On the recordMay 14, 2015
Let me thank the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from Texas; and the ranking member, the gentleman from Washington; and the manager who is managing, my dear friend from Rhode Island, for their leadership on many, many issues. All of us have encountered the very energetic small business community. Included in that, of course, are women and minority-owned businesses. They are a vital part of our community. In the State of Texas, we are very much engaged with our military bases. Over the years, we have had any number of them, very large facilities. In my own community, we have the Ellington base that we have retrofitted and improved and added a number of assets. This amendment speaks to the compatibility between the Department of Defense and its needs and the small and minority and women-owned businesses and asks the Secretary of Defense to outreach to these minority and women and small businesses, as a way of ensuring the growth of their businesses and the utilization of their services for that of the DOD. The Jackson Lee amendment will help the United States maintain the most talented, diverse, effective, and powerful workforce in an increasingly globalized economy. Why? Because our small businesses located in our neighborhoods and our communities are there to create opportunity and to create jobs--as a practical matter, the Department of Defense has the discretion to choose whether a contract can be insourced or outsourced.…
