Political Quotes

“And I rise in support of H.R. 1615. Before I speak on the bill, I want to thank the gentleman from Mississippi (General Kelly) and the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Crow)--both veterans, by the way--for their leadership on this important legislation and for their service to our country. We appreciate it greatly. So many of our Nation's heroes come home to become entrepreneurs, and many choose to continue with their service to the country by entering the Federal contracting space. Federal contracting can be a confusing minefield of red tape and bureaucracy, and it is up to us to make the process as easy as possible. Unfortunately, the process is complicated and rife with disparities. In fact, there currently exists an unnecessary duplication of small business programs at the SBA and the VA. Both operate under separate and conflicting standards. Veterans attempting to make sense of these two programs often feel overwhelmed and frustrated, sometimes to the point where they decline to join the Federal marketplace altogether. This should not be the case. We need to encourage veteran entrepreneurship by reducing barriers to entry, not creating more confusion. It is well past time that these two programs consolidate under a single agency, the SBA, and that all rules and regulations governing the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business program are unified for the benefit of our veteran entrepreneurs. H.R.…”