Hillary Scholten

It is so unfortunate that we are having this hearing today. There are so many other deeply important things.

No greater asset than our Coasties. So, thank you so much.

I have a lot to say about this airport. This will help GRR and other airports forge a path forward to meet the needs of the region. I thank the chair and ranking member again for working with me, and I urge passage of this bill for my…

I am committed to ensuring that that we ease the burden for our small businesses in this critical market while also keeping consumers safe.

Healthcare is growing the economy and saving lives every single day in west Michigan, from the production of the COVID vaccine to innovative cancer research to medical devices that are being created right in my home, my backyard.

Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. But let's make sure that we have effective regulations that are doing what they need to do but are not getting in the way of critical lifesaving drugs and medical devices.

This is such an incredibly important hearing. And I think, if we have learned anything from the questions today and the testimony, it is that this is about balance.

Thank you so much to the bill's leader, Mr.

Everyone deserves access to clean water, but we know well in Michigan that aging infrastructure has not been replaced at the rate that it needs to.

So continuing to keep going on the programs that are successful and that are delivering, but also broadening and deepening areas of need.

One positive trend I observed is that the SBA's 4-year implementation rate for GAO recommendations since 2021 is 100 percent.

The coverup and lack of transparency that Operation Fouled Anchor revealed is putting a dark, dark cloud over the Coast Guard that no one deserves.

Everyone deserves to feel safe in their workspace, especially those who put their lives on the line to keep us safe.

As the Ranking Member of this Subcommittee, one of my top priorities is to ensure that Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses like Alliant are able to navigate and grow in the federal contracting marketplace.

I am a firm believer, if you can't explain a concept in plain language, you don't really know what you are talking about.

The ability of small businesses to compete in the federal marketplace has also been adversely affected by the lack of staff in critical roles.

If anything, we should be able to agree that the economic security and national security of our country is dependent upon a strong industrial base fueled by secure supply chains.

Small businesses experience challenges, including lag time between the speed of approvals and the speed of acquisitions.

The federal government needs to contract with businesses in order to run. We believe they should be contracting with small businesses.

This is the third regulatory oversight hearing that we have had, and I really look forward to hearing how smart, well-crafted regulations help level the playing field for small businesses throughout America.

I am particularly concerned with the ability of women-owned small businesses, WOSBs, to compete and be prepared to succeed if they outgrow these size definitions.

I am thrilled that last week this Committee passed bills to support the WOSB program, but there is still so much more to be done.

As the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure, I see how small businesses get boxed out of the federal marketplace by agency size standard decisions.

I urge Members to vote yes on this important legislation.

I am so proud to speak on behalf of this bill. The Women-Owned Small Business--WOSB--Integrity Act, which is cosponsored, of course, by Congresswoman Maloy.