Floor Statements

Thank you, Mr. President.

Of course I want to thank Senator Hutchison. Without her leadership, without her effort and her amendment, we would not have what I believe and am very hopeful will be an important, positive solution to help our dealers rather than leaving them on their own in the middle of what has been a very horrible time as it relates to Chrysler and General Motors and actually the auto industry around the world in terms of what has been happening.

I thank Senator Hutchison because she has been very tenacious and very effective, and it has been my pleasure to partner with my friend from Texas to achieve something that I believe is positive.

Before we started this process, the dealers were on their own. That was wrong. As a result of working together, and I should say working with Chrysler--and I appreciate all of their efforts in, obviously, an extremely difficult time for them. I appreciate their working with us. I appreciate President Obama and the auto task force for being the linchpin in terms of giving us a solution in terms of what they were able to do around financing. And I thank all of our colleagues who have been involved.

But we basically have two things. We have the dealers being able to get floor plan financing, which we have been working on for a long time--to be able to get that so, as Senator Hutchison said, the 75 percent of the dealers who will remain in business will have the opportunity to finance the purchase of the acquisition of inventory from the dealers who are going to be going out of business.

The second thing is there is now a plan and a commitment to work through this process in terms of inventory and being able to support the dealers in a very difficult time.

I feel very close to this issue, not just because I represent Michigan, an automobile State, but my father and grandfather were car dealers in a small town in northern Michigan. I grew up on a car lot. My first job was washing the automobiles on the dealership lot. I know what this is about: small businesses all across Michigan, all across this country, folks who do sponsor the Little League teams. Senator Hutchison and I were talking about the ads in the paper, and the supporting the community, and all that goes on. I lived it. I saw it. It is absolutely critical we do everything we can in this incredibly difficult time to support them.

So I am very pleased we have been able to come together with this. I do wish to put in one little plug for when we come back from this next week. Senator Brownback and I are offering a bipartisan effort in the form of an amendment to incentivize purchasing vehicles which, I believe, is really the second stage to helping these dealers. It has been dubbed the ``cash for clunkers'' or fleet modernization. The bottom line is we want to be able to incentivize getting people back into those dealerships to be able to buy automobiles. I am going to put a big sign out saying ``Buy American'' because that is what we want everybody to do.

So I am hopeful phase 2 will come after the break. This is very important. I would again say it would not have happened without Senator Hutchison and all of her leadership. It has been my great pleasure to work with her in crafting this solution.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Madam President, I also have to rise and thank my friend and partner and senior Senator from Michigan on behalf of everyone in Michigan. We could not be more proud of his work every day: keeping us safe, supporting the troops, fighting for veterans, the work he has done on the credit card bill that is in front of us. The fact that he has been the champion for the auto industry and autoworkers and workers across America as well as our State is something of which we are very proud.

There is no one better. With a wonderful family--Barbara and the girls and the grandkids. I am very proud to have the honor of partnering with Senator Carl Levin.

Congratulations.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period of morning business with Senators allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, I rise to salute an outstanding woman who spent the final days of her life in Michigan and will be buried in Battle Creek, MI. It is appropriate that my partner and colleague and friend, Senator Levin, is on the floor as well.

I rise to salute a woman who was a pioneer, a patriot, a champion for equal rights, and a proud citizen of Michigan for the last 26 years of her life, Sojourner Truth. Last week she was honored with a bronze bust, a beautiful sculpture by Artis Lane, in Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center.

Sojourner Truth was an activist, someone we might call today a community organizer. She was active for civil rights and for women's rights. She was also a mother and a proud American.

Born into slavery, as a young girl she learned only Dutch because that was the language that was spoken by her plantation owner. When she was only 9 years old, she was sold with a flock of sheep for $100 at an auction. Her new owner did not speak Dutch and beat her severely until she learned English. She did learn English, and quickly, but carried a subtle Dutch accent for the rest of her life.

Eventually, she was married, not the man of her choice but the man of her master's choice, and had several children. Sojourner had secured a commitment from the plantation owner that if she worked hard and faithfully, she would be freed. When the State of New York, where she was at the time, began the process of emancipation, she approached the owner and asked him to honor her agreement. He refused.

Infuriated, she went to work. She worked hard until she felt she had upheld her end of the bargain and then she walked away. She said: ``I did not run off, for I thought that wicked, but I walked off, believing that to be all right.''

She began working to free the rest of her family from slavery. When New York finally emancipated all of the slaves, Sojourner found, to her horror, that her 5-year-old son Peter had been illegally sold to a plantation in Alabama. She turned to her faith in God, as she had done when she endured the lash and as she would do as she continued her fight for equal rights.

She turned to her friends in the religious community, especially the Quakers, who offered her comfort and counsel. She turned to the law, to that great promise of America, that liberty and justice are accessible to everyone.

