Markup of H. Res. 1298 and H.R. 8844 — Committee on Small Business (September 21, 2022)

Summary

A markup before the Committee on Small Business, United States House of Representatives, on September 21, 2022, covering H. Res. 1298, directing the Secretary of the Treasury to transmit certain documents relating to the role of the Department of the Treasury in the Paycheck Protection Program of the Small Business Administration, and H.R. 8844, the STEP Improvement Act of 2022. Hon. Nydia M. Velázquez presided as Chairwoman of the Committee. The contents list opening statements by Hon. Nydia Velázquez and Hon. Blaine Luetkemeyer, and appendix material including amendments to H. Res. 1298 offered by Hon. Luetkemeyer, Hon. Van Duyne, Hon. Meuser and Hon. Williams. The transcript includes a roll call by the clerk and closes with the committee adjourned at 1:11 p.m.

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Issuer: Congressional materials
Document type: Congressional Hearing
Case: Chrg 117Hhrg48807

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“Markup of H. Res. 1298 and H.R. 8844 — Committee on Small Business (September 21, 2022).” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/chrg-117hhrg48807/, SHA-256 97a9671348a875e02f7d78d2a7c8db3fe24d949c6a903baabf827e42be9d5cd6.

Full text

MARKUP OF: H. RES. 1298, ‘‘OF INQUIRY
DIRECTING THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY
TO TRANSMIT CERTAIN DOCUMENTS TO THE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES RELATING TO
THE ROLE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE
TREASURY IN THE PAYCHECK PROTECTION
PROGRAM OF THE SMALL BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATION.’’; H.R. 8844, ‘‘STEP IMPROVE-
MENT ACT OF 2022’’

HEARING
BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS
UNITED STATES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION

HEARING HELD
SEPTEMBER 21, 2022

Small Business Committee Document Number 117–068
Available via the GPO Website: www.govinfo.gov

U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
48–807 WASHINGTON : 2022
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS
NYDIA VELÁZQUEZ, New York, Chairwoman
JARED GOLDEN, Maine
JASON CROW, Colorado
SHARICE DAVIDS, Kansas
KWEISI MFUME, Maryland
DEAN PHILLIPS, Minnesota
MARIE NEWMAN, Illinois
CAROLYN BOURDEAUX, Georgia
TROY CARTER, Louisiana
JUDY CHU, California
DWIGHT EVANS, Pennsylvania
CHRISSY HOULAHAN, Pennsylvania
ANDY KIM, New Jersey
ANGIE CRAIG, Minnesota
SCOTT PETERS, California
BLAINE LUETKEMEYER, Missouri, Ranking Member
ROGER WILLIAMS, Texas
PETE STAUBER, Minnesota
DAN MEUSER, Pennsylvania
CLAUDIA TENNEY, New York
ANDREW GARBARINO, New York
YOUNG KIM, California
BETH VAN DUYNE, Texas
BYRON DONALDS, Florida
MARIA SALAZAR, Florida
SCOTT FITZGERALD, Wisconsin
MIKE FLOOD, Nebraska

MELISSA JUNG, Majority Staff Director
ELLEN HARRINGTON, Majority Deputy Staff Director
DAVID PLANNING, Staff Director

(II)
CONTENTS
OPENING STATEMENTS
Page
Hon. Nydia Velázquez ............................................................................................. 1
Hon. Blaine Luetkemeyer ....................................................................................... 2

APPENDIX
Additional Material for the Record:
Amendment to H. Res. 1298 Offered by Hon. Luetkemeyer ......................... 36
Amendment to H. Res. 1298 Offered by Hon. Van Duyne ............................ 38
Amendment to H. Res. 1298 Offered by Hon. Meuser .................................. 40
Amendment to H. Res. 1298 Offered by Hon. Williams ................................ 42
Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade ............... 44
State International Development Organization Letter submitted by Larry
Collins ............................................................................................................ 46
State International Development Organization Letter submitted by Andy
Karellas .......................................................................................................... 47
State International Development Organization Letter submitted by
Alyssa Tracey ................................................................................................ 49

(III)
MARKUP OF: H. RES. 1298, ‘‘OF INQUIRY
DIRECTING THE SECRETARY OF THE
TREASURY TO TRANSMIT CERTAIN
DOCUMENTS TO THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES RELATING TO THE
ROLE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE
TREASURY IN THE PAYCHECK PROTECTION
PROGRAM OF THE SMALL BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATION.’’; H.R. 8844, ‘‘STEP
IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2022’’

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2022

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:06 a.m., in Room
2360, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Nydia M. Velázquez
[Chairwoman of the Committee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Velázquez, Golden, Crow, Davids,
Mfume, Phillips, Newman, Bourdeaux, Carter, Chu, Evans,
Houlahan, Andy Kim, Craig, Peters, Luetkemeyer, Williams,
Stauber, Meuser, Tenney, Garbarino, Young Kim, Van Duyne,
Donalds, Fitzgerald, and Flood.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Good morning. A quorum being
present, I call this morning’s meeting of the Committee on Small
Business to order.
Without objection, the Chair is authorized to declare a recess at
any time.
Pursuant to Committee Rule 13 and House Rule XI, Clause 2,
the Chair may postpone further proceedings today on the question
of approving the measure or adopting an amendment on which a
recorded vote is ordered.
I would like to begin by noting some important requirements. Let
me begin by saying that standing House and Committee rules and
practice will continue to apply during hybrid proceedings. All Mem-
bers are reminded that they are expected to adhere to these stand-
ing rules including decorum.
House regulations require Members to be visible through a video
connection throughout the proceeding, so please keep your cameras
on. Also, remember to remain muted until you are recognized to
minimize background noise.
(1)
2

Today, we will be considering two legislative measures. First, we
will take up H. Res. 1298, a Resolution of Inquiry directing the
Secretary of the Treasury to transmit certain documents to the
House relating to the role of the Department of Treasury in the
Paycheck Protection Program which was introduced by Ranking
Member Luetkemeyer.
We also will be considering H.R. 8844, the STEP Improvement
Act of 2022, which was introduced by Representative Evans and co-
sponsored by Ms. Kim, Ms. Newman, and Mr. Flood.
During the beginning of the pandemic, we entered into one of the
most perilous times for small business owners. With the dangers
of COVID-19 to the general public, small businesses had to pivot
to align their business practices to the new normal during that pe-
riod. As small businesses struggled, it was incumbent on the fed-
eral government to step up and provide financial support. This
Committee took up the call that helped create the Paycheck Protec-
tion Program. Nearly $800 billion in low interest, forgivable loans
were issued to keep small firms afloat during the pandemic. Al-
though the program was a tremendous success, congressional over-
sight of a program of this magnitude is imperative.
Moreover, the Economic Aid Act required the Secretary of the
Treasury and the SBA Administrator to testify before the Com-
mittee not less than twice per year. Our attempts to have Secretary
Yellen testify before the Committee have unfortunately been unsuc-
cessful.
In general, I do not object to the minority’s efforts here, espe-
cially to determine what policies the Treasury, specifically under
former Secretary Mnuchin, could have instituted to ensure that
these loans were distributed equitably in the beginning. However,
I will note that the Committee continues to conduct rigorous over-
sight of the Paycheck Protection Program which is why this Resolu-
tion of Inquiry is not needed.
For those reasons, I will be recommending that the Committee
report H. Res. 1298 to the House without recommendation. The
Committee will also consider legislation to reauthorize the SBA
State Trade Expansion Program for 4 more years. The STEP Im-
provement Act reauthorizes this vital small business program and
makes improvements to the ground process. This bill is just an-
other example of the work the Committee has done through this
Congress to help small business owners and entrepreneurs recover
from the pandemic.
I want to reiterate that this measure has bipartisan support and
I urge Members to support the bill.
I would to recognize the Ranking Member, Mr. Luetkemeyer, for
his opening statement.
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you
for calling today’s markup.
We have important work to do on behalf of America’s small busi-
nesses, entrepreneurs, innovators, and startups. This morning’s
markup will highlight and showcase the work the Committee is
doing to enhance small businesses’ ability to trade their goods and
services on the global stage while also exercising critical important
congressional oversight.
3

As you just stated, this is a very important issue from the stand-
point of providing oversight over this agency and the Treasury from
the standpoint of the PPP program.
Unfortunately, the Committee arrived at this juncture after fol-
lowing two separate paths. One followed regular order, which al-
lowed Members on both sides of the aisle to discuss and debate re-
forms of the Small Business Administration’s State Trade Expan-
sion Program, also known as STEP, which aims to assist small
businesses with their exporting goods and needs. After multiple
congressional hearings, and after hearing from the SBA’s top STEP
official, H.R. 8844, the STEP Improvement Act, is set to advance
during today’s markup.
The second piece of legislative business today is a result of the
Treasury Department and the Secretary of the Treasury ignoring
this Committee and the nation’s 33 million small businesses. De-
spite having an important role within the Paycheck Protection Pro-
gram, and despite a legal and statutory responsibility to testify be-
fore this Committee, Secretary Yellen has decided it is beneath her
to talk to us. Therefore, I introduced the Resolution of Inquiry di-
recting the Secretary of the Treasury to provide us with important
information and communication regarding the agency’s role within
PPP. This is about transparency and oversight. This is about hold-
ing this administration accountable to not only Congress, but also
to America’s small businesses and their millions of workers.
To conduct proper oversight on behalf of the American taxpayers
and to enact responsible legislative solutions, Congress requires
clear and comprehensive information. Without it, they are just
ideas that lack justifications.
Despite my concerns for how the SBA is functioning, the SBA
Administrator and her top deputies have testified before this Com-
mittee. Madam Chair, I cannot say the same for the Department
of Treasury.
As I said earlier, these are important issues. Later today, the
Federal Reserve is once again going to raise interest rates. Ongoing
interest rate increases are the direct result of persistently high in-
flation. Small businesses are being challenged day in and day out,
whether it is inflation, ever-present supply chain issues, a labor cri-
sis, or burdensome regulations. They deserve our attention. They
deserve SBA’s attention. And they deserve the Treasury Secretary’s
attention. Anything less is unacceptable.
Madam Chair, I look forward to today’s debate and I yield back.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Thank you. The gentleman yields
back.
Does any other Member seek recognition for the purpose of mak-
ing an opening statement?
H. RES. 1298
Seeing none, we will now move to the consideration of H. Res.
1298, a Resolution of Inquiry directing the Secretary of the Treas-
ury to transmit certain documents to the House of Representatives
relating to the role of the Department of Treasury in the Paycheck
Protection Program of the Small Business Administration intro-
duced by Ranking Member Luetkemeyer.
I would now like to recognize the Ranking Member for an open-
ing statement.
4

