[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 217 (Thursday, December 16, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S9254]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       NOMINATION OF DILAWAR SYED

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I rise today to reiterate my strong 
support for Dilawar Syed to serve as Deputy Administrator of the U.S. 
Small Business Administration.
  For those who are unfamiliar with Mr. Syed, he is a highly qualified 
and widely-supported nominee for Deputy Administrator, who has the 
backing of numerous business groups and organizations. In many ways, he 
is the very picture of the American Dream, a businessowner, 
entrepreneur, and job creator who was born in Pakistan and educated in 
the United States. Mr. Syed also has firsthand experience dealing with 
challenges small businesses have faced during this pandemic.
  As Deputy Administrator, he would largely be responsible for running 
the day-to-day operations at SBA. He has repeatedly made himself 
available to discuss any concerns Republicans may still have related to 
his background and qualifications, things that actually matter in his 
ability to do his job. However, for reasons completely unrelated to his 
background and qualifications, Republicans on the Small Business 
Committee have continued to block his nomination, for months.
  Earlier this summer, they disputed the results of a committee meeting 
we held to advance the nominee based on a technicality, even though Mr. 
Syed was approved during that meeting by voice vote. Since then, they 
have taken a different approach, deciding to boycott committee meetings 
on five separate occasions, denying a quorum to consider the nominee. 
We are now at the point where Senate Republicans, even on this normally 
very bipartisan committee, will not even show up to provide fair 
consideration for this nominee. Not one Republican will show up.
  Over the course of the process, Republicans have changed their 
reasons for blocking the nominee. First, they were concerned about SBA 
loans his company received during the pandemic, even though these loans 
were lawfully obtained and fully repaid before he was even nominated to 
be Deputy Administrator.
  Then, they insinuated he was somehow anti-Jewish and anti-Israel, 
despite broad support he has received from within these communities.
  Now, they are concerned about lawful SBA loans to Planned Parenthood 
health centers. Just to be crystal clear, these health centers lawfully 
received loans through bipartisan COVID legislation that was signed by 
President Trump. It is unacceptable to unfairly and unlawfully target 
organizations for political reasons. And it is even worse to then stall 
a qualified nominee because of this.
  When it comes down to it, Mr. Syed would be an asset to SBA and the 
businesses they serve. He deserves fair consideration in the U.S. 
Senate.
  If Republicans actually cared about helping the small businesses 
struggling during the pandemic, they would stop blocking nominees to 
fill positions that are critical to helping them.
  Republicans should do their job and let us consider his nomination. 
Every day they continue this obstruction, they are doing a disservice 
to businesses in our country, which cannot afford uncertainty at this 
time.
  Enough is enough.

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