National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. MFUME. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Mfume-Neguse amendment which will codify Congress' support for small businesses across the country, particularly as it relates to this defense bill.

This amendment increases the overall Federal contracting goal for eligible small businesses from 23 to 25 percent. But more specifically, the amendment also increases the Federal contracting subgoals in different areas.

For example, for service-disabled veterans, who we always talk about and sometimes do something about, this is an important aspect of this amendment because, for service-disabled veterans, this increases the contracting goal from 3 to 4 percent, over a year or two.

For qualified small businesses, it increases the Historically Underutilized Business Zone contracting goals from 3 to 4 percent.

And for qualified women-owned and controlled businesses, it increases the contracting goals from 5 to 7 percent; which I think is significant for women-owned businesses and, as I said before, those disabled veteran businesses.

For small businesses that are owned by socially-disadvantaged individuals, it increases the contracting goal to 15 percent, and it does that over 4 years incrementally.

This is an extremely rare opportunity for us to do something in this particular bill about the people who are going to be benefiting from the bill and the people who have worked so hard in and out and around the defense industry who are small businesses in our country, veteran- owned businesses, women-owned businesses, minority-owned businesses.

And at the beginning and the end of the day, Madam Speaker, this is a simple amendment aimed at growing contracting opportunities for those categories. And again, this is not a mandate; these are goals, and we think they are very achievable.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. MFUME. Madam Speaker, I would respectfully disagree with the gentleman in his opposition. There are a couple of things that I think are important to be pointed out.

As the vice chair of the Small Business Committee of the House, I continue to hear the stories from women-owned businesses, veteran businesses, minority-owned businesses, and those that are socially and economically disadvantaged, that they want this; that they believe that if you increase these goals, things then will change.

By the way, these goals are aspirational; that is why they are called goals. This is not a mandate; not saying that we are going to move 1 year to another. It is all aspirational. And we believe it is the right thing to do; otherwise I don't know what we go back and say to those different groups of individuals.

Now, Republican and Democratic Members alike on this committee have heard over and over again about how we ought to do more; how we ought to push the government to actually do what it ought to be doing in many respects. But, again, this is an aspirational goal.

These are very, very small increases. And as we talk about defense contracting and the ability of minority businesses, women-owned businesses and, even more importantly, as I have said before, service- disabled veteran businesses to be able to compete with some real hope of being able to benefit. I would really urge passage of this amendment.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. MFUME. Madam Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. MFUME. Madam Speaker, I look forward to the gentleman, not only being on the committee, but agreeing and certainly offering the invitation to work together. My hope is that this passes; and, if it does, then I would extend to him the opportunity to do that, and I would join with him in doing that to make sure the already existing goals are achievable, and the aspirational goals really represent a ray of hope for these four groups.

And I don't favor one over another, except that it is hard for me to look at a service-disabled veteran who is trying to do business in a bill dealing with defense, and to be able to say, well, I am sorry, we just didn't do it again.

So I would close--I appreciate the gentleman's opposition, although I don't agree with it, and I would urge passage of this amendment, Madam Speaker.

I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source