On the recordMarch 16, 2011
Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Louisiana, Ms. Landrieu, for those nice words and also for her leadership. We are all indebted to Senator Landrieu and Ranking Member Snowe for their leadership of the Small Business Committee and in bringing forward this legislation before us, the small business innovation research program. They worked very hard in the last session of Congress to get this bill through the Senate, and it would have passed then except the House adjourned before taking it up. I am thrilled that we are getting back to it this early in this session. I think most of us recognize that our future economic prosperity depends on whether this country continues to be a leader in science and innovation. We can't compete with India, China, and other Third World countries for low-wage manufacturing jobs. That is not our future. America's future is to be the global leader in science and technology. America makes the best, most innovative products and services. That ingenuity and excellence is our chief economic strength as a nation. As a former small business owner, I understand it is the private sector and business, and not government, that is responsible for most of the job creation in this country. But I also understand that government has a critical role to play in fostering the positive business climate that we need in this country to remain competitive.…