When her son, this little 5-year-old boy, her precious child, walked into the courtroom, Sojourner was stunned. Her tiny son had been abused with such cruelty; he had scars from head to toe. She cried out:

See my poor child. Oh, Lord, render unto them double for

all of this!

She won her case, a Black woman against a wealthy White man, a rare occurrence. Less than a year later, that same slaveholder, apparently without little Peter to beat up on, beat and killed his wife. On hearing the news, Sojourner was devastated. She realized her prayer had been answered, but she did not rejoice. She said: ``I did not mean quite so much, God.''

Such character in this woman. Sojourner Truth stands out as someone who has been devoted to values we hold dear today: liberty, equality, justice, and also a deep compassion and sympathy for the suffering of others.

She truly embodied the Christian principles of hope, love, and charity. She eventually came to live in a small religious community called Harmonia, located just outside Battle Creek, MI. There she preached the gospel and traveled around the country, giving speeches and fighting for the abolition of slavery and the rights of women.

Sojourner helped recruit Black troops for the Union Army to end the scourge of slavery. She was a leader in her community, an elder, and a source of inspiration. She was a humanitarian, traveling to Kansas in her eighties to help the refugees who were fleeing discrimination in the South.

She never lost her faith in God or in the inherent goodness of all people, no matter how awful they acted, no matter what terrible things they had done to her. In these trying times, she is truly an example of the kind of person we should all wish to be.

I am proud she chose to make Michigan her home for the last 26 years of her life and her final resting place. We are a State full of fighters, with a spirit that gets us through tough times, which we certainly are facing today.

I am pleased that as visitors come to the Capitol, as they enter Emancipation Hall, they can see Sojourner Truth as she was: A fighter, a spirited woman, a passionate civil rights leader, and a mother filled with compassion, a patriot, and the embodiment of the American ideal.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today I pay tribute, on behalf of myself and Senator Levin, to Matt Giraud of Kalamazoo, MI.

Each week on ``American Idol,'' Matt sang his heart out and inspired many throughout Michigan. Early on, the judges recognized his incredible talent. Despite nearly being eliminated in the early stages of the competition, Matt rebounded with grace, confidence, and poise. His songs were a moving reminder of the toughness and resilience of our State.

Matt was born and raised in Michigan. He went to high school in Ypsilanti and graduated from Western Michigan University. Before he went on ``American Idol,'', he performed at a dueling piano bar in Kalamazoo. And on the show, he never forgot his roots.

He got the opportunity to work with Smokey Robinson, the ``King of Motown,'' during the show's Motown episode. His rendition of ``Let's Get it On'' deeply impressed Robinson, the show's judges, and the audience.

When he was faced with elimination in April, the judges, for the first time in the show's history, intervened to save a contestant. He came back strong the next week, singing ``Stayin' Alive.'' His enthusiasm in spite of adversity was a real inspiration to his fans across Michigan.

After his elimination, Matt remained graceful and thanked his fans back home for all of their support.

On behalf of myself and Senator Levin, and all the people of the great State of Michigan, we want to return the favor. We want to thank Matt for reaching for the stars, for pushing himself to the limit, and for showing America Michigan's creative and resilient spirit.

Mr. President, I, too, rise to speak to a motion to instruct conferees. I understand we do not yet have an agreement to be able to move forward on that.

I first want to indicate that I, as well as the chairman of the Budget Committee, joined with the Senator from Nebraska in supporting his amendment to the budget resolution. But I believe it is not enough just to say what we will not do on climate change. It is very important to say what we will do. So that is what my motion to instruct does. It provides a positive direction for future climate legislation. I thank my colleagues, Senators Boxer, Brown, Shaheen, Cardin, and Lieberman for cosponsoring this motion to instruct.

The budget we pass is truly about investing in America's future. With all respect to our ranking member, for whom I have great respect and fondness, there is a difference in this budget in terms of priorities. There is no question about it. There is a big difference in terms of what we want to invest in--education, energy independence, health care, jobs. I might say coming from Michigan: Jobs, jobs, jobs.

So there is a difference in direction, in values, and priorities in this budget. I believe it is what the American people are asking for. Our policy on climate change has to invest in the future just as our budget does. If done right, climate change legislation will create new jobs, new industries, and it will revitalize and strengthen our economy. So I will offer a motion to instruct in response to other amendments that say what we cannot do. My motion, on the other hand, is what America can do, what we must do.

