[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 178 (Friday, November 16, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S14596]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        EXPLANATION OF OBJECTION

  Mr. COBURN. Mr. President, I will take a few short minutes because I 
know others want to honor Senator Byrd, and there is some other 
business to discuss. The bill I objected to today comes before us 
because we have some questions. The chairman of the committee, Senator 
Kerry from Massachusetts, and Senator Snowe, the ranking member, have 
it right, wanting to help our veterans and to make sure they have great 
opportunities as they return. But I remind my colleagues that this last 
year, in the SBA, we stole $26 million worth of their salaries to run 
that, to do directed earmarks. So we have this great new leader at the 
SBA, Steven Preston. Yet we have handcuffed him in his ability to do 
what he needs to do at the SBA.
  We noticed in the paper yesterday a tremendous, large number of loans 
where things have been faked. The SBA hadn't had the capability of 
managing the SBA properly. So our purpose in doing this is not to go 
against the veterans we see. Nobody stands as a greater supporter than 
I in terms of protecting their privacy, their second-amendment rights, 
and honoring them.
  We do want to do this. The offset that is in this bill comes out of a 
microloan that is also designed to help veterans. So we are taking 
money from one area and not the other at the same time we are stealing 
money from the SBA's operational money to do earmarks that don't do 
anything to help veterans.
  My pledge to both Senator Kerry and Snowe is to look at this and see 
if we can't come to some resolution about our concerns over the 
intervening time between now and the time we come back and make a 
commitment to try to do that.
  But most important is, what we want to do is preserve freedom. An 
ever-encroaching Federal Government does not preserve the very freedom 
that those veterans fought for.
  I yield.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from West Virginia is 
recognized.

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