Eleanor Holmes Norton

We have wasted tons of money of taxpayer dollars.

We congratulate you both on your figures, notwithstanding the criticism.

Apprenticeship, this has been a big concern of this Committee and we do have apprenticeship...

The important thing about the administration's work is not geared only to lifting the economy up, it is very forward looking.

Well in advance of the end of 2010.

Very good, Mr. Guerin.

It is a largely white male industry. It is an industry that is that way not because of the old discrimination patterns of the past, but because government funding has not been there to assist the industry.

I would ask you, Mr. Guerin, to look at the design prototyping that the Custom and Border Patrol uses and within 30 days submit to this Committee whether or not you think any of it is applicable to GSA.

We certainly will need to see the elements I have just described before approving any more courthouses.

I don't think this administration would want to put itself in the same bag as prior administrations...

I would hope there would never ever be another leased border station if we could possibly help it.

The fact is that you don't build that much anymore.

I believe it is your obligation to consider that, even if there is not anything you can do about it at the moment.

It is not acceptable to have Federal funds being used on a construction project today without doing some kind of apprenticeship development on that project.

Oh, I don't blame them. You keep paying for the buildings over and over again.

I hate to hold them up because GSA is in fact who is holding them up.

There will be criticism of Federal projects that are not preparing for the workforce of the future.

Let me compliment the administration for doing what no administration has ever even tried to do before, and that is to calculate jobs per funding by the United States Government.

Could I ask you and Mr. O'Keefe to get within 30 days to this Subcommittee a copy of your respective small business plans?

we are going to attempt to get gold on this.

We take very seriously unauthorized matters.

So in construction, Mr. Peck, if we gave credit for the subs hiring or, excuse me, engaging in small business contracting, wouldn't that be an incentive for them in letting their own subcontracting hold those subcontractors accountable…

I don't see why at least in contracting it wouldn't make sense to do.

I have drawn this to the attention of the administration in my own report to them or my own transition memo to them, that they are caged in a budgeting notion of real estate.

That is now a requirement. This started as a requirement in this region.