Energy Department Delays Rescission of Minority Business Loan Program Until September

The Department of Energy is delaying until September 1, 2026 the effective date of its direct final rule that would rescind regulations for loans available to minority business enterprises pursuing Department of Energy contracts and assistance.

The action, signed by President Donald Trump and published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2026, extends the timeline for a rule originally published May 16, 2025. That rule has already been delayed four times: from an initial September 12, 2025 date to December 9, 2025, then March 9, 2026, June 4, 2026, and now September 1, 2026, per the Federal Register notice (document number 2026-11057, regulation ID 1903-AA23).

The program affected provides loans to minority-owned businesses that need capital to compete for DOE contracts or receive other department assistance. The regulations slated for rescission established the terms, eligibility criteria, and administrative processes for those loans.

Until the rule takes effect, the existing framework remains operational and businesses can continue to access the program under current standards.

Operationally, the delay means minority business enterprises retain access to the loan program on its pre-2025 terms for at least another three months. The rescission itself would eliminate the dedicated regulatory structure, after which such loans would no longer be expressly authorized or would shift to other general authorities.

No new comment period is mentioned; the notice simply announces the further delay of the direct final rule.

Downstream, the postponement keeps the current compliance and application deadlines in place for businesses planning bids on DOE work that rely on this financing. Federal contractors and DOE program offices must continue to administer the program without interruption through August 2026.

Congress retains the ability to review the eventual rescission under the Congressional Review Act once the rule becomes effective.

This marks the fifth delay for the rescission since its original publication in May 2025. The underlying regulations were originally established to support minority business participation in Department of Energy contracting and assistance programs.