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Federal Market Intelligence for Small Business |
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Syed delayed again by GOPTensions are rising at the Senate Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee as Republican members recently refused to participate in the panel’s meeting to vote on Dilawar Syed’s confirmation as deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration. The GOP members tweeted that they were absent in order to block a vote. Under Senate rules, members of both parties need to be present to have a vote in committee. What is the basis of the resistance? According to committee chair Sen. Ben Cardin, D-MD, the GOP senators have raised a series of concerns and the bottom line is partisanship. “The constantly shifting allegations are without merit and are blatant attempts to score political points,” Cardin said at the hearing. The first concern raised was about a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan to Syed’s firm last year. As a small business owner, Syed’s loan was fully legal and he paid it back, even though he could have received forgiveness, Cardin said. In June, 8 Republicans on the committee wrote a letter with questions about Syed’s board member position at Emgage, a nonprofit that assists Muslim-Americans in becoming involved in civic life and voting. Cardin says Syed had no input in Emgage’s actions that were the basis of the concerns. Syed has pledged to step down from Emgage if confirmed at SBA. Syed would be one of the top Muslim-Americans in government if confirmed, and some of Syed’s advocates have said they believe anti-Muslim animus may be a factor in the opposition. The most recent concern raised by GOP members was regarding SBA’s PPP loans in 2020 to Planned Parenthood affiliates. On Sept. 21, the GOP members tweeted a statement saying they “will not allow a vote” on Syed’s confirmation until SBA takes action to recover the Planned Parenthood affiliate loans. Cardin strongly defended those loans, saying he and a few others personally crafted language in the CARES Act to allow such loans to Planned Parenthood and other nonprofits. “Partisan” inaction: Cardin Congress gave the SBA huge new duties handling hundreds of billions of dollars in COVID19 relief loans. Yet SBA has been without a deputy administrator since April 2018. Prior to President Trump’s term, presidential appointments generally were confirmed with bipartisan votes. Cardin referred to the GOP members’ tactics with Syed as “partisan, unnecessary and unconscionable inaction.” Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY, the senior Republican on the committee, spoke on the floor defending the Republicans’ plan to block Syed’s confirmation unless the Planned Parenthood loans are canceled. “The Biden Administration has continued to obstruct congressional oversight of the illegal Planned Parenthood loans and the nominee (Syed) refused to provide a commitment to the Committee that he would take action to recover the funds,” Paul said on the Senate floor on Sept. 29.
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