I completely agree with you, Congressman, that the issue of payment and cash flow is of paramount importance right now.

Sure. I think there are three things that I would say.

that type of action is a real demonstration of the type of partnership we have with our inspector general and the Department of Justice, and evidence that this administration has absolutely zero tolerance for fraud, waste, and abuse.

If a prime contractor is delinquent, which we have defined as--after substantial input and public comment period--defined as more than 90 days late, just like you said, in paying its small business subs.

In terms of ensuring that small businesses are a part of it, the prime contract will have to submit as part of--a material part o the contract, the subcontracting plan.

The contracting officers have the primary responsibility for ensuring small businesses that they enter into contracts with comply with the limitations on subcontracting.

As I told you when I was here a few weeks ago, and I sincerely mean, our top priority at SBA is to maximize opportunity for small businesses and ensure the benefits of our programs flow to the intended recipients.

We talk a lot about when we are engaging with small businesses and getting them up to speed to sell to the government about being contract ready.

We can take the suspension action.

In terms of the suspensions and debarments, we stepped it up quite a bit.

Well, this presumption of law is new so it is still being stood up.

So if you were violating that, you were violating the terms of the contract.

Deny them unemployment insurance, deny them that, maybe deny their ability to keep their home and pay for their kids to grow up properly, you are going to find them--these are not just a rabble who are down at Wall Street, these are not…

Boy, I wish we all were North Dakota, I wish we all had a 3.5 percent unemployment rate.

So what I would suggest to all my colleagues, they are not down on Wall Street, protesting, or anywhere in this country protesting, because they are too busy out looking for work.

Now, at $1,620 per month in New York--and that is for a $350,000 home...

The--what I would remind my colleagues is that this portion, the UI benefit extension, is part of--part and parcel of--the President's overall jobs creator, jobs bill creating jobs.

So these folks aren't sitting home and just collecting a check. They have to be out looking for work, looking for a job.