WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Ed Case joined congressional delegates from Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa in a letter to U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Isabel Guzman calling for budget and staffing improvements for the SBA District Office from Hawaii.
The district office serves an area that includes Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
The lawmakers noted that while the Hawaii office has a higher staff-to-population ratio than other SBA district offices, “the office still faces significant staffing constraints and logistical barriers due to its broad geographic area of ​​responsibility.”
“Providing effective service to the approximately 2,131 islands in the 8,609 square miles under the jurisdiction of the Hawaii District Office requires significant budget and personnel investment far beyond what is required of other SBA district offices,” they wrote.
Lawmakers said the SBA’s lack of presence is negatively impacting small businesses in the Pacific. For example, they wrote, the lack of chartered banks and microlenders in the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and American Samoa is a barrier to federal contracting and lending to small businesses. They said direct interaction with SBA employees is necessary to overcome these challenges.
The group said greater SBA investments are also needed for improved disaster preparedness and mitigation. They cited the fires in Maui, Typhoon Mawar in Guam, and Typhoon Yutu in the Northern Mariana Islands as recent examples of the need for SBA presence and responsiveness.
“For example, the absence of SBA staff from the island during the Maui wildfires severely hampered disaster relief efforts, highlighting deficiencies in both staffing and communication,” they wrote.
Lawmakers sent Guzman a list of recommendations and asked the administrator to respond by Sept. 30 about the SBA’s ability to act on them. Recommendations include increasing permanent staff, increasing travel budgets, appointing liaison officers to improve cultural sensitivity and community engagement; expanding credit and disaster assistance; and providing additional assistance to the Free Associated States.
Joining Case in the letter were House delegates Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen of American Samoa, Gregorio Sablam of the Northern Mariana Islands and James Moylan of Guam.
Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.
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