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Today, the Committee is considering a Resolution of Inquiry di-
recting the Secretary of Treasury to transmit documents to the
House related to the department’s role in the Paycheck Protection
Program.
As the COVID-19 pandemic began to take hold here in the
United States, Congress moved quickly to assist Americans in our
economy weather the storm. The largest program enacted was the
Paycheck Protection Program, or the PPP. The PPP provided small
businesses with financial support in the form of forgivable loans
through private sector lenders. And that was a key characteristic
of this program. It was not a direct loan program through the fed-
eral government; rather, community banks, credit unions, and
other financial institutions were disbursing and interacting with
the nation’s small businesses. While this program was adminis-
tered by the Small Business Administration, the Department of
Treasury was charged with expeditiously onboarding new lenders.
With the program firmly in the PPP forgiveness period, it only
makes sense for Congress, and specifically, this Committee, to per-
form its due diligence and conduct oversight over the program.
Congress recognized our oversight need when funding these pro-
grams by enacting testimony requirements for both the SBA Ad-
ministrator and the Secretary of Treasury. Not later than 150 days
after enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021,
and not less than twice each year or thereafter, the Secretary of
the Treasury was required to testify before this Committee. We are
now 513 days from the first testimony deadline and Secretary
Yellen has testified a grand total of zero times before this Com-
mittee. The secretary’s failure to appear is not for a lack of trying
for the Members of this Committee. The requests were sent to Sec-
retary Yellen on May 26, 2021; July 6, 2021; July 28, 2021, March
1, 2022, and June 13, 2022. The Chairwoman herself has even vo-
cally supported having Secretary Yellen testify.
Despite these outreach examples and requests, Secretary Yellen
has continuously ignored her legal requirement to testify before
this Committee. To make matters worse, to date I have yet to re-
ceive even a written response from Secretary Yellen to any one of
my requests. It was not until I communicated my concern about
the lack of response to the Treasury Department Office of Inspector
General, that I was finally informed that the Treasury admitted to
mishandling my letters. Yeah, right.
Lack of communication, whether that be in writing or testimony
before this committee severely obstructs our ability to conduct over-
sight over critical pandemic relief programs such as PPP. In the
end, this administration and Secretary Yellen are not just ignoring
our Committee but they are also ignoring and pushing aside Amer-
ica’s main street businesses. These are the businesses that trans-
form and drive our economy. These are businesses that are experi-
encing, just like the rest of America, ongoing and persistent infla-
tion price pressures and an onslaught of punishing regulations. As
such, I felt compelled to take an unprecedent step for this Com-
mittee and submitted this resolution of inquiry directed at Sec-
retary Yellen.
5

It seems like each day we get a stark reminder of just how much
fraud has occurred within our pandemic relief programs whether it
is a GAO report, an Inspector General investigation, or another
news article, we are facing what is being referred to as the biggest
fraud in a generation.
I have said it before and I will say it again in a generation, fraud
is fraud regardless of when it occurred. One of the first steps we
as a Congress can take to address these issues is to shine a light
on the problem to get a full understanding of what is going on. Un-
fortunately, Secretary Yellen seems intent on shielding her work
and the work of the Treasury Department from congressional over-
sight. Since day one, I committed to use every tool at my disposal
to conduct robust and effective oversight over the programs within
our jurisdiction. This resolution is one such tool.
I ask each Member of this Committee to join with me in standing
up for Congress’s legitimate oversight authority by voting for this
resolution. Although a motion to report without recommendation
generally indicates that a Committee believes a resolution should
receive consideration, I am disheartened that my colleagues on the
other side of the aisle would not join me in making a stronger
statement in support of Congress’s right to by reporting this meas-
ure favorably. A vote to report this resolution favorably would have
been a resounding vote for transparency and the nation’s small
businesses. Because a motion to report without recommendation
can still indicate that this resolution should receive floor time, I
will vote yes on this resolution.
With that, Madam Chairwoman, I yield back. Thank you very
much.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Thank you. The gentleman yields
back.
Are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for a
statement on H. Res. 1298?
I would now like to recognize myself briefly.
As I mentioned earlier, although the PPP program provided a
much-needed lifeline to small businesses, there were a number of
significant issues with the rollout of the program under the Trump
administration. In testimony provided before this Committee in
March, the Government Accountability Office indicated that busi-
nesses owned by minorities, women, and veterans, faced challenges
obtaining loans in the beginning of the program. During that hear-
ing, GAO also testified that approval rates were generally higher
for firms with pre-existing relationships with a bank and larger
businesses were more likely to have these relationships than the
small businesses. According to the SBA’s Office of Inspector Gen-
eral and GAO, there has been significant fraud associated with the
program due to the guardrails being lowered during the beginning
of the program. Moreover, there is a question whether the largest
PPP loans had a substantial positive employment effect in the
short or medium term. Currently, PPP is in the forgiveness phase
of the program which the Committee is actively monitoring. As of
May 8, 2022, the SBA made over 10 million full or partial forgive-
ness payments, representing 88 percent of all PPP loans, totaling
over $725 billion in PPP lending.
6

Because of these reasons, I generally do not object to the minor-
ity requesting more documents, but the Committee’s oversight of
this program makes this resolution unnecessary. I hope my col-
leagues will vote with me to report the resolution to the House
without recommendation.
If there is no further discussion, the Committee will move on to
consideration of H. Res. 1298.
The clerk will report the resolution.
The CLERK. H. Res. 1298 of Inquiry directing——
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Without objection, H. Res. 1298 is
considered as read and open for amendment at any point.
Does anyone else seek——
Ms. VAN DUYNE. I seek recognition.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. For what purpose does the gentle-
woman from Texas seek recognition?
Ms. VAN DUYNE. To introduce an amendment, Ms. Chair-
woman.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The clerk will report the amend-
ment.
The CLERK. Amendment to H. Res. 1298 offered by Ms. Van
Duyne of Texas in the matter proceeding——
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Without objection, further reading of
the amendment will be dispensed with.
The gentlewoman from Texas is recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. VAN DUYNE. Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Over the last 2 years, and in response to the COVID-19 pan-
demic, where states and local governments instituted shutdown or-
ders, over a trillion dollars have been appropriated and disbursed
to small businesses. At the worst times of COVID, this relief al-
lowed small businesses to regain their footing. Not only in my dis-
trict, Texas 24, but in districts across the country, small business
owners were able to keep their lights on, open their doors, and had
the ability to pay their employees.
However, with the speed at which this money moved, fraud did
occur. Bad actors and criminals took advantage of many of the
small business relief programs and the estimates provided by the
Inspector Generals and the Secret Service pegged the amount of
potential fraud near the hundred billion dollar mark. Some have
labeled it the biggest fraud in a generation. This is absolutely un-
acceptable and we must do everything in our power to ensure that
every dollar that was taken illegally is tracked down and returned
and that all criminals are held accountable.
Any and all federal agencies that had a role must be working in
tandem to safeguard and protect American taxpayer dollars. This
includes the Department of the Treasury and their cooperating
with the SBA in implementing the Paycheck Protection Program.
Thus far, American law enforcement officials are making progress
to bring justice to those that broke the law, and I want to thank
them for their efforts.
However, more work needs to be done. Recovered estimates are
changing constantly and at times communicated in the media. My
amendment is straightforward and increases transparency. It di-
rects the Treasury Secretary to provide more information on the
amount of fraud that has been recovered. No matter what account
7

the recouped dollars are placed at the Treasury Department, Con-
gress, and more importantly, the American public, must have clear
accounting figures readily available.
I am ready and willing to work with my colleagues to ensure that
we are using every tool within our toolbox to recover stolen tax-
payer dollars in a timely and orderly fashion. In order to do that,
we need the cooperation of the biggest agencies within our federal
government. The more information that is flowing, the better.
I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, and I yield back.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentlelady yields back.
Do other Members wish to be recognized on this amendment?
The gentleman, Mr. Flood, is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. FLOOD. Thank you, Madam Chair.
I speak in support of adopting Member Luetkemeyer’s Resolution
of Inquiry. I support my colleague’s amendment.
Secretary Yellen has a responsibility to come in front of this
Committee. Her testimony was not optional, but in fact, mandated
by the CARES Act. As Members of this Committee know, President
Trump’s Treasury Secretary came in front of the Small Business
Committee in 2020. He followed his statutory obligation. There is
no reason that Secretary Yellen should not be here to do exactly
the same thing.
In addition to questions about the Paycheck Protection Program,
I have a number of questions about President Biden’s policies. It
would be helpful if Secretary Yellen would address them.
For example, Secretary Yellen said Biden’s so-called Inflation Re-
duction Act would ‘‘usher in the next phase of America’s future.’’
If Secretary Yellen were to testify in front of this Committee, I
would love to know what she believes this next phase of America’s
future looks like.
I hear from my constituents every single day that President
Biden’s spending bill is a disaster and it will raise energy costs. It
will raise taxes. And ultimately spend billions of federal dollars for
wasteful government programs that our children and grandchildren
will be saddled with for years to come.
Just yesterday, the Ranking Member’s office received data about
where small businesses are, what small businesses are thinking,
and they are very pessimistic about our future. If you look at the
latest numbers, Americans are spending down their cash, deposits
in banks are going down, and loans are going up. Surely, this is
not the future that Secretary Yellen would envision, and without
her testimony, we simply do not know what her vision is.
Staying on the subject of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act,
let’s talk about the bill’s enormous expansion of the IRS. This has
small business owners across the nation concerned that they are
going to be targeted by an out-of-control, weaponized Department
of Treasury. Last Thursday, Secretary Yellen touted the $80 billion
in funding for the IRS by claiming that the money would go to-
wards getting constituents’ questions answered more quickly.
I have heard from constituents and small businesses in my dis-
trict about their frustration with the IRS, and yes, they do want
their questions answered. However, the reality is the IRS provision
within the IRA was included as a pay-for. The IRS funding is ex-
pected to raise $240 billion in additional revenue for the bill to fi-
8

