The initiative aims to reduce America’s dependence on foreign suppliers such as China.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has unveiled a free online tool aimed at helping small businesses identify and connect with more than a million American manufacturers and suppliers, the agency said in a May 20 statement.
The searchable Make Onshoring Great Again portal is set to “empower job creators to source domestic suppliers to support their operations—which will in turn support American jobs, reconnect our supply chain with U.S-based production, and end our nation’s concentrated dependence on foreign suppliers and adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party,” said the SBA.
The tool is expected to reduce a business’s exposure to overseas supply disruptions, strengthen operational resilience and quality control, and improve delivery times, it added.
At present, the initiative provides access to three supplier databases: IndustryNet, ThomasNet, and CONNEX.
IndustryNet lists more than 350,000 American providers of machinery, parts, services, and supplies, while ThomasNet enables businesses to connect with more than half a million U.S. manufacturers and suppliers selling more than 80,000 products and services in industries ranging from paper and textiles to aerospace and defense.
CONNEX is a database of more than 140,000 American suppliers and manufacturers that allows users to conduct in-depth searches based on multiple criteria such as production capabilities, materials, processes, and certifications.
“The SBA is proud to support President Donald J. Trump’s mission to restore America’s economic resurgence by empowering small businesses with the resources to supercharge the return of Made in America,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler.
The portal is a “decisive step toward rebuilding our nation’s strength through stronger supply chains, better products, and a renewed commitment to American industry, small business, and workers,” she said.
While the SBA ramps up its support for small businesses, there are serious concerns about the impact of import tariffs on the sector.
On April 30, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to federal officials, asking them to address the negative impact of tariffs by providing automatic exclusions for small-business importers and to exempt all products from such duties that cannot be produced in the United States or are not readily available in the country.
“As each day goes by, small businesses are increasingly endangered by higher costs and interrupted supply chains that will cause irreparable harm,” said Suzanne P. Clark, president of the chamber.
“We applaud the administration’s efforts to negotiate as many new trade agreements as possible that expand market access for U.S. companies and benefit American workers, but these deals take time, and many businesses simply can’t afford to wait while negotiations proceed.”
