Across the South-Central United States, The America First agenda is helping drive new investment and job growth, from energy development in Texas to manufacturing and agriculture in rural communities across the region. When taxes are low, regulations are cut, and fair trade has delivered a level playing field for competition - Main Street thrives.
This tax season, thousands of small businesses are seeing record refunds and benefits from President Donald J. Trump’s Working Family Tax Cuts. Amid a favorable economic climate, many of them are now thinking about how to leverage their windfall to expand, hire, and invest. The SBA has heard from hundreds of job creators who are seeking additional capital to meet new demand and keep up with new purchase orders.
Many small businesses will turn to reliable lending through SBA’s flagship 7(a) and 504 loan programs to help them expand operations, purchase equipment, or bring on new workers. Others may explore securing growth capital through the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program, which helps scale businesses ready to meet rising demand in sectors like energy, advanced manufacturing, and AI.
And for the next generation of innovation, programs like the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (SBTT) program can helping small firms compete, develop new technologies, and strengthen America's industrial base.
In South Texas, plans for a new refinery at the Port of Brownsville represent the first new refinery built in the United States in nearly 50 years. Large projects like this don't operate in isolation. They rely on a network of small businesses across construction, transportation, fabrication, and energy services – creating jobs both inside the facility and across the entire domestic supply chain. When capital is accessible, those small businesses are positioned to step in, compete, and grow alongside major investments.
The growth we’re witnessing across the South-Central United States would not be possible without President Trump’s broader focus on expanding domestic energy production and U.S. industrial dominance. The administration is helping drive investment across regions like ours, where resources, workforce and small business capacity are already strong. At the same time, the Administration is reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens to make it easier for entrepreneurs to operate and expand without being held back by costly or duplicative requirements.
With Working Family Tax Cuts going into effect this year, the comeback is only just beginning for Main Street. The permanent 20% small business deduction, 100% expensing for factories and equipment, and a host of other incentives like no tax on tips or overtime are putting more money back in the pockets of workers and job creators alike. Combined with fair trade, deregulation, and the broader effort to reindustrialize America – small businesses finally have the freedom, certainty, and support to succeed.
Across Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, the pieces are coming together, and the comeback is well underway.