Cord Byrd: “I voted in favor of tabling the amendment. Like many of my colleagues, I encourage small businesses--including those…”

“I voted in favor of tabling the amendment. Like many of my colleagues, I encourage small businesses--including those owned by socially and culturally disadvantaged individuals--to take an active role in bidding for federally funded highway construction contracts. But, while I understand the goals of the DBE program, I do not support preferential treatment for certain businesses on the basis of the race, ethnicity, or gender of their owners. I believe that the Constitution, as amended by the 5th, 13th, and 14th Amendments, does not permit the government to discriminate or differentiate on the basis of race, ethnicity, or gender--regardless of whether the government's motive is malicious or benign. If the precepts of 'equal protection' and 'due process' are to mean anything, then they must ensure that no one in this country is granted favorable or unfavorable treatment on the basis of some single differentiating characteristic. My reading of the Constitution is supported by the Supreme Court's 1995 decision in Adarand versus Pena.”