nance other Biden admin policies. That is why the Biden adminis-
tration wanted to include it in the bill. If Secretary Yellen were
here, I would love to ask why the bill could not have spent maybe
a half, a quarter, or even a tenth of the amount on the IRS or kept
its funding strictly focused on customer service rather than using
it to audit and harass the American people.
I would also love to hear from Secretary Yellen on the issue of
inflation. Small businesses consistently rank inflation as one of
their top concerns in surveys. Secretary Yellen called inflation
‘‘transitory’’ until finally admitting she was wrong about the infla-
tion crisis in comments to Wolf Blitzer in a CNN interview in June
of this year. Now that Secretary Yellen has finally recognized the
reality that inflation is a serious problem that cannot be wished
away, I would love to hear what she plans to do about it. If Sec-
retary Yellen testified in front of this Committee, I would like to
ask her what the administration is going to do about inflation, the
very same inflation that is crushing Americans and small business.
The small businesses of Nebraska would benefit from some clar-
ity from the Secretary on how the Biden administration plans to
get us out of this mess that it has made of its own creation. I know
they are not alone. The American people deserve answers from the
Treasury secretary.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I yield back.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman yields back.
Do other Members wish to be recognized on the amendment?
Mr. STAUBER. Madam Chair? Madam Chair, I move to strike
the last word.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Mr. Stauber is recognized for 5 min-
utes.
Mr. STAUBER. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Just yesterday, federal charges were brought against 48 people
in the state of Minnesota for what is known to be the largest fraud
case in the United States related to COVID-19 aid dollars. These
individuals created shell companies and enrolled in COVID relief
programs, defrauded taxpayers of $250 million to purchase luxury
cars, houses, jewelry, and coastal resort properties.
During COVID-19, the unfortunate reality is that oversight
mechanisms fell by the wayside. Now is the time for us and our
federal agencies to step up and try to recoup some of what was
fraudulently stolen from the American taxpayer.
That is why I am grateful for Congresswoman Van Duyne’s
amendment. The congresswoman’s amendment provides us, the
Members of the Small Business Committee here, an opportunity to
answer some important questions. How many bad actors are out
there? How much money was stolen? How much money can we ex-
pect to recover? How can we make sure this never happens again?
We on this Committee have a job, a duty to demand account-
ability no matter the party in charge. To all of my colleagues, the
American people are not our piggybank. Instead of continuing to
spend their hard-earned money, they demand we find that fraudu-
lent, stolen taxpayer money and bring it back to the American peo-
ple. I implore everyone on this Committee to vote for the congress-
woman’s amendment as well as the underlying ROI.
Madam Chair, I yield back.
9

Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman yields back.
Do other Members wish to be recognized on the amendment?
For what purpose does the gentleman——
Mr. DONALDS. Madam Chair, I move to strike the last word.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman from Florida, Mr.
Donalds, is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. DONALDS. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Members, I actually am in support of the Van Duyne amend-
ment. I think it is critical that we get the necessary information
from SBA, from Treasury with respect to dollars that have been
fraudulently taken from the American people. Everybody knows
the reports. We are well aware of the issues, but it is time to do
the necessary investigations. The amendment by the gentlelady
from Texas will help us get the necessary information this Com-
mittee needs to actually protect the interests of taxpayers all across
the United States.
Secondarily, I think one of the things that we definitely have to
make sure we do as well is make sure that the Treasury Secretary
lives up to her legal obligations. I stress for the American people
who may be watching, her legal obligations to testify in front of the
Small Business Committee. We are now going on close to 20
months in the 117th Congress and the Treasury Secretary has not
made herself available even though federal statute requires her to
make herself available to this Committee.
The Members have very serious questions for Secretary Yellen.
Number one on my list, frankly, is where did this proposal come
from in the Treasury Department that would allow the Treasury
Department to look into the private bank transactions of the Amer-
ican people? When this proposal was floated a year ago, people
across the political spectrum—Republican, Democrat, Independ-
ents—they all flipped out. Like, they were all like, wait, what?
That is insane. Where did this proposal come from? I would love
to hear the Secretary’s comments on that because it is important
for the American people to understand exactly the mindset of peo-
ple who are working in the federal bureaucracies, namely in the
Treasury Department, and what their goals and ideas are about fu-
ture plans they may or may not have. I think it is important for
the Treasury Secretary who, once again, as I state, is legally obli-
gated to testify in front of this Committee, to present herself so she
can actually fulfill her duties to the American people.
Secondarily, and it has probably already been stated but I would
be remiss if I do not restate it, inflation is running hot in this coun-
try at 8.3. I know the president thinks that it has kind of calmed
down, but what the president does not seem to realize is that when
inflation is still running at 8.3 year over year, the highest in 42
years, that means that prices across the board are strangling the
American consumer and American small businesses.
I was with several small businesses yesterday who were visiting
the nation’s capital. Top of mind for them, the cost of products
needed in order for them to run their businesses. Secondarily, the
cost of diesel fuel and what it takes to transport the goods that
they need either to their storehouses or for them to transmit it to
their customers. Core inflation is running at 6.3 percent. That is
actually up higher on a month-to-month basis. One of the key rea-
10

sons for that, obviously, is electricity prices. I would love to get the
Treasury Secretary’s commentary on that as well.
I would also love to hear the Treasury Secretary’s comments on
the administration’s plans with the strategic petroleum reserve. It
is widely understood that President Biden’s decision to try to ‘‘buy
down’’ gas prices was to distribute a million barrels per day from
the strategic petroleum preserve. Now we are getting reports that
that is coming to an end because at some point the reserves run
out. What are the administration’s plans to replenish the strategic
petroleum preserves? What are the administration’s plans about
the additive needed for diesel fuel which is an additive that actu-
ally comes mostly from Russia? What are the administration’s
plans around that?
I think all these questions are questions at the heart of what
small business owners in the United States are facing every single
day. One member of the administration who is legally obligated to
testify in front of the Small Business Committee has yet to make
herself available. I think that my colleagues on the other side of
the aisle should be just as concerned about her lack of testimony
as I am and as my colleagues on my side of the aisle.
With that, Members, we should be supporting the Van Duyne
amendment. It is a great amendment. We need to do the necessary
oversight so we can advocate for the small business owners that
live in every one of our communities all across this great land.
With that, I yield back.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman yields back.
Do other Members wish to be recognized on the amendment.
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. I move to strike the last word.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman, Ranking Member,
Mr. Luetkemeyer, is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Thank you, Madam Chair.
I would like to thank Ms. Van Duyne for an important and
thoughtful amendment. I could not agree more. I certainly appre-
ciate the comments of the other Members on our side of the aisle
with regards to this amendment and the other concerns I have
with Secretary Yellen. We need to know what kind of thought proc-
ess is going on. What kind of concerns the administration and, all
of the people within the administration have for the issue that is
in front of us. How are they thinking about the fraud? How are
they thinking about this PPP program? How are they talking to
each other about this? Are they talking at all? Is there any concern
at all about fraud or about the concerns of forgiveness and how the
program is going? We have no idea. We are responsible for all that
and yet we have no idea of what the thought process is because we
do not know from Ms. Yellen because she will not show up.
Fraud is fraud. I think that no matter when it took place or how,
we need an all-hands-on-deck approach to deliver justice and re-
coup whatever has been done fraudulently, whatever has been sto-
len fraudulently. We keep getting a new report every week. I think
it was, what, the week before last we had another report with re-
gards to the EIDL program. Another $1.3 billion that could have
gone to foreign entities.
We have a job to do. We have to take that responsibly and do
our job responsibly and hold people accountable. That is part of
11

being a legislator. In order to do our job properly, we have to have
the cooperation of the administration’s officials, all the way down
from the secretary of each cabinet position, all the way down to the
lowest member of each part of those agencies. We need to be able
to talk to those folks and get the information from them. That is
what Ms. Van Duyne has done in her amendment. I certainly ap-
preciate her advocacy of this.
With that, I thank you and I urge a yes vote.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman yields back.
I now would like to recognize myself.
We all share the same concerns about fraud in SBA’s COVID-19
relief programs. In fact, earlier this year, the Ranking Member and
I both introduced companion legislation that we all voted for and
which is now public law, extending the statute of limitations in
PPP and COVID EIDL fraud cases. However, while this amend-
ment includes fraud and COVID EIDL, EIDL advance, targeted
EIDL and RRF, the Committee will continue holding oversight
hearings and working with the IG, PRAC, and DOJ, and they are
working right now to address fraud within SBA COVID reliefs.
If there is no further discussion, the question is on the amend-
ment by the gentlelady from Texas.
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it.
Ms. VAN DUYNE. Madam Chairman, I request a recorded vote.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentlelady has requested a re-
corded vote. Pursuant to Committee Rule 13 and House Rule XI,
further proceedings on the amendment are postponed.
Are there any further amendments to H.Res. 1298?
Mr. MEUSER. Madam Chairwoman, I have an amendment at
the dais.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The clerk will report the amend-
ment.
The CLERK. Amendment to H. Res. 1298 offered by Mr. Meuser
of Pennsylvania.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Without objection, further reading of
the amendment will be dispensed with.
The gentleman from Pennsylvania is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. MEUSER. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
We all recognize that small businesses are the foundation under
which American prosperity rests. Madam Chair, I have some bad
news. There are cracks in this foundation. These cracks are deep-
ening and widening due to runaway inflation placing extreme pres-
sure on the most vulnerable, yet the most vital businesses in our
society. Small business owners are among the most motivated in
our communities; yet, despite every trick in the book and deploying
every resource available, small businesses are no longer suc-
ceeding. They are barely surviving.
As Members of the Small Business Committee, we would be dere-
lict in our duty if we stand idly by watching as the dominoes fall.
In fact, it would be cruel not to act. While we have limited tools
to stem the rising tide of inflation, there are some levers we can
pull to create a less hostile environment for the most important job
creators of our economy.
12

