Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) toured Asian-owned businesses—Pacha Nikkei, H-Mart, and Chicha San Chen—with Asian Chamber of Commerce and Southwest Management District leaders in honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. 

“I was glad to meet with several Asian American business owners from Texas’ Seventh Congressional District to discuss their innovative work and the challenges they face in this moment of uncertainty,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.  “These businesses demonstrate the dynamic and innovative work of this community.  I was especially glad to visit with these businesses during Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the perfect time to recognize the cultural richness they bring to our community.” 

Asian Americans are a crucial part of the United States’ economy, owning 11 percent of small businesses.  In March, President Trump signed an executive order effectively dismantling the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), which provides technical assistance to minority-owned businesses with the goal of helping them secure loans and contracts.  Congresswoman Fletcher has long viewed MBDA as a vital tool to support minority-owned businesses.  In 2021, she voted to expand the MBDA in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and in 2023, she cosponsored the Increasing Developing Entrepreneurship Access (IDEA) Act, which proposed a MBDA grant program to provide minority businesses access to entrepreneurship opportunities. 

All kinds of businesses—from small stores to large-scale grocery stores—are grappling with higher costs and increased uncertainty because of President Trump’s trade wars.  In April, President Trump also announced steep tariff rates targeting dozens of countries, with imports from Asian countries set to be among the hardest hit.  This is especially difficult for business owners who sell international goods and ship items from around the world, including in Houston’s Asiatown.  Congresswoman Fletcher has cosponsored several bills to reverse these tariffs and to prevent the President from unilaterally imposing tariffs, including the Stopping a Rogue President on Trade Act, H.R. 2888; the Congressional Trade Authority Act of 2025, H.R. 1903; the Reclaim Trade Powers Act, H.R. 2459; and the Repealing Outdated and Unilateral Tariff Authorities Act, H.R. 2464.