Government Shutdowns Harm Small Business

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Small Business Association (NSBA) is urging lawmakers to avoid a costly government shutdown. When the government shuts down, small businesses are left holding the bill, whether they do business with the federal government, rely on critical federal programs, or are part of the infrastructure supporting our national parks.

"Manufacturing this magnitude of crisis simply to grandstand and win partisan points irresponsible and unacceptable," stated NSBA President and CEO Todd McCracken. "While Members of Congress and their staff will continue to get paid, the millions of small businesses who rely on the federal government will not. They, their families and every business in their pipeline will feel the pinch of a shutdown – they always do."

NSBA is imploring lawmakers to recognize the vast implications of a government shutdown on small business, including:

Millions of small-business federal contractors and subcontractors that will be impacted by contract delays, stoppages and cancellations—regardless of what services or products they already have provided—which WILL affect every business in their supply chain, their employees and their families.

Federal programs such as those under the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), particularly their lending programs, will begin to experience long delays due to the absence of staff and inevitable backlog of approvals.

Local businesses supporting tourism associated with national parks will experience massive reductions in anticipated revenue.

"Government shutdowns are costly political theater that succeed in only two things: weakening the U.S. economy and confidence in our elected officials," McCracken went on to say. "Now is not the time to send the message to the 70 million people who run or work for a small business that they do not matter."

Please click here for more on NSBA's efforts to stop a government shutdown.

Celebrating more than 85 years in operation, NSBA is a member-driven nonpartisan organization advocating on behalf of America's entrepreneurs. NSBA's 65,000 members represent every state and every industry in the U.S., and we are proud to be the nation's first small-business advocacy organization. Please visit www.nsba.biz and follow us at @NSBAAdvocate.

Contact:
Molly Day
202-552-2904
[email protected]

SOURCE National Small Business Association