FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2011
Petaluma, Calif. – On Wednesday, April 6, the American Small Business League (ASBL) filed suit against the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) after the agency refused to release subcontracting reports on contracts awarded to Fortune 500 defense giant Raytheon. The ASBL filed suit in United States District Court, Northern District of California. (http://www.asbl.com/documents/complaint_raytheon_sub_report_dod.pdf)
The case was filed after DoD repeatedly refused to respond to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for documents related to Raytheon’s compliance with small business subcontracting goals.
The ASBL believes the information contained in Raytheon’s subcontracting reports may show that the contractor is not complying with its congressionally mandated small business goals. Additionally, the ASBL is concerned the reports may indicate that Raytheon and DoD cooperated in an effort to circumvent federal law, which requires 23 percent of all federal contracts to be awarded to small businesses.
The ASBL’s most recent suit was filed in a continuing effort to gather information on a series of major government prime contractors, which may lead to litigation filed under the False Claims Act, and Section 16(d) of the Small Business Act.
Including Wednesday’s lawsuit, the Obama Administration has forced the ASBL to file 13 lawsuits in pursuit of publicly releasable documents regarding government contracting programs. In 1994, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that subcontracting reports are releasable to the public, and do not contain trade secret or proprietary information.
Despite continually promising the most transparent administration in history, the Obama Administration has actually been amongst the least transparent. In early 2010, the Associated Press conducted a review of FOIA reports filed by 17 major agencies, and found across the board increases in the number of rejections. While the federal government as a whole received fewer FOIA requests during the first year of the Obama Administration, agencies increasingly said “no” to requesters looking for public documents. (http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9EFRPJG0)
“People in the main stream media seem to think stories about small business issues are not interesting to the public, but this is not just a small business story. This is a story about trillions of dollars in contracting fraud, bribery, and corruption in government. This is a story about how lobbying dollars dictate economic policy in America,” ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. “Our government is broken. How else could you explain $100 million an hour in small business contracts going to large businesses for over a decade?”
-###-
Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
SBA’s Jobs Tour More Smoke and Mirrors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2011
Petaluma, Calif. – On Monday, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) held the first two meetings of its recently announced, “Small Business Jobs Act Tour.” Small business advocates have complained that the SBA’s meetings are just smoke and mirrors, and will have little impact on America’s 27 million small businesses.
“The SBA’s jobs act tour is nothing more than a PR stunt designed to distract the American people from the Obama Administration’s lack of action. As I have always said, we need to stop listening to what they say and start paying attention to what they are doing. Right now they are allowing the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants to continue,” American Small Business League (ASBL) President Lloyd Chapman said.
Since 2003, a series of federal investigations have uncovered billions of dollars a year in federal small business contracts actually flowing into the hands of Fortune 500 corporations and other clearly large businesses. In Report 5-15, the SBA Office of Inspector General (SBA IG) referred to the issue as, “One of the most important challenges facing the Small Business Administration and the entire Federal government today.” During 2010, the SBA IG named the issue as the agency’s top management challenge for the sixth consecutive year. (http://www.asbl.com/documents/05-15.pdf)
The ASBL has estimated that every year more than $200 billion in federal small business contracts are diverted to corporate giants. (www.asbl.com/documents/ASBL_2009_dataanalysis.pdf)
Nearly a year ago, Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) estimated that increasing contracts to small business by 1 percent would create more than 100,000 new jobs. Addressing the diversion of small business contracts to large companies would raise the percentage of federal contracts awarded to small businesses by a staggering 18 percent.
(http://sbc.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=bc065833-dafc-46c5-9e6f-21209a532de2)
In February of 2008, President Barack Obama promised to end the abuse. Despite, thousands of business closures and countless lost jobs, the Obama Administration has failed to honor its promise, and end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants.
(http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php)
“If the Obama Administration would quit giving federal small business funds to Fortune 500 firms, it would redirect more infrastructure spending to the middle class, and create more jobs than anything they have proposed to date. That would be a real jobs bill.” Chapman said. “I’m predicting that before he is out of office, President Obama is going to try to change the definition of a small business from independently owned to include companies owned and operated by some of the wealthiest venture capitalists in the world.”
-###-
Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575
March 30, 2011
Petaluma, Calif. – On Monday, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) held the first two meetings of its recently announced, “Small Business Jobs Act Tour.” Small business advocates have complained that the SBA’s meetings are just smoke and mirrors, and will have little impact on America’s 27 million small businesses.
“The SBA’s jobs act tour is nothing more than a PR stunt designed to distract the American people from the Obama Administration’s lack of action. As I have always said, we need to stop listening to what they say and start paying attention to what they are doing. Right now they are allowing the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants to continue,” American Small Business League (ASBL) President Lloyd Chapman said.
