Congressional Record, Senate, March 16, 2021, Page S1539

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A page of the Congressional Record, Senate, dated March 16, 2021, at page S1539, with the Senate's cloture vote on the nomination of Isabella Casillas Guzman to be Administrator of the Small Business Administration. The roll call is recorded with 80 yeas and 18 nays, and the motion is agreed to. Ms. Rosen speaks in support of Mrs. Guzman, describing her experience with small businesses and the American Rescue Plan's additional $50 billion in small business relief, including $15 billion for targeted EIDL advance grants, $7.25 billion for the paycheck protection program and $1.25 billion for shuttered venue grants. Mr. Coons then asks that postcloture time on the Guzman nomination be considered expired.

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“Congressional Record, Senate, March 16, 2021, Page S1539.” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-03-16-crec-2021-03-16-pt1-pgs1539-4-f30143d4c6/, SHA-256 46246f9581d238b314ef1b94b8a9ca95d5eb0744b0801a74939240ef1ab7c09c.

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March 16, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1539
The plan appropriated an additional Business Association, the Small Busi- Sanders Sullivan Warnock
Schatz Tester Warren
$50 billion in economic relief for small ness Majority, the National Federation Schumer Thune Whitehouse
businesses, including $15 billion to tar- of Independent Businesses, and many Shaheen Tillis Wicker
geted EIDL advance grants, an addi- other small business advocacy groups. Sinema Toomey Wyden
tional $7.25 billion to PPP, and $1.25 Smith Van Hollen
SBA needs an Administrator who can Stabenow Warner
Young
billion for shuttered venue grants. hit the ground running, and I am con-
The plan also required SBA to launch fident Mrs. Guzman is exactly the right NAYS—18
a Community Navigator Pilot Pro- person for the job. Blackburn Daines Rubio
gram, which is designed to help small Boozman Hagerty Sasse
I urge my colleagues who have spo- Braun Hawley Scott (FL)
businesses in underserved and under- ken with small business owners who Cotton Kennedy Scott (SC)
banked communities access the still need support from the SBA—and I Crapo Lee Shelby
COVID–19 relief resources available to am sure everyone has—to join me and Cruz Risch Tuberville
them. These programs will be key to vote to confirm Mrs. Guzman as the NOT VOTING—2
our economic recovery. SBA Administrator. Hirono Lummis
That brings me to Mrs. Guzman’s I yield the floor.
nomination. Mrs. Guzman has decades The PRESIDING OFFICER. The yeas
CLOTURE MOTION are 80, the nays are 18.
of experience working with, sup-
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. The motion is agreed to.
porting, and founding small businesses,
LUJÁN). Pursuant to rule XXII, the The Senator from Delaware.
which have prepared her to lead the
Chair lays before the Senate the pend- Mr. COONS. I ask unanimous consent
SBA during this moment.
ing cloture motion, which the clerk that all postcloture time on the
Most recently, Mrs. Guzman was the
will state. Guzman nomination be considered ex-
State of California’s director of the Of-
The bill clerk read as follows: pired at 2:30 p.m. today.
fice of Small Business Advocate, where
she oversaw implementation of the CLOTURE MOTION The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
State’s COVID–19 Relief Grant Pro- We, the undersigned Senators, in accord- objection, it is so ordered.
gram. ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the Mr. COONS. I yield the floor.
Mrs. Guzman also helped lead SBA Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby f
move to bring to a close debate on the nomi-
during the Obama administration, nation of Executive Calendar No. 26, Isabella RECESS
serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff Casillas Guzman, of California, to be Admin-
and Senior Advisor for 3 years, from The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under
istrator of the Small Business Administra-
2014 through 2017. the previous order, the Senate stands
