[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 200 (Monday, December 1, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H4912-H4913]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MADE IN AMERICA MANUFACTURING FINANCE ACT
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 3174) to increase loan limits for loans made to
small manufacturers, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3174
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Made in America
Manufacturing Finance Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
Section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(gg) Small Manufacturer.--The term `small manufacturer'
means a small business concern--
``(1) the primary business of which is classified in sector
31, 32, or 33 of the North American Industrial Classification
System; and
``(2) all of the production facilities of which are located
in the United States.''.
SEC. 3. SMALL BUSINESS ACT LOAN LIMITS FOR SMALL
MANUFACTURERS.
Section 7(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(a))
is amended--
(1) in paragraph (3)--
(A) in subparagraph (A)--
(i) by inserting ``except as provided in subparagraph
(B),'' before ``if the total'';
(ii) by striking ``would exceed $3,750,000'' and inserting
the following: ``would exceed--
``(i) $3,750,000'';
(iii) in clause (i), as so designated, by striking ``,
except as provided in subparagraph (B);'' and inserting ``;
or''; and
(iv) by adding at the end the following:
``(ii) in the case of a borrower that is a small
manufacturer, $7,500,000 (or if the gross loan amount would
exceed $10,000,000);''; and
(B) in subparagraph (B)--
(i) by striking ``would exceed $4,500,000'' and inserting
the following: ``would exceed--
``(i) $4,500,000'';
(ii) in clause (i), as so designated, by striking ``section
7(a)(14) for export purposes; and'' and inserting ``paragraph
(14) for export purposes; or''; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
``(ii) in the case of a borrower that is a small
manufacturer, $9,000,000 (or if the gross loan amount would
exceed $10,000,000), of which not more than $8,000,000 may be
used for working capital, supplies, or financings under
paragraph (14) for export purposes; and''; and
(2) in paragraph (14)(B)(i), by striking ``than
$5,000,000.'' and inserting the following: ``than--
``(I) except as provided in subclause (II), $5,000,000; or
``(II) in the case of a loan made to a small manufacturer,
$10,000,000.''.
SEC. 4. SMALL BUSINESS INVESTMENT ACT OF 1958 LOAN LIMITS FOR
SMALL MANUFACTURERS.
Section 502(2)(A)(iii) of the Small Business Investment Act
of 1958 (15 U.S.C. 696(2)(A)(iii)) is amended by striking
``$5,500,000'' and inserting ``$10,000,000''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Williams) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Cisneros)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
[[Page H4913]]
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my bill, H.R. 3174, the Made
in America Manufacturing Finance Act.
The ability to manufacture in the United States is vital to our
country's economic and national security. However, for decades,
America's policies have shipped good-paying manufacturing jobs overseas
and opened the door for foreign adversaries to fill the void. We must
reverse this trend which would require more than just luck.
That is why the Trump administration has been championing progrowth
and pro-American policies that are fueling a domestic manufacturing
comeback. Now, Congress can do its job to reverse the trend and support
the revitalization of American manufacturing.
Small American manufacturers account for 98 percent of U.S.
manufacturing companies. Like all small businesses, access to capital,
or the appropriate amount of capital, is challenging. H.R. 3174 gives
small American manufacturers access to capital at a level they need to
start or grow their operations.
This legislation increases the loan limit for small American
manufacturers under the SBA's 7(a) and 504 lending programs from $5
million to $10 million.
This will provide American manufacturing the capital they need to
invest in new technology, hire, grow, and create onshore jobs that we
have carelessly lost overseas.
H.R. 3174 is essential to keep pace with demand for capital and bring
jobs back to the U.S. Two weeks ago, the Committee on Small Business
heard testimony from the industry and other manufacturing stakeholders
about the importance of this bill for small manufacturers across the
country looking to grow and reshore their businesses.
It is often the case that when Congress passes a bill to support an
industry, it will come at a cost to taxpayers. This is not the case
with H.R. 3174 because the SBA's 7(a) and 504 loan programs operate
under zero subsidy, meaning zero cost to the taxpayer. The
Congressional Budget Office's review found that any costs would be
insignificant in this area.
H.R. 3174 presents Congress with the critical opportunity to usher in
the golden age of American manufacturing.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3174, to support
made in America, small businesses, and the revitalization of the
American manufacturing base.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CISNEROS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to speak as we take up
a set of five bipartisan bills that will expand services available to
our country's 36 million small businesses.
These businesses are crucial to our economy and national security,
creating two-thirds of all new jobs, employing half the private-sector
workforce, and generating almost half of our Nation's economic
activity.
Despite forming the bedrock of our local communities, small
businesses are increasingly feeling uncertain about the future of the
country. The small business landscape is littered with obstacles like
finding qualified workers, dealing with supply chain disruption as they
adjust to the President's tariff regime, and adopting new technologies
in order to stay competitive. These economic headwinds make SBA
services more important than ever.
The bills before us today reflect the monthslong, bipartisan effort
to strengthen the services offered by the SBA and bolster the support
for small businesses across the country. These five bills were
negotiated in good faith and in the spirit of collaboration.
Together, they help expand access to capital for businesses central
to our national security, expand the reach of the SBA's Office of Rural
Affairs, hold fraudsters accountable for exploiting the pandemic relief
programs, and modernize the SBA's IT infrastructure.
These bills are quite simply common sense and would meaningfully
improve SBA services for small businesses across the country. I am
proud to support them, and I thank my colleagues for the bipartisan
effort.
Mr. Speaker, turning to the first bill, I rise today for H.R. 3174,
the Made in America Manufacturing Finance Act.
Small manufacturers account for more than 98 percent of U.S.
manufacturing firms and employ 4.8 million Americans. They play a
critical role in regional economies and in maintaining supply chain
resilience.
There is no doubt that reshoring manufacturing is a top priority. We
all lived through the pandemic and saw the downsides of streamlined
just-in-time supply chains. When it comes to industries critical to our
economic and national security, such as pharmaceuticals and weapons,
ensuring the viability of domestic supply chains is paramount.
Let's all be honest, as a result of the crushing use of tariffs
imposed unilaterally by the President, small businesses are clamoring
for options in their supply chains that avoid massive and ever-changing
taxes at points of entry, but a renewed economic focus on making things
in the U.S. cannot happen at the snap of a finger.
It takes large investments and longtime horizons. This bill is a way
to approach filling the gaps in manufacturing financing. It raises the
loan limits for the SBA 7(a) and 504/CDC loan program from $5 million
to $10 million for small manufacturers.
In fact, helping small firms with the upfront capital investment is
one of the main goals of the 504/CDC program, and there is broad
support for increasing the loan limits in particular. Whether this is a
prudent use of the 7(a) program is a conversation that is still up for
debate, and one I look forward to continuing to work through with our
Senate counterparts.
Mr. Speaker, I support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support
H.R. 3174 that supports American manufacturing, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. CISNEROS. Mr. Speaker, I will close by thanking the chairman for
his commitment to working on behalf of small businesses to open up
avenues of financing for small businesses hoping to contribute to the
reshoring of manufacturing.
Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation, and I yield back the balance
of my time.
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support
this commonsense legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Williams) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3174, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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