Home  ›  Policy & Advocacy  ›  Federal Policy

Federal Policy

CAMEO Network’s Federal Policy Priorities

CAMEO Network advocates at the federal level to ensure that microlending and small business support organizations have the resources they need to thrive.

Our federal advocacy work focuses on:

  1. Securing federal appropriations for key agencies and programs such as:
    • The Small Business Administration (SBA)
    • United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) business assistance initiatives
    • The Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund
  2. Reauthorization of small business support programs such as:
    • Women’s Business Centers (WBC)
    • Small Business Development Centers (SBDC)
    • SCORE
  3. In partnership with the Responsible Business Lending Coalition (RBLC), advancing national truth-in-lending standards that protect small business borrowers and promote responsible lending practices.
  4. Supporting the implementation of Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act, which requires the gathering and reporting of data on race, ethnicity, and sex in the small business lending space; general support of CFPB’s regulatory and enforcement work.
  5. Maintaining funding and programs targeted at under-resourced entrepreneurs, such as the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA).

Find out which federal agencies fund micro-business development.

2025 Federal Advocacy Campaigns

Recent Campaigns

Protect Section 1071

Protect the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

Protect the CDFI Fund

Protect Rural Development Programs

CAMEO Network joined the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and 15 other organizations to oppose the repeal of Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act.

CAMEO Network joined Americans for Financial Reform and 348 other organizations to urge the House of Representatives to restore a strong and independent CFPB and oppose changes to its funding structure.

CAMEO Network mobilized 16 organizations to urge Congress to continue robust Congressional funding to the CDFI Fund in FY 2026.

CAMEO Network mobilized 11 organizations to urge Congress to continue robust Congressional funding to the USDA’s rural development programs in FY 2026.