On the recordJuly 21, 2010
I love the analogy the Senator from Rhode Island mentioned about the blockade. We have breached the blockade. For the last 8 months there has been an inexplicable silence on the other side of this aisle as to why we cannot lend money to small businesses in America through the private sector. This is not a direct Federal lending program. This is not bloating the Federal budget. I hear from the other side every single day: Private sector solutions; reduce the deficit. May I say again to them now on the floor of the Senate that I have tried so hard over the last 8 months to explain this to them individually, and only one--only one so far--Republican Senator has heard the cries of his small business. Only one. This is not a government program for banks. It is a public-private partnership lending strategy for small business. Have they not noticed that small businesses have closed their doors? Have they not noticed people in long unemployment lines that weren't just workers, they were business owners? Are they not listening? I am the chair of the Small Business Committee. I guess that is why I feel so protective of the community.
