VIDEO: Hirono Votes to Confirm Dilawar Syed as Next Deputy Administrator of SBA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, voted to confirm Dilawar Syed to be Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Mr. Syed’s nomination was confirmed by a vote of 54-42. Last night, Senator Hirono delivered a speech on the Senate floor in support of Mr. Syed’s confirmation.

“Mr. Syed is a highly qualified and widely-supported nominee, who has the backing of numerous business groups and organizations,” said Senator Hirono during her remarks. “Working with Administrator Guzman, he will play a critical role in ensuring that small businesses across our country have the support they need to continue growing.

This work is vital to Hawaii’s economy—more than ninety-nine percent of the businesses in our state are small businesses, and nearly half of all employees in Hawaii work for small business. A strong, fully-staffed Small Business Administration is essential for these small businesses in my home state, and millions more across the country.”

Mr. Syed was first nominated to serve as SBA Deputy Administrator in March 2021, but Senate Republicans blocked his confirmation for two years, citing baseless accusations.

“Despite his stellar qualifications and the importance of the SBA, for nearly two years, my Republican colleagues have blocked Mr. Syed’s nomination to serve in this important role,” continued Senator Hirono. “My Republican colleagues have, at different points, wrongly accused Mr. Syed of being anti-Israel; they’ve chastised him for utilizing legal SBA pandemic-relief loans; and raised other baseless objections to his nomination.

“But despite their baseless bluster, the facts are clear—Mr. Syed is well-qualified to serve as Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration and his confirmation will make our economy and our country stronger,” concluded Senator Hirono.

Senator Hirono has been a consistent advocate to confirm Mr. Syed as the next SBA Deputy Administrator. In 2021, she spoke in support of his nomination on the Senate Floor. Earlier this year, she also sent a letter to President Biden, urging him to re-nominate Mr. Syed for the position.

Senator Hirono’s full remarks are below and video is available for download here.

Mr. President, I rise today to reiterate my strong support for Dilawar Syed to serve as Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Mr. Syed is a highly qualified and widely-supported nominee, who has the backing of numerous business groups and organizations. In many ways, he is the picture of the American Dream—he is a businessowner, entrepreneur, and job creator who was born in Pakistan and educated in the United States. Over the course of his career, Mr. Syed has founded and run several companies in the tech and health care sectors. He also has firsthand experience dealing with challenges small businesses faced during this pandemic.

During the COVID-19 crisis, Mr. Syed chaired a task force to help other businesses in the state of California survive and rebuild from the pandemic. His experience in, and commitment to, the small business sector are clear. That’s why, over the past two years, my Democratic colleagues and I have made a concerted effort to get Mr. Syed confirmed.

As Deputy Administrator, he would largely be responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the SBA. Working with Administrator Guzman, he will play a critical role in ensuring that small businesses across our country have the support they need to continue growing. This work is vital to Hawaii’s economy—more than ninety-nine percent of the businesses in our state are small businesses, and nearly half of all employees in Hawaii work for small business. A strong, fully-staffed Small Business Administration is essential for these small businesses in my home state, and millions more across the country.

Despite his stellar qualifications and the importance of the SBA, for nearly two years, my Republican colleagues have blocked Mr. Syed’s nomination to serve in this important role. I sit on the Small Business Committee, Mr. President, and we have had numerous times where we would call a mark-up in order to enable a vote on Mr. Syed’s nomination, and the Republicans would simply not bother to show up—they just wouldn’t even bother to show up. So, my Republican colleagues have, at different points, wrongly accused Mr. Syed of being anti-Israel; they’ve chastised him for utilizing legal SBA pandemic-relief loans; and raised other baseless objections to his nomination.

One wonders why the Republicans so eagerly raise objections to nominees like Mr. Syed, who are obviously qualified for their nominated positions. But despite their baseless bluster, the facts are clear—Mr. Syed is well-qualified to serve as Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration and his confirmation will make our economy and our country stronger.

While it never should have taken this long—two years—I am glad that, tomorrow, this body will vote on Mr. Syed’s nomination to serve as Deputy Administrator. As I said, it’s taken far too long to put someone as qualified and committed for his vote to occur. So, I look forward to voting to confirm Mr. Syed and to work with him to strengthen small businesses in every corner of our country.

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