Senate Republicans yesterday treated CSPAN viewers to a double mystery. First the whodunnit: A senator from Oklahoma took the lead in blocking Senate Bill 163, but since Senator DeMint spoke for him, offering only the cryptic utterance "On behalf of the Senator from Oklahoma, I object," we're left to wonder who the man in the shadows was: Inhofe or Coburn?
Then there's the far more puzzling whydunnit. Everyone who's watched CSPAN as much as we have knows that the Senate moves in mysterious ways, but why anyone would want to block improvements in aid to small businesses after Katrina-like disasters -- improvements that will reduce bureaucratic red tape, make it easier for private loans to help small businesses stay on their feet, and help save local economies after a disaster -- is beyond us. Whichever Republicans are behind this, they should put their reasons (assuming they have some) out on the table where we all could get a good look at them.
Senator Kerry spoke on the Senate floor yesterday to counter the mystery objection to the Small Business Disaster Response and Loan Improvements Act, S. 163. You can view the entire speech (only about 10 minutes long) on John Kerry's Senate site, but we have a couple of clips for you here.
Senator Kerry explained how Hurricane Katrina showed us the special vulnerabilities of small businesses after a disaster, and the urgent need to reform the programs for assisting them.
Senator Kerry further drove home the absurdity of blocking this particular bill:
Stay tuned, mystery fans. Perhaps we'll eventually find out whether the Republicans can offer reasons for their objections or whether this is purely partisan maneuvering at the expense of disaster victims (a game played at the height of hurricane season, no less, and while thousands of Katrina victims are still struggling). The bill enjoys such wide bipartisan support (cosponsors include Republicans Olympia Snowe and David Vitter) that it seems certain to pass in the end, but what could easily have been a very smooth process done by unanimous consent is instead beset with roadblocks. As Senator Kerry, Chairman of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, put it in a written statement, "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." Let's hope they get the message.
Comments (3)
Posted by vbd | July 18, 2007 10:18 AM
Per The Hill, it's Senator Coburn who's holding up the show.
Posted by Karen van Hoek | July 19, 2007 1:51 AM
Thanks, vbd. That clears that much up. It's very odd, though -- this bill has such broad bipartisan support, including unanimous support from the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship; heck, even the Bush Administration is ready to sign off on it. It seems odd that Sen. Coburn would feel a need to throw a wrench into it.
Posted by Pegasus | July 19, 2007 11:53 AM
Their waiting for the Democratic President ...