Volume 167, No. 49, covering the 1st Session of the 117th Congress (2021 – 2022), was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“Nomination of Isabella Casillas Guzman (Executive Calendar)” mentioning Jacky Rosen was published in the Senate section on pages S1539-S1540 on March 16.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Senators’ salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
Nomination of Isabella Casillas Guzman
Ms. ROSEN. Madam President, I stand here today in support of Isabel Guzman’s nomination to serve as SBA Administrator.
This pandemic has been challenging for our communities, and it has been especially devastating for our small businesses. We urgently need a leader who is experienced and prepared for the work ahead, someone who will hit the ground running to revive and restore our small businesses and bring back jobs, and Isabel Guzman is exactly the right person for this task.
Having previously served in the U.S. Small Business Administration, Mrs. Guzman knows the Agency well. She understands the struggles that small businesses and workers face, not just during this pandemic but also their day-to-day needs. She will use the Agency’s tools to support small businesses, and she will fight fiercely on their behalf.
Ninety-nine percent of Nevada businesses are small businesses. This is a diverse community that embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of our State, and over the last year they have faced obstacle after obstacle. Thousands of Nevada business owners have called my office for help.
These small business owners are–well, they are people. They are people who have poured their hard-earned money into starting businesses. They are people who have dedicated their lives to building a business from the ground up. They are people whose shops and stores and services–
well, they are cornerstones for our communities. And now, through no fault of their own, these small business owners are left wondering if their businesses are going to make it.
Last week, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law. This is a major win for small businesses across the country. It includes targeted support for Black, Latino, AAPI, and minority-owned businesses, as well as support for businesses in our rural communities. Over $1 billion in grants are in there to save our stages and independent live venues. There is over $7 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program. There is $15 billion for EIDL Advance grants and
$25 billion to keep restaurants afloat.
This will provide real relief to small business owners, employees, and the families that they provide for, that count on them. For so many, this additional aid will mean the difference between a business keeping its doors open or closing them forever.
And now we need an SBA Administrator who will see that this relief is delivered swiftly and fully. I am confident that Isabel Guzman will be an asset in bringing our small businesses back.
We must also do more for our small businesses, which is why, if confirmed, I look forward to working with Mrs. Guzman and the SBA to remove the cap on EIDL loans and to provide full EIDL Advance grants to all eligible small businesses, giving greater access to the relief that all our small business owners need. The EIDL and EIDL Advance Programs have helped countless small businesses in Nevada and in States across the country through these tough times, but the arbitrary caps on these loans and grants are preventing small businesses from receiving the funding assistance they need to properly recover.
Full EIDL loans and grants are what Congress intended when we passed the CARES Act 1 year ago. It is what we promised small businesses at the beginning of the pandemic. So we owe it to America’s small businesses and workers to keep our word, and I know Isabel Guzman is the right person to help us keep this promise.
As we continue on the road to recovery, made possible by the American Rescue Plan, I urge my colleagues to confirm Mrs. Guzman’s nomination so that she can immediately get to work for our small businesses.
Thank you.
I yield to the Senator from Oregon.
Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, I certainly share the good Senator’s views with respect to Mrs. Guzman as well.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.
