January 6, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S21 ADMINISTRATION OF OATH OF ship, vision, and tools required to meet But Congress alone cannot reverse OFFICE their needs. I would like to use this op- the increasing insularity of the Federal The VICE PRESIDENT. If the Sen- portunity to highlight what I believe contracting process; SBA must work ator-designate will now present herself are the two most critical areas where with large agencies that are driving at the desk, the Chair will administer the SBA is falling short in its support these trends in Federal contracting to the oath of office. of underserved communities. ensure that small businesses are given First, SBA must do a better job of opportunities to become prime con- The Senator-elect, KELLY LOEFFLER, providing affordable capital to entre- tractors and supply the Federal Gov- escorted by Ms. ERNST, advanced to the preneurs from underserved commu- ernment. desk of the Vice President; the oath Treasurer Carranza’s prior experience prescribed by law was administered to nities. SBA’s various loan programs provide should serve her well at the SBA. In her by the Vice President; and she sev- entrepreneurs with affordable capital nearly 30 years at UPS, where she erally subscribed to the oath in the Of- to fund their businesses. These loans began as a part-time package handler, ficial Oath Book. are especially important for under- Treasurer Carranza became the highest The VICE PRESIDENT. Congratula- served entrepreneurs, who typically ranking Latina in the history of the tions. have less wealth with which to fund a company. She also served in govern- (Applause, Senators rising.) small business and have lower rates of ment as Deputy Administrator of SBA The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. business loan approvals. under President George W. Bush, dur- BOOZMAN). The Senator from Instead of filling in the gaps in the ing which she chaired the SBA’s Office is recognized. credit markets, SBA’s highest volume of Small and Disadvantaged Business NOMINATION OF loan program, the 7(a) Program, has Utilization Council. Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise mirrored the inequities in the market. At a time when America’s small busi- today to discuss the nomination of U.S. That is something we need to address. nesses are experiencing rapid demo- Treasurer Jovita Carranza to lead the Addressing this issue is important not graphic changes and new challenges, Small Business Administration. Treas- only in Maryland, which, as I men- SBA needs bold and innovative leader- urer Carranza’s nomination comes at a tioned, has one of the most diverse ship. I am optimistic that Treasurer time of great change for American small business communities in the Carranza can be the leader and advo- small businesses. With the growing di- country, it is vital for the future cate that SBA and American small versity in America, the face of business health of America’s economy, consid- businesses need right now. I support ownership in America is naturally also ering that women and minorities are her nomination. I urge my colleagues becoming more diverse. driving growth in new business forma- to approve her nomination as the SBA I have witnessed these changes first- tion. Administrator. hand in my home State of Maryland, According to a recent American Ex- With that, I yield the floor. which currently boasts the highest press study, the overall business own- f concentration of women-owned busi- ership rate increased only 9 percent be- EXECUTIVE SESSION—Continued nesses in the country, as well as the tween 2014 and 2019. Over the same 5- highest concentration of minority- year period, the number of women- owned businesses. Maryland’s success owned businesses increased 21 per- CLOTURE MOTION has been no accident; it is as a result of cent—more than twice as fast as the The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant our leaders’ decades-long commitment overall rate—and the number of minor- to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the to creating opportunities for under- ity women-owned businesses grew by 43 Senate the pending cloture motion, served entrepreneurs, which began percent. which the clerk will state. when the late Baltimore Congressman It is clear that the underserved com- The legislative clerk read as follows: Parren J. Mitchell created the first munities are driving the growth and CLOTURE MOTION Federal set-aside for minority contrac- business formation in America, and We, the undersigned Senators, in accord- tors in 1977. SBA’s loan programs must catch up to ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the It was with this understanding that I this new reality. Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby requested a seat on the Small Business Second, SBA must do all it can to in- move to bring to a close debate on the nomi- Committee when I joined this body in crease opportunity for small business nation of Jovita Carranza, of Illinois, to be 2006, and it is with this understanding Administrator of the Small Business Admin- contractors. Recent trends paint an on- istration. that I am hopeful that Treasurer erous picture of the future of small Mitch McConnell, John Boozman, Joni Carranza will provide much needed business contracting. A 2019 Bloomberg Ernst, Kevin Cramer, David Perdue, leadership at the SBA and serve as an Government report found that despite Steve Daines, Thom Tillis, Roger F. advocate for entrepreneurs—especially a steady increase in government spend- Wicker, James E. Risch, Cindy Hyde- those from underserved communities— ing in the past several years, the Fed- Smith, Lisa Murkowski, Pat Roberts, within the administration. eral contracting marketplace is becom- Richard C. Shelby, Deb Fischer, James If confirmed to lead the SBA, Treas- ing less competitive, with the number Lankford, Chuck Grassley, Mike Rounds. urer Carranza will enter an agency of contractors working on unclassified that has not had a Deputy Adminis- contracts at a 10-year low. Small busi- The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unan- trator since April 2018 and that has nesses are facing the brunt of this de- imous consent, the mandatory quorum been led by its General Counsel since crease, which is particularly troubling call has been waived. The question is, Is it the sense of the former Administrator Linda McMahon in Maryland, where Federal con- Senate that debate on the nomination resigned in April 2019. She will join an tracting accounted for 8 percent— of Jovita Carranza, of Illinois, to be administration that has pushed for roughly $33 billion—of our State’s GDP Administrator of the Small Business drastic cuts at the SBA in every budget in 2018. The jobs created by these com- Administration, shall be brought to a it has sent to Congress. I am grateful panies have helped thousands of fami- close? that our Appropriations Committee lies in Maryland enter the middle The yeas and nays are mandatory has consistently rejected the adminis- class. under the rule. tration’s devastating budget proposals, The Senate has taken steps to help The clerk will call the roll. and I hope that Treasurer Carranza small contractors. I am proud to share The legislative clerk called the roll. will work to ensure that the adminis- that today SBA will begin imple- Mr. THUNE. The following Senators tration’s fiscal year 2021 budget is not menting the Runway Extension Act— are necessarily absent: the Senator more of the same. legislation I introduced that will allow from Tennessee (Mr. ALEXANDER), the Minorities, women, veterans, and en- small businesses to make critical in- Senator from Utah (Mr. LEE), and the trepreneurs from other underserved vestments to grow their businesses Senator from Georgia (Mr. PERDUE). communities face specific, historical without fearing they will lose access to Further, if present and voting, the barriers to business ownership, and resources and Federal contracting op- Senator from Tennessee (Mr. ALEX- they need an SBA that has the leader- portunities. ANDER) would have voted ‘‘yea.’’

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