WASHINGTON – Today Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) called on the Republican minority to stop blocking a critical disaster loan bill that will improve assistance to business owners and homeowners after a disaster. Kerry and Landrieu spoke on the Senate floor today seeking unanimous consent to pass legislation which has bipartisan support, including from the Bush Administration and every member of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. The Committee’s Ranking Member Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Committee Member David Vitter (R-La.) are cosponsors of the bill and have worked with Kerry and Landrieu since September 2005 to craft this legislation.
“The Republicans standing in the way of passing this bill should be ashamed because we can’t afford another Katrina-like response from the federal government,” said Kerry, Chairman of the Committee. “This bill has been fully vetted, has bipartisan support, and we’ve taken care to make changes to address every single concern raised. Yet, here we are today with Republicans blocking the very tools we need in Washington to get aid out to disaster victims quickly without red tape bureaucracy.”
“Now two months into what is predicted to be a very active hurricane season, this is not a time for partisan politics or procedural maneuvers, it is a time for action,” said Sen. Landrieu. “This bipartisan bill, which was unanimously reported out of committee, creates a better, more efficient SBA disaster response, and I urge my colleagues to help us move this important bill forward.”
The Small Business Disaster Response and Loan Improvements Act (S. 163) would:
“The Republicans standing in the way of passing this bill should be ashamed because we can’t afford another Katrina-like response from the federal government,” said Kerry, Chairman of the Committee. “This bill has been fully vetted, has bipartisan support, and we’ve taken care to make changes to address every single concern raised. Yet, here we are today with Republicans blocking the very tools we need in Washington to get aid out to disaster victims quickly without red tape bureaucracy.”
“Now two months into what is predicted to be a very active hurricane season, this is not a time for partisan politics or procedural maneuvers, it is a time for action,” said Sen. Landrieu. “This bipartisan bill, which was unanimously reported out of committee, creates a better, more efficient SBA disaster response, and I urge my colleagues to help us move this important bill forward.”
The Small Business Disaster Response and Loan Improvements Act (S. 163) would:
