American Entrepreneurs First Act of 2025

House Bill

H.R. 2966

119th Congress

American Entrepreneurs First Act of 2025

In Committee

Introduced:Apr 17, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Danny K. Davis

Representative

Democratic

IL-7

Cosponsors

1

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Commerce

Summary

This bill restricts Small Business Administration loans (7(a) and 504 programs) to only U.S. citizens, nationals, and lawful permanent residents. It would exclude DACA recipients, refugees, asylees, visa holders, and undocumented individuals from accessing these business loans.

Latest Action

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

SponsorDanny K. Davis (D-IL)

Introduced4/17/2025

StatusReceived in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entreprene

ChamberHouse

Data from Congress.gov

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Vote Prediction

American Entrepreneurs First Act of 2025

This bill restricts Small Business Administration loans (7(a) and 504 programs) to only U.S. citizens, nationals, and lawful permanent residents. It would exclude DACA recipients, refugees, asylees, visa holders, and undocumented individuals from accessing the

Community Breakdown

Pass

0%

Fail

0%

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This bill restricts Small Business Administration loans (7(a) and 504 programs) to only U.S. citizens, nationals, and lawful permanent residents. It would exclude DACA recipients, refugees, asylees, visa holders, and undocumented individuals from accessing these business loans.

Bill Number: 2966
Sponsor: Danny K. Davis (D-IL)
Introduced: 4/17/2025
Status: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entreprene
Policy Area: Commerce

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: American Entrepreneurs First Act of 2025
Bill Number: 2966
Sponsor: Danny K. Davis (D-IL)
Status: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entreprene
Introduced: 4/17/2025
Summary: This bill restricts Small Business Administration loans (7(a) and 504 programs) to only U.S. citizens, nationals, and lawful permanent residents. It would exclude DACA recipients, refugees, asylees, visa holders, and undocumented individuals from accessing these business loans.

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill restricts Small Business Administration loans (7(a) and 504 programs) to only U.S. citizens, nationals, and lawful permanent residents. It would exclude DACA recipients, refugees, asylees, visa holders, and undocumented individuals from accessing these business loans.

Last updated: 12/30/2025

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

American Entrepreneurs First ActThis bill revises the application requirements for the Small Business Administration's 7(a) loan and 504 loan programs.Specifically, the bill requires applications for such loans to include (1) the applicant's date of birth; and (2) a certification that the applicant or all beneficial owners are citizens, nationals, or lawful permanent residents of the United States.The bill specifies that certain individuals are ineligible for such loans, including (1) asylees, (2) refugees, (3) individuals issued a visa to remain in the United States, (4) individuals legally classified as nonimmigrants, (5) individuals to whom deferred action has been granted pursuant to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and (6) individuals without lawful status under the immigration laws of the United States.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Requires SBA loan applicants to certify U.S. citizenship, nationality, or permanent resident status
Explicitly bars DACA recipients from 7(a) and 504 loan programs
Excludes refugees and asylees from small business loan eligibility
Visa holders and nonimmigrants would be ineligible regardless of their business qualifications

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This would affect immigrant entrepreneurs who currently run or want to start small businesses in the U.S. DACA recipients who have built businesses could lose access to SBA financing. The change could reduce entrepreneurship in immigrant communities and impact local economies where immigrant-owned businesses are prevalent.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Commerce

Related Subjects

Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Government lending and loan guarantees

Immigration status and procedures

Small Business Administration

Small business

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

2966, 119th Congress (2025). "American Entrepreneurs First Act of 2025". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-2966

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