Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Senate Vote To Confirm Dilawar Syed To Be Deputy Administrator Of The Small Business Administration

Washington, D.C.–Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor highlighting today’s Senate vote on confirmation of Dilawar Syed to be Deputy SBA Administrator. Mr. Syed would be the highest-ranking Muslim official in the executive branch. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Today the Senate will vote to confirm Dilawar Syed to serve as the number two person at the Small Business Administration.

Mr. Syed’s confirmation is great news for small businesses across the country, because there’s no better person to serve the interests of small business than someone who was a successful business owner himself.

The SBA has not had a Senate-confirmed deputy for more than five years, and Mr. Syed is exactly the right person for the job. His nomination is backed by more than 200 civic, government, higher education, and business groups and leaders, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Small Business Roundtable.

Mr. Syed is an American success story: he came to this country from Pakistan and amassed a remarkably successful career as an executive of Yahoo!, the president of a software company, and most recently as CEO of a health care AI company.

So, Mr. Syed is more than qualified to assume the post of Deputy SBA Administrator, where his job will be helping millions of small businesses get the resources they need to start, to grow, to expand.

And once confirmed, Mr. Syed will add to the dynamism and diversity of the Biden Administration as the highest-ranking Muslim official in the executive branch.

So, this is a very good day for small business, because after today, the SBA will have an exceedingly capable, experienced, and accomplished small business champ in Dilawar Syed. I will vote yes on his nomination and urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the same.

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