Meuser Backs Main Street Capital Access Act to Support Community Banks, End Debanking, and Expand Access to Capital for Small Businesses

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Dan Meuser (PA-09) announced his support for the Main Street Capital Access Act, a major legislative package introduced by Financial Services Chairman French Hill (AR-02) and Financial Institutions Subcommittee Chairman Andy Barr (KY-06) to restore fair access to banking, strengthen community lenders, and expand capital for Main Street after four years of crushing regulation and constant scrutiny. 

The legislation delivers a comprehensive overhaul of the financial system that puts community banks, regional banks, and local economies first—empowering lenders to support their communities instead of navigating endless red tape and politically driven supervision. 

“This is a long-overdue reform package,” Meuser added. “Ten years ago, America had more than 6,100 community banks. Today, we’re down to fewer than 4,000. That decline means less access to capital for small businesses, fewer loans for farmers, fewer options for homebuyers, and fewer financial services for working families. The Main Street Capital Access Act reverses that trend by strengthening community banks, restoring local lending, and making sure capital flows where it belongs: back to Main Street.” 

The package includes Congressman Meuser’s SAFE Guidance Act, which was one of the key legislative recommendations of the House Financial Services Committee’s debanking report. The report exposed how federal regulators used informal guidance, reputational risk, and political pressure to push lawful businesses and individuals out of the banking system. This legislation takes that finding and puts it into law, while also advancing President Trump’s executive order to end debanking. 

“As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, we proved debanking was real, coordinated, and wrong,” Meuser said. “The debanking report didn’t just diagnose the problem, it laid out solutions. Key legislative recommendations in the debanking report are part of this comprehensive package to make sure no American is ever cut off from the financial system again.” 

After years of stalled bank formation and growing banking deserts, the bill ensures local lending stays local, expands access to capital for small businesses, and strengthens the ability of community and regional banks to serve Main Street instead of Wall Street.

The Main Street Capital Access Act will:

• Turn the findings of the Committee’s debanking report into law
• End the use of “reputational risk” to justify politically motivated debanking
• Reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens crushing community and regional banks
• Make it easier to start new community banks and serve local economies
• Expand access to capital for small businesses, farmers, and manufacturers
• Protect fair banking access for previously unbanked and debanked sectors

“This is a pro-Main Street, pro-small bank, pro-community reform package,” Meuser added. “It puts fairness, opportunity, and local growth back at the center of our financial system — where they belong.”

Click here for the text of the bill. Click here for a one-pager. Click here for a section-by-section.

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