[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 16, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1531-S1532]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                 Nomination of Isabella Casillas Guzman

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed just 
how important the Federal Government can be in helping workers, 
families, and businesses during a time of crisis. Congress has passed 
trillions of dollars in urgent relief, and we have relied on Federal 
Agencies to implement that aid quickly, reliably, competently.
  So, while it might not normally be as high profile as other Cabinet-
level Agencies, the Small Business Administration has recently been in 
the spotlight. Over the last 12 months, the Small Business 
Administration has overseen two pandemic-related programs that will 
dole out more than $1 trillion to our Nation's small businesses, 
nonprofits, and religious institutions. Moving forward, it will play a 
prominent role in implementing the American Rescue Plan.
  Today, the Senate will vote on President Biden's nominee to take on 
that important job: Ms. Isabella Guzman.
  Ms. Guzman could not be more ready. She comes from a family of small 
business owners herself. Her dad ran his own veterinary clinic. Not 
only is Ms. Guzman a veteran of the Small Business Administration, in 
serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff in the Obama administration, she 
has just finished a stint as a top official at California's Office of 
Business and Economic Development, helping support the fifth largest 
economy in the world.
  For many Americans, opening and operating a business of their own is 
part of the American dream. I have every confidence that, under Ms. 
Guzman's leadership, the SBA will help small business owners hold onto 
their dreams until our economy comes roaring back


                    American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

  Mr. President, this morning, I also want to continue the theme of 
highlighting aspects of the American Rescue Plan that have not received 
enough attention.
  We have heard a lot about the progress we have made on vaccines. I 
read, this morning, that 109 million Americans have received at least 
one vaccination, so we are well on the path to getting Americans 
vaccinated, and checks have gone out the door. I was on a call with 
people from central Brooklyn--Bed-Stuy and Brownsville--last night, and 
many had already received their checks. It was very much needed. It was 
very much welcomed.
  As President Biden announced yesterday, on the vaccines, we have had 
100 million shots in people's arms and 100 million checks in people's 
pockets. Let's say that again. That sounds good to me--100 million 
shots in people's arms and 100 million checks in people's pockets. The 
Democrats are delivering what we promised.
  Now, we have heard a lot about how the American Rescue Plan will help 
Americans who need it the most. The 20 percent of Americans at the 
lowest levels of income will receive the highest levels of support. It 
is about time. We had the mirror image of that when our Republican 
colleagues ran the Senate, where the top 1 percent did the best and the 
bottom 20 percent was totally ignored. That is backward. God bless the 
people who are in the top 1 percent, but they don't need the help. It 
is the people struggling to feed their families, pay the rent, and help 
the kids in school who need the help. We are doing it for the first 
time in a while. Experts predict that child poverty could be cut in 
half. Meanwhile,

[[Page S1532]]

