‘Agency Must Return To Its Core Mission’: Beth Van Duyne Accuses SBA Of Electioneering In Michigan

5 months ago

During a House Small Business Committee hearing before the House recess, Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) gave opening remarks about the SBA’s alleged unlawful involvement in registering voters in the state of Michigan.

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00:00The Chair is authorized to declare a recess of the Committee at any time.

00:04Before we get started, I want to ask unanimous consent to waive the following Members on

00:07for the purpose of asking questions in today's hearing.

00:15We have two Representatives from the full Committee, Mr. Dan Muser from Pennsylvania

00:19and Ms. Hillary Schulten from Michigan.

00:22In addition, we have a Representative, Lisa McClain, from Michigan.

00:24Without objection, so ordered.

00:26I now recognize myself for an opening statement.

00:30Good morning and welcome to today's hearing, which will focus on the SBA's unlawful involvement

00:35in registering voters in the State of Michigan.

00:39We are seriously concerned that these actions are unlawful and that the SBA is engaging

00:43in partisan activities to the detriment of small business owners.

00:47Since your signature is at the bottom of this agreement between the SBA and Michigan, Ms.

00:51Kim, we look forward to hearing from you and getting answers from the American people during

00:55our conversation today.

00:57As this Committee has pointed out many times before, the SBA can't even handle their current

01:02responsibilities.

01:03We have heard from the Administrator herself that the SBA does not have the resources to

01:07do what they are statutorily mandated to do, let alone engage in electioneering.

01:13In fact, we heard from several small businesses, like the Silver Star Bee and Maybe Michigan,

01:18that the SBA is failing small business owners.

01:21The Silver Star Bee bar is not alone.

01:24I would like to read a quote from Dr. Chad Savage on the status of SBA assistance in

01:29Michigan.

01:30Quote, as a proud small business owner in Michigan, I expect the SBA to provide support

01:34and guidance to small businesses.

01:36However, instead of focusing on aiding and assisting small businesses like mine, the

01:41Biden-Harris Administration is diverting taxpayer funds toward voter registration.

01:46This misallocation of resources for partisan purposes is frustrating and undermines the

01:52critical support that we need for small businesses.

01:55The Small Business Association of Michigan found that 50 percent of small business owners

02:00in Michigan report not being optimistic about their prospects over the next six months.

02:05I would like to ask unanimous consent to submit this survey into the record.

02:10Without objection, so ordered.

02:12A recent CNBC poll found 86 percent of small business owners feel that they have no voice

02:17in policymaking.

02:19The SBA is supposed to be their voice and is failing miserably.

02:24The SBA's sole mission is to support small businesses.

02:28It has no authority to meddle in electioneering.

02:32And by entering into a memorandum of understanding with a battleground state like Michigan to

02:36facilitate voter registration, the SBA has stepped far beyond its intended role.

02:43This move by the SBA, which they assert is taken under Executive Order 14019, also raises

02:50serious legal questions.

02:52The SBA has tried to convince us that this memorandum, whenever they started implementing

02:56it, will be done in a nonpartisan manner.

03:00Yet, the Administrator determines where she travels, and this committee has found she

03:05chooses to visit areas with overwhelmingly Democrat voters.

03:10We have no reason to believe that this will change.

03:12Moreover, the SBA's recent actions have blurred the line between advocating for small businesses

03:17and serving as a political arm of the Biden-Harris administration.

03:21We know the SBA has been heavily involved in Michigan.

03:24The Administrator has traveled to Michigan more than any other state during her tenure.

03:29We learned from emails produced by Michigan Department of State that Governor Whitmer

03:33was involved in the planning process of this memorandum, and just this week she was announced

03:38as co-chair to the Harris for President campaign.

03:42Further, as noted on the SBA's website, your background, Ms. Kim, fails to highlight any

03:46experience in helping small businesses, but rather highlights your years of experience

03:52in, quote, increasing voter registration in communities of color, as well as promoting

03:56youth civic engagement, unquote.

03:58For obvious reasons, we have a lot of questions.

04:02I think we can all agree that the federal government's involvement in state elections

04:06goes against constitutional principles, and the SBA has circumvented established protocols,

04:12further eroding confidence in its impartiality.

04:16For the sake of our job creators, this agency must return to its core mission to reestablish

04:21trust and credibility.

04:23We charge the SBA to realign your efforts with the needs of American entrepreneurs,

04:28addressing concerns such as regulatory burdens and economic recovery.

04:33The future of our nation's small business depends on it.

04:36Ms. Kim, thank you for joining us today, and we look forward to the conversation ahead

04:40and finding answers to the many concerns that this committee has raised about apparent

04:43electioneering.

04:44With that, I yield to our distinguished Ranking Member from Michigan, Ms. Kim.

‘Agency Must Return To Its Core Mission’: Beth Van Duyne Accuses SBA Of Electioneering In Michigan

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