Editing 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)<br>US$32 million (est. 2010)<br>US$32 million (est. 2011)<br>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]]' [[ethnic minority|minority]]-owned businesses, including [[Hispanic and Latino American]], [[Asian Pacific American]], [[African American]], and [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] businesses.<ref name=":0" /> 

MBDA's stated mission is to promote the growth and competitiveness of [[Minority business enterprise|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mbda.gov/about/whatwedo |title=About MBDA|website=Minority Business Development Agency|access-date=April 16, 2018}}</ref>

In March 2025, [[Donald Trump|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 (United States)|Executive Order]] 11458, establishing the Office of Minority Business Enterprise.<ref name=":0">{{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}}</ref>  On October 13, 1971, President Nixon issued Executive Order 11625, which clarified MBDA's authority and expanded the scope of its operations.<ref>{{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}}</ref> In 1979, the agency was renamed the Minority Business Development Agency.<ref name=":0" />

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.<ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref name=":0" />

President Trump proposed eliminating all agency funding in his FY18 [[executive budget]] proposal.<ref>{{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}}</ref> This reflected [[The Heritage Foundation|Heritage Foundation]] budget recommendations.<ref>{{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}}</ref> His FY19 budget proposal recommended eliminating MBDA business centers but retaining the agency as a policy office.<ref>{{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=[[NARA|National Archives]] |access-date=April 15, 2018}}</ref>

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.<ref name=":2">{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" />

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.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

In March 2024, a judge ruled that MBDA must provide support to all businesses and owners, regardless of race.<ref name=":2" />

MBDA requested $80 million in appropriations for FY 2025 to continue to implement its responsibilities under the Minority Business Development Act of 2021.<ref name=":3">{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":3" />

In March 2025, [[Donald Trump|President Trump]] issued an [[executive order]] that directed eliminating the MBDA "to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law", along with several other agencies.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>

==National Minority Enterprise Development Week==

[[File:Donald Trump 2017 National Minority Enterprise Development Week Business Award Winners.jpg|thumb|right|President Trump with 2017 National MED Week Award Winners in the Oval Office]]

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.<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mbda.gov/calendar/2017-national-minority-enterprise-development-med-week|title=2017 National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week|website=Minority Business Development Agency|access-date=April 16, 2018|date=October 11, 2017}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{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}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

==See also==
* [[Title 15 of the Code of Federal Regulations]]
* [[Small Business Administration]]
* [[U.S. Department of Commerce]]

==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]]
[[Category:United States Department of Commerce agencies]]
[[Category:Presidency of Richard Nixon]]