{"id":7731,"date":"2025-10-20T14:40:17","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T14:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/20\/government-shutdown-impacts-local-small-businesses\/"},"modified":"2025-10-20T14:40:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T14:40:17","slug":"government-shutdown-impacts-local-small-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/20\/government-shutdown-impacts-local-small-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"Government Shutdown Impacts Local Small Businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"

The federal government shutdown that began at midnight on October 1<\/strong> is already being felt by small business owners across the Midlands. While essential services continue, several key programs through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)<\/strong> — a vital resource for local entrepreneurs — have been paused until funding is restored.<\/p>\n

Before the shutdown, the SBA reported a record lending year for Fiscal Year 2025, approving 84,400 loans totaling $44.8 billion nationwide<\/strong>. Now, each day the government remains closed, an estimated 320 small businesses lose access to $170 million in SBA-guaranteed funding<\/strong>, creating uncertainty for employers, workers, and communities across South Carolina.<\/p>\n

\n

Local Impacts<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Among the affected services are:<\/p>\n

▪ New SBA Loans:<\/strong> Approval of new 7(a)<\/strong> and 504 loans<\/strong> has been temporarily halted, cutting off capital for small businesses looking to expand or purchase equipment.
▪ SBA Support Centers:<\/strong> Regional and district SBA offices — including those serving Columbia, Lexington, and surrounding counties<\/strong> — are operating at reduced capacity or are temporarily closed.
▪ Federal Contracting:<\/strong> Processing of new small business contracts and certifications is on hold.
▪ Trade and Export Assistance:<\/strong> Export counseling and international trade support through SBA partner programs are paused.<\/p>\n

\n

What’s Still Running<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The SBA’s Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience<\/strong> remains operational. That office continues processing and servicing disaster loans for businesses, homeowners, and renters affected by federally declared disasters — including storm-related assistance in South Carolina.<\/p>\n

Local business owners who need help navigating SBA programs during the shutdown can contact the South Carolina District Office<\/strong> at 803-765-5377<\/strong> or visit www.sba.gov<\/a><\/strong> for updates.<\/p>\n

\n

🟦 SIDEBAR: Resources for Midlands Small Businesses During the Shutdown<\/strong><\/h3>\n

South Carolina Small Business Development Centers (SBDC)<\/strong>
• Free counseling and financing guidance
• Columbia Office: (803) 777-4907
• Website: www.scsbdc.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Columbia Chamber of Commerce<\/strong>
• Updates on local business impacts and resources
• Phone: (803) 733-1110
• Website: www.columbiachamber.com<\/a><\/p>\n

U.S. Small Business Administration – South Carolina District Office<\/strong>
• Main line: (803) 765-5377
• Website: www.sba.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

Richland County Office of Small Business Opportunity<\/strong>
• Local certification and contracting guidance
• Phone: (803) 576-1540
• Website: www.richlandcountysc.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

Tip for Local Business Owners:<\/strong>
Stay in close contact with your lender or SBDC advisor for real-time updates on SBA loan processing and reopening timelines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The federal government shutdown that began at midnight on October 1 is already being felt by small business owners across the Midlands. While essential services continue, several key programs through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) — a vital resource for local entrepreneurs — have been paused until funding isContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28],"tags":[1167,315],"class_list":["entry","author-john-griggs","post-7731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-government-shutdown","tag-small-business"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gpstrianglenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/OpenforBusiness_2021_630x350.jpg?fit=630%2C350","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7731"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7731\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}