Example Letter for Non-Native Americans

Dear Legislator,

I urge you to preserve a critical government program that is working to improve their lives.
It is the Small Business Administration's 8(a) Business Development Program, providing Native Businesses important contracting opportunities with the federal government. Congress committed to helping Native communities lift their economic condition through important initiatives such as 8(a).

Yet today, certain lawmakers seem to have forgotten, dismissed or ignored the sacrifices Native Americans have made for our country. They seek to break this pledge and change this component of Federal Indian policy. I hope you will honor the government's commitment to the Native communities and sustain Native Enterprise participation in this vital initiative.

The 8(a) program is working precisely as Congress intended. Native Businesses are providing the U.S. government with first-rate services and goods at competitive market prices while rebuilding their communities, investing millions of dollars into educational scholarships and a host of cultural and social programs.

Thanks to 8(a), Native Americans are going to college, starting careers and finally experiencing the American Dream. Any revision to this program threatens to destroy the dreams of Native American children and sentence others, particularly the Elders and young families, to a life of poverty and extreme economic hardship.

The success of this program is just starting to take root, but there's still a long way to go. Nearly a quarter of Native Americans still live in poverty. The 8(a) program offers hope that a better life for this community can be achieved.

I encourage you to sustain Native Enterprise participation in the 8(a) program.