One of those levers is government regulations. It is a fact that
government regulations have an outside influence on our free en-
terprise in America, disproportionately hurting small businesses. It
is a fact that the federal regulatory behemoth comes at an extreme
cost to the American public, hampering productivity, raising prices,
holding back economic development, pausing job creation, and im-
peding commerce.
Just one example of the harmful regulations being proposed by
this administration is the SEC’s Climate Disclosure Rules. This
rule would implement even more burdens on American small busi-
nesses at a time when they are already struggling to combat
record-high inflation, high energy costs, workforce shortages, et
cetera, et cetera.
What can be done to help small businesses navigate this maze
of regulatory red tape? The first step is knowledge. We must collect
the necessary information so we are all aware of how small busi-
nesses are being held back. This is where my amendment comes in.
When the Department of the Treasury drives economic policy in
this country, policy which deeply affects small businesses, we must
be aware of what actions and regulatory assistance is being pro-
vided by the Treasury to small business which is what my amend-
ment will do. By voting yes on this amendment, we would begin
repairing the cracks in our economic foundation and I urge my col-
leagues to support it.
I yield back.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman yields back.
Do other Members wish to be recognized on the amendment?
Ms. YOUNG KIM. Madam Chair?
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentlelady from California, Ms.
Kim, is recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. YOUNG KIM. Thank you, Madam Chair.
I would like to speak in support and in favor of my colleague
Meuser’s amendment. With inflation and prices at a 40-year high,
it is imperative that we hear from Secretary Yellen on how the ad-
ministration’s policies are impacting our job creators, entre-
preneurs, small businesses, and workers. The Committee also
needs to understand why the administration got the fiscal policy
wrong when she said other administration officials described infla-
tion as transitory.
The current inflation rate is anything but transitory. Instead, it
has been 513 days since Secretary Yellen missed the deadline to be
in front of this Committee. Our small business owners are demand-
ing answers. My constituents are demanding answers. I hear this
all the time as I travel throughout my district. The ROI and the
amendments offered by my colleagues Van Duyne, Meuser, and
others are some of the few tools that we have at our disposal to
request answers from Members of the cabinet.
I hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle join us to dis-
charge the ROI from this Committee and get a vote on the House
floor. We must get answers from Secretary Yellen because it is long
overdue.
I yield back my time.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentlelady yields back.
Do other Members wish to be recognized on the amendment?
13

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Chair, I move to strike the last
word.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman, and
thanks to Mr. Meuser for his efforts in offering this amendment.
The American economy is dependent upon the success of small
businesses, and right now these businesses are in deep trouble.
Government red tape and overly burdensome regulations choke off
economic growth and suppress job creation.
For example, I am deeply concerned about the SEC’s ESG green-
house gas proposed rule and the unintended consequences it will
have for small businesses. I am glad to hear the SEC Chairman is
starting to clarify its intention for small businesses but there are
a lot of questions and concerns that remain. Compound these pres-
sures with out-of-control inflation, it is no surprise that small busi-
nesses are struggling everywhere. Whatever actions or assistance
the Treasury is taking to assist small businesses with addressing
government regulations, we need to know about. Congress needs
answers and small businesses need relief. The time to act is now,
starting with this amendment.
I think one of the things that concerns me is, and we talked
about this yesterday with the trade representative, and I have
talked about this with Administrator Guzman, are the Small Busi-
ness Administrator and her officials contacting and talking to the
administration? Is there any coordination? Is there any commu-
nication of them talking with the administration and explaining
the concerns with regards to inflation, rules and regulations, tax-
ation? We can say this over and over again, but if there is no com-
munication, how can the administration understand the impact of
what they are doing to small businesses which, my goodness sakes,
99 percent of the businesses in this country are small businesses.
If we do not know the impact of all of this, the SBA is behind and
derelict in its duty. If we do not require these things to be done
and said and provide the oversight, we are derelict in our duty. It
is very important that we pressure the administration of the Small
Business Administration to contact and coordinate with the admin-
istration as a whole and with Congress with regards to how things
are going. This is like driving a car down the road with the lights
off. You are going to wind up in the ditch. This is extremely impor-
tant that we have this kind of oversight. That the coordination be-
tween these agencies is there. Mr. Meuser’s amendment is helping
us to find how these regulations are doing, the impact of those, who
is communicating doing what, is there communication at all?
With that, Madam Chair, I certainly support the amendment and
urge my colleagues to do the same. I yield back.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman yields back.
Now I recognize myself briefly.
When it comes to small businesses, federal regulations provide
clear rules of the road and level the playing field. The bottom line
is that big corporations, not small businesses, benefit from the roll-
back of regulations. The SBA’s Office of Advocacy works with fed-
eral agencies to produce smart, well-crafted regulation and smart,
14

well-crafted rules have the potential to unleash innovation and pro-
vide critical health and safety and environmental protections.
Finally, this amendment has nothing to do with PPP and will
most likely destroy the resolutions privilege.
If there is no further discussion, the question is on the amend-
ment by the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
Seeing none, the question is now——
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the noes have it.
The amendment is not agreed to.
Mr. MEUSER. Madam Chair, I ask for a recorded vote.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. A recorded vote has been requested
and pursuant to the House rule it will be postponed.
Does anyone seek recognition to offer an amendment?
Mr. WILLIAMS. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the
dais.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The clerk will report the amend-
ment.
The CLERK. Amendment to H. Res. 1298 offered by Mr. Wil-
liams——
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Without objection, further reading of
the amendment will be dispensed with.
The gentleman from Texas is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman.
I offer this amendment on behalf of the American people.
Let’s be clear. Things are getting worse, not better. Runaway in-
flation is laying seize to this nation and shipping containers are
piled up on docks, and ships remain idle offshore. Massive worker
shortages are worsening this country’s already fragile fiscal situa-
tion, and the Labor Department reported an enormous 8.3 percent
leap in consumer prices over the past year. I am a business owner
and I can tell you that that is true and it is right with us as we
speak.
Core inflation prices jumped .6 percent since July and even the
Department of Defense acknowledges this moment as a critical
juncture, concerned that rising inflation will drive small businesses
out of the defense industrial base, leaving our nation vulnerable to
attack. For months, we have been living in a world where Ameri-
cans were forced to make difficult and sometimes impossible
choices as every part of their daily lives becomes increasingly ex-
pensive.
Despite this, their government, specifically Secretary Yellen, who
we have heard a lot about today, had the audacity to describe this
period as transitory. A new word that just kind of popped up. I
have news for her and news for you. I am a lifetime small business
owner and it is not. It is here and it is getting worse.
The Department of Treasury is charged with implementing eco-
nomic and fiscal policy in this country. As such, it was tasked with
collaborating with the SBA on the Paycheck Protection Program, a
program intended to assist small businesses during a period of in-
tense economic distress caused by poor state and local government
policies enacted during the coronavirus pandemic. Now, while the
economic pain of government forced closures had immediate nega-
15

tive impacts on small business, we must not be so blind as to ig-
nore or minimize as Secretary Yellen did and has. This slow bleed
to slow businesses is caused by rising inflation, labor shortages,
and disruptions to the supply chain, not to mention talked about
tax increases.
Therefore I urge you, Madam Chair and my colleagues, to sup-
port this amendment. My amendment requires the Department of
Treasury to report to Congress the actions taken and communica-
tions made with the Small Business Administration to assist small
businesses in response to these economic headwinds. While the
pandemic may have been the catalyst to this country’s current eco-
nomic misfortune, we continue to see the effects that bad govern-
ment policy has on small businesses. We must be aware of what
our government is doing for small businesses, especially in these
challenging times because small businesses are basically 99 percent
of what we have in our country.
Again, I urge your support of my colleagues and I yield my time
back.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman yields back.
Do other Members wish to be recognized?
Mr. DONALDS. Madam Chair?
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. For what purpose does the gen-
tleman seek recognition?
Mr. DONALDS. Madam Chair, I move to strike the last word.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman from Florida is recog-
nized for 5 minutes.
Mr. DONALDS. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Members, I think being in support of the Williams amendment
is critical. One of the key things we obviously know is that the SBA
does have communications with business owners throughout the
United States. I am quite sure that business owners, especially
during the last couple of years have been commenting to SBA
about some of the headwinds they are facing. One of the key ones
has been labor shortages throughout the United States. If you look
at productivity, the productivity measure is actually down for 2
consecutive quarters. If productivity is down, what are the real im-
plications of labor markets on small businesses owners throughout
the United States? What has been the communication between
small businesses owners and the SBA about whether it is specific
issues in their company or in their industry or with government
regulations and/or government policies that are putting more strain
on labor markets for small business owners? I think it is timely in-
formation that this Committee needs to help advise SBA, and in
some respects bring light to some of the policy challenges, economic
challenges that are existing, and whether the current administra-
tion, in my opinion it is the current administration, but whether
it is the current administration, it is adding to the difficulty of
small business owners specifically in the case of labor shortages.
We all know that there were severe labor shortages last year. We
are also very clear about why there were labor shortages last year.
And just because unemployment appears to be low at 3, 4 points,
whatever it is right now, its low U-6 unemployment rate, the labor
shortage issues still exist. Companies are still struggling in hiring
employees to work in their small business and wage rates have
16

gone up precipitously. They have gone up substantially for a small
business owner. All that creates pressure. I am quite sure there
have been communications with the SBA on this. This Committee
needs to be privy to those conversations and that is why we should
be in support of the Williams amendment. I yield back.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman yields back.
Do other Members wish to be recognized on the amendment?
Ms. TENNEY. Madam Chair? Madam Chair?
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentlelady from New York, Ms.
Tenney.
Ms. TENNEY. Yes. I move to strike the last word.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. You are recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. TENNEY. Thank you, Madam Chair.
I, too, support the Williams amendment and I am also a fellow
small business owner, although maybe we would be considered
micro since we only have 70 employees.
I wanted to just talk about the core responsibility of Congress to
provide oversight over the president and the federal bureaucracy.
It is our duty on behalf of the American people to ensure they
faithfully execute our laws and the responsibilities to the public.
However, throughout the past 18 months, this administration has
consistently acted to block and avoid our questions. We simply can-
not get answers and documents requested.
Almost 2 years ago, the Small Business Administration was
given unprecedented responsibility to help our small businesses re-
spond to and survive the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In
return, the SBA and the Treasury, under Janet Yellen, have dem-
onstrated a shocking lack of responsiveness to the concerns and
questions from congressional offices and small businesses. In addi-
tion, to this day, many of these small businesses continue to suffer
in the wake of the pandemic with never-ending arbitrary rules, the
nationwide supply chain breakdown, record high energy prices, and
decades high inflation has not gone away even though it might ap-
pear to be transitory and maybe here to stay. We do not know from
Secretary Yellen.
However, the SBA has yet to respond with any policies to effec-
tively tackle these important issues head on. While we are here
today to discuss Secretary Yellen’s refusal for well over a year to
follow a congressional mandate and appear before this Committee
to discuss the Treasury Department’s work on the Paycheck Protec-
tion Program, many of us have had similar difficulties with other
members of the administration.
Over the past year, the SBA has consistently stonewalled me and
my office as we have requested and tried to get simple answers as
to why they provided forgiveness for 38 individual Paycheck Protec-
tion Program loans totaling approximately $67 million in taxpayer
money to affiliates of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
When the Paycheck Protection Plan or Program was created by
Congress in the CARES Act and then reauthorized in December of
2020 in the Omnibus bill, Congress applied affiliation rules prohib-
iting the SBA from issuing and forgiving PPP loans to entities with
more than 500 employees across their affiliates, and it only ex-
cluded hotels and restaurants. I assert and argue that Planned
Parenthood is neither a hotel nor a restaurant.
17

