Javier Palomarez, USHBC President, Comments on Injunction Against the U.S. Department of Transportation’s DBE Program

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, October 16, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In light of the recent injunction partially halting the U.S. Department of Transportation's DBE Program, Javier Palomarez, President & CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Business Council (USHBC), warns of the severe impact on minority-owned businesses and the economy.

Palomarez states: “As President and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Business Council, I am deeply troubled by the recent decision of a federal judge to grant an injunction on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program. For decades, the DBE program has allowed disadvantaged businesses, such as hispanic-, women-, and other minority-owned small businesses to compete and thrive by granting them opportunities to take on federal transportation infrastructure projects. Countless minority-owned businesses rely on programs like these for opportunities to utilize public contracting. If the injunction persists, innovation, jobs, and economic development will be cut. Adding fuel to the fire, it would only further harm local economies and minority communities who count on the success of their businesses.

From the perspective of the Hispanic community, which accounts for 20% of our population, programs like the DBE provide a fair shot at federal contracting. Without a program like this one, hispanic-owned small businesses would get even less than the disappointing and paltry 2% of federal contracting dollars they currently receive. Historically, our government has a terrible record when it comes to contracting with Hispanic businesses. This is in spite of the fact that Hispanic entrepreneurs and their businesses represent the fastest-growing segment of America’s small business community, producing an economic output of nearly $3 trillion and generating over $800 billion in revenue annually. Actions like this will only exacerbate an already perilous issue.”

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