The US Department of Energy has cancelled its 2025 Small Business Forum & Expo, originally set for 25-26 June 2025 in Chicago. While the DOE has not explicitly linked the cancellation to budgetary issues, the decision fits with a wider pattern of federal cost-cutting by DOGE.
The Trump administration’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget includes major cuts to the DOE, including a $15.2bn reduction in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding, $2.6bn cut from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and $1.1bn cut from the Office of Science. This cuts by the Trump Admin have been met with considerable criticism.
However, the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), which organises the Small Business Forum & Expo, did not link the cancellation to budget cuts. Instead, they said that the decision is part of a shift to hybrid and virtual initiatives.
Since President Trump’s return to office in January 2025, the US federal meetings sector has seen a wave of cancellations. Some of the affected conferences include the Department of Defense’s Procure-to-Pay (P2P) Training Symposium and the Georgia Public Health Association’s (GPHA) Annual Meeting and Conference.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), established under the Trump administration and led by Elon Musk, has been instrumental in implementing these changes. DOGE’s streamlining of government spending has resulted in widespread layoffs across federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Park Service (NPS).
For more information, visit https://www.energy.gov/osdbu/office-small-and-disadvantaged-business-utilization
