[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 100 (Thursday, June 8, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2014]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Nomination of Dilawar Syed

  Now, on nominations, Mr. President, today, the Senate will vote to 
confirm Dilawar Syed to serve as the No. 2 person at the Small Business 
Administration.
  Mr. Syed's confirmation is great news for small businesses across the 
country because there is no better person to serve the interests of 
small business than someone who is a successful business owner himself.
  The SBA has not had a Senate-confirmed Deputy for more than 5 years, 
and Mr. Syed is exactly the right person for the job. His nomination is 
backed by more than 200 civic, government, higher education, and 
business groups and leaders, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and 
the Small Business Roundtable.
  Mr. Syed is an American success story. He came to this country from 
Pakistan and amassed a remarkably successful career as an executive at 
Yahoo!, as the president of a software company, and most recently as 
the CEO of a healthcare AI company. So Mr. Syed is more than qualified 
to assume the post of Deputy SBA Administrator, where his job will be 
in helping millions of small businesses get the resources they need to 
start, to grow, to expand.
  And, once confirmed, Mr. Syed will add to the dynamism and diversity 
of the Biden administration as the highest ranking Muslim official in 
the executive branch.
  This is a very good day for small business because, after today, the 
SBA will have an exceedingly capable, experienced, and accomplished 
small business champion in Dilawar Syed. So I will vote yes on his 
nomination, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do 
the same.