Political Quotes

“Madam President, I rise in strong support of the amendment offered by my good friend from Colorado, Senator Mark Udall. Credit unions across the country are currently restricted in the amount of lending they can provide to their members for business purposes. The Udall amendment, which I proudly cosponsor, will raise that limit. Congress should be focused like a laser on bringing unemployment down and getting the economy humming on all cylinders again. The bill before us today is part of that ongoing effort. It is a much needed, targeted bill that will help small business expand and hire. There are many worthy ideas and important programs in the bill, from bonus depreciation to increasing the loan limits on SBA's flagship programs to providing grants to help States expand innovative small business initiatives. But a core mission of this bill was always to jump-start lending. When I travel around New York and talk to business owners about creating jobs, the No. 1 thing they bring up is their inability to get access to credit. I believe the small business lending fund, which I vociferously supported and which the Senate approved last week, will prove to be a shot in the arm for small business, greatly increasing access to credit. I thank my colleague from Louisiana, Senator Landrieu, and my colleague from Florida, Senator LeMieux, my colleague from Washington State, Senator Cantwell, and others, Senator Shaheen, for their efforts to reinstate this important fund.…”