Floor Statements

Madam President, H.R. 2681 is at the desk and due for a second reading.

Madam President, I would object to any further proceedings at this time.

Madam President, Republican obstructionism was once again in evidence last night, and it has cost this Nation millions of jobs.

Last night, Republicans blocked the American Jobs Act, President Obama's plan to create 2 million jobs by giving tax cuts to businesses and middle-class families and investing in modern roads, bridges, and schools.

It is not the first jobs bill they have blocked this Congress, although I hope it will be the last. But it seems as if the Republicans do not really want to put Americans back to work. They believe a weak economy means a weak President. So even though they have supported each piece of the American Jobs Act in the past, they blocked this job- creating legislation in the hopes of doing political damage to the President.

But we have not given up on creating jobs in America, and we will not let Republican political games stand between Congress's most important duty: to put 14 million Americans back to work.

Passing the American Jobs Act would have been a step in the right direction. Economists of every stripe agree it would have impacted the economy immediately and put up to 2 million people back to work.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's and economic adviser to Senator John McCain's Presidential campaign said this:

Given the high odds of another recession in the next few

months, it is vital for Congress and the administration to

provide some near-term support to the economy.

Zandi says the American Jobs Act could shave a percentage point off the unemployment rate. Conversely, he warned that without immediate action

the likelihood is high of a double-dip recession. So the last thing we should be doing right now is wasting time, but that is what Republicans are forcing us to do.

Last night, a majority of the Senate voted to take up this bill. But Republicans will not put politics aside for a moment, even when the price of their stubbornness is struggling families and failing businesses.

I say it again: Democrats are not going to give up on creating jobs. We will introduce the American Jobs Act piece by piece.

I had two conversations last night while the vote was taking place with Republicans, and both Republican Senators said they would like to join in moving some pieces of this legislation. So we are going to do that, and I am glad to see there is some interest by my Republican colleagues in doing that.

Many of the ideas we will advance will be proposals Republicans have supported in the past, as I have already indicated. I think they will have to explain to the American people--at a time of record unemployment--why they continue to oppose job-creating tax cuts for small businesses and the middle class and other proposals they have supported in the past. So, as I said a minute ago, I look forward to working with my Republican colleagues in moving forward parts of this bill they like. At the end of the day, if they do not do this, their motive will be crystal clear: politics.

So I hope Republicans will be able to see past partisan posturing to support their own past proposals when we consider them individually in the next few weeks.

Take, for example, the payroll tax cut. My friend, the Republican leader, has supported payroll tax cuts in the past. Most Republicans have. This is what my friend, the Republican leader, said about the same tax cut in 2009. I quote:

It would put a lot of money back in the hands of businesses

and in the hands of individuals. . . . Republicans, generally

speaking, from Maine to Mississippi, like tax relief.

So that is part of the American Jobs Act.

Another Republican Senator sponsored a bill to give tax credits to businesses that hire out-of-work veterans. Yet that same Republican Senator voted against the same proposal last night. It was part of the bill last night.

Republicans have supported these proposals in the past. They should have supported them yesterday. But Democrats care so much about creating jobs that we will give our Republican colleagues another opportunity to do the right thing, and we will move forward in the best way we can to put these matters before the American people, if necessary, piece by piece.

Madam President, we have worked hard to be in the posture we are in today to have votes on these trade bills. My friend, the Republican leader, has heard me say this too much, but I do not favor these bills. But a majority of this Senate does, and I believed it was important we move these forward. I have worked with the Republican leader to do it today. I think it is important to do it today. We have the President of Korea here in America. He is going to speak to a joint meeting of Congress tomorrow. I look forward to a very productive day in moving these matters forward.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following members of Senator Baucus's staff be granted floor privileges during the consideration of the Colombia, Panama, and South Korea Free Trade Agreement legislation: Jane Beard, Sarah Babcock, Danielle Fidler, Laura Jaskierski, Stephen Simpson, Jonathon Goldman, Nick Malinak, and Cosimo Thawley.

Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business until 5:30 this evening. At 5:30 p.m., there will be three rollcall votes. The first vote will be on confirmation of the Triche-Milazzo nomination. That is a vote for a judge. We appreciate the cooperation we have gotten on that. The second vote will be on passage of S. 1619, the China currency legislation. The third vote will be on the cloture motion on the motion to proceed to S. 1660, the American Jobs Act.

Mr. CORKER addressed the Chair.

I have the floor. Does the Senator have a question?

I would be happy to yield to my friend for a question.

Mr. President, around here we can do anything by unanimous consent. The work the Republican leader and I went through--perhaps a little easier on his side than mine--to get the trade bills in the position they are in was fairly difficult, and it would take unanimous consent to get off a particular piece of legislation we are on to move forward on the trade bills. That is my understanding. As I have indicated, we are looking forward to the votes this evening, and I will be happy to be as cooperative as I can with everyone involved. But in direct response to my friend's question, I think it is pretty clear it would take unanimous consent to do that.

Mr. President, I say through the Chair to my friend, I was happy to have that dialog. As we have

indicated, if at some time we get on a jobs bill, we will have--as I have indicated, I appreciate the comments of a number of people in the press today. Specifically, I direct myself to Mr. John Cornyn, the junior Senator from Texas. He and I have not always seen the same picture on legislative matters, but I thought his statements in the press were very constructive. He, in effect, said he would hope we could get on legislation and work on it the way we used to and that would be to have some agreement on how we move forward with amendments. The Republican leader and I are trying to do that.

Mr. President, this evening, the Senate will vote on legislation to end the unfair practice of currency manipulation by the Chinese Government. It is pretty clear by now that China undervalues its currency to give its own exports an unwarranted advantage in the global marketplace. This costs American jobs--lots of them. It costs lots of jobs by unjustly tilting the playing field against American manufacturers.

