[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 48 (Thursday, March 25, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2089-S2091]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             UNANIMOUS-CONSENT REQUEST--EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, at this time I wish to give a short 
statement for the Record, and then I will ask for the Senate to 
consider the nomination of Winslow Lorenzo Sargeant, of Wisconsin, to 
be Chief Counsel for Advocacy, for the Small Business Administration.
  This is very troubling to me, as the chair of the Small Business 
Committee. Months ago now, we had Dr. Winslow Sargeant before our 
committee. The President nominated him to be the Chief Counsel of the 
Office of Advocacy for the Small Business Administration. For my 
colleagues who may not be aware of this office and how important it is 
to have a qualified individual leading it, let me say that the Office 
of Advocacy works to reduce the burdens of Federal policies and 
regulations on small business, which is an important effort that is 
undertaken when either Republicans or Democrats are in the majority.
  We recognize that sometimes regulations, particularly overly 
burdensome regulations, can be difficult for small business, so this 
position in the Small Business Administration was actually created to 
advocate not on behalf of the regulations, not on behalf of the 
government, but on behalf of the small businesses--the millions of them 
that are out there struggling right now to create jobs. We want to be 
helpful to them, not hurtful. So it is puzzling to me why this 
nomination is being held up, particularly because he passed out of our 
committee with bipartisan support.
  He has three degrees, including a Ph.D. from the University of 
Wisconsin-Madison in electrical engineering, and a background as a very 
successful small business owner himself. He not only is well educated 
but well aware of the many difficult challenges facing businesses 
today.
  Dr. Sargeant cofounded Aanetcom, a technology company that was 
ultimately acquired. He is currently the managing director of Venture 
Investors, a Midwest venture capital company which focuses on funding 
startup health care and technology companies. In this role, Dr. 
Sargeant works closely with technology transfer organizations to 
develop policies which enable the formation of startups, giving him an 
unmatched insight into the needs of entrepreneurs in this challenging 
economic environment.
  This is exactly what we need to be doing here: nominating and 
confirming people such as this to step into positions of power, to 
advocate on behalf of small businesses. So it is very troubling to me 
this nomination has been held up. I am going to ask for his nomination 
to be cleared in a moment.
  I am also puzzled because he has the support of many business 
organizations: the National Small Business Association, the Small 
Business Association of California, the Small Business Technology 
Council, and the Small Business Association of New England--very well-
respected small business organizations from one side of the country to 
the other that are familiar with him and his work.
  With more than 80 percent of job losses coming from small businesses 
since the current recession began, it is critical, I believe, as the 
chair of this committee, that we provide our Nation's 29 million small 
business owners

[[Page S2090]]

