‘What Qualifications Do You Have?’: McClain Goes Nuclear On SBA Official Over Voter Registration

3 months ago

On Wednesday, Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) questioned an Small Business Association Administrator on voter registration during a House Small Business Association Committee hearing.

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Transcript

00:00Thank you for being here, Ms. Kim. I appreciate it. I am from the great state of Michigan

00:06and many of my constituents are very concerned with transparency and integrity, so with the

00:15state of Michigan. Real quickly, what is the mission of the SBA? What's your mission statement?

00:24We're here to support small businesses, ma'am.

00:27You're here to support small businesses. Wonderful. Have you yourself ever ran a small

00:31business, owned a small business?

00:32I've worked in small businesses. I've not owned a small business.

00:35Okay. Thank you. And what qualifications do you have? I was a little vague on that as

00:40a small business owner.

00:42My job is to oversee our 10 regional and 6 state district offices and I have overseen

00:46field offices for the majority of my career.

00:47How does that correlate with running and helping people get a small business loan?

00:56My job is to support the field offices. My job is not to run a small business.

01:00Obviously. Obviously. Do you think it would be helpful if you ran a small business to

01:05understand what it's like? I mean, I'm not a doctor nor I play one on TV, but I don't

01:10fake it.

01:11Well, I did work in a small business for four years, Congresswoman, and I think it was a

01:17small business run by a family-owned business and I definitely got a lot of experience.

01:22So that qualifies you to be in charge?

01:25I think it's my 18 years of running field offices that qualifies me to run the field

01:29offices.

01:30I would agree with you. Running the field office is fantastic. Very similar to running

01:35the field office for voter registrations. So I want to pick up on one other thing. Is

01:41there anywhere in the SBA's mission that talks about voter registration being part of that

01:47mission?

01:48Not specifically.

01:50Thank you. Well, my colleague, Eli Crane, asked you a question about where the programs

01:57were run past, right? And I think, if I can quote, we ran programs everywhere. Was that

02:06your answer?

02:07I can't remember exactly what I said, but I think I indicated that we run programs across

02:11all of our 68 districts.

02:13Can we take a look at Michigan, since this is what we're talking about? Okay. Just, these

02:19are facts, so since you don't know where they're at, I happen to. These are the programs that

02:26have been run by the SBA in Michigan, right? I don't know if you can see that, but all

02:34of these programs here have been run in Michigan. Southeastern, lower, you see these, make sense?

02:43Well, I can't exactly see it, but I was, I believe, shown this map when I briefed the

02:47committee staff in May.

02:49Okay. Any idea what demographic, political party-wise these represent?

02:58I'm not tracking that, and I think I clarified-

03:00I am, but let me help you. They're Democrat, right? Interestingly enough, how many, just

03:07out of curiosity, in the non-Democratic regions of the state of Michigan that you've actually

03:14done, how many Republican areas of your department, how many events have you run to open small

03:25businesses in non-Democratic areas?

03:28Well, there's a couple of things I would offer to answer that question. One is-

03:31I'm looking for a number in Michigan, and if you don't know it, I'll accept an I don't

03:34know.

03:35I clarified with the committee staff that those events on that map are not all SBA-run

03:40events. I think, I'm not sure, but I, because I didn't see the list from which the committee

03:43got them from.

03:44Well, here's the beauty of it. I realize you're not sure. The beauty of it is, I'm actually

03:48sure, so let me help you, right? As a small business owner, that when I come to testify,

03:54I would think you'd know your data, but again, that's crazy. Notice any in this region up

04:01here?

04:03I cannot see the map that clearly, but I don't see it, but-

04:07Maybe I can help. See this green thing here? Can you see green?

04:10I see green, yes.

04:11Bingo! That's one. One. Republican area, one. Isn't that ironic to you, or is that just

04:22coincidental?

04:24I don't manage where the district offices do their events. Specifically, district directors

04:28have to-

04:29What do you manage?

04:30Voter registration? In Democratic areas?

04:35We are, as part of implementing the executive order, implementing a nonpartisan resource

04:40for small businesses.

04:41You know what I call, you know it's not nonpartisan, because if it was, does this look nonpartisan

04:45to you? Just share with me. Does that look nonpartisan? Democrat, Republican. Now, I

04:54understand data, because I've run a small business. Does that look nonpartisan to you?

04:58Again, I think I tried to clarify with the committee-

05:01I'm asking a question.

05:02That does not actually represent all of the SBA's work.

05:04Does this look nonpartisan to you? You're a smart woman. I mean, my goodness gracious.

05:08Dan, what's she in charge of? 600 people? I think you can answer a question. Does this

05:13look nonpartisan to you?

05:15Again, I don't think that map represents all of SBA's activities in the state of Michigan.

05:18Okay, then I will accept your map. Do you have one?

05:21No, I didn't come with a map.

05:22Oh, no, I don't. I yield back. Thank you.

05:25The chair now recognizes Chairman Williams from Texas for five minutes.

05:31Thank you, Madam Chair.

‘What Qualifications Do You Have?’: McClain Goes Nuclear On SBA Official Over Voter Registration

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