To the editor:

I was happy to see that Congress increased funding to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s entrepreneurial development programs by more than $21 million in its 2020 government spending plan: “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020,” H.R. 1158.

Taking the leap into entrepreneurship can be scary, but when we have the resources and support we need, it can soften the landing. Most of us didn’t go to business school and have no formal training in how to run a business, so we rely on free and low-cost resources like the ones provided through the SBA.

Additionally, for veterans like myself, many of us leave military service without much of a network outside the military community. Programs through the SBA like SCORE provide the much-needed training wheels and rudder to make our business aspirations a reality.

This measure proves that Congress can get things done to help small businesses. We are America’s job creators, but we can only continue to support our economy with the help of resources like the ones the SBA provides. I hope to see even more increased attention to our needs in the future.

-Matthew P. Banks, Alexandria