Minority Business Development Agency
{{Short description|US Department of Commerce division for marginalized ethnic groups}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox government agency
|agency_name = Minority Business Development Agency
|seal = MBDAlogo.jpg
|seal_width = 200
|seal_caption = Seal of the Minority Business Development Agency
|formed = {{start date and years ago|1969}}
|headquarters = Washington, D.C.
|employees = 50-100
|budget = US$30 million (2009)
US$32 million (est. 2010)
US$32 million (est. 2011)
US$34 million (est. 2017)
|chief1_name = Eric Morrissette
|chief1_position = Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development
|parent_agency = U.S. Department of Commerce
|child1_agency =
|child2_agency =
|website = {{url|www.mbda.gov}}
|footnotes =
}}
The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that promotes growth and competitiveness of the United States' minority-owned businesses, including Hispanic and Latino American, Asian Pacific American, African American, and Native American businesses.
MBDA's stated mission is to promote the growth and competitiveness of minority-owned businesses by providing access to capital, access to contracts and access to market opportunities – both domestic and global. The main feature of the organization and its site is to provide business consulting services to minority business owners.{{cite web |url=https://www.mbda.gov/about/whatwedo |title=About MBDA|website=Minority Business Development Agency|access-date=April 16, 2018}}
In March 2025, President Trump issued an executive order that directed eliminating the MBDA to the maximum extent of the law.
History
On March 5, 1969, President Richard Nixon issued Executive Order 11458, establishing the Office of Minority Business Enterprise.{{Cite web |last=Levin |first=Adam G. |date=June 6, 2024 |title=The Minority Business Development Agency: An Overview of Its History and Programs |url=https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R46816 |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=Congress.gov: Congressional Research Service}} On October 13, 1971, President Nixon issued Executive Order 11625, which clarified MBDA's authority and expanded the scope of its operations.{{cite web |date=October 13, 1971 |title=Executive Order 11625--Prescribing additional arrangements for developing and coordinating a national program for minority business enterprise |url=https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/11625.html |access-date=April 16, 2018 |website=National Archives}} In 1979, the agency was renamed the Minority Business Development Agency.
The Reagan Administration established the Minority Business Development Center program, which became MBDA's primary method for delivering technical and management services to minority businesses. The George H.W. Bush Administration proposed eliminating the agency and transferring its mission to the Small Business Administration, but ultimately continued the agency as an entity within the Department of Commerce.
President Trump proposed eliminating all agency funding in his FY18 executive budget proposal.{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/23/politics/trump-budget-cuts-programs/index.html|title=Trump's budget by the numbers: What gets cut and why|author1=Gregory Krieg |author2=Will Mullery|date=May 23, 2017 |publisher=CNN|access-date=April 16, 2018}} This reflected Heritage Foundation budget recommendations.{{Cite web |last=Clark |first=Charles S. |date=2017-01-19 |title=Trump Is Said to Embrace Plan to Kill Whole Agencies and Programs |url=https://www.govexec.com/management/2017/01/trump-said-embrace-plan-kill-whole-agencies-and-programs/134707/ |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Government Executive |language=en}} His FY19 budget proposal recommended eliminating MBDA business centers but retaining the agency as a policy office.{{cite web |url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/budget-fy2019.pdf |work=whitehouse.gov |title=Efficient, Effective, Accountable: An American Budget Fiscal Year 2019 |via=National Archives |access-date=April 15, 2018}}
On November 15, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which established the Minority Business Development Agency as a permanent agency.{{Cite news |last=Walker |first=Adria R. |date=2024-03-08 |title=Federal agency to develop minority businesses can’t only help minority businesses, Texas judge rules |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/08/texas-minority-business-development-lawsuit |access-date=2025-03-16 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} The law authorized $73 million in appropriations for MBDA for fiscal year (FY) 2021, $55 million for FY 2022, $70 million for FY 2023, and $68.25 million for FY 2024.