Planned Parenthood, with over 16,000, not 500 or less, employees
nationwide is the nation’s largest abortion provider and falls well
above the 500 employee threshold for PPP eligibility. During Sec-
retary Guzman’s confirmation hearing in the Senate, she promised
to investigate why the SBA wrongly approved PPP loans for
Planned Parenthood affiliates. However, since that hearing, the
SBA went on to confirm an additional six PPP loans, including $10
million for Planned Parenthood of Greater New York in my home
state. Therefore, in front of this Committee last November, I asked
Secretary Guzman if she planned on illegally forgiving these PPP
loans and if she planned on asking Planned Parenthood to return
the money. She refused to answer. Again, stonewalling us. Then 6
months later, Secretary Guzman’s office finally responded to my
questions for the record saying that the SBA had forgiven 35
Planned Parenthood SBA loans illegally. During the April hearing,
I proceeded to ask her why the SBA thought they were allowed to
award and forgive these loans to Planned Parenthood. She again
refused to provide any answer to my office or to me personally dur-
ing that Committee hearing. Then in May of this year, Patrick
Kelley, the Associate Director of the SBA Office of Capital, came
in front of this Committee. I asked him the same question as Sec-
retary Guzman. He refused to provide any answer on why Planned
Parenthood was eligible for these loans.
Their behavior is completely unacceptable. Our federal bureauc-
racy must be responsible for its actions. We cannot tolerate arbi-
trary decision making and this flagrant violation of the law. I think
it is time we passed this common sense Resolution of Inquiry and
finally get some straight answers from the administration and the
Department of Treasury and have Secretary Yellen perform her
constitutional duty in appearing before this Committee. This is our
job. This is our job to provide oversight which is why I support the
Williams amendment, and I urge all of my colleagues to do the
same. We are here to help the American people and help our small
business community as many of us are small business owners, not
to get into a partisan game. This is an issue that is not partisan.
She is supposed to appear before the Committee and we need to
have answers on these issues in applying the law that we have
passed in this House.
With that, I yield back my time. Thank you.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentlelady yields back.
Do other Members wish to be recognized on the amendment?
Mr. MFUME. Madam Chair?
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman from Maryland.
Mr. MFUME. Madam Chair, I move to strike the last word.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. MFUME. I am speaking against this particular amendment
and the one previous, Madam Chair, simply because as well inten-
tioned as they may be, it strikes me that the date range being cov-
ered by both of these is from January 21, 2021, until the present,
which was the day that a new administration took over. Since
these are pandemic related, I would have hoped that we would be
looking at trying to get information that covers the width and the
breadth of the pandemic which goes back a year before that to
18

March of 2020. No matter how well intentioned, it just strikes me
as being more partisan than it could or should be. If we are really
interested in trying to figure out the impact on small businesses
during the pandemic in particular and also the fraud that may
have been involved, we would want to cover a broader period of
time. I will not be voting for either. I will vote for the Van Duyne
amendment. I think it is a good amendment.
I do want to also say, Madam Chair, that I appreciate your pa-
tience with Ms. Yellen. It is a patience we have all tried to display,
but it is rather frustrating that a Member who has a constitutional
and policy directive to come before this Committee refuses to do so.
I do not understand that and I know how it is frustrating you. I
know that it is not your fault but at some point in time, Ms. Yellen
is either going to have to get her driver or an Uber or something
to get up to Capitol Hill and come before this Committee because
I have done a lot trying to contain myself over these last 18 months
about her refusal to do so.
I yield back.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman yields back.
Do other Members wish to be recognized on the amendment?
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Move to strike the last word.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman from Missouri is rec-
ognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. I thank
Mr. Williams for offering this common sense amendment.
As Mr. Williams so clearly stated, small businesses are being
crushed under the weight of immense economic pressure. The Pay-
check Protection Program may have been the government’s first
immediate response to provide economic relief for this country’s
struggling small businesses, but their troubles are far from over.
Consequences of poor government policies have created an unten-
able economic situation for the hardest working and most vulner-
able businesses in our country. Just the latest polling data from
the Job Creators Network, 57 percent think we are in a recession;
65 percent now have crime as one of the most important issues
that they are dealing with.
Thank you to Mr. Stauber who held a roundtable last week on
this very issue. There is one issue after another that is troubling
and overwhelming our small businesses. The testimony that was at
this small business roundtable was chilling to say the least from
how some small businesses are having to change their business
models and the things they have to do just to be able to open their
doors and to accommodate their customers. It is unbelievable.
The consequences of these poor government policies have created
a difficult situation for these small businesses. We must have a full
picture of what our government is doing to assist these critical
businesses which is what Mr. Williams’s amendment is trying to
do.
I also want to comment on Mr. Mfume’s comments. I thank him
for those. We are frustrated, too. This is why we are here this
morning with Secretary Yellen. I serve on another Committee, on
Financial Services, and Secretary Yellen seems to have the time to
show up on that Committee. She has been there twice in the last
year. And yet she refuses to do her statutory duty to show up here.
19

It is mind blowing to see how she thumbs her nose at this Com-
mittee. I know that the Chairwoman has done her best to try and
get Ms. Yellen here and I appreciate her efforts. This is not a slap
at her, but this has got to stop. This has got to be a time when
we come together and get the information we need to do our job.
I think Mr. Williams’s amendment is a step in that direction and
so I fully support his amendment. I urge my colleagues to do the
same.
With that, I want to yield to Mr. Williams for a few more com-
ments.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Well, I will be brief but let me just remind ev-
erybody that the Biden administration owns inflation. It has noth-
ing to do with dates. This administration owns inflation. We are
seeing nothing happen. Small business is paying for the brunt of
it. Quite frankly, if you cannot vote for this amendment, how can
you say you support small business and main street America? It is
hard for me to believe that. I am a small business owner employing
hundreds of people. I see what is happening firsthand since the
Biden administration put a full frontal assault on small business.
So I just say we need to pass this amendment. I yield my time
back.
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. I yield back.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman yields back.
I would now like to recognize myself.
I understand the challenges small business are facing with the
ongoing economic issues. In fact, I, along with my Democratic col-
leagues and President Biden, worked together to pass the Inflation
Reduction Act last month which will build an economy that works
for small businesses. By the way, none of the Members of the Re-
publican party voted for it. It makes a much needed investment to
lower energy and healthcare costs, and in turn creating opportuni-
ties for entrepreneurs to launch and grow their small businesses.
Moreover, the Inflation Reduction Act is fully paid for and will
drive deficit reduction over the next decade. You are talking about
reducing inflation? This is a bill that does that. The Biden-Harris
administration projects more than $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction
this year after reducing the deficit by more than $350 billion last
year. This, in turn, will ease inflationary pressure.
However, this amendment does nothing to address issues facing
small businesses. It is a ‘‘gotcha’’ amendment at best. This is not
a good faith effort to boost the Committee’s oversight capabilities
on PPP. This is a minority resolution. If they want to approve an
amendment that will destroy their resolutions privilege, I have no
issues with that.
If there is no further discussion, the question is on the amend-
ment by the gentleman from Texas.
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the noes have it.
The amendment is not agreed to.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Madam Chair, I request a recorded vote.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman has requested a re-
corded vote. Pursuant to Committee Rule 13 and House Rule XI,
further proceedings on the amendment are postponed.
20

Does anyone else seek recognition to offer an amendment?
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at
the dais that needs to be distributed.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The Committee shall stand in recess
to enable Committee staff to copy and distribute amendments.
Committee staff, please distribute the amendment. I request the
Members stay around as the markup will resume shortly.
[Recess]
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The Committee will come back to
order.
The clerk will report the amendment.
The CLERK. Amendment to H. Res. 1298——
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Without objection, further reading of
the amendment will be dispensed with.
The Ranking Member is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Thank you, Madam Chair.
This amendment is similar to the rest of them in that we are
looking to get information from Treasury with regards to their con-
cerns about the veterans and the impact that the Small Business
Administration has on the various programs, as well as the PPP
program. This is an extremely important group of folks. There are
separate programs already in the SBA for these folks. Is the Treas-
ury Department getting advice from anybody? Is SBA getting ad-
vice from anybody with regards to veterans?
We had a small business roundtable with veterans, just specifi-
cally for veterans last fall, as well as a showcase to showcase the
importance of veterans and how they are such an important part
of our small business community and entrepreneurs. They are an
important group that we need to really consider. As I mentioned,
the SBA already has separate programs for them.
You know, Treasury is locked together at the hip. I know there
have been some comments made that they are only with PPP, but
they are not. They are locked at the hip with SBA from the stand-
point that anything that goes on in the economy, they have a re-
sponsibility to provide oversight, and I am sure in an advisory ca-
pacity, the president as well. We need to know what they are talk-
ing about and what kind of concerns they have.
When we have regulations that are out of control, this is a huge
impact and can impact veterans. I got stopped on the street this
morning of all things by an individual who was concerned about
some regulations that are impacting their industry. It was not vet-
eran concerns but it is just another example of the out of control
rules and regulations agenda of this administration that I think we
need to have some clarity on. We need to have some oversight over,
and we need to expose what is going on.
I cannot let go of the comment by the Chairman with regards to
the Inflation Expansion Act. This bill that no Republicans voted
for, did nothing to stop inflation. CBO says it does nothing to stop
inflation, that it probably increases inflation. To say that it reduces
debt when you have $350 billion of the $740 billion paid for is like
saying you are going to raise interest rates 10 percent but, oh, by
the way, we are going to reduce it 1 down to 9 and you are actually
saving 1 percent on interest or whatever, that is crazy. That is
backwards thinking. This bill expanded the national debt by over
21

