Ernst Honors Veteran Small Business Owners

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), chair of the Senate Committee on Small Businesses and Entrepreneurship, is leading 62 of her colleagues in a bipartisan resolution designating Nov. 3-7, 2025, as National Veterans Small Business Week.

Ernst, a combat veteran, has worked tirelessly to provide veterans access to the resources they need to succeed in the business world after serving our nation.

"Ensuring veterans have every opportunity to pursue the American Dream is personal to me. They fiercely protected our freedoms during their service and, now as civilians, exemplify the American entrepreneurial spirit. During National Veterans Small Business Week, join me in celebrating these men and women who have served their country and now their communities," said Chair Ernst.

"In Massachusetts, over 24,000 veteran-owned small businesses make our Main Streets thrive. Through their tenacity, their discipline, and the leadership skills they learned through military service, veterans are uniquely capable of entrepreneurial and small business success. As Ranking Member of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, I will continue to work with my colleagues to support veteran small business owners and ensure our veterans have every tool and resource they need to grow their businesses, create jobs, and enrich our communities," said Ranking Member Ed Markey (D-Mass.).

Read the resolution here.

Background:

Ernst has fought to increase the effectiveness of the Small Business Administration's (SBA) veterans' business development programs to better tackle the challenges faced by veteran entrepreneurs and urged the SBA to do more to provide veterans, reservists, and their spouses financial literacy courses and increase their access to capital.

Ernst's Stop Stolen Valor for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Contractors Act, which reduces fraud and stolen valor in federal contracting, was signed into law.

Earlier this year, she hosted her annual Entrepreneur Expo in Ames to help veteran entrepreneurs learn about federal, state, and local government contracting opportunities and federal innovation programs.

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