Floor Statements

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.

Mr. President, there is a recurring gag in the comic strip ``Peanuts'' with which we are all familiar. Charlie Brown is getting ready to kick a field goal. Lucy is holding the ball while Charlie runs up to the ball. At the last second, Lucy pulls the ball away. Charlie Brown flies into the air, comes crashing back down, and falls flat on his back. We have all seen this time and time again. But what makes this gag funny is the same thing that made it famous. It wasn't so much that Lucy was tricking Charlie Brown; it was that it kept happening over and over. Charlie Brown kept being tricked.

It is obvious by now that our Republican friends have drawn their political strategy from this cartoon. We have all heard Republicans weep for the deficit they say they fear. Democrats agree that we need to do something about the deficit. We have said: How about cutting the deficit by admitting we can't afford a tax break for millionaires and billionaires, a tax break that would add, under the legislation offered by my Republican colleague, Senator McConnell, $4 trillion to the debt, as this is a tax cut many admit they don't need. When was the last time we heard an investor ask for less money? What did the Republicans do? They pulled away the football and said: Rather than reduce the deficit, we would really rather give an unnecessary, unwanted, unaffordable handout to the richest of the rich.

Then they went a step further. They pretend the real victims here are small businesses, conveniently bending the rules so that multimillion- dollar Wall Street firms, companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and enormous conglomerates such as the Tribune Company, count as small businesses. It is a sham. In fact, the way Republicans count, President Obama himself, who has made a lot of money on his books, and most movie stars and professional athletes count as small businesses. If that is the way they count, perhaps that explains why Republican economic policies nearly led us into a depression. It is why this time around perhaps we should not count on their ideas to help us recover.

This week, every Republican sent me a letter saying they would not let legislators legislate, that they wouldn't let the Senate operate until we addressed the tax cuts. So Democrats called their bluff. We said: OK, let's talk about tax cuts. Let's vote. The other body had already passed a middle-class tax cut, and we can do the same. The majority in the Senate, like the majority of the country, believes the middle class deserves this tax cut. The minority in the Senate believes, against all evidence to the contrary, that millionaires and billionaires and big CEOs who ship jobs overseas deserve this giveaway. We disagree, but that is why the Founders created this body--to debate and settle those disagreements. So we said: Let's vote. And what did the Republicans do again? Just like Lucy, they pulled the football away and said: No deal. They then sat on the ball while we watched the clock count down. That is why we are here on a Saturday morning when we could have resolved this days ago.

In that same letter, Republicans claimed their top priority is putting people back to work. It is a priority with which Democrats agree. The difference is we really mean it. My State of Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the country. I know my most important job is to create jobs. So Democrats again gave them the chance to walk the walk. We tried to pass a bill that would extend unemployment insurance for so many Americans who lost their jobs in the recession and are still trying hard to find work.

Economists tell us that unemployment insurance is one of the best ways to energize the economy and create jobs. We know that for every dollar of unemployment insurance that goes out, at least $1.61 comes back into the economy. It is a good investment. The Council of Economic Advisers said this week that failing to extend this lifeline would cost the country 600,000 more jobs.

What did Republicans do? Once again, they did their best Lucy impression, pulling away the football and saying: I object. They stepped up and did the same thing they have done over and over. They stopped us from creating jobs. Like the football Charlie Brown can't kick, the money that would immediately go back into the economy remains out of reach for those who would spend it the fastest.

Finally, the Senator from Arizona, his party's nominee for President last election, has given a dizzying defense of don't ask, don't tell-- an obsolete, embarrassing, and discriminatory policy that weakens our military and offends our values. First, Senator McCain said he seriously would consider repealing it if the military leadership thought we should. When the military leadership said it should be repealed, he pulled away the football. Then Senator McCain said he would need to see a study from the Pentagon. When the Pentagon produced a study saying repeal would have no negative impact, he pulled away the football again. And for his latest trick, he said yesterday that he opposed repealing don't ask, don't tell, a proposal that would be a great stride forward for both equality and military readiness, because of the economy. I repeat: The senior Senator from Arizona said he couldn't support repealing don't ask, don't tell because of the economy. I have no idea what he is talking about, and no one else does either.