$400 billion and the Wharton School of Business says it could cost
up to a trillion dollars, which would be another $250+ billion worth
of debt.
The thought process of the majority on inflation and rules and
regulations is mindboggling. This is why we are here this morning,
to voice our concerns over the various issues that the Treasury De-
partment has oversight over and input into. We need to understand
what the thought process is with the administration and the var-
ious things that they are having oversight over. We need to see
that communication. What are they saying? Are they truly con-
cerned about it or is it paying lip service to it? Right now if you
view their actions rather than their words, they do not care about
small businesses. This Committee cares about small businesses.
That is our job, and our job is to provide oversight to make sure
they do care about small businesses.
Madam Chair, with that I will close. I ask for support of the
amendment and I yield back the balance of my time.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman yields back.
Do other Members wish to be recognized on the amendment?
Mr. FLOOD. I do, Madam Chair.
I would move to strike the last word.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. FLOOD. Thank you, Madam Chair.
I would like to thank the Ranking Member for bringing this
amendment forward.
Veterans and the access of veterans that they have to capital is
important to me. I would like to have the opportunity to visit in
this setting with Secretary Yellen to ask questions about what the
Department of Treasury is doing to make sure that these programs
that we fund as a federal government are putting capital in the
hands of veterans.
In my district, I am very proud to be the host district for Offutt
Air Force Base, one of our nation’s leading strategic command cen-
ters for not only the nuclear triad but the 55th Wing of the U.S.
Air Force. We have, because of that, a lot of airmen and women
that work in Bellevue, Nebraska, in Sarpy County, Nebraska.
When they are done with their service, they might want the oppor-
tunity of the American dream by starting a business. Too often
than not, some of these programs are difficult to access. Veterans
often do not know where to go. These are men and women who
have served their country at home and abroad. They have been on
missions that most of us would never want to even talk about.
When they complete their service, they look at the opportunities
that they have and they want to locate where their kids are going
to school and the education that the kids receive in Bellevue, Ne-
braska is stellar. That is why we see so many airmen deciding to
stay in Sarpy County, Nebraska, and live in eastern Nebraska.
I want to specifically talk about an opportunity for the Small
Business Administration and veterans. I would like to share this
opportunity with Secretary Yellen, and I would like to get her opin-
ion on what the SBA can do specifically to make sure that this cap-
ital gets in the hands of veterans.
22

Mayor Rusty Hike in Bellevue, Nebraska, has led the way on re-
developing what they call Old Town Bellevue. This is where the
first settlers following Lewis and Clark made their way across the
Missouri River, Iowa to Nebraska, and settled what became Fort
Crook as a U.S. Army Base. This is where Standing Bear had his
trial, where the Federal District Court declared that ‘‘I am a man.’’
It was historically significant. Mayor Hike is in the process of revi-
talizing Old Town by bringing multiuse real estate opportunities
together and he wants to see small business grow and thrive. That
means he needs veterans. There are over 10,000 active
servicemembers that are on the Offutt Air Force Base. Think about
how many veterans we have just in this one county in eastern Ne-
braska, men and women that have served their country and should
have the opportunity to take advantage of a small business admin-
istration program but yet often these veterans are unaware of the
program. They often do not have the skills necessary to put a busi-
ness plan together. They would benefit from the wraparound serv-
ices that are available to veterans. With the Ranking Member’s
amendment today, it gives us an opportunity to talk about a pri-
ority, I think, for this Committee. Talk about a priority that we
should be talking to Secretary Yellen about to find out what, in
fact, is the plan for veteran-owned businesses and to increase op-
portunities for our veterans. We know what happens when we do
not provide opportunities to veterans and we do not recognize their
service. Oftentimes, as we know, given some of the things that they
have seen, veterans really struggle later in life. I worked with a lot
of veterans that deal with PTSD that have seen things and done
things in service to our country that makes it difficult sometimes
just to manage daily life. These are the people that also are entre-
preneurs and business people. With the access to capital and the
Small Business Administration or the wraparound services, we
need to know as a Committee where are we going with veteran-
owned businesses? What are the priorities? How do we help places
like Old Town Bellevue revitalize itself in such a historic spot and
build on Mayor Rusty Hike’s vision?
With that, Madam Chair, I yield back.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman yields back.
Do other Members wish to be recognized on the amendment?
Mr. WILLIAMS. Move to strike the last word.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman from Texas is recog-
nized for 5 minutes.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Well, I do not need 5 minutes for this but I lis-
ten to all this conversation and it is really hard for me to under-
stand why we just cannot help our veterans for crying out loud.
How hard can this be? How is this partisan?
I represent Fort Hood, the largest military base in America.
Probably this morning we got 40,000 young men and women down
there that are being trained to fight for freedom and liberty but yet
the other side just talks about free stuff all the time. Everything
is free. Tuition now is free. You do not have to pay your apartment.
Forbearance. Illegals get free stuff. It is just unbelievable. We need
to cut out the free stuff and we need to help our veterans. We need
to help our veterans start a business, create a business. They are
trained. They are ready. This amendment does that. But again,
23

how can you be against our veterans? How can that be? And then
you call yourself a patriot? It is hard for me to believe.
I yield my time back.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Let me——
Madam?
Yes.
Mr. MFUME. Madam Chair? I move to strike the last word.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman is recognized for 5
minutes. Will you yield for 2 seconds?
Mr. MFUME. Yes, whatever you would like.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. It is offensive to say that Democrats
do not care about veterans. My uncle fought in the Korean War.
Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans in the United States have one of the
highest participation in the Armed Services. To say that Democrats
do not care for veterans—no, that is not the issue here. The issue
is this is not germane to the resolution. It is just that simple.
I yield back. Thank you for yielding.
Mr. MFUME. Absolutely, Madam Chair.
I just find it almost amusing that we are told that we are against
veterans before the vote has even taken place on the amendment
that we just got. Now, unless somebody is clairvoyant, I do not
know how you make that assumption. If you are basing it on past
history, you cannot just assume that everybody on this Committee
does not care about or work with veterans.
I would call the gentleman’s attention back to the National De-
fense Authorization Act with an amendment from myself and was
co-lead by Representative Van Duyne to give the SBA more time
in transferring certification processes regarding disabled service
veterans and their minority-owned or small businesses that they
owned. I think the last thing that I wanted this to degenerate into
has been what it has been degenerated into, I guess. Again, my
reservation here is that this calls for a period of time for an exam-
ination that starts January 21, 2021, the day that the current
president got sworn in and not covering the full pandemic, or even
time before that because this has been an issue that has been af-
fecting veterans for a long time.
In my district in Baltimore, I work very closely with the Mary-
land Center for Vets. We work with veterans around the state on
a number of issues, small business notwithstanding, but also edu-
cation and other things. It is a bit misleading to suggest that before
a vote is taken people are automatically predisposed against vet-
erans when that has not been the case. I plan on now voting
against what I probably had some idea that I might vote for which
is this amendment. I just do not like the way it is being character-
ized and the way that Members of this side of the aisle are being
painted.
I do not know if I have got any time left, Madam Chair, but I
yield it back to you.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman yields back.
Do other Members wish to be recognized on the amendment?
Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Chair, I move to strike the last word.
Mr. Phillips is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. PHILLIPS. I want to associate myself with your remarks
and also my colleague from Maryland. I am disgusted by that tone.
24

As someone who employs veterans and has a Gold Star son, I take
grave offense to anybody who would say we Democrats do not sup-
port veterans. The shame is not on us. The shame is on anybody
who might say that. I yield back.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman yields back.
Do other Members wish to be recognized on the amendment?
Mr. DONALDS. Madam Chair, the gentleman from Florida.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman from Florida is recog-
nized for 5 minutes.
Mr. DONALDS. I move to strike the last word, Madam Chair.
Thank you for the time.
Briefly, Members, listen, the amendment in front of us is a good
amendment. I think that I would actually encourage all of the
Members to take a look at the words in front of us and to have the
other conversations associated with commentary when the Com-
mittee is adjourned. At the core of what we are trying to do here
is make sure that veterans are getting all the assistance that they
need and getting the necessary information so that this Committee
can do their work on behalf of men and women who have served
our country regardless of their politics. I think what we should get
focused back on is what is in front of us right now. We can have
the other conversations later, because the amendment brought by
Ranking Member Luetkemeyer is a quality amendment that this
Committee should take up.
With that, I yield back.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentlemen yields back.
Do other Members wish to be recognized on the amendment?
The gentlelady from Pennsylvania, Ms. Houlahan, is recognized
for 5 minutes.
The gentlelady is muted. You need to unmute.
I guess we are having difficulties.
Ms. Houlahan, can you speak louder, please?
We are going to take a brief recess until we address these tech-
nical difficulties.
[Recess]
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The Committee will come back to
order.
The gentlelady from Pennsylvania is recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. HOULAHAN. Thank you, Madam Chair.
I have now been in Congress for the better part of 3-1/2 years
and I have worked my darndest to remain civil and decent because
I want to always assume the best of everyone across the aisle and
within my own party. I take deep offense to the statement of the
gentleman who would ever imply that I or my colleagues are not
patriots. In fact, I am myself a veteran, my father a veteran, my
grandfather a veteran, my brother a veteran, many of my cousins
are veterans. I am also a small business person and have been an
entrepreneur for a better part of my life before joining Congress.
For the better part of 3-1/2 years I have listened to this rhetoric
coming from many of my colleagues and I just cannot abide by it
any longer. While I appreciate that this is not the conversation
that I would like to be having, this is the conversation that I am
forced to be having. I would like very much so to ask for the apol-
ogy from the gentleman who has somehow talked to me and my
25

