Mitch Landrieu: “I welcome the confirmation of Steven Preston to be U.S. Small Business Administration, BSA Administrator. I had the…”

“I welcome the confirmation of Steven Preston to be U.S. Small Business Administration, BSA Administrator. I had the pleasure of meeting with Mr. Preston a few weeks ago, and I believe that he has the management experience to take on the many challenges facing the Small Business Administration. More importantly, I was impressed with his passion to serve and to take on this particularly challenging position. For too long this agency, which serves the backbone of our Nation's economy, has been a second-class citizen in this administration. The SBA enjoyed Cabinet-level status under President Clinton but has since been downgraded to a second-tier agency. The SBA's budget has been cut by nearly 40 percent since 2001--more than any other Federal agency. This sends the wrong signal to small businesses, especially our small businesses down in the gulf coast. It tells them that they are not worth the investment, that small businesses are not a national priority. We need a SBA Administrator who is a ``work horse'' not a ``show horse.'' Washington has plenty of show horses, but they should not be running Federal agencies. We have seen that in the gulf, and we don't want to see it again. I am willing to work with Mr. Preston and with my colleagues on the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship to help the SBA be more effective and responsive in good times and bad. One of the first challenges Mr.…”