with a strong and effective advocate here in Washington.
  This position is empty. There is no one sitting in the office, at a 
time when small business needs a voice. There are regulatory matters 
coming from all sides. There are new challenges in this environment. 
There are trade opportunities for businesses all over the world. Our 
small businesses must break into those markets. Let's not even begin to 
talk about the regulatory nightmares here at home--just think about 
those regulatory nightmares as our small businesses seek markets across 
the oceans and over our borders. Why--why--would anyone want to hold up 
this position? But someone is, and we are going to find out who and 
why.
  Dr. Sargeant also has spent a great deal of time sitting on different 
boards, helping to advise others on building strong businesses. He is a 
Kauffman Fellow, a member of the New York Academy of Sciences, and 
Sigma Xi. He serves as a director of the University of Wisconsin 
Foundation, a trustee for the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, and 
a member of the corporation board of Northeastern University. He is an 
advisory board member for WiCell, the Waisman BioManufacturing 
Facility, the University of Wisconsin Astronomy Department, and Purdue 
University Discovery Research Park.
  And the list of his accomplishments goes on. He has served as a 
technical advisory board member for startup company Intersymbol 
Communications, Madison-based venture firm Venture Investors, LLC, 
managing member of Xcelis Communications, LLC and as an advisory board 
member for the Maryland Venture Fund. Dr. Sargeant received the 
inaugural 2002 Wisconsin distinguished Young Alumni Award and was the 
2003 Outstanding Engineering Alumni Awardee from Northeastern 
University.
  Dr. Sargeant's work also extends to the community. He has been a 
member of the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of 
Madison, Wisconsin, since 2006; a member of the Accelerate Madison, 
Inc., a Madison, WI, organization dedicated to using information 
technology to spur economic growth; and active alumni organizations, 
such as the University of Wisconsin Foundation.
  I have no doubt that Dr. Sargeant will make an excellent Chief 
Counsel for Advocacy and I remain baffled as to why his nomination has 
yet to be confirmed.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to 
executive session to consider Calendar No. 427, the nomination of 
Winslow Lorenzo Sargeant, to be Chief Counsel for Advocacy, Small 
Business Administration; that the nomination be confirmed, the motion 
to reconsider be laid upon the table, any statements relating to the 
nomination be printed in the Record, the President be immediately 
notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then resume legislative 
session.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama is recognized.
  Mr. SESSIONS. I thank the Senator from Louisiana for her concerns 
about this matter. I am not a member of the committee and am not 
personally familiar with the nomination. But I know it is controversial 
with some Members on our side. I think as to the question of why, it is 
because we agree with the Senator that the nomination is to an 
important position, and there is concern about whether this is the 
right person for it. Therefore, Mr. President, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. I thank my good friend, the Senator from Alabama. He 
and I have worked on many important issues together. He is not a member 
of the committee, and I appreciate that. But I wish to, through the 
Chair, let the Senator from Alabama know that he might want to consult 
with some of the members of the Small Business Committee because when 
we come back I am going to be asking every day on the floor of the 
Senate for this nomination to proceed.
  I think it is fair, in the spirit of openness that so many people 
have called for, that we have these discussions now in a very open way 
on the floor of the Senate. So I hope the Senator will understand the 
spirit of this. This gentleman is extremely well qualified. I have had 
numerous calls to my office urging us to move forward.
  I thank the Senator from Alabama for those comments. But if you would 
relay that to not only the members of the Small Business Committee but 
to the Republican Caucus, that would be wonderful. Thank you.
  Mr. President, how many more minutes do I have?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is 3 minutes 20 seconds.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Thank you.
  Let me, while I have the floor, call attention to this document that 
is on our desks. It is the Executive Calendar that is placed every day 
on our desks. Since we have been at our desks now for many hours, I 
actually had the opportunity to read it, which I do not often do.
  Although the pages are not numbered, I counted them and I believe 
there are 12 pages. This is documentation of every person pending on 
the Executive Calendar for confirmation. It might be interesting to the 
people observing our session today to note that all of these 
nominations--from the Judiciary, to the Federal Elections Commission, 
to the Department of Energy, to military positions, Corps of Engineers 
positions, the Army, the Executive Office of the President, members 
appointed to the Amtrak Board of Directors, the Equal Employment 
Opportunity Commission, the Farm Credit Administration, the Department 
of Commerce, the Department of Housing and Urban Development--these are 
people--pages and pages of names--who the President has suggested would 
be wonderful people to serve our government.
  They have passed the committee process, most of them--or many of 
them, I understand--with bipartisan votes. Why they are sitting on this 
calendar I do not know. But we are going to find out. I realize there 
is sort of a place and a time and a process in the Senate, but it is 
important for us to know, and for these individuals who have put their 
lives and their careers on the line, who put their homes up for sale, 
who have left their former jobs thinking they were going to come to 
work for the Government of the United States--proud to work for our 
government--many at much less than they were making before they were 
nominated by the President. I am going to ask my colleagues on the 
Republican side, Why are they being held up?
  There are actually two individuals I know personally--two judicial 
candidates from the State of Louisiana: Beth Foote and Brian Jackson--
one outstanding lawyer from the Western District of Louisiana, and one 
outstanding lawyer from the Middle District of Louisiana. They are not 
technically being held up, but they are not moving forward. So we need 
to be moving them forward. The chairman of the committee, Chairman 
Leahy, has done a wonderful job moving them through. In fact, the 
Senator from Alabama was extremely complimentary--who is on the 
Judiciary Committee--of both of those nominees because I happened to be 
present at their hearing. The Senator from Alabama was extremely 
complimentary in his views, and he is, of course, the ranking member on 
that committee.

  When we get back, on behalf of Beth Foote and Brian Jackson and 
Winslow Sargeant, I hope some of my other colleagues will be happy to 
join me in very open and public discussions on the floor of the Senate 
about what might be a problem that we should know about so that we can 
get these people in positions of power and authority and of service, 
might I say, to the people of the United States of America.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  The Republican leader is recognized.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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