WASHINGTON - United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Mary Landrieu, D-La., today issued the following statement regarding the Small Business Administration's (SBA) expansion of the Microloan program:

"We are beginning to see funds from the Recovery Act making their way into the hands of small business owners. With the expansion of the Microloan program, small businesses and entrepreneurs will have greater access to the capital they need to keep their businesses running effectively, and to purchase much-needed equipment and supplies. An expanded list of lenders, coupled with the SBA's efforts to improve consumer knowledge of the Microloan program, is exactly the type of proactive, consumer-driven support small business owners deserve from the federal government."