Since 2003, a series of federal investigations have uncovered billions of dollars a year in federal small business contracts actually flowing into the hands of Fortune 500 corporations and other clearly large businesses. In Report 5-15, the SBA Office of Inspector General (SBA IG) referred to the issue as, “One of the most important challenges facing the Small Business Administration and the entire Federal government today.” During 2010, the SBA IG named the issue as the agency’s top management challenge for the sixth consecutive year. (http://www.asbl.com/documents/05-15.pdf)
The ASBL has estimated that every year more than $200 billion in federal small business contracts are diverted to corporate giants. (www.asbl.com/documents/ASBL_2009_dataanalysis.pdf)
Nearly a year ago, Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) estimated that increasing contracts to small business by 1 percent would create more than 100,000 new jobs. Addressing the diversion of small business contracts to large companies would raise the percentage of federal contracts awarded to small businesses by a staggering 18 percent.
(http://sbc.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=bc065833-dafc-46c5-9e6f-21209a532de2)
In February of 2008, President Barack Obama promised to end the abuse. Despite, thousands of business closures and countless lost jobs, the Obama Administration has failed to honor its promise, and end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants.
(http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php)
“If the Obama Administration would quit giving federal small business funds to Fortune 500 firms, it would redirect more infrastructure spending to the middle class, and create more jobs than anything they have proposed to date. That would be a real jobs bill.” Chapman said. “I’m predicting that before he is out of office, President Obama is going to try to change the definition of a small business from independently owned to include companies owned and operated by some of the wealthiest venture capitalists in the world.”
-###-
Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn@asbl.com
(707) 789-9575
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Navy Sued for Refusing to Release SAIC Contracting Data
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2011
Petaluma, Calif. - On Wednesday, March 23, the American Small Business League (ASBL) filed suit against the U.S. Department of Navy after the agency repeatedly refused to fully release subcontracting reports on contracts awarded to contracting giant SAIC. (http://www.asbl.com/documents/complaint_saic_sub_report_navy.pdf)
The ASBL originally requested Individual Subcontracting Reports (ISR) and Summary Subcontracting Reports (SSR) on a prime contract awarded to SAIC under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The suit was filed in United States District Court, Northern District of California.
The ASBL believes the requested information may show that SAIC and the Navy cooperated in an effort to circumvent federal law, which requires 23 percent of all federal contracts to be awarded to small businesses. Wednesday’s lawsuit represents the ASBL’s 12th lawsuit against the Obama Administration. The ASBL is gathering information on a series of major government prime contractors in preparation for litigation that may include cases filed under the False Claims Act, and Section 16(d) of the Small Business Act.
Despite continuing to promise the most transparent administration in history, the Obama Administration has forced the ASBL to file suit over information previously deemed releasable by federal courts. In 1992, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that subcontracting reports are releasable to the public, and do not contain trade secret or proprietary information.
In early 2010, the Associated Press conducted a review of FOIA reports filed by 17 major agencies, and found across the board increases in the number of rejections. While the federal government as a whole received fewer FOIA requests during the first year of the Obama Administration, agencies increasingly said “no” to requesters looking for public documents. (http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9EFRPJG0)
“The Obama Administration continually promises to be the most transparent administration in history, yet once again the ASBL has been forced to file suit over information that has always been released to the public,” ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. “There is a credibility gap the size of the Grand Canyon when you look at what President Obama says and what he actually does. It’s just amazing that you won’t see this on network news.”
-###-
Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn (at) asbl.com
(707) 789-9575
March 23, 2011
Petaluma, Calif. - On Wednesday, March 23, the American Small Business League (ASBL) filed suit against the U.S. Department of Navy after the agency repeatedly refused to fully release subcontracting reports on contracts awarded to contracting giant SAIC. (http://www.asbl.com/documents/complaint_saic_sub_report_navy.pdf)
The ASBL originally requested Individual Subcontracting Reports (ISR) and Summary Subcontracting Reports (SSR) on a prime contract awarded to SAIC under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The suit was filed in United States District Court, Northern District of California.
The ASBL believes the requested information may show that SAIC and the Navy cooperated in an effort to circumvent federal law, which requires 23 percent of all federal contracts to be awarded to small businesses. Wednesday’s lawsuit represents the ASBL’s 12th lawsuit against the Obama Administration. The ASBL is gathering information on a series of major government prime contractors in preparation for litigation that may include cases filed under the False Claims Act, and Section 16(d) of the Small Business Act.