colleagues about not being patriots and about not understanding
the plight of the veteran. You have no idea, sir, how I would have
voted on this particular amendment. It was literally just dropped
a few minutes ago.
With that, I yield back.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentlelady yields back.
Do other Members wish to be recognized on this amendment?
If there is no further discussion, the question is on the amend-
ment by the gentleman from Missouri.
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the noes have it. The amendment is
not agreed to.
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Chair, I request a recorded vote.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman has requested a re-
corded vote. Pursuant to Committee Rule 13 and House Rule XI,
further proceedings on the amendment are postponed.
Does anyone else seek recognition to offer an amendment?
H.R. 8844
Seeing none, we will now consider H.R. 8844, the STEP Improve-
ment Act of 2022 introduced by Mr. Evans and cosponsored by Ms.
Young Kim, Ranking Member of the Innovation, Entrepreneurship,
and Workforce Development Subcommittee, Ms. Newman and Mr.
Flood.
This legislation would reauthorize STEP for 4 fiscal years and
modernize the program to improve communication, accountability,
and transparency.
I would now like to recognize the gentlelady from California, Ms.
Kim, for an opening statement.
I would now like to recognize the gentlelady, Ms. Newman, for
an opening statement.
Ms. NEWMAN. Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning to ev-
eryone.
Before I start I would like to identify that I am entering some
letters of support for this piece of legislation with my thanks.
Today I am truly proud to stand with my colleagues to introduce
this bipartisan bill, the STEP Improvement Act of 2022. The provi-
sions included in this new bill will give small businesses the sup-
port that they absolutely need both to become exporters and ex-
pand the capital of current exporter businesses.
Businesses less than a year old are vulnerable. All of the great
small business people in this room understand that the first year
is really tough, and so this is a great opportunity for them to par-
ticipate. This assistance will be critical to their success. The bill
also standardizes the application process and increases spending
flexibility for grant recipients. We want to make it as easy as pos-
sible for small businesses to receive the assistance they need to
succeed and thrive.
As we move our economy out of the worst of the pandemic, we
must lend as much support as possible to small businesses. I really
support this bill. Small businesses are the absolute backbone of our
country and our economy and we must invest in their success. I
urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation. Thank you and
I yield back.
26

Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentlelady yields back.
Now I would like to recognize the gentleman from Nebraska, Mr.
Flood, who is a cosponsor of this bill, for an opening statement.
Mr. FLOOD. Thank you, Madam Chair.
I am proud to co-lead H.R. 8844 with my colleagues, Congress-
man Evans, Congresswoman Newman, and Congresswoman Kim. I
also want to thank the Chairwoman and the Ranking Member
Luetkemeyer for having this markup today.
H.R. 8844 reauthorizes the State Trade and Export Program for
4 fiscal years. Also known as STEP, this provides financial awards
to states to assist small businesses with export development.
In order to better understand the role of STEP, let’s take a look
at how it has affected Nebraska over the last few years. Since its
inception, STEP has connected Nebraska businesses with markets
in Mexico, Canada, United Kingdom, Brazil, Chile, India, Colum-
bia, Finland, Argentina, Japan, and countless other countries
across the globe. To ensure American and Nebraskan companies re-
main competitive in this modern global age, we need to have an
international reach for our products and services.
One business that has benefitted from STEP is Paraclipse Sys-
tems, LLC, based in Columbus, Nebraska. This business manufac-
tures nonintrusive fly control products that you install in your
home as in flies, the insect. Paraclipse sells fixtures that are at-
tached to a wall. Inside the fixture is a light and glue paper. The
flies are attracted to the light and get stuck on the glue paper.
Thus, helping remove flies from your home. With a $10,000 invest-
ment, this company was able to expand its sales and create 14 jobs.
That is the power of this program, creating jobs and expanding the
reach of American businesses. Nebraskans are entrepreneurial and
STEP can connect our talented businesswomen and men with the
resources that can help grow their business into big and successful
enterprises that will employ more people. I am pleased to help co-
lead this legislation and urge my colleagues to support the bill.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I yield back.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The gentleman yields back.
Are there any other Members who wish to be recognized for a
statement on H.R. 8844?
The Ranking Member is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Thank you, Madam Chair.
I want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Congressman
Evans, as well as Representatives Newman, Kim, and Flood for
working on this legislation. From computer and technology parts in
California, to agricultural commodities in Nebraska, Congress-
woman Kim and Congressman Flood know the importance of advo-
cating for our small exporters on the global stage. This Congress,
the Committee has heard from the Associative Administrator of the
SBA Office of International Trade and small business stakeholders
on the State Trade Expansion Program. This important program
partners with states and territories to increase the number of small
businesses that export, increase the value of those exports, and in-
crease new trade opportunities. States utilize STEP awards to sup-
port small businesses by facilitating foreign trade missions and
tradeshow exhibits, or to provide consulting, marketing, and
website services. My home state of Missouri has participated in the
27

STEP program since its inception and over $2.5 million has been
distributed to hundreds of Missouri businesses to support their ex-
port ventures.
This legislation will reauthorize STEP for 4 fiscal years from fis-
cal year 2023 to fiscal year 2026 so small businesses can continue
to utilize the program’s export promotion services. Legislation will
also improve the implementation of the program by creating a
standardized application process. To increase accountability, the
legislation requires the Associate Administrator to conduct an an-
nual survey of each state grantee to solicit feedback and determine
the best practices.
Further, H.R. 8844 requires SBA to publish an annual report on
the program and analysis of the performance metrics of the pro-
gram, including whether performance goals have been met. In a
growing global economy, we must support our small businesses in
their export efforts.
I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 8844 and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Thank you. The gentleman yields
back.
I will recognize myself briefly.
I would like to commend Representatives Evans, Kim, Newman,
and Flood on their bipartisan work on this bill. Reauthorizing this
program will enable more small businesses to compete in the global
marketplace. STEP was created to help small businesses navigate
the complexities of exporting their goods and services abroad and
has become an invaluable tool for thousands of small businesses.
In fiscal year 2021, the SBA assisted more than 3,400 small busi-
nesses and supported more than $832 million in export sales from
STEP. The Committee held two hearings on STEP during this Con-
gress and learned they have been a vital resource for small busi-
nesses throughout the pandemic. The additional flexibility granted
to small businesses allowed them the utilize funding in creative
ways to expand their footholds in international marketplaces. The
Committee heard from small firms that when physical travel was
shutdown, they were able to utilize STEP funds for digital mar-
keting, e-commerce, and website translation services to help make
their businesses shine on the global stage. In addition, states used
STEP funding to host virtual trainings on export compliance and
worked with foreign consultants to support and represent U.S.
companies overseas.
H.R. 8844 will reauthorize the program for 4 fiscal years, ensur-
ing it remains a pivotal tool for small businesses looking to export.
It will also improve STEP by creating a standardized application
process for states, increasing grant spending flexibility, improving
communication between the SBA and participating states, and col-
lecting more robust performance metrics.
Lastly, H.R. 8844 will increase access to STEP by allowing entre-
preneurs with less than a year in business to take advantage of the
opportunities the program presents. This would allow more small
businesses to get to market faster and sell their goods and services
abroad. I applaud the work of Representatives Evans, Young Kim,
Newman, and Flood, and I urge a vote yes.
28

If there is no further discussion, the Committee will move on to
consideration of H.R. 8844.
The clerk will report the bill.
The CLERK. H.R. 8844——
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Without objection, H.R. 8844 is con-
sidered as read and open for amendment at any point.
Does anyone seek recognition to offer an amendment?
Seeing none, the question is now on H.R. 8844.
All in favor, say aye.
All opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it and H.R. 8844 is
agreed to.
The question now occurs on reporting H.R. 8844 favorably to the
House.
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it and H.R. 8844 is
reported to the House.
Without objection, Committee staff is authorized to correct punc-
tuation and make other necessary technical corrections and con-
forming changes.
Without objection, Members have 2 business days to file addi-
tional supplemental, dissenting, and minority views.
At this time, the Committee stands in recess subject to the call
of the Chair.
[Recess]
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The Committee will come to order.
The Committee will now resume consideration of the amend-
ments on which roll call votes were requested and postponed. There
are four postponed recorded votes.
The question now occurs on Van Duyne 1v2. The clerk will
please call the roll.
The CLERK. Ms. Velázquez?
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. No.
The CLERK. Ms. Velázquez votes no.
Mr. Golden?
Mr. GOLDEN. No.
The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes no.
Mr. Crow?
Mr. CROW. Yes.
The CLERK. Mr. Crow votes yes.
Ms. Davids?
Ms. DAVIDS. Davids votes yes.
The CLERK. Sorry, could you repeat that, please?
Ms. DAVIDS. Sorry. Davids votes yes.
The CLERK. Ms. Davids votes aye.
Mr. Mfume?
Mr. Mfume?
[No response.]
Mr. Phillips?
Mr. PHILLIPS. I am sorry; is this the Van Duyne amendment?
The CLERK. Correct.
Mr. PHILLIPS. Phillips votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Phillips votes aye.
29

Ms. Newman?
Ms. Newman?
[No response.]
Ms. Bourdeaux?
Ms. BOURDEAUX. Bourdeaux votes aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Bourdeaux votes aye.
Mr. Carter?
Mr. Carter?
[No response.]
Ms. Chu?
Ms. CHU. No.
The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes no.
Mr. Evans?
Mr. EVANS. No.
The CLERK. Mr. Evans votes no.
Ms. Houlahan?
Ms. Houlahan?
Ms. HOULAHAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Houlahan votes aye.
Mr. Kim?
Mr. ANDY KIM. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Kim votes aye.
Ms. Craig?
Ms. CRAIG. Ms. Craig from Minnesota votes aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Craig from Minnesota votes aye.
Mr. Peters?
Mr. PETERS. Peters votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Peters votes aye.
Mr. Luetkemeyer?
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer votes aye.
Mr. Williams?
Mr. WILLIAMS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Williams votes aye.
Mr. Stauber?
Mr. STAUBER. Stauber votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye.
Mr. Meuser?
Mr. MEUSER. Meuser votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye.
Ms. Tenney?
Ms. TENNEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Tenney votes aye.
Mr. Garbarino?
Mr. Garbarino?
[No response.]
Ms. Young Kim?
Ms. YOUNG KIM. Kim votes aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Young Kim votes aye.
Ms. Van Duyne?
Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye.
Mr. Donalds?
Mr. Donalds?
30

