Washington may feel far removed from running a business in Georgia, but federal policy decisions are increasingly showing up in taxes, contracting opportunities, workforce decisions and the cost of doing business.
For business owners, the issue isn’t following every political debate. It’s knowing which changes could affect the company.
The federal tax law enacted in 2025 made the 20 percent Qualified Business Income deduction permanent for qualifying businesses. It also restored 100 percent bonus depreciation for many qualifying business assets acquired after January 19, 2025, increased Section 179 expensing limits and changed the treatment of domestic research and experimental expenses.
For businesses investing in equipment, technology or expansion, those changes make tax planning before a major purchase increasingly important.
The U.S. Small Business Administration reports that small businesses received nearly $179 billion, or almost 28 percent, of federal prime contracting dollars in fiscal year 2025. Including subcontracts, the total was nearly $273 billion. The overall federal small-business contracting goal remains 23 percent.
There are also significant changes surrounding the 8(a) Business Development Program. Race-based presumptions of social disadvantage have been inoperative since a 2023 federal court ruling. In June, SBA proposed formally replacing the previous regulatory presumption for individually owned businesses with a standard requiring applicants to provide fact-based evidence of social disadvantage. That proposal has not yet become a final rule.
For Georgia companies pursuing government work, the message is broader than certification: strong financials, past performance, capacity and relationships with agencies and prime contractors remain critical.
Federal tariffs on steel, aluminum, copper and certain derivative products have been revised several times in 2026. Those policies can affect manufacturers and importers directly, but higher or changing input costs can also move through the supply chain to construction firms, equipment purchasers, contractors and other businesses.
Georgia companies should understand where important materials and equipment originate and how exposed their suppliers may be to changes in trade policy.
The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed changing the federal test used to determine whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor. The February 2026 proposal would emphasize factors including the company’s control over the work and the worker’s opportunity for profit or loss. It remains a proposed rule.
For companies that rely heavily on contractors or project-based workers, classification practices deserve continued attention.
For Georgia business owners, the larger lesson is readiness. Federal policy will continue to change, but businesses can control how prepared they are to respond.
That means understanding costs, maintaining strong financial records, reviewing workforce practices, diversifying customers and staying connected to potential corporate and government opportunities.
Organizations such as the Georgia Business Council can help businesses translate those changes into practical decisions by connecting companies with information, resources and decision-makers.
The companies best positioned for what comes next won’t be those that followed every Washington headline. They will be the ones that understood which changes mattered to their business and prepared accordingly.
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