Despite continuing to promise the most transparent administration in history, the Obama Administration has forced the ASBL to file suit over information previously deemed releasable by federal courts. In 1992, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that subcontracting reports are releasable to the public, and do not contain trade secret or proprietary information.
In early 2010, the Associated Press conducted a review of FOIA reports filed by 17 major agencies, and found across the board increases in the number of rejections. While the federal government as a whole received fewer FOIA requests during the first year of the Obama Administration, agencies increasingly said “no” to requesters looking for public documents. (http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9EFRPJG0)
“The Obama Administration continually promises to be the most transparent administration in history, yet once again the ASBL has been forced to file suit over information that has always been released to the public,” ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. “There is a credibility gap the size of the Grand Canyon when you look at what President Obama says and what he actually does. It’s just amazing that you won’t see this on network news.”
-###-
Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn (at) asbl.com
(707) 789-9575
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Department of Defense Sued for Refusing to Release Contract Audits
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2011
Department of Defense Sued for Refusing to Release Contract Audits
Petaluma, Calif. – On Tuesday, March 8, the American Small Business League (ASBL) filed suit against the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) after the agency refused to release information on recently conducted defense contract audits. (http://www.asbl.com/documents/Complaint_2010Apr20_20KB.pdf)
The ASBL originally requested the most recent contract audit conducted by the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The suit was filed in United States District Court, Northern District of California.
The ASBL believes the requested information may show the Obama Administration has turned a blind eye to a blatant pattern of fraud and abuse, and allowed the continued diversion of billions of dollars a year in federal small business contracts to corporate giants.
Since 2003, a series of federal investigations have uncovered billions of dollars a month in federal contracts intended for small businesses actually going to large businesses. The most recent Obama Administration contracting data shows large recipients of small business contracts such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Dell Computer, Xerox, SAIC, General Dynamics, and John Deere. (www.asbl.com/documents/ASBL_2009_dataanalysis.pdf)
During the 2008 campaign, President Barack Obama made a series of campaign promises with major implications for the middle class. In February of 2008, President Obama promised to “end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants,” and he continues to promise the most transparent administration in U.S. history. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5t8GdxFYBU) To date, President Obama has refused to honor his promise to end widespread abuse in federal small business contracting programs, and has actually reduced transparency.
In early 2010, the Associated Press conducted a review of FOIA reports filed by 17 major agencies, and found across the board increases in the number of rejections. While the federal government as a whole received fewer FOIA requests during the first year of the Obama Administration, agencies increasingly said “no” to requesters looking for public documents. (http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9EFRPJG0)
“Despite his unending rhetoric about the importance of small businesses in America, President Obama is allowing corporate giants to illegally receive billions of dollars a month in federal small business contracts. To make matters worse, the Obama Administration is serving as a barrier to transparency and accountability,” ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. “People need to quit listening to his speeches and start watching what he does, because this is an anti-small business president. Every small business in America should be concerned about President Obama’s plans for the Small Business Administration (SBA) and federal small business contracting programs.”
-###-
Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn (at) asbl.com
(707) 789-9575
March 10, 2011
Department of Defense Sued for Refusing to Release Contract Audits
Petaluma, Calif. – On Tuesday, March 8, the American Small Business League (ASBL) filed suit against the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) after the agency refused to release information on recently conducted defense contract audits. (http://www.asbl.com/documents/Complaint_2010Apr20_20KB.pdf)
The ASBL originally requested the most recent contract audit conducted by the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The suit was filed in United States District Court, Northern District of California.
The ASBL believes the requested information may show the Obama Administration has turned a blind eye to a blatant pattern of fraud and abuse, and allowed the continued diversion of billions of dollars a year in federal small business contracts to corporate giants.
Since 2003, a series of federal investigations have uncovered billions of dollars a month in federal contracts intended for small businesses actually going to large businesses. The most recent Obama Administration contracting data shows large recipients of small business contracts such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Dell Computer, Xerox, SAIC, General Dynamics, and John Deere. (www.asbl.com/documents/ASBL_2009_dataanalysis.pdf)
During the 2008 campaign, President Barack Obama made a series of campaign promises with major implications for the middle class. In February of 2008, President Obama promised to “end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants,” and he continues to promise the most transparent administration in U.S. history. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5t8GdxFYBU) To date, President Obama has refused to honor his promise to end widespread abuse in federal small business contracting programs, and has actually reduced transparency.