Yesterday, we also heard the Republican leader say:

Americans don't want to see meaningless theatrics in

Congress. They want us to do something about the economy.

He is right. The theatrics need to end. The time to do something about our economy needs to begin now, and what better way to demonstrate that than by doing what the American people and economists of every political position know is the right thing to do--protect the middle class from higher taxes and reject a $4 trillion bailout for billionaires.

Our economy is not a cartoon. The jobs of hard-working Americans are not political footballs. Instead of taking their ball and going home when they don't get their way, it is time Republicans realize we are not here to embarrass one another. We are here to get things done. We are here to help our economy grow again. It is time Republicans recognize that, like Charlie Brown and Lucy, we are on the same team.

Mr. President, we are 2 minutes or so from the 2 hours for the time on the tax cut debate. We have a couple of amendments. Unless there is objection, we should go ahead and start that.

This will provide an extra 2 minutes.

I think there is a consent in effect that Senator Baucus would control a half hour and Senator Schumer would control a half hour of the time. If not, I ask unanimous consent that that be so.

Mr. President, following any leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of the House message to H.R. 4853, which is the legislative vehicle for the tax cut extensions. Under a time agreement, there is up to 2 hours of debate equally divided prior to a rollcall vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur with the Baucus amendment. If cloture is not invoked on the Baucus amendment, the Senate will proceed to a cloture vote on the Schumer amendment. Senators should expect the first cloture vote to occur at 10:30 this morning. Senator Schumer will control the time on his amendment. Senator Baucus will control the time on his amendment. They will each have 30 minutes.

Mr. President, S. 4006 is at the desk and due for a second reading.

I object to any further proceeding with respect to this bill.

Madam President, I would like to tell the Senate what the schedule is going to be, but we can't do that unless we are able to hear each other.

The Republican leader and I had a conversation this morning, and here is how we are going to move forward. We are obligated to complete an impeachment that Democrats and Republicans who were appointed to a committee worked very hard on, spending days and days on their own away from all the cameras, doing the tedious work that has to be done. We have tried to find a place to do this that would be convenient, and there is no place. So we are going to start Tuesday morning the impeachment of a judge.

I will file cloture on a number of measures on Monday night for a Wednesday cloture vote.

Yes.

That is true. We are going to have to start early Tuesday morning. We need to complete the impeachment as quickly as we can to make sure everything is fair, and we will make sure that is the case. We expect some work to be done on Tuesday, with votes required in the Senate. Most of the proceedings will be closed. We will have to be here. We hope we can complete this on Wednesday. I am confident, having spoken to the managers, that we should be able to do that.

On Wednesday we hope to be able to complete the impeachment. If not, we will complete it whenever we can. We will have the cloture votes on Wednesday I have just indicated we will have. Then that leaves a pretty clear path to what we need to do.

We hope we can have some arrangements made on the tax issues by then. We have tried to work to that point, and we have not yet done it. We have to take care of spending for the rest of the year. I have had a number of conversations with the Republican leader on that.

We also hope there is time to do the START treaty, but we need to move to that either with some kind of general agreement or we can just move to it. That should give us ample time to do those things before we leave.

We want to leave the Friday before Christmas Eve. That would be 8 days before Christmas. We hope we can do that. That is the plan. We all know where we were last Christmas Eve, and we don't want to be in the same place this Christmas Eve.

Any questions from the Republican leader?

Yes. I will file cloture on the 9/11 situation in New York, the firefighters negotiation matter. The third would be the DREAM Act, and the fourth would be giving seniors a $250 COLA.

Yes. The fourth is the $250 COLA. Madam President, we would do the votes an hour after we come in. We will try to work something out to do it after we complete the impeachment. The other thing I have indicated--in fact, we had a number of bipartisan conversations yesterday--is, we are trying to figure out a time to move forward on the Defense authorization bill. The issue on that is what we do with amendments.

Without belaboring the point, I would be happy to consider doing a number of amendments if we had time agreements on them. Just to have an open process at this stage, I don't see how we can do that. I will continue to work with my friends, the chairman of the committee, and others who are interested, both Democrats and Republicans, recognizing how important that legislation is.

