The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has suspended more than 1,000 companies from a key federal contracting program aimed at aiding disadvantaged businesses, after the firms failed to submit required financial documents, the agency announced Wednesday.
The SBA said it barred 1,091 firms from the 8(a) Business Development Program, which represents about 25 percent of the roughly 4,300 participants. The suspensions stem from a December 2025 order requiring all program members to provide three years of financial records by Jan. 19 to verify their legitimacy and root out potential shell companies or pass-through entities abusing the system.
