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Velazquez on SBA Administrator Visit to Puerto Rico

June 23, 2017

Velázquez on SBA Administrator Visit to Puerto Rico

Washington, DC –Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) released the following statement regarding news that Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Linda McMahon would be visiting Puerto Rico next week:

"I applaud Administrator McMahon for traveling to Puerto Rico to observe firsthand what is happening there. It is my hope that other members of the Administration and the President's cabinet follow her lead and also travel to the Commonwealth to gather a better understanding of Puerto Rico's financial and economic difficulties – and how they are impacting the lives of the 3.5 million Americans living there.

"Tackling Puerto Rico's economic challenges will require a range of tools and the SBA has a number of initiatives that could stimulate entrepreneurship and local economic activity. My bill, ‘The Puerto Rico Small Business Assistance Act', H.R. 2488, seeks to better tailor SBA programs to meet the Island's need. It would channel capital to small firms operating in Puerto Rico and facilitate their participation in the federal procurement process. I hope to work constructively with the Administrator and the SBA to see this bill signed into law."

The first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress, Velázquez is the top Democrat on the House Small Business Committee.

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