On the recordMay 25, 2011
I hope my good friend from Pennsylvania listens to both the distinguished ranking member and myself. This is not an amendment that opposes outsourcing. In fact, it is an amendment that affirms that outsourcing occurs, and to ask that that playing field be even more even by attention being given to our small, minority- and women-owned businesses. It has been documented that small businesses have lost an estimated $13.8 billion in business opportunity because they cannot fairly compete for Federal contracts because larger companies are allowed to bundle the contracts, the practice of accepting mega-contracts for large jobs that only they have the resources to handle--under the condition that they receive smaller contracts that could have been given out to small businesses. {time} 1730 I want our small businesses and minority-owned businesses and women- owned businesses to be in the mix, have an outreach program. There's nothing wrong with added leverage of outreach for all our small businesses. And let me say something else, Mr. Chairman. It is also to say that if a small business has a contract and it's hauled back in, it's pulled back in, let us assess how that is impacting the loss of jobs. Forty jobs, a constituent that came to our attention, Hallmark, lost by bringing in the business. So by no means is this an opportunity to block outsourcing, and I call it contracting out. It is the business of supporting our small businesses. Mr.…
