Political Quotes

“I wish to thank Senator Landrieu and Senator Snowe for their efforts to get this bill to the floor, to handle these amendments, and to show the leadership we need to try to really focus on and emphasize small business. I am convinced that if we are going to get the full economic recovery we all want to see, the private sector--and especially small business-- is going to have to drive that recovery. That brings me to the amendment that I have filed today and that I have called up. In 2007, there were roughly 25,000 veteran-owned small businesses in my State. So you can do the math on that. There are probably 2 million around the country or more--maybe 3 million veteran-owned small businesses around the country. In 2007, the SBA created the Patriot Express Pilot Loan Initiative for members of the military community. That is part of the 7(a) program. My amendment would move that Patriot Express loan program from a pilot program to a fully authorized one, and this would ensure that veterans and members of the military community continue to have the ability to access capital when starting a new business or even when operating an existing one. The Patriot Express pilot program has been a very successful program, issuing close to 7,000 loans valued at $560 million and increasing veteran participation in the SBA programs.…”