tion.
During her nomination hearing last Charles E. Schumer, Benjamin L. Cardin, in recess until 2:15 p.m.
month, Mrs. Guzman demonstrated her Richard Blumenthal, Christopher A. Thereupon, the Senate, at 12:37 p.m.,
commitment to ensuring that SBA’s Coons, Patty Murray, Chris Van Hol- recessed until 2:15 p.m. and reassem-
relief programs, as well as its tradi- len, Sheldon Whitehouse, Jeff Merkley, bled when called to order by the Pre-
Brian Schatz, Cory A. Booker, Amy siding Officer (Ms. SINEMA).
tional loan programs, are implemented
Klobuchar, Sherrod Brown, Angus S. f
equitably and that they help small King, Jr., Kirsten E. Gillibrand, Tim
businesses in Black, Latino, Native, Kaine, Tammy Baldwin, Ron Wyden. EXECUTIVE CALENDAR—Continued
rural, and other underserved commu-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unan- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
nities overcome the historic barriers
imous consent, the mandatory quorum ator from Nevada.
they face.
call has been waived. NOMINATION OF ISABELLA CASILLAS GUZMAN
She is committed to ensuring the
The question is, Is it the sense of the Ms. ROSEN. Madam President, I
Agency has the right systems, tech-
Senate that debate on the nomination stand here today in support of Isabel
nology, and operating procedures in
of Isabella Casillas Guzman, of Cali- Guzman’s nomination to serve as SBA
place to advance the mission and reach
fornia, to be Administrator of the Administrator.
all of our small businesses.
And she is committed to ‘‘ensure Small Business Administration, shall This pandemic has been challenging
funds get into the hands of small busi- be brought to a close? for our communities, and it has been
nesses who have been hurt the most by The yeas and nays are mandatory especially devastating for our small
the pandemic and the economic crisis under the rule. businesses. We urgently need a leader
through no fault of their own.’’ The clerk will call the roll. who is experienced and prepared for the
As we learned during the pandemic, The bill clerk called the roll. work ahead, someone who will hit the
SBA has a key role to play in our Na- Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the ground running to revive and restore
tion’s effort to fight systems of in- Senator from Hawaii (Ms. HIRONO) is our small businesses and bring back
equality that prevent many entre- necessarily absent. jobs, and Isabel Guzman is exactly the
preneurs in underserved and under- Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is right person for this task.
banked communities from starting and necessarily absent: the Senator from Having previously served in the U.S.
growing successful businesses. Wyoming (Ms. LUMMIS). Small Business Administration, Mrs.
Mrs. Guzman will be an advocate for The yeas and nays resulted—yeas 80, Guzman knows the Agency well. She
small businesses in these communities nays 18, as follows: understands the struggles that small
within the administration, and she will [Rollcall Vote No. 120 Ex.] businesses and workers face, not just
be a strong partner to us in Congress as YEAS—80 during this pandemic but also their
we build better capacity to support Baldwin Durbin Luján day-to-day needs. She will use the
small businesses through the coming Barrasso Ernst Manchin Agency’s tools to support small busi-
economic recovery. Bennet Feinstein Markey nesses, and she will fight fiercely on
Blumenthal Fischer Marshall
Mrs. Guzman’s commitment to eq- Blunt Gillibrand McConnell
their behalf.
uity and her deep knowledge of the Booker Graham Menendez Ninety-nine percent of Nevada busi-
needs of small businesses and the best Brown Grassley Merkley nesses are small businesses. This is a
Burr Hassan Moran diverse community that embodies the
policies to help them are why she re- Cantwell Heinrich Murkowski
ceived bipartisan praise during her Capito Hickenlooper Murphy entrepreneurial spirit of our State, and
nomination hearing and was advanced Cardin Hoeven Murray over the last year they have faced ob-
by the committee by a bipartisan vote. Carper Hyde-Smith Ossoff stacle after obstacle. Thousands of Ne-

