Opinion: Delivering for small businesses

By Sen. Joni Ernst

During Joe Biden’s presidency, we saw historic levels of inflation, non-stop price hikes, and a $1.8 trillion expansion of the regulatory state.

These costs hit Iowans hard, especially small businesses and family farms that operate on razor-thin margins.

Republicans have been hard at work this year to undo the damage of the Biden years and provide real relief for hardworking Americans.

The One Big Beautiful Bill did just that by delivering the largest tax cut in history that will save Iowans an average of $3,139 this year.

This breathing room for small businesses not only provides certainty but also the ability to hire new employees, invest in new equipment, and grow their operation.

Allowing folks to keep more of their hard-earned money is just the start. Equally as important is slashing costly red tape and burdensome regulations.

I have worked hand in hand with the Trump administration to do just that.

Last week, I joined several members of the Trump administration in Iowa to announce the rollback of the Green New Deal-inspired Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) guidance that used software to literally bring tractors and trucks to a halt if fluid levels were deemed to be too low or if a sensor was faulty.

Undoing these arbitrary guidelines will save family farmers hundreds of millions of dollars every year.

That is a big deal, folks.

In addition to working to lower costs for Iowans, one of my top priorities is expanding opportunities for our small businesses.

Last week, I was thrilled to hold my third annual Entrepreneur Expo in Ames and host two Trump cabinet officials – Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler.

My event gave Iowa small businesses the chance to network, learn from the best, and hear from leaders in the Trump administration about how to compete for contracts with the federal government.

Too often, these contracts are limited to companies on the coasts and in big cities when we all know that innovation is thriving in the heartland.

It is important that Washington continues to make policies that harness this momentum and unleash growth across America.

My INNOVATE Act accomplishes just that by reforming the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs to ensure truly small businesses are able to compete for federal contracts to develop cutting edge technology that supports our warfighters.

Concerningly, a lack of a standard due diligence process across the federal government has exposed some of our nation’s most sensitive technology developed through this program to our foreign adversaries, including China.

My legislation not only enacts an enforceable and consistent standard to safeguard this vital technology but also ensures that the funding goes to the best and brightest companies instead of so-called SBIR mills that rake in hundreds of millions of tax dollars but fail to produce anything beyond policy white papers.

Under the status quo, our war fighters lose and China wins. However, by protecting small businesses’ role, we can maintain our nation’s dominance as the global technology leader.

Congress must continue delivering for small businesses and build upon the momentum of the One Big Beautiful Bill by passing my INNOVATE Act to expand opportunities for Iowa entrepreneurs, stand up to China, and support America’s warfighters.

Joni Ernst, a native of Red Oak and a combat veteran, represents Iowa in the United States Senate.