the top 1 percent of Americans will see an income boost of zero 
percent. As I said, God bless them, but they are doing fine already. 
They are doing fine already.
  And we have heard a lot about how the American Rescue Plan will prime 
the American economy to come roaring back. Economists are already 
projecting that economic growth could double as a result of the 
American Rescue Plan. When over 75-85, I think it is--percent of 
Americans get some checks, the money goes out. It starts revitalizing 
our economy. People shop in the stores, eat at the restaurants, even 
begin to travel and see their relatives, maybe, for the first time if 
people are vaccinated.
  Wow, this is great news. This is great news. I think that America is 
turning the corner, and I think the attitude of Americans is turning 
the corner as well. People now see a brighter future for this country 
and their regions.
  Today, though, as I said, there is so much in this bill that, every 
day, I want to focus on something else that may not be focused upon. 
Since the Senate is set to vote on the confirmation of the new SBA 
Administrator, today is a good opportunity to expand on just how the 
American Rescue Plan will help our Nation's 30 million small 
businesses.
  We all know that small businesses have been some of the hardest hit 
entities by the pandemic. Early in the crisis, 80 percent of small 
businesses--four out of five--reported having to close their doors at 
one point. Just the other day, I heard of a local New York business 
owner who was forced to close up shop after surviving most of the 
pandemic. You could hear the pain in his voice. He poured his entire 
soul into this business. I know. This hits home for me.
  My dad was a small business man. He struggled. He had a little 
exterminating business all through my growing years--from the day I was 
born until the day I left the house. My brother, sister, and I still 
have vivid memories of Dad's pacing the floor on Sunday nights at 2 
a.m. because he hated going to work on Monday morning--so many 
challenges, so much thrown at him, and not much he could do about it. 
He was wondering how he would actually provide for his family. Praise 
God, he retired at around 70. He is now 97. He has been a happy man for 
these last 27 years. God is good, as the Presiding Officer knows better 
than most of us, but he struggled.
  So, when I hear about the anguish of small business people, I will 
never forget. I would work there sometimes--weekends, summers. He sent 
me out to collect checks from a landlord who had had three or four 
smaller buildings, and my dad's company had done the exterminating. The 
guy hadn't paid for 6 months. I traveled, and it took me about an hour 
to an hour and a half on two buses to get to this man's door. I 
knocked. He opened the door.
  I said, you know: I am Chuck Schumer, the son of Abe Schumer of 
Century Exterminating. You owe us 6 months. We have been doing a good 
job of exterminating your house.
  Do you know what he said to me?
  Your dad is a small business man. He can't afford a lawyer. He can't 
afford anything to go after me. I am not paying.
  This is the anguish that small business people face, so we need to 
help them. We need to help them.
  That is one of the many reasons I am so proud of the American Rescue 
Plan--because it provides tens of billions of dollars in support for 
small businesses that have suffered during the pandemic. The American 
Rescue Plan is nothing short of a lifeline for Main Street businesses 
from one end of this country to the other: Main Street businesses in 
rural America, Main Street businesses in suburban America, and Main 
Street businesses in urban America and in our inner cities. It is a 
lifeline.
  For starters, the American Rescue Plan provides $30 billion for 
restaurants and bars through the RESTAURANTS Act--the first bipartisan 
amendment added to the bill--sponsored by Senators Sinema and Wicker.
  The American Rescue Plan also includes more than $1 billion in 
additional support for our Nation's small theaters and venues, adding 
to a grant program I helped create in December called the Save our 
Stages Act. These independent art venues, restaurants, and places like 
that--churches--are the hardest hit because that is where people 
gather. When they are not gathering, there is no income whether it be 
the money they pay the small business, the checks they pay at the 
restaurants or the money they leave on the collection plates, when they 
are not there, in our religious institutions. So this is a good thing.
  I want to say one more thing about Save our Stages. It not only 
includes more money for Save our Stages; it includes an amendment I 
authored to allow venue owners to apply for aid through Save our Stages 
without losing eligibility for traditional small business grants 
through the PPP. So that is a change that our arts institutions and our 
independent venues and theaters should know--that they could get both 
the PPP and Save our Stages.
  Now, these venues, the small businesses of many types, the 
nonprofits, they are the lifeblood of our communities. They were the 
first to close; they will be the last to open.
  I am hopeful that the support we passed in the American Rescue Plan 
will help our small businesses, our theaters, our music venues, and our 
restaurants to hold on until we can all gather safely once again.
  That is not all. The American Rescue Plan provides $15 billion in 
flexible, targeted grants to help small businesses that have had a hard 
time accessing relief over the last 12 months, including most 
nonprofits and churches. Up to 90 percent of minority-owned small 
businesses will qualify for this funding, closing the racial gap and 
keeping local economies from deteriorating further.
  We invest $10 billion in State, local, and Tribal small business 
financing programs.
  We expand the employee retention tax credit so that businesses of any 
size can more easily keep their workers on the payroll because that one 
doesn't have an employee number limit.
  Finally, we bolstered and expanded the popular Paycheck Protection 
Program to include more nonprofits, including labor and agricultural 
organizations that unfortunately, in December, our Republican 
colleagues wouldn't let in.
  In a nutshell, the American Rescue Plan provides a colossal boost for 
our Nation's small businesses and will make sure that all of them, not 
just those with the right connections, can access relief. It will help 
millions of Americans keep their jobs, retain their incomes, and 
support their families during this recovery.
  Now, we know many of these businesses are not out of the woods yet. 
There is still some time until our country can fully open up, until 
families eat inside their favorite restaurant or colleagues can meet at 
a bar for happy hour, until we can see one of our favorite performers 
put on a concert. But we are already seeing signs of hope.
  As a Washington Post headline announced recently, ``Companies are 
scaling back layoffs because of [the American Rescue Plan].'' Let me 
say that again, proudly and happily. ``Companies are scaling back 
layoffs because of [the American Rescue Plan],'' and the Senate, I 
assure the American people, is going to keep working to make sure that 
the support for our businesses remains intact over the next few months.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.