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Risch spokesperson Marty Cozza confirmed the email’s authenticity and said the assistant who wrote it was checking Syed’s background when she “learned he was a member. active on the board of directors of an advocacy group that took inflammatory positions regarding Israel.The process, she went ahead sharing Mr. Syed’s information with the staff of the Small Business Committee who was reviewing also his appointment. “
Religious organizers denounce the email – which cites Emgage’s support for criticism of the Israeli government by US Muslim representatives Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) And Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) – and other attacks against Syed as being xenophobic and Islamophobic. The dispute brought tough partisan tactics to a lower-profile panel normally focused on economic concerns and the inner workings of the federal bureaucracy – not brawls over foreign policy views.
“It is clear that what is being used against Mr. Syed is an innuendo that tries to exploit anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim animosity. And we shouldn’t allow this to last, ”said Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block, deputy director of Bend the Arc Jewish Action, a progressive Jewish group.
Farah Brelvi, acting co-executive director of the nonprofit Muslim Advocates, said the GOP email circulated “reeked of the kind of anti-Muslim bigotry that should have no place in our politics or society. “.
Emgage released a statement for this story denouncing the “partisan attacks” on Syed and suggesting they were motivated by his faith: “We don’t believe in a religious test for leadership.
As the back-and-forths continue, Republicans have all but halted the small business panel’s activity. They boycotted the committee’s latest attempt to move Syed’s nomination forward in mid-July and barred Democrats from establishing a quorum for other panel work.
Small Business Committee Chairman Ben Cardin (D-Md.) Said in a brief interview that he wanted to move Syed’s nomination forward and said the Republicans’ attacks on the candidate were “ridiculous.”
“We will have another meeting,” Cardin said. “But I will give [Republicans] a chance to be able to cooperate with us. I asked Mr. Syed for a little time. I would like to see it confirmed.
Cardin said the Biden administration contacted senators in an effort to break the deadlock on Syed, but Republicans show no sign of loosening their blockade or allowing other committee business.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Who had led Republicans to oppose Syed, said in a brief interview that he was concerned about Syed’s ties to a group that the Missouri Republican said had made “anti-Semitic statements” – an apparent reference to Emgage – and would continue to withhold the committee quorum “until we can get answers.”
Hawley and other Republicans have called for another hearing into Syed’s affiliation with the Muslim advocacy group, which led a multi-state engagement effort to train Muslim voters in the 2020 election. President Joe Biden spoke at a virtual event hosted by a political affiliate of Emgage during his campaign last year.
“Until we can at least get some answers on this, I won’t be voting for – I’m not going to provide quorum,” Hawley said, adding that “I’m shocked they didn’t withdraw his appointment. I really am. “
The White House, for its part, supported its candidate. “Syed, who lived the American dream as an immigrant and as the CEO of a small start-up, is well equipped to help small businesses continue to create jobs, and his confirmation should not be delayed. by little more than supporters. political, ”White House spokesman Chris Meagher said.
Syed, a businessman who is currently the CEO of an artificial intelligence and healthcare analytics company, also participated in the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Islanders. Pacific, among other civic leadership roles. At his confirmation hearing at the end of April, Syed promised lawmakers that he would run the agency “with urgency and determination” and draw on his past entrepreneurial and civic experiences as the agency helped lift small businesses out of the way. the pandemic.
The committee Republicans’ blockade is compounded by complaints about the Small Business Administration’s granting of Paycheck Protection Program loans to Planned Parenthood affiliates, a policy reversal under the former president’s administration Donald Trump.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), His party’s top member on the small business panel, said in an interview that he would also deny quorum on the committee as they try to get more agency information on loans.
“We’re still fighting for that right now and trying to get more information,” Paul said. Republican members of the committee said in late July that they would not allow a vote on Syed until the SBA took action on the loans.
As Syed’s confirmation remains stuck, Cardin has shown palpable frustration.
“I haven’t heard any legitimate opposition from Mr. Syed himself,” Cardin said, describing GOP resistance as a “moving target,” between objections to the candidate’s advocacy work with Emgage and concerns. concerning family planning.
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