WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 10, 2025 – The Automotive Service Association (ASA) is pleased to report that President Trump’s nominee to lead the Small Business Administration (SBA), former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), received a vote in support from the U.S. Senate Small Business Committee. SBA loans play an important role in helping many automotive repair businesses access the capital needed to make investments that keep their businesses competitive. ASA looks forward to the full Senate’s final confirmation.  

That same day, the U.S. House Small Business Committee held its first hearing of the year under the theme of “Hope on the Horizon: Prioritizing Small Business Growth in the 119th Congress.” ASA appreciates the committee members’ and witnesses’ attention to the 199A tax deduction set to expire at the end of 2025. Alice Frazier, president and CEO of the Bank of Charles Town, stated in the opening remarks of her testimony that, “in the coming tax debate, we urge permanent extension of the deduction for pass through business income under Section 199A. The loss of this deduction would amount to a steep tax increase for the vast majority of small businesses…”

Last month, ASA signed onto a letter in support of making the Section 199A tax deduction permanent. Section 199A allows S corporations – which comprise 95 percent of all U.S. businesses – to deduct 20 percent of qualified income for tax purposes. The next day, U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) and U.S. Representative Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) introduced the Main Street Tax Certainty Act, which would eliminate the deduction’s sunset at the end of 2025.

Several members of the committee also discussed issues surrounding workforce shortages and the need to invest more in workforce training. Freshman Representative Johnny Olszewski (D-MD) noted that, in his previous role as Baltimore County Executive, he helped make the county’s community colleges free for families making less than $150,000 annually. “…for Democrats, we would say we knocked down barriers to opportunity…From a Republican perspective, you can say we helped people pull themselves up by their bootstraps…Those are the kinds of investments that we in Congress might want to continue to make to help more communities,” stated Olszewski.

ASA commends the increased and bipartisan focus on addressing workforce gaps, which has caused harm to our members’ businesses and limited their ability to repair their customers’ vehicles.

ASA is the largest and oldest national organization committed to protecting the automotive repair industry with ONE VOICE. We are the only trade association whose board is comprised solely by collision and mechanical automotive repairers. Our members own and operate repair facilities responsible for the majority of all, post warranty, repair services in the United States. ASA advocates for the interests of its members and their customers in Washington, D.C. The education, resources, and services ASA provides empowers its members in all 50 states to remain trusted stewards of mobility in their communities. www.ASAShop.org