New York Times article by Elizabeth Olson

Senator John F. Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, who is chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, accused President Bush on Thursday of circumventing the confirmation process and of undercutting efforts to open government contracting opportunities for women.

“This nominee and the administration know that I am vehemently opposed to them moving forward with the unconstitutional women’s procurement rule that makes it harder for women to access federal contracts,” Mr. Kerry said.

Lawmakers were further irked because the Small Business Administration sent a final draft of the women’s contracting rule to the Office of Budget and Management. Its contents will not be officially released until October.

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