What about the people who don't know about it?

One of the issues that concerns me, and I think others, is the question of coordination with other agencies.

We have actually passed a bill in the Senate.

I regret that you are not formally at the cabinet table, but I think you have got to guarantee that Katrina rebuilding contracts are going to go to small business.

Let us do that right here, right now.

Given that reality, Senator Landrieu and I wrote to you on September 1 and again on September 13 asking you to extend the application deadline on the physical disaster loans from October 28, because a lot of people aren't even going to be…

I hope you will weigh in as heavily as possible to get those contracts out to small businesses, particularly the local and regional ones who are capable of delivering, as fast as possible.

Does that include, in fact, lending to them?

SBA has stepped up to the task during these times of need.

After 9/11, there was a GAO report issued in 2003 that indicated some of the metrics that the SBA used for determining disaster loan performance were not fully reflecting the program's actual performance.

I appreciate you holding this hearing.

Thank you for making that sacrifice.

Senator Vitter and I are introducing a package today which we hope Congress will look at very carefully.

This is the most important part of this hearing, as far as I am concerned, so I apologize for not being able to listen to each of you.

I really appreciate the coordinated nonpartisan and bipartisan efforts that we have been making in this Committee

I apologize very much for being late. I expected to be on time, but I was meeting with some of the families, military families of kids who were in Iraq

We will do everything in our power to help you, and I think your last comment is very important.

In an effort to try to make sure it doesn't, we put a provision in the amendment that authorizes the SBA to make the supplemental loans for Katrina victims that included oversight protections.