SBA Launches Deregulation Strike Force to Cut Red Tape and Lower Costs for Small Businesses
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has initiated a new Deregulation Strike Force, dedicating a full team to identifying and eliminating excessive federal regulations put in place during the previous administration. According to the SBA, these regulations significantly increased costs for small businesses and consumers, contributing to higher prices across the economy.
The Deregulation Strike Force will be led by the SBA’s Office of Advocacy and will work across all federal agencies to target and roll back rules that the department says “have needlessly driven up prices in key industries such as housing, healthcare, agriculture, and energy.” The initiative is designed to provide relief to small businesses that have struggled under growing compliance burdens.
SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler emphasized the economic impact of federal regulations imposed over the past several years and outlined the goals of the new effort. She said, “Bidenomics brought historic new highs in inflation that crushed working families and small businesses, driven in part by the massive bureaucracy that heaped trillions in new federal regulations onto the backs of hardworking Americans. Through our Deregulation Strike Force, SBA is leveraging its unique authority to deregulate across the federal government and cut senseless red tape that drove up costs for small businesses and consumers – especially in industries hit hardest by Bidenflation. Our efforts will add to President Trump’s ongoing work to cut prices, from energy to food to housing, by delivering meaningful relief on Main Street.”
According to an SBA press release, the regulatory burden placed on the U.S. economy during the Biden Administration was substantial. The agency stated that “the Biden Administration imposed an estimated $6 trillion in cumulative regulatory costs on American families and small businesses.” In addition to financial costs, the release noted that “the new rules and reporting requirements amounted to an additional 356 hours of paperwork for every job creator in America and contributed substantially to inflation that reached 40-year highs in 2024.”
The SBA says the Deregulation Strike Force will prioritize reforms that reduce compliance costs, simplify reporting requirements, and eliminate duplicative or outdated regulations. Industries such as agriculture, which often face extensive federal oversight, are expected to see particular focus as the strike force works to ease regulatory pressure while maintaining necessary protections.
Supporters of the initiative argue that reducing regulatory burdens will help small businesses grow, hire, and compete more effectively, while also lowering costs passed on to consumers. The SBA maintains that cutting unnecessary red tape is a critical step toward restoring affordability and strengthening the U.S. economy.
As the Deregulation Strike Force begins its work, small business owners and industry groups will be watching closely to see how quickly regulatory relief translates into tangible savings and reduced paperwork across Main Street America.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.