Returning SBA to Main Street Act of 2025
HB2027, the “Returning SBA to Main Street Act of 2025,” would require the Small Business Administration to move at least 30 percent of its headquarters employees to duty stations outside the Washington metropolitan area within one year of enactment, if the Administrator determines the move would reduce federal costs. The bill also directs the SBA to reduce headquarters office space by at least 30 percent, limit full-time telework for employees whose duty stations are changed or who remain full-time teleworkers in headquarters, and adjust pay based on the new locality for relocated employees.
The bill sets out a detailed implementation process, including a report to Congress within 180 days identifying affected employees, proposed duty stations, exceptions, and the agency’s implementation plan. It also requires annual budget justification materials to include staffing and telework data, and it includes a severability clause, a supersession clause overriding conflicting laws and labor agreements, and a provision barring private lawsuits to challenge actions taken under the Act.
The bill would directly alter how the Small Business Administration manages headquarters staffing, telework, pay locality, and office space, while also affecting collective bargaining and labor agreement provisions that conflict with the Act. It would require the agency to redistribute headquarters personnel to regional, district, field, or other offices outside the Washington metropolitan area, reduce headquarters real estate, and report staffing and telework metrics to Congress each year. The bill would also affect employees who currently telework full-time or receive disability-related telework accommodations, though those with ADA-based accommodations are exempt from relocation and still counted toward the 30 percent requirement.
No committee transcript or vote record was provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate to gauge formal sentiment. Based on the bill text and title, the measure appears to be framed positively by its sponsors as a decentralization and cost-saving effort intended to move the SBA closer to small businesses nationwide. The absence of recorded votes or discussion means there is no documented bipartisan or partisan sentiment in the supplied materials.
The main points of contention are likely to be the mandatory relocation of headquarters employees, the restriction on full-time telework, and the bill’s override of existing law and collective bargaining agreements. Employee groups, telework advocates, and labor representatives may object to forced duty-station changes, pay reductions tied to locality adjustments, and the elimination of relocation incentives. Supporters are likely to emphasize geographic diversity, rural placement, lower federal costs, and improved in-person customer service across SBA regions, while opponents may argue the bill disrupts workforce stability and could undermine recruitment, retention, and disability accommodations.