America's trade deficit with China has ballooned from $10 billion in 1990 to $273 billion today. It has cost 3 million American jobs already. Two million of those lost jobs came from the manufacturing sector.

American businesses do not need special advantages to compete. They just need an even playing field.

Tonight we have the opportunity to stop China from continuing to cheat American workers, pump $300 billion into our economy, and support 1.6 million Americans jobs.

This legislation has twice advanced in this Chamber with bipartisan supermajorities. Thirty-one Republicans voted to move this legislation to the Senate floor early last week. I urge each of them to stand firm in their support for this job-creating legislation--to stand with American workers rather than siding with China. I remind my Republican colleagues that those who revoke support of this important measure for the sake of partisan politics must answer, first of all, as we all do, to our constituents.

Today, the Senate will vote to proceed to the American Jobs Act, President Obama's plan to put Americans to work without adding a penny to the deficit. This legislation will also ask the richest Americans to contribute their fair share to get our economy back on track.

The President's plan will put construction crews back to work building the things that make our country stronger--roads, bridges, dams, sewers, water systems, and up-to-date schools where our children can get the best education possible.

There are schools in our country that are not wired for the Internet. The average school in America is a little more than 50 years old. Technology has changed a lot since those schools were constructed, but, sadly, our schools have not. This work is essential, and Americans are desperate for jobs it will create.

The American Jobs Act would also extend unemployment insurance for Americans who are still struggling to find work. Economists agree this boosts the economy because the long-term unemployed spend the money immediately on groceries, gas, and rent.

This legislation would cut taxes for middle-class families and businesses--something Republicans have long supported. The President's plan contains many ideas that Republicans have supported consistently over the years, especially when their party controlled Congress or the White House or both. Republicans oppose those ideas now, I guess, because they have a proven track record of creating jobs--all these programs--but I guess Republicans think if the economy improves, it might help President Obama. So they root for the economy to fail and oppose every effort to improve it, and they resist anything the President proposes, no matter its common sense, including this jobs plan to create 2 million jobs, containing many of the issues the Republicans have supported many times.

Americans have demanded Congress pass legislation to create jobs--and pass it now. Americans support our plan to fund job creation by asking people who make more than $1 million a year to contribute their fair share by a margin of 3 to 1. That is 75 percent. Mainstream Americans agree we cannot ask seniors and the middle class to go on shouldering the heaviest burden.

Today we will see whether Republicans have gotten the message or if they still put the wants of millionaires and billionaires ahead of the needs of seniors and middle-class families. The American people demand that the Republicans finally admit that putting America back to work will require shared sacrifice--especially from those who can best afford to be part of the solution.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I just learned that my friend, Senator Tom Coburn, has undergone surgery to treat prostate cancer. The junior Senator from Oklahoma is expected to make a full recovery. His cancer was in the early stages, and he should be back to work in a few weeks. Senator Coburn has battled cancer twice before, and he has beaten the disease twice before. Those of us who know Tom Coburn know with certainty that this fighter will beat it again.

My thoughts are with Senator Coburn and his family, and I wish him a complete and speedy recovery. I understand how difficult a cancer diagnosis can be on the patient as well as the family. The entire Senate community is pulling for Senator Coburn, his wife Carolyn, and their three children and five grandchildren.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendment be withdrawn.

Mr. President, we would yield back our time and use leader time for a colloquy between the two of us.

Reserving the right to object, Mr. President, everyone should understand, on Thursday, on this side we agreed to a vote on the President's jobs bill. There have been a number of things that have occurred since then.

We seek today, with this motion, to proceed to get to the jobs bill-- a good jobs bill. We seek to begin a legislative process. Senators from my side and Senators from the other side--the Republican side--have said they want to be able to get a bill where they can offer ideas to create jobs. I think that is commendable. That is what we seek to do to get on this bill.

I ask my colleague, the Republican leader, if he might modify his request to allow the Senate to proceed to the bill so we might begin consideration of an amendment to the bill. I also say, in response to modification, I have said to my friends on the Republican side of the aisle and on the Democratic side, as I said last Thursday, the President's original package we have talked about for some time. If people want to vote on that, they can vote on that. I think it would be to everyone's best interest to move to proceed to this so we can make this legislation even better than it now is. I ask for that modification.

Mr. President, I will continue to work with my friend to get on the jobs bill, so the Senate can work its will and provide to the American people jobs. I object to my friend's request.

Mr. President, I enter a motion to reconsider the vote by which cloture was not invoked.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for 5 minutes each.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 290; that the nomination be confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate; that any statements be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; and that the Senate then resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk due for its first reading.

Mr. President, I now ask for its second reading in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV but object to my own request.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, October 12, 2011; that following the prayer and the pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; that following any leader remarks, the Senate begin consideration of H.R. 3080, H.R. 3079, and H.R. 3078; that there be 12 hours of debate equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with Senator Boxer controlling 20 minutes, and Senator Brown of Ohio and Senator Sanders each controlling 1 hour of the majority time, and that all other provisions of the previous order remain in effect; finally, that the Senate recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. for our weekly caucus meetings.

Mr. President, we will consider the three trade agreements tomorrow. We expect to complete action on these bills sometime tomorrow. If everyone uses their time, it is quite obvious it will be a late, late day. But maybe people will get tired of talking and we can finish this earlier.

We have work to complete on Thursday. I have talked to the Republican leader about a path forward, and I think we can get more done this week and have a really good next week working on appropriations bills.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand adjourned under the previous order.