Denver Riggleman

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment, which directs the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan for a pilot program to train skilled technicians for placement in the defense industrial base, including critical shipbuilding skills such as welding, metrology, quality assurance, machining, and additive manufacturing.

Mr. Chair, I would like to begin by thanking my friends, colleagues, and fellow Virginians, Representatives Luria, Wittman, McEachin, and Beyer, for their partnership on this amendment.

Our Nation's defense industrial base is a critical aspect of our Nation's national security and economic prosperity. We must continue to adapt this industry to respond to the emerging challenges and global realities that face our country. One such challenge is training a workforce that can maintain the required tools and products our Armed Forces need.

The Defense Industrial Base report to the President dated October 2018 stated: ``Without concerted action that provides both a ready workforce and continuously-charged pipeline of new employees, the U.S. will not be able to maintain the large, vibrant, and diverse machine tools sector needed.''

This amendment helps the Department of Defense close the gap in our Nation's workforce that threatens our global competitiveness and military capabilities. It will help America modernize its workforce and create a pipeline of new employees who support our security apparatus.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I have to support my good friend from Wisconsin as we go forward. I am also in a very small business type of atmosphere in Virginia. I own a small business, a distillery, and for us, small businesses are one of the most important things we can support as we go forward.

I am here today to support my colleagues and to support Democrats in a bipartisan fashion. This is something that we need to do, we have to do, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I don't need the 2 minutes to actually make sure that this happens. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and make sure we support small businesses in everything that we do.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Representative Mooney, and I would like to also thank my colleague, Representative Axne, for introducing this legislation.

I rise today to speak in support of this bill, the Expanding Access to Capital for Rural Job Creators Act.

This bill will expand the mission of the SEC Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation to identify the unique challenges facing rural small businesses and give them expanded access to the capital they need.

As someone who, along with my wife, started a distillery business in the rural part of Virginia, I know many of the challenges faced by small business owners in rural areas. These small business owners are the backbones of communities across America and pillars of the local economies that help these areas thrive.

According to Census data from 2017, one in five Americans live in a rural area. In my district, the Fifth District of Virginia, approximately 65 percent of the population resides in a rural area. These people deserve the same access to the financial system as urban dwellers and urban businesses.

Running a rural small business is a challenge, and it is important for me as the Representative of the Fifth District to advocate for the needs of these small business owners. By expanding their access to capital, we can help small businesses grow and sustain rural communities.

This bill will allow the SEC to help job creators and improve rural economies across the country. I look forward to working with the SEC and my colleagues to accomplish this mission.

For these reasons and many more, Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this legislation, and I urge everyone else to do the same.