Bush Administration Sends Wrong Message to Minority Contractors

A recent article in the Dallas Business Journal shed light on controversial comments made by U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Alphonso Jackson during a recent speech to a Dallas minority real estate consortium. While talking about HUD's work with minority contractors, Jackson cautioned the audience with a tale about a minority advertising contractor who, despite being qualified, lost his HUD contract just because the contractor disagreed with President Bush.

According to Jackson; "Why should I reward someone who doesn't like the president, so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president? Logic says they don't get the contract. That's the way I believe." [Dallas Business Journal, 5/5/06]

"Washington Republicans continue to operate in a culture of corruption and cronyism, which doles out favorable treatment to the President's close allies and cronies but excludes anyone who disagrees with the President and his policies," said Democratic National Committee spokesperson Amaya Smith. "Minority contractors shouldn't have to pass a partisan litmus test in order to do business with the government. If Secretary Jackson and President Bush were truly interested in increasing minority contracting opportunities they would follow the law and base government contracting on merit instead of playing politics with taxpayers' dollars."