NEWS | SBA Suspends More Than 1,000 Small Businesses From 8(a) Program Amid New Compliance Push

NSBA will continue to support accountability and common sense compliance for small business on every level.

ANALYSIS | The SBA’s recent suspension of roughly 25% of 8(a) firms underscores a sharp pivot in federal contracting oversight, with the agency emphasizing stricter documentation requirements and a return to merit-based certification. NSBA will continue monitoring how these changes affect small businesses’ access to federal contracting opportunities.

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FEB. 04, 2026 | Last week, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced it was suspending around 25 percent of all 8(a) firms currently participating in the program. Under the 8(a) business development program, SBA certifies socially and economically disadvantaged businesses and provides counseling and technical assistance with the goal of enhancing their federal contracting opportunities. 

According to SBA, the suspension of the 1,091 firms is the result of their failure to submit three years’ worth of financial documents by Jan. 19, 2026. That was a new directive under the Trump administration issued Dec. 5, 2025 as part of an effort to root out small business contracting abuse. 

In its release last week, SBA touted the suspensions were the “…Latest in Sweeping Effort to Dismantle DEI, Expose Fraud, and Restore Integrity to Federal Contracting.” The statement also cites that, “While the Biden Administration accepted over 2,200 new 8(a) firms into the Program over its four-year term, the Trump SBA accepted just 65 last year.” 

Additionally, according to the statement from SBA, “…the agency reduced the “Small Disadvantaged Business” contracting goal for the federal government from 15% to its statutory 5%. The Trump SBA also ended the practice of accepting firms into the 8(a) Program based solely on unsubstantiated claims and Biden-era narratives of racial discrimination. As the agency reiterated last week, it does not deny applicants admission to the 8(a) Program simply because they are white – and will not consider any applicant to be “socially disadvantaged” simply because they are a member of a minority group.” 

NSBA will continue to monitor the situation and reductions in the 8(a) program.

Click here to read the full statement from SBA.