In early 2010, the Associated Press conducted a review of FOIA reports filed by 17 major agencies, and found across the board increases in the number of rejections. While the federal government as a whole received fewer FOIA requests during the first year of the Obama Administration, agencies increasingly said “no” to requesters looking for public documents. (http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9EFRPJG0)
“Despite his unending rhetoric about the importance of small businesses in America, President Obama is allowing corporate giants to illegally receive billions of dollars a month in federal small business contracts. To make matters worse, the Obama Administration is serving as a barrier to transparency and accountability,” ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. “People need to quit listening to his speeches and start watching what he does, because this is an anti-small business president. Every small business in America should be concerned about President Obama’s plans for the Small Business Administration (SBA) and federal small business contracting programs.”
-###-
Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn (at) asbl.com
(707) 789-9575
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Army Sued for Refusing to Release Bechtel Contracting Data
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2011
Petaluma, Calif. –The U.S. Department of the Army is being sued by the American Small Business League (ASBL) for refusing to release subcontracting reports on contracts awarded to multinational defense giant Bechtel. (http://www.asbl.com/documents/Complaint_SBA_FOIA_ArmyBechtel.pdf)
The ASBL filed suit in United States District Court, Northern District of California on Tuesday, March 1. The case was filed after the Army repeatedly refused to respond to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for Individual Subcontracting Reports (ISR) and Summary Subcontracting Reports (SSR) on a prime contract awarded to Bechtel.
The ASBL believes the information contained in the reports may show that Bechtel and the Army cooperated in an effort to circumvent federal law, which requires 23 percent of all federal contracts to be awarded to small businesses. The ASBL is gathering information on several major government prime contractors in preparation for litigation that may include cases filed under the False Claims Act, and Section 16(d) of the Small Business Act.
In 1992, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that subcontracting reports are releasable to the public, and do not contain trade secret or proprietary information.
The ASBL has won a series of lawsuits against the federal government under FOIA. Some of the information obtained by the ASBL indicates the federal government may have diverted small business contracts to Bechtel and some of the largest corporations on earth. The Obama Administration is currently awarding small business contracts to firms such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, L-3 Communications, British Aerospace (BAE), Northrop Grumman, and Dell Computer. (www.asbl.com/documents/ASBL_2009_dataanalysis.pdf)
To date, the ASBL has five outstanding lawsuits in the federal court system. (http://www.asbl.com/documentlibrary.html)
“President Obama promised to have the most transparent administration in history, yet his administration continues to withhold even the simplest information on federal small business contracting programs. As I have said many times before, there is a big difference between what President Obama says and what President Obama does,” ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. “Any time the Obama Administration withholds information that has always been released to the public, it shows us that we have found evidence of contracting fraud and abuse. I am confident that’s what we will find with this information.”
-###-
Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn (at) asbl.com
(707) 789-9575
March 2, 2011
Petaluma, Calif. –The U.S. Department of the Army is being sued by the American Small Business League (ASBL) for refusing to release subcontracting reports on contracts awarded to multinational defense giant Bechtel. (http://www.asbl.com/documents/Complaint_SBA_FOIA_ArmyBechtel.pdf)
The ASBL filed suit in United States District Court, Northern District of California on Tuesday, March 1. The case was filed after the Army repeatedly refused to respond to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for Individual Subcontracting Reports (ISR) and Summary Subcontracting Reports (SSR) on a prime contract awarded to Bechtel.
The ASBL believes the information contained in the reports may show that Bechtel and the Army cooperated in an effort to circumvent federal law, which requires 23 percent of all federal contracts to be awarded to small businesses. The ASBL is gathering information on several major government prime contractors in preparation for litigation that may include cases filed under the False Claims Act, and Section 16(d) of the Small Business Act.
In 1992, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that subcontracting reports are releasable to the public, and do not contain trade secret or proprietary information.
The ASBL has won a series of lawsuits against the federal government under FOIA. Some of the information obtained by the ASBL indicates the federal government may have diverted small business contracts to Bechtel and some of the largest corporations on earth. The Obama Administration is currently awarding small business contracts to firms such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, L-3 Communications, British Aerospace (BAE), Northrop Grumman, and Dell Computer. (www.asbl.com/documents/ASBL_2009_dataanalysis.pdf)
To date, the ASBL has five outstanding lawsuits in the federal court system. (http://www.asbl.com/documentlibrary.html)
“President Obama promised to have the most transparent administration in history, yet his administration continues to withhold even the simplest information on federal small business contracting programs. As I have said many times before, there is a big difference between what President Obama says and what President Obama does,” ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. “Any time the Obama Administration withholds information that has always been released to the public, it shows us that we have found evidence of contracting fraud and abuse. I am confident that’s what we will find with this information.”
-###-
Contact:
Christopher Gunn
Communications Director
American Small Business League
cgunn (at) asbl.com
(707) 789-9575
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