[No response.]
Mr. Fitzgerald? Ms. Salazar?
Mr. Fitzgerald?
Mr. FITZGERALD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Fitzgerald votes aye.
Mr. Flood?
Mr. FLOOD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Flood votes aye.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Are there any other Members that
wish to vote?
The clerk will report the tally.
The CLERK. On this vote there were 17 ayes and 4 noes.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The amendment is agreed to.
The question now occurs on Meuser 1v2. This amendment pre-
viously failed by voice vote.
The clerk will please call the roll.
The CLERK. Ms. Velázquez?
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. No.
The CLERK. Ms. Velázquez votes no.
Mr. Golden?
Mr. GOLDEN. Yes.
The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye.
Mr. Crow?
Mr. CROW. No.
The CLERK. Mr. Crow votes no.
Ms. Davids?
Ms. DAVIDS. Davids votes no.
The CLERK. Ms. Davids votes no.
Mr. Mfume?
Mr. Mfume?
[No response.]
Mr. Phillips?
Mr. PHILLIPS. Phillips votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Phillips votes aye.
Ms. Newman?
Ms. Newman?
[No response.]
Ms. Bourdeaux?
Ms. BOURDEAUX. Bourdeaux votes no.
The CLERK. Ms. Bourdeaux votes no.
Mr. Carter?
Mr. Carter?
[No response.]
Ms. Chu?
Ms. CHU. No.
The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes no.
Mr. Evans?
Mr. EVANS. No.
The CLERK. Mr. Evans votes no.
Ms. Houlahan?
Ms. HOULAHAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Houlahan votes aye.
Mr. Kim?
Mr. ANDY KIM. No.
31

The CLERK. Mr. Kim votes no.
Ms. Craig?
Ms. CRAIG. Ms. Craig of Minnesota votes aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Craig of Minnesota votes aye.
Mr. Peters?
Mr. Peters?
Mr. PETERS. Peters votes no.
The CLERK. Mr. Peters votes no.
Mr. Luetkemeyer?
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Yes. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer votes aye.
Mr. Williams?
Mr. WILLIAMS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Williams votes aye.
Mr. Stauber?
Mr. STAUBER. Stauber votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye.
Mr. Meuser?
Mr. MEUSER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye.
Ms. Tenney?
Ms. TENNEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Tenney votes aye.
Mr. Garbarino?
Mr. Garbarino?
[No response.]
Ms. Young Kim?
Ms. Young Kim?
[No response.]
Ms. Van Duyne?
Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye.
Mr. Donalds?
Mr. Donalds?
[No response.]
Ms. Salazar?
Ms. Salazar?
[No response.]
Mr. Fitzgerald?
Mr. FITZGERALD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Fitzgerald votes aye.
Mr. Flood?
Mr. FLOOD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Flood votes aye.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Are there any other Members that
wish to vote?
The clerk will report the tally.
The CLERK. On this vote there were 12 ayes and 8 noes.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The amendment is agreed to.
The question now occurs on Williams 1v2. This amendment pre-
viously failed by voice vote.
The clerk will please call the roll.
The CLERK. Ms. Velázquez?
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. No.
32

The CLERK. Ms. Velázquez votes no.
Mr. Golden?
Mr. GOLDEN. No.
The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes no.
Mr. Crow?
Mr. CROW. No.
The CLERK. Mr. Crow votes no.
Ms. Davids?
Ms. DAVIDS. Davids votes no.
The CLERK. Ms. Davids votes no.
Mr. Mfume?
[No response.]
Mr. Phillips?
Mr. PHILLIPS. No.
The CLERK. Mr. Phillips votes no.
Ms. Newman?
[No response.]
Ms. Bourdeaux?
Ms. BOURDEAUX. Bourdeaux votes no.
The CLERK. Ms. Bourdeaux votes no.
Mr. Carter?
[No response.]
Ms. Chu?
Ms. CHU. No.
The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes no.
Mr. Evans?
Mr. EVANS. Evans votes no.
The CLERK. Mr. Evans votes no.
Ms. Houlahan?
Ms. HOULAHAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Houlahan votes aye.
Mr. Kim?
Mr. ANDY KIM. No.
The CLERK. Mr. Kim votes no.
Ms. Craig?
Ms. Craig?
[No response.]
Mr. Peters?
[No response.]
Mr. Luetkemeyer?
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer votes aye.
Mr. Williams?
Mr. WILLIAMS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Williams votes aye.
Mr. Stauber?
Mr. STAUBER. Stauber votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye.
Mr. Meuser?
Mr. Meuser?
Mr. MEUSER. Meuser votes aye. Sorry.
The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye.
Ms. Tenney?
Ms. TENNEY. Aye.
33

The CLERK. Ms. Tenney votes aye.
Mr. Garbarino?
Ms. Young Kim?
Mr. GARBARINO. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Garbarino votes aye.
Ms. YOUNG KIM. Young Kim votes aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Young Kim votes aye.
Ms. Van Duyne?
Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye.
Mr. Donalds?
[No response.]
Ms. Salazar?
[No response.]
Mr. Fitzgerald?
Mr. FITZGERALD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Fitzgerald votes aye.
Mr. Flood?
Mr. FLOOD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Flood votes aye.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Are there any other Members that
wish to vote?
Mr. MFUME. Madam Chair?
Ms. CRAIG. Madam?
Mr. MFUME. I am Mfume of Maryland. I vote no.
The CLERK. Mr. Mfume votes no.
Mr. PETERS. Madam Chair, Peters of California votes no.
The CLERK. Mr. Peters votes no.
Ms. CRAIG. Madam Chair, Angie Craig from Minnesota votes
no.
The CLERK. Ms. Craig votes no.
Mr. GARBARINO. How is Mr. Garbarino recorded?
The CLERK. Mr. Garbarino is recorded as voting aye.
Mr. GARBARINO. Thank you.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The clerk will report the tally.
Are there any other Members that wish to vote?
Mr. CARTER. Madam Chair, Troy Carter.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Mr. Carter, how do you vote?
Mr. CARTER. Carter votes no.
The CLERK. Mr. Carter votes no.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The clerk will report the tally.
The CLERK. On this vote there were 11 ayes and 13 noes.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The amendment is not agreed to.
The question is now on reporting H. Res. 1298 as amended with-
out recommendation to the House.
All those in favor, say aye.
All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it and H. Res. 1298
as amended is reported to the House without recommendation.
Without objection, the Committee staff——
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Chair, we request a recorded vote
on that.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Pardon? I am sorry?
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. We request a recorded vote.
34

Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. A recorded vote is requested.
The clerk will please call the roll.
The CLERK. Ms. Velázquez?
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ No.
The CLERK. Ms. Velázquez votes no.
Mr. Golden?
Mr. GOLDEN. Yes.
The CLERK. Mr. Golden votes aye.
Mr. Crow?
Mr. CROW. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Crow votes aye.
Ms. Davids?
Ms. DAVIDS. Aye. Davids votes aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Davids votes aye.
Mr. Mfume?
Mr. MFUME. Mr. Mfume votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Mfume votes aye.
Mr. Phillips?
Mr. PHILLIPS. Phillips votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Phillips votes aye.
Ms. Newman?
[No response.]
Ms. Bourdeaux?
Ms. Bourdeaux?
Ms. BOURDEAUX. Bourdeaux votes aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Bourdeaux votes aye.
Mr. Carter?
Mr. CARTER. Mr. Carter votes aye.
The CLERK. Carter votes aye.
Ms. Chu?
Ms. CHU. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Chu votes aye.
Mr. Evans?
Mr. EVANS. Evans votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Evans votes aye.
Ms. Houlahan?
Ms. HOULAHAN. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Houlahan votes aye.
Mr. Kim?
Mr. ANDY KIM. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Kim votes aye.
Ms. Craig?
Ms. CRAIG. Ms. Craig votes aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Craig votes aye.
Mr. Peters?
Mr. PETERS. Peters votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Peters votes aye.
Mr. Luetkemeyer?
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Luetkemeyer votes aye.
Mr. Williams?
Mr. WILLIAMS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Williams votes aye.
Mr. Stauber?
35

Mr. STAUBER. Stauber votes aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Stauber votes aye.
Mr. Meuser?
Mr. MEUSER. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Meuser votes aye.
Ms. Tenney?
Ms. TENNEY. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Tenney votes aye.
Mr. Garbarino?
Mr. GARBARINO. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Garbarino votes aye.
Ms. Young Kim?
Ms. YOUNG KIM. Kim votes aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Young Kim votes aye.
Ms. Van Duyne?
Ms. VAN DUYNE. Aye.
The CLERK. Ms. Van Duyne votes aye.
Mr. Donalds?
Mr. DONALDS. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Donalds votes aye.
Ms. Salazar?
[No response.]
Mr. Fitzgerald?
Mr. FITZGERALD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Fitzgerald votes aye.
Mr. Flood?
Mr. FLOOD. Aye.
The CLERK. Mr. Flood votes aye.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Madam Clerk, how am I recorded?
The CLERK. You are recorded with a no vote.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. I meant to vote yes.
The CLERK. Ms. Velázquez votes aye.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. Are there any other Members that
wish to vote?
The clerk will report the tally.
The CLERK. On this vote there were 25 ayes and 0 noes.
Chairwoman VELÁZQUEZ. The motion to report the resolution
as amended to the House without recommendation is agreed to.
Without objection, Committee staff is authorized to correct punc-
tuation and make other necessary technical corrections and con-
forming changes.
Without objection, Members have 2 business days to file addi-
tional supplemental, dissenting, and minority views.
My thanks to all the Members for their participation today. If
there is no further business to come before the Committee, without
objection this meeting is adjourned. Thank you.
[Whereupon, at 1:11 p.m., the committee was adjourned.]
36

APPENDIX
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