking at corporations, because corporations actually can have, like, an entire regulatory agency or entire regulatory department—a division. Small businesses don’t have that. So, they are relying on folks like you to be able to say: ‘Look, when we have these regulations that we think are little that are coming out of these agencies, this can crush us.’ This is averaging, what, $50,000 an employee is what the small businesses were having to pay in addition to during the Biden Administration? It is absolutely astonishing to me that after the previous four years of that Administration, we are finally having advocacy from our Democrat colleagues for small businesses.” Rep. Downing: “By the end of 2024, the Biden Administration imposed $1.8 trillion in regulatory costs on American businesses. In your view, how much has the regulatory environment changed since President Trump’s swearing-in, and what impact has it had on small business?” Dr. Mulligan: “Thank you for your question. It’s been a 180-degree turn—such a huge change. I mean, there was so much regulation. I think six trillion is the best estimate that we have of the Biden regulations—just four years’ worth of them. And now, some new regulations are coming out, but many more are being taken away. You know, what’s been the impact on small businesses so far? I think it’s been over a hundred billion reduced costs as a result of President Trump’s agency’s actions.” Rep. Downing: “Well, thank you. Under your leadership, in what ways has the Office of Advocacy influenced rulemaking, under the Trump Administration, in support of small businesses?” Dr. Mulligan: “Really, the two steps I like to talk about are listening—we continue to listen; that’s my favorite part. I learn so much by talking to small businesses and hearing what they've experienced. Then relaying those experiences and trying to put them in practical terms for the agencies—you know, ‘Here are some rules you should look at. Here’s what the small businesses are saying about the reasons to reform those rules.’”
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