Since April 2025 we have been telling candidates for the 2026 midterm election – almost 2,000 Republicans and Democrats running for the House and Senate – here is an issue that will help you win:
Women are half the population. They own 40% of all businesses. They sell what the government buys.
But companies owned by men get at least 95% of federal contract dollars, which helps men dominate in politics.
And that must change.
A clear majority of women and fair-minded men will vote for you, if you promise to solve these problems. (This is our Don’t Cheat Women project. Learn more at www.DontCheatWomen.com.)
Men dominate in politics primarily because they earn and save more than women. Men donate more to candidates (and therefore have more influence with the winners). And it’s easier for men to run for office.
Men hold roughly 75% of all seats in the Senate, in the House, all State legislatures, every president’s cabinet, and almost that many governor chairs. They hold 90% of committee chair and party leadership positions.
And men have different values and priorities and worldviews than women. Half the human race – women – deserve equal participation in politics if we want to consider ourselves civilized, intelligent, fair, and sane.
You will win if you run to raise from 5% to 15% the amount of federal contract dollars that must go to women-owned small businesses (WOSBs).
Remember, they sell what the government buys.
That would raise from 23% to 33% the contract dollars that should go to small businesses in general. Conservatively, $264 billion dollars would be pumped into our economy (33% of the low estimate of the federal government’s purchases, $800 billion dollars) and 3.3 million jobs would get created (an economic boom) on top of the 2 million jobs that America typically creates. (That’s because every 1% increase of contracts to small businesses creates 100,000 new jobs, according to the Senate small business committee Chair in 2010.)
It's not charity.
Women own over 14 million businesses generating $2.7 trillion in revenue and employing over 12 million workers. They span all major industries, with increasing representation in finance, insurance, real estate, transportation, and warehousing. They sell what the federal government buys – and the federal government buys everything. It’s the world’s largest purchaser of good and services.
Here’s where things get big: we are a small business nation.
99.9% of all businesses in America are small businesses by the government’s too-large definition of up to 500 employees. 98% have less than 100 employees (which should be the official definition). They employ almost half of the private sector workforce. They create most net new jobs and almost half of GDP.
Small businesses are supposed to get 23% of all federal contract dollars.
Unfortunately, big businesses (who are only 1/10th of 1% of all businesses) get up to 97% of federal contract dollars, including those meant for small businesses, who really get as little as 3% every year. That’s what we found in our 100+ Freedom of Information legal victories (against the Pentagon, NASA, the SBA, and others), and many Congressional investigations and SBA Inspector General reports found the same thing.
Your districts and states want economic and political fairness for women. They need their Representative and Senator to end the diversion of small business contracts to Fortune 500 companies.
Again …
- Raise from 5% to 15% the amount of contract dollars that must go to women-owned small businesses.
- Define a small business as 100 or less employees.
- Make the Small Business Administration prove that small business contracts go to small businesses.
Urgently, the SBA needs an overhaul and an expansion. It should have a budget and staff as big as its mission (to help small businesses). It should not, as the Trump administration is doing, have its budget and staff cut, nor should it be burdened with the $1.7 trillion dollar student loan portfolio (perhaps setting it up to fail), as the administration is planning.
These facts are undeniable. Your district and state will vote for you to pursue our www.DontCheatWomen.com goals. The demographics prove that.
Everyone loves the truth, and everyone loves people with courage. We hope you run to do these things.
If you have any questions, please write or call.
Thank you for becoming a candidate to improve the lives of your fellow Americans.
Bruce de Torres
Director of Communications
American Small Business League, ASBL.com
Our Don’t Cheat Women Project
415-404-7733, x101
bdetorres@asbl.com
Recent Challenges and Disparities
Women-owned small businesses in the United States express significant dissatisfaction with federal support, according to a 2023 survey by Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Small Businesses Voices program. The survey, involving nearly 900 women entrepreneurs across 47 states and Puerto Rico, reveals a staggering 99% of respondents believe the federal government needs to enhance its support for their enterprises. This sentiment is underscored by the 89% of these business owners who feel they do not compete on an equal footing with male-owned businesses, and 72% who would rate the government's support programs at a 'C' level or lower.
Certification Hurdles
A central issue highlighted is the arduous process of obtaining certification as a women-owned small business through the Small Business Administration (SBA). This certification is crucial as it opens doors to compete for federal contracts in sectors where women are traditionally underrepresented. However, only 36% of the surveyed businesses are certified, with many citing the process as overly complex and not worth the potential benefits. Indeed, the SBA has met its goal of assigning 5% of federal contracts to women-owned businesses only twice in the past three decades.
Several potential reforms could better support women-owned businesses:
Streamlining Certification: Simplifying the certification process could make it more accessible and less burdensome for small businesses.
Adjusting Contract Requirements: Unbundling contract requirements to allow smaller, specialized businesses to compete could foster greater diversity and equity in federal contracting.
Technology and Process Modernization: The SBA acknowledges the need for ongoing technology improvements to enhance customer experiences, suggesting that modernization is key to improving support services.
Legislative Actions and the Path Forward
The reauthorization of the SBA, which has not occurred since 2000, presents a significant opportunity to update and refine programs and goals to better meet the needs of today’s small business owners. This reauthorization could address systemic issues and align the agency’s capabilities with the current economic landscape, particularly for women entrepreneurs.
Advocates like Janetta King stress the importance of this legislative action to address the evident gaps and ensure the federal government more effectively supports women-owned businesses. Ms. King is the Midwest Regional Director for Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices, a program that amplifies the voices of small business owners nationwide through advocacy and public policy efforts.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) does not have to be reauthorized on a fixed, recurring schedule. Unlike some federal agencies or programs with sunset provisions that require periodic reauthorization, the SBA and most of its programs are permanently authorized by Congress. This means the agency can continue to operate without a formal reauthorization.
However, Congress has historically chosen to periodically reauthorize the SBA, especially from 1980 to 2000, when it did so seven times, typically with reauthorization periods ranging from two to five years. The last comprehensive reauthorization of the SBA occurred in December 2000. Since then, Congress has not passed a full reauthorization, instead keeping the SBA operational through piecemeal reauthorization of specific programs and by continuing appropriations.
The profound disconnect between women-owned small businesses and the federal support mechanisms designed to assist them highlights a critical need for systemic reform. By addressing certification barriers, refining contract requirements, and modernizing administrative processes, there is potential to significantly enhance the entrepreneurial environment for women, contributing to a more equitable and dynamic economic landscape.
August 20, 2020
The ASBL recently won one of the largest Freedom of Information Act cases in history against the Pentagon. The Pentagon was forced to issue a check to the ASBL for $500,000 to reimburse their legal fees in that case.
small-business-contracting-report.pdf
Sleighted, Public Citizen, citizen.org, May 6, 2015
Accounting Tricks Create False Impression That Small Businesses Are Getting Their Share of Federal Procurement Money, and the Political Factors That Might Be at Play