Political Quotes

“As the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world, the Federal Government is in a unique position to support veteran-owned businesses, yet navigating this process remains complicated to many veteran entrepreneurs. One of the most challenging obstacles for veteran-owned businesses is getting certified. This first step toward contracting with the Federal Government is the most important, but also the most complex. This is largely due to the fact that the SBA established its own program, which applies government-wide, and the VA administrators established their own program as well. Although the two programs share the same goal, each has its own participation requirements. Creating more confusion is the fact that firms can self-certify for the SBA programs, ones verified by the VA may not necessarily be found eligible to receive an SBA set-aside contract, and vice versa. Coordinating certifications between the SBA and the VA can allow the Federal Government to reap the benefits of goods and services provided by veteran-owned businesses. Again, I would like to thank Chairman Takano and Ranking Member Roe. Finally, I commend the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Kelly) for leading this long effort and continuing to keep the needs of our veteran business owners in mind, as well as my colleague from Colorado (Mr. Crow). Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.…”