My State of Michigan is facing serious challenges right now. We have the highest unemployment rate in the country, of 12.6 percent. The hardworking people, the families in Michigan and other States that are struggling, need us to do a climate change policy right so that it does create jobs and transform our economy. Our economy cannot go forward with the same old policies dependent on foreign oil and pollution that harms our health and our economic interests. Climate policy can and must look out for working families and businesses, whether it is a farmer, a manufacturer, or a clean tech engineer. That is why the motion to instruct that I will be offering refers to a future climate policy that is well balanced to address all of these interests, so it does create jobs and strengthens manufacturing and breaks America of our dangerous addiction to foreign oil. We cannot rely any longer on the same old technologies and the same old fuel.

With new energy solutions come new jobs and new industries. America has always led the world in innovation and we can do it again in a green energy economy if we do this right. We are in the midst of a revolution, an energy revolution. Over 100 years ago, Henry Ford revolutionized manufacturing in transportation with the automobile and the assembly line. He also revolutionized the way we pay people in this country. He gave his workers $5 dollars a day to work on the line when it was not necessary to do that, because he wanted to make sure he had people who could buy his automobiles.

Through doing that, that revolutionized people to invest in workers. He

helped create the middle class of this country. In the 1980s we had a computer revolution that changed the way we work, the way we communicate, the way we learn, the way we live. The energy revolution of the 21st century will change our economy, I believe, if done right.

That is why the right kind of climate policy is so important. The motion to instruct that I will be offering will direct the conference committee toward a smart climate policy that will protect and strengthen manufacturing. First we ensure a level playing field in the world economy so climate legislation does not hurt our bottom line. This will protect U.S. manufacturers from international competitors that do not follow the same important environmental standard our companies will have to follow.

Second, new manufacturing opportunities will arise. I believe that. For example, to meet the needs of new clean energy production, we will need to produce clean energy technologies on a massive scale. We are talking about 8,000 parts in a wind turbine. As I have said to many colleagues, we can build every single one of those in Michigan. I know I talk a lot about this. I talk a lot about our economy in Michigan. But I truly believe if our energy policy can turn Michigan's economy around, it will turn America's economy around.

Recent history has shown what happens when we rely primarily on foreign sources of energy. We subject ourselves to less than friendly international governments that can leverage unstable supply and higher prices against the people we represent. The motion to instruct I will offer will guide the conference committees to take steps to further reduce our dangerous addiction to foreign oil.

Furthermore, our domestic energy needs also increase over time, and all sources of clean energy should be part of the portfolio. Diversification of our energy supply is key for security, stability, and opportunity. This is a national and international problem and we must solve this together.

My motion directs the conferees to ensure that all regions contribute equitably and help each other as America transitions to a clean energy future. I also believe a successful climate policy has to include all our economic stakeholders. Agriculture and forestry can make significant contributions to greenhouse gas reduction, perhaps as much as 20 percent, with the right incentives. My motion to instruct provides clear and certain opportunities for landowners so they can achieve emission reductions and benefit from doing so.

Finally, this motion to instruct puts us on the road to a balanced climate policy. With policies that meet these objectives, we can ensure the American public that greater economic opportunity lies ahead, and we can do this while meeting the ambitious emission reduction targets set by President Obama.

Instead of arguing about what we cannot do, I urge my colleagues to embrace what we can do. That is what this motion to instruct relates to--creating jobs, protecting our environment, energy independence. This is what our future is about.

In addition to speaking about the motion to instruct, I would take a moment to say, on the broader budget resolution, this resolution again is different. It is about jobs, it is about energy independence, health care, education, tax cuts, yes, for the middle class who have been overlooked for too long, as well as focusing on cutting the deficit in half during the life of this budget resolution.

We know this deficit has been run up. When I came into the Senate in 2001, we were debating what to do about a $5.7 trillion surplus over 10 years, and colleagues were willing to make decisions, our colleagues on other side of the aisle, were willing to go into deficits for the war in Iraq, go into deficits for tax cuts for a few, go into deficits for a different set of policies.

It is true, this budget resolution reflects what I believe is a different set of priorities that are the priorities of the American people. I am very proud of and grateful to our chairman, the Senator from North Dakota, for his leadership, and I appreciate the ranking member as well for his graciousness, even though we have different views. I very much appreciate the way he and the chairman conduct the committee. But I am proud to say this is different. The American people want a different set of priorities, and that is what this budget resolution provides.

Mr. President, this amendment was included in the Senate budget resolution. It lays out clear, positive instructions for balanced climate change legislation that allows agriculture and forestry to participate voluntarily. It focuses on jobs, protecting manufacturing, protecting consumers, and it lays out a positive approach rather than just saying no to reconciliation, which is a policy I agree with. We need to have a positive, balanced approach, and this motion does that.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote, and I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

(At the request of Mr. Reid, the following statement was ordered to be printed in the Record.)

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 104, which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements related to the resolution be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 105, which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I understand that H.R. 131 has been received from the House and is at the desk.

Mr. President, I would ask for its second reading and object to my own request.