Norton Introduces Bill Requiring Federal Agencies to Report on Advertising Spent with Small Disadvantaged Businesses and Those Owned by Women and Minorities
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a bill to require federal agencies to include the amount they spent on advertising contracts with small disadvantaged businesses(SDBs) and businesses owned by women and minorities in the previous fiscal year, as well as projections of their spending for the upcoming fiscal year, in their annual budget justifications.
"As one of the largest advertisers in the United States, the federal government has an obligation to ensure fair access for minority and women-owned media companies," Norton said. "My bill would ensure that federal agencies are striving to reach minorities and women, who often receive the news from smaller media outlets that serve more specific communities."
In 2016, Norton led Members of Congress in requesting a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on their advertising contracts. The GAO report, released in July 2024, revealed that only 15% of federal advertising contract obligations went to SDBs and businesses owned by minorities and women.
Norton’s introductory statement follows.
Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Introduction of the Federal Government Advertising Equity Accountability Act
October 21, 2025
Today, I introduce the Federal Government Advertising Equity Accountability Act, which would require all federal agencies to include in their annual budget requests to Congress the amount they spend on advertising contracts with small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs) and businesses owned by minorities and women. Federal agencies would be required to provide prior and projected total expenditures for such contracts. At my request, the Committee on Appropriations has required many federal agencies to provide such information each of the last several years, but this bill would codify this requirement and apply it to all federal agencies.
In 2007, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined spending on advertising contracts with minority-owned businesses by five federal agencies—the Department of Defense, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of the Interior and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration—and found that only five percent of the $4.3 billion available for advertising contracts went to minority-owned businesses. In light of these concerning findings, I, along with several other Members of Congress, sent letters to GAO in 2016 and 2022 requesting updated information on the amount of federal advertising dollars spent with SDBs and businesses owned by minorities and women. In 2018 and 2024, GAO issued reports on the amount of federal advertising dollars spent with SDBs and businesses owned by minorities and women. The 2024 report revealed that only 15 percent of federal advertising contract obligations went to SDBs and businesses owned by minorities and women. The federal government is one of the largest advertisers in the United States, and it has an obligation to ensure equitable access to its contracts for SDBs and businesses owned by minorities and women. GAO’s findings demonstrate that there is still much progress to be made.
The regular collection of information on federal advertising contracts with SDBs and businesses owned by women and minorities is essential to bridging the gap between what current statistics show and a more inclusive advertising landscape. This bill would help achieve this goal while also promoting transparency and encouraging federal agencies to strive to reach minorities, who often receive the news from smaller media outlets that serve communities of color. The requirement that agencies submit prior and projected information on the amount of advertising dollars spent with SDBs and businesses owned by minorities and women would allow federal agencies to evaluate their progress. The regular collection of this information would also demonstrate that the promotion of equity in advertising and in all areas of government is a continuous effort and is important to the mission of every federal agency.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
###