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Casey Inhofe Padilla
Mrs. Guzman has earned broad sup- Cassidy Johnson Paul
vada business owners have called my
port from the small business commu- Collins Kaine Peters office for help.
nity. Her nomination has been en- Coons Kelly Portman These small business owners are—
dorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Com- Cornyn King Reed well, they are people. They are people
Cortez Masto Klobuchar Romney
merce, U.S. Hispanic Chamber, the U.S. Cramer Lankford Rosen who have poured their hard-earned
Black Chamber, the National Small Duckworth Leahy Rounds money into starting businesses. They

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S1540 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 16, 2021
are people who have dedicated their on the nomination of Katherine C. Tai tack on workers in our country be-
lives to building a business from the to serve as the next U.S. Trade Rep- cause, when American workers have to
ground up. They are people whose resentative. compete against slave labor, everybody
shops and stores and services—well, For Senators who watched any of Ms. loses. It is truly a race to absolute rock
they are cornerstones for our commu- Tai’s nomination hearing before the bottom when it comes to labor rights.
nities. And now, through no fault of committee, you will know that Ms. Tai Ms. Tai is committed to President
their own, these small business owners has a whole lot of fans on both sides of Biden’s Build Back Better agenda. A
are left wondering if their businesses the aisle here in the Senate. So I am key part of that agenda is ensuring
are going to make it. just going to take a few minutes to dis- that our workers are competing on a
Last week, President Biden signed cuss some of the reasons why I think level playing field with the rest of the
the American Rescue Plan into law. Ms. Tai is a terrific choice for this job. world. It is certainly not a level play-
This is a major win for small busi- First, she knows that the name of the ing field when other countries are pro-
nesses across the country. It includes game when it comes to this country’s ducing goods with slave labor.
targeted support for Black, Latino, trade policy is protecting and creating Our government has laws on the
AAPI, and minority-owned businesses, high-skill, high-wage jobs. Our country books that can crack down on coun-
as well as support for businesses in our saw, for the past 4 years, that a strat- tries using slave labor and keep those
rural communities. Over $1 billion in egy of sending mean tweets and acting products out of our market, but it is
grants are in there to save our stages on chaos does not translate into more going to require an unwavering com-
and independent live venues. There is good jobs. Under President Biden, and mitment to tough trade enforcement.
over $7 billion for the Paycheck Pro- with Katherine Tai leading USTR, I am This will continue to be an area of spe-
tection Program. There is $15 billion confident we will have a more effective cial focus for the Finance Committee.
for EIDL Advance grants and $25 bil- approach. Our colleague Senator BROWN and I
lion to keep restaurants afloat. Ms. Tai also has exactly the right ex- have worked on this issue for a long,
This will provide real relief to small perience for the job. She led crack- long time. I know Ms. Tai is committed
business owners, employees, and the downs against China’s trade cheating to working with us on it, and I know
families that they provide for, that and job rip-offs. As the top trade staff- that she will work with colleagues on
count on them. For so many, this addi- er on the Ways and Means Committee, the other side of the aisle on this and
tional aid will mean the difference be- she was at the forefront to improve the other issues. It is an opportunity to
tween a business keeping its doors open new NAFTA when the Trump adminis- stand up for what is right around the
or closing them forever. tration handed to Congress a deal that world and protect American jobs and
And now we need an SBA Adminis- just wasn’t strong enough for Amer- wages at the same time.
trator who will see that this relief is ican workers. She already has a long So Katherine Tai is qualified. She
delivered swiftly and fully. I am con- track record of achieving wins for has the right diversity of experience.
fident that Isabel Guzman will be an America’s workers, businesses, farm- She has her priorities right, which is to
asset in bringing our small businesses ers, and ranchers. get more American workers into the
back. Second, Ms. Tai has committed to winner’s circle of trade policy, and she
We must also do more for our small the Finance Committee that she will is going to do it in a way that pro-
businesses, which is why, if confirmed, work to bring more transparency to motes openness, accountability, and
I look forward to working with Mrs. trade policy. Bringing more sunlight to transparency.
Guzman and the SBA to remove the the country’s trade agreements ought I believe Ms. Tai is going to have
cap on EIDL loans and to provide full to be a priority that every Senator strong bipartisan support here in the
EIDL Advance grants to all eligible shares. That is why I am glad that Senate when we vote in just a few min-
small businesses, giving greater access President Biden has chosen somebody utes. I want Senators on both sides of
to the relief that all our small business with congressional experience for the the aisle to know that Ms. Tai has con-
owners need. The EIDL and EIDL Ad- role of USTR. sistently, throughout her time in pub-
vance Programs have helped countless The Constitution gives the Congress lic service, worked in a bipartisan way
small businesses in Nevada and in authority over international trade. Un- with respect to ensuring that, at a
States across the country through fortunately, Congress, over the years, time when modern communications
these tough times, but the arbitrary has delegated some of its power to the and transportation have, to some ex-
caps on these loans and grants are pre- executive branch. So what that means tent, shrunk the world and trade has
venting small businesses from receiv- is, now, all sides need to work together gotten to be more and more important,
ing the funding assistance they need to as partners, with open channels of com- she is going to be on the side of work-
properly recover. munication, accountability, and trans- ers. She is going to be on the side of
Full EIDL loans and grants are what parency. And when I talk about trans- trade done right. I am with her 100 per-
Congress intended when we passed the parency, I am talking about trans- cent of the way.
CARES Act 1 year ago. It is what we parency with the American people. I I urge all Senators to support Kath-
promised small businesses at the begin- know that Ms. Tai will continue to erine Tai for this crucial post at USTR.
I yield the floor.
ning of the pandemic. So we owe it to raise the bar for transparency and com-
VOTE ON GUZMAN NOMINATION
America’s small businesses and work- munication with Congress because she
has been on our side of policymaking, Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, I
ers to keep our word, and I know Isabel
and she has already proved that that would ask unanimous consent that the
Guzman is the right person to help us
kind of openness and accountability is scheduled vote occur immediately.
keep this promise.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
As we continue on the road to recov- a key priority for her.
With a former Senator in the White objection, it is so ordered.
ery, made possible by the American The question is, Will the Senate ad-
Rescue Plan, I urge my colleagues to House and a former House staffer at
vise and consent to the Guzman nomi-
confirm Mrs. Guzman’s nomination so USTR, I believe there would be a pro-
nation?
that she can immediately get to work ductive partnership with Congress so Mr. WYDEN. I ask for the yeas and
for our small businesses. we can get trade done right and make nays.
Thank you. sure that trade policy creates those The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a
I yield to the Senator from Oregon. high-skill, high-wage jobs that are a sufficient second?
Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, I cer- priority for every elected official. There appears to be a sufficient sec-
tainly share the good Senator’s views Finally, there is another Finance ond.

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with respect to Mrs. Guzman as well. Committee priority that I will just The clerk will call the roll.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- mention. On Thursday, the committee The senior assistant legislative clerk
ator from Oregon. will hold a hearing on the subject of called the roll.
NOMINATION OF KATHERINE C. TAI stamping out forced labor around the Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the
Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, the world. Forced labor is evil, it is mor- Senator from Hawaii (Ms. HIRONO) is
Senate will soon take a procedural vote ally repugnant, and it is a direct at- necessarily absent.

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