North Dakota’s Entrepreneurs Under Federal Changes

(Adobe Stock via Prairie News Service)

(By By Mike Moen. Prairie News Service)- North Dakota’s Main Street businesses have a lot on their plate, from monitoring tariffs to finding enough workers and support organizations said it is an open question whether they will feel any pain from large federal budget cuts.

Economists said there were some wins for small business in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” pushed through Congress by Republicans. One is raising the cap for tax deductions for equipment. But President Donald Trump’s proposal for the next annual budget would eliminate key entrepreneurial support, including Women’s Business Centers.

Amber Metz, executive director of the Lake Agassiz Development Group, said it is free guidance startups would miss out on.

“Those would usually be substantial out-of-pocket costs for that kind of expertise that is found in those offices,” Metz explained. “To get the same kind of expertise, I don’t think that’s likely doable for all of those new small businesses.”