Paul Dabbar
Deputy Secretary
U.S. Department of Commerce
Herbert Clark Hoover Building
1401 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20230


Dear Deputy Secretary Dabbar,

On behalf of a coalition of organizations supporting entrepreneurs, technology-based economic development leaders, community developers, researchers, and private industry, we offer our sincere congratulations on your confirmation as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Our organizations have worked together in recent years to secure robust federal support for the Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech Hubs) program. We view this initiative as a vital tool for strengthening America’s industrial capacity and ensuring the benefits of technological progress are more widely shared across the country.

Your leadership arrives at a moment of great opportunity. With your background in both public service and the private sector, including your tenure overseeing the Department of Energy’s national labs and your work advancing emerging technologies, your wealth of experience will be invaluable to Commerce’s mission. Your focus on U.S. technology leadership, commercialization, and public-private partnerships directly aligns with the goals of the Tech Hubs program. We commend President Trump, Secretary Lutnick, and Congress for selecting someone with the expertise to help guide this and other key programs.

The Tech Hubs program reflects a rare combination of bipartisan vision, local ambition, and national urgency. Authorized through the CHIPS and Science Act, we have been pleased to see the program receive strong, early support under the Trump Administration. While current appropriations fall short of authorized levels, initial bipartisan investments, totaling nearly $1 billion, have sparked powerful momentum to accelerate regional innovation ecosystems across the nation. Communities in every region of the country have responded with coordinated plans to lead in fields that are critical to our national and economic security, such as biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, critical minerals, quantum, artificial intelligence, and more.

We are confident that, with your support, the Department will steward the Tech Hubs program with vision, integrity, and purpose. We stand ready to partner with you, your team, and the Secretary to ensure the continued growth and impact of this program, and we look forward to engaging with you as you assume this critical role.

Sincerely,
America Achieves
Center for American Entrepreneurship
Engine
Excel Regional Solutions LLC
Federation of American Scientists
Lewis-Burke Associates LLC
TechNet
Technology Councils of North America (TECNA)
SSTI
VentureWell