Rebecca Contreras Featured on CBN: Leading With Love Through the Federal Shutdown
- Chris Lopez
- 23 hours ago
- 2 min read
As the government shutdown continues, its impact stretches far beyond Washington. Across the country, small businesses and federal contractors are fighting to stay afloat — facing weeks without revenue or pay. For Rebecca Contreras, President and CEO of AvantGarde LLC, the crisis isn’t just political. It’s deeply personal.
In an October 28th interview with CBN News, Contreras shared how her faith and leadership are guiding her company through one of its most challenging seasons.
“We are one of over a million federal contractors impacted by the shutdown,” Contreras explained. “Sixty-four percent of those contractors work for small businesses like mine — and many have been laid off. We’re talking about hardworking Americans already living paycheck to paycheck, now facing a total loss of income.”
A Crisis Beyond the Headlines
Contreras described how the shutdown’s ripple effects reach far beyond government offices. According to data she cited, one in five small businesses across the U.S. are going without revenue — and billions in SBA loans are frozen due to the closure of federal operations.
“Unlike federal employees who receive back pay when the government reopens, contractors don’t,” she emphasized. “The millions of dollars lost during a shutdown are gone forever — and that loss hits families hard.”
Faith in Action: “Leading With Love”
Rather than standing by, Contreras and her business partner decided to act.
“My partner is Jewish, I’m Christian, and we’re both God-believing people,” she said. “We could not just listen to the stories of our team — over half of whom have been laid off for weeks — and do nothing.”
Together, they launched a zero-interest bridge-gap loan program, personally funded by the company’s owners. The initiative provides short-term, no-interest financial support to AvantGarde employees who’ve lost pay due to the shutdown, helping them cover essentials like rent, groceries, and care for loved ones.
“We call it leading with love,” Contreras shared. “We’re hearing heartbreaking stories — single moms, elderly employees caring for family members. One team member is caring for a brother who had a stroke. These loans are helping them bridge that gap and get through another month.”
Leadership Rooted in Compassion
Contreras’s message is one of faith, courage, and action. As a former White House appointee and Treasury executive turned entrepreneur, she’s seen how government gridlock can strain the real people behind the numbers. Her response to the crisis underscores her lifelong belief that leadership is about service, not status.
“At the heart of our company are our people,” she said. “We care and we love our people — and we’re going to keep leading with love.”
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