Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I give special thanks to the chairman and ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee because we are here for the right reasons, and that is to serve veterans and enable them to be productive in their lives after their service to our country. My bill, H.R. 561, the Protecting Business Opportunities for Veterans Act, gives the VA the tools it needs to fix a persistent problem in contracting that is labeled improper passthroughs. These abuses occur when a small business obtains a contract under set-aside award conditions, but gives all, or substantially all, of the work to a large company while collecting profit for doing absolutely nothing. This practice has long been prohibited by law and wastes taxpayer dollars, but, unfortunately, in reality, agencies up until this point have had little ability to stop it. As a veteran and a small business owner myself, I know how much work and dedication goes into building a successful company. The VA provides unparalleled opportunities for veteran-owned small businesses, but these opportunities are, unfortunately, wasted when unethical companies exploit loopholes to rip off the American taxpayer. I am very proud of VA's Vets First Program which directed contracts worth $6.3 billion to veteran-owned small businesses last year alone. However, bad actors have been taking away contracts from law-abiding veteran business owners in the Vets First Program for way too long.…”