According to the MBDA, in FY 2023 it facilitated access to $1.5 billion of capital for minority-owned businesses and helped create or maintain 19,000 jobs.{{Cite web |last=Cross |first=Greta |title=Trump cuts funding for federal agencies with executive order: See list of what's affected |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/15/trump-executive-order-federal-agencies-funding-cut/82448071007/ |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}
In March 2024, a judge ruled that MBDA must provide support to all businesses and owners, regardless of race.
MBDA requested $80 million in appropriations for FY 2025 to continue to implement its responsibilities under the Minority Business Development Act of 2021.{{Cite web |title=Fiscal Year 2025 Congressional Justification |url=https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2024-03/MBDA-FY2025-Congressional-Budget-Submission.pdf |access-date=March 16, 2025 |website=Minority Business Development Agency, U.S. Department of Commerce}} It stated it had 131 business centers and programs, including specialty centers that help business owners find financing, contracts, and markets for "Made in America" products.
In March 2025, President Trump issued an executive order that directed eliminating the MBDA "to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law", along with several other agencies.{{cite web |date=March 14, 2025 |title=Continued Reduction of the Federal Bureaucract |url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/continuing-the-reduction-of-the-federal-bureaucracy/ |publisher=The White House |access-date=2025-03-16}}{{Cite web |last=Bianco |first=Ali |date=2025-03-15 |title=Trump’s next agency cuts include US-backed global media, library and museum grants |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/15/donald-trump-agency-cuts-00232119 |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Pager |first=Tyler |date=2025-03-15 |title=Trump Orders Gutting of 7 Agencies, Including Voice of America’s Parent |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/15/us/politics/trump-order-voice-of-america.html |access-date=2025-03-16 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}
National Minority Enterprise Development Week
File:Donald Trump 2017 National Minority Enterprise Development Week Business Award Winners.jpg
The Agency holds National Minority Enterprise Development Week in the month of October, observed in the United States to recognize and celebrate the achievements and contributions of the minority business enterprise community.
President Ronald Reagan first recognized National MED Week in 1983.{{cite web|url=https://www.mbda.gov/page/remarks-white-house-ceremony-marking-observance-minority-enterprise-development-week-president|title=Remarks at a White House Ceremony Marking the Observance of Minority Enterprise Development Week, President Reagan|website=Minority Business Development Agency|access-date=April 16, 2018|date=March 28, 2012}} The week is formally celebrated each year by the Minority Business Development Agency, a U.S. government agency housed within the U.S. Department of Commerce.{{cite web|url=https://www.mbda.gov/calendar/2017-national-minority-enterprise-development-med-week|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305142858/https://www.mbda.gov/calendar/2017-national-minority-enterprise-development-med-week|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 5, 2018|title=2017 National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week|website=Minority Business Development Agency|access-date=April 16, 2018|date=October 11, 2017}}
On October 20, 2017, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation which officially designated October 22 through October 28, 2017 as National Minority Enterprise Development Week.{{cite web|url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/10/26/2017-23525/minority-enterprise-development-week-2017|title=Minority Enterprise Development Week, 2017|date=October 26, 2017 |access-date=April 16, 2018}}{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-participates-in-the-minority-enterprise-development-week-awards-ceremony-live-stream/|title=Trump promises "jobs, jobs, jobs"|work=CBS News|publisher=CBS|location=New York City|date=October 24, 2017|access-date=October 27, 2017}}
On October 24, 2017, President Trump recognized minority-owned businesses in the Oval Office during National MED Week, when he welcomed winners of the National MED Week Awards with Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and MBDA Acting National Director Christopher A. Garcia.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/oct/24/trump-minority-owned-firms-succeed/ |title=Trump says minority-owned firms to succeed 'especially with Trump as your president'|newspaper=The Washington Times |access-date=April 16, 2018}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{CRS|article = The Minority Business Development Agency: An Overview of Its History and Programs |url = https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R46816|author= Adam G. Levin}}
External links
{{Commons}}
- {{Official website}}
- [https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/minority-business-development-agency Minority Business Development Agency] in the Federal Register
- Authorizing statute: {{Usc-title-chap|15|120}}
{{USDC agencies}}
{{Presidency of Richard Nixon}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Government agencies established in 1969
Category:Establishments by United States executive order
Category:Investment promotion agencies