On the recordJanuary 6, 2020
I rise today to discuss the nomination of U.S. Treasurer Jovita Carranza to lead the Small Business Administration. Treasurer Carranza's nomination comes at a time of great change for American small businesses. With the growing diversity in America, the face of business ownership in America is naturally also becoming more diverse. I have witnessed these changes firsthand in my home State of Maryland, which currently boasts the highest concentration of women- owned businesses in the country, as well as the highest concentration of minority-owned businesses. Maryland's success has been no accident; it is as a result of our leaders' decades-long commitment to creating opportunities for underserved entrepreneurs, which began when the late Baltimore Congressman Parren J. Mitchell created the first Federal set- aside for minority contractors in 1977. It was with this understanding that I requested a seat on the Small Business Committee when I joined this body in 2006, and it is with this understanding that I am hopeful that Treasurer Carranza will provide much needed leadership at the SBA and serve as an advocate for entrepreneurs--especially those from underserved communities--within the administration. If confirmed to lead the SBA, Treasurer Carranza will enter an agency that has not had a Deputy Administrator since April 2018 and that has been led by its General Counsel since former Administrator Linda McMahon resigned in April 2019.…





