Obama: GOP Stalled Small Biz Bill      07/31 10:06

   President Barack Obama is going after Senate Republicans who have stymied 
his proposal to create a $30 billion fund to help unfreeze lending for 
credit-starved small businesses.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is going after Senate Republicans 
who have stymied his proposal to create a $30 billion fund to help unfreeze 
lending for credit-starved small businesses.

   His election-year push for additional job measures suffered a fresh setback 
this past week when the GOP blocked the small-business plan.

   The president used his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday to accuse 
Republicans of "holding America's small businesses hostage to politics." He 
said the bill has the support of business groups and contains many ideas 
favored by both parties.

   "Understand, a majority of senators support the plan. It's just that the 
Republican leaders in the Senate won't even allow it to come up for a vote," 
Obama said. "That isn't right."

   Obama made clear that it's not only a policy disagreement, but a reason for 
voters to steer away from Republicans in November's pivotal congressional 
elections, which will determine whether Democrats keep their majorities in the 
House and Senate.

   "When America is just starting to move forward again, we can't afford the 
do-nothing policies and partisan maneuvering that will only take us backward," 
he said.

   Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky would have none of that 
talk.

   He said Democrats have put the bill aside six separate times so they could 
move on to something else. "So from the beginning this bill clearly wasn't a 
priority to them --- until they realized that they didn't have anything to talk 
about when they go home in August," McConnell said.

   "Nearly every major piece of legislation this Congress has considered has 
had painful consequences for small businesses. Attempting to create a 
controversy isn