Small Business Lending Fund Act Of 2010
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. McCONNELL. This is a bill which, at its core, initially had pretty broad bipartisan support. But, as sometimes happens in the Senate, it got all snarled up with a variety of other matters.
I would like to propound an alternative consent with the following explanation. When you review the record on this bill, you will find that we have had exactly two votes. One was a motion to proceed, and the other was on an amendment offered by the majority. The majority leader has filled the tree on three separate occasions on three different substitutes. In effect, we have been completely shut out on the floor in terms of amendments we wanted to offer. We basically had to ask permission to offer amendments. I don't like that kind of process, but to get things moving, we actually gave the other side copies of our first few amendments almost 2 weeks ago--2 weeks ago. We were told the other side would want alternatives to our amendments, and it took until about an hour ago--an hour ago--before they produced their amendments.
So to be clear, the majority leader moved to proceed to this bill on June 24, and since the time the bill was actually pending, the small business bill was set aside to consider six other legislative matters during that period. And although I supported a number of those other issues, the fact is, we have not had any opportunity to offer amendments.
Having said that, I believe a better way forward is as follows:
I ask unanimous consent that the cloture motions with respect to the small business substitute and bill be vitiated.
I further ask that the following amendments be in order to the Reid substitute: the Johanns 1099 repeal, the Hatch R&D, the Hatch tax hike prevention, the Grassley biodiesel, the Sessions amendment on spending caps, a Hutchison amendment on nuclear loan guarantees, a McCain amendment on border security, and a Kyl amendment on death tax.
I further ask unanimous consent that it be in order for the majority to offer a relevant side-by-side to any of the above-mentioned amendments.
Before the Chair rules, I would tell the majority leader that I will work with each of our sponsors to lock in reasonable time agreements on these amendments.
Therefore, Mr. President, I propound that alternative consent.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. McCONNELL. Reserving the right to object--and I will object--I would just say to my friend that this bill initially did enjoy bipartisan support. But where we stand today, the Democrats want to offer amendments about health care, about educational funding, about FMAP, and about Cobell funding, so we have both sides sort of piling on here.
I guess I would say to my friend from Louisiana that this is a discussion worth continuing with her counterpart, the Senator from Maine, who is our leader on the Small Business Committee, because somewhere in all of this there is a bipartisan bill, if we can structure the right kind of process that eliminates the feeling--beyond feeling, the reality of the minority getting shut out.
Therefore, Mr. President, I object.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
The Senator from Louisiana.
Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, if the minority leader will yield for a question, I appreciate how the leaders have tried to work together, although we don't seem to be getting to an agreement at this moment, but I wanted to ask the minority leader to clarify something. When he said things got snarled up, I don't know what has been snarled. The only amendment that has been offered on this bill, which was passed with 60 votes, was an amendment offered by Senator LeMieux from Florida, who is a Republican. It wasn't mine. I was a cosponsor, but he was the lead sponsor. It was a Republican amendment that was offered on the floor and received 60 votes. Is that what he was referring to that got snarled or was it something else?
Mr. McCONNELL. I would just say there is now substantial opposition to the bill. I sense a significant lack of enthusiasm on the part of our ranking member. She can speak for herself, but my advice to my friend from Louisiana is that this is worth continuing to discuss to see if there isn't some way to get this bill passed in a form that is acceptable to most of the Senate.
Ms. LANDRIEU. May I ask another question? I appreciate what the Senator has said, but the ranking member has made it clear for many months now that she doesn't support--and I have great respect for her--the Small Business Lending Fund. So we actually did what we were supposed to do. We had a debate for 12 hours on the floor, and everybody got to speak. She spoke, I spoke, everyone spoke. And do you know what happened? The minority leader may remember. We got 60 votes, so we won.
Mr. McCONNELL. If the Senator will yield for a suggestion.
Ms. LANDRIEU. Hold on. I just want to say, if that is not the process, I don't know what is. We didn't cut that deal in the back room. We told everybody what we were going to do. I stood out here for 12 hours. We voted in public. Everyone knew about it. So if that is the definition of snarled, we have a real problem.
But go ahead. Yes, I will yield for a question.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Republican leader.
Mr. McCONNELL. I was going to say that those points are ones better addressed to the Senator from Maine, and she is not on the floor at the moment. I am sure, if you can discuss it--you know a great deal about it as you have worked on it together. I think you ought to continue to discuss it.
Ms. LANDRIEU. Well, I appreciate that because I do have the greatest respect for the Senator from Maine. But she has not been excited about this program. She voted no, but we got 60 votes for the program. So I think perhaps we might find a way forward.
I am going to yield in just a minute, but the minority leader said he wanted eight amendments; our side wants three. Maybe we can figure out some way to agree on five on each side and get the small businesses in America the help they need.
I don't know if the Senator from Illinois has an idea, but the Republicans want eight; we want three; let's get five.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source