More 8(a) Scrutiny Announced
The 8(a) Business Development Program has garnered intense scrutiny from the Trump Administration over the past few months. See here , here and here . This focus continues with three significant developments in 2026: Secretary Pete Hegseth’s January 16 announcement on X of a Department of War audit of 8(a) sole-source contracts, the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) January 22 guidance restructuring how the 8(a) program is administered, and SBA’s issuance of Notices of Suspension to some 8(a) firms that failed to fully respond to SBA’s by the January 19 deadline. Together these developments reflect growing skepticism toward the 8(a) program and signal increased scrutiny for contractors that have long treated 8(a) status as a relatively predictable procurement vehicle. Department of War Audit On January 16, 2026, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced via X (formerly Twitter) that the Department would be “taking a sledgehammer” to the 8(a) progra...