Following leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business, with Senators allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Last night, I filed cloture motions on two tax cut amendments. Those votes are expected to occur tomorrow. Senators will be notified when those votes are scheduled. I have not had the opportunity to meet today with the Republican leader. We will try to set up those votes at a convenient time tomorrow, as convenient as possible.

Mr. President, I had hoped we would be able to come to agreement with Republicans to hold votes today to protect middle-class families. But the Republican caucus would not agree, so we will have a series of votes tomorrow on the tax rates set to expire at the end of this month.

Democrats' priorities are clear. We are protecting middle-class families every way we can. Tomorrow's votes will show where Republican priorities are and where ours are. Those votes will clearly demonstrate who supports the middle class, and that includes every Senator.

The minority can spin any way they want what has taken place over the last 24 hours. They can pretend giving the rich tax breaks creates jobs, even though we know from the past decade that it does not. If that were the case, the economy would be booming, except during the last years of the Bush administration, when those tax cuts were in effect, we lost 8 million jobs. They can pretend we can afford to give billionaires another handout, even though we know we can't. But no matter how many times you pretend, it doesn't make it true. The truth is simple: Holding middle-class tax cuts hostage for tax breaks for the wealthy that they don't need and we cannot afford is irresponsible.

A lot has been written about the letter that 42 Republican Senators sent me a couple days ago. Maybe it is news that they put it in writing, but that is all that is new about it because, as the Presiding Officer knows, everything we have tried to do legislatively this year has been stymied, stopped with filibusters, well more than 100. Republicans have been holding good legislation hostage for 4 years-- important bills, noncontroversial bills, every bill. That is why we have a lameduck session with such a long to-do list.

Interestingly, I heard one Republican Senator, my friend, the senior Senator from Tennessee, say: The majority leader fills the tree. They have had lots of opportunities to offer amendments. The problem is, it is not the offering of amendments. We will allow them to offer amendments, but they are not satisfied with that. They want the results. They are not willing to offer an amendment they may lose. They are only willing to offer amendments they want to win. If they don't win them, then they stop everything. That isn't the way it has been done around here, and it should not be done in the future that way.

Since they sent me that letter, a lot of focus has been on the political impact of this game. I am more interested in the impact on the people I represent than the political games being played.

When Republicans take their ball and go home, here is what happens: More than 83,000 Nevadans who are jobless and looking for work will lose their unemployment insurance over the next

year. The Council of Economic Advisers predicted that will cost the country 600,000 jobs.

What else happens? A treaty that will make Americans safer goes nowhere, a treaty supported by the entire military leadership and endorsed yesterday by the Secretaries of State of the last five Republican Presidents. Without the START treaty, there are more nuclear weapons than there should be, we know less about the Russian nuclear arsenal than we need to, and Americans are less safe.

Here is one more consequence of the Republican ultimatum: Thousands of first responders who rushed to Ground Zero on 9/11 got terribly sick from the toxins there. The longer Republicans stall, the longer these heroes have to wait for the health care and compensation they deserve.

Why are tens of thousands of unemployed Nevadans at risk of losing their lifeline? Why is Nevada at risk of losing jobs when we are desperate to create them? Why is the START treaty stalled? Why are the 9/11 heroes still sick with nowhere to turn? Each of these questions has the same answer--because Republican Senators want to give their richest friends a tax break they don't need, many don't want, and none of us can afford.

I suggest the absence of quorum.

Mr. President, would my friend, the distinguished chairman of the Finance Committee, yield?

Mr. President, I think it is appropriate that everyone be notified there will be no rollcall votes today. We are still working on what time it will be tomorrow. But we, as everyone knows and I have said here--this is the third time--we were within inches of having something worked out on having votes today, but for reasons I do not fully understand, the Republicans did not agree to that at the last minute, and now we have to figure out what time we are going to vote tomorrow. If we cannot work it out by consent, then, of course, we will do it 1 hour after we come in, which is the rule. We have competing interests. We have people who want it late tomorrow. We have people who want it early tomorrow. So we will try to see what we can do to work through that.

Again, I appreciate my good friend for yielding.

Mr. President, I have been in touch with Senator McConnell, and he knows I am asking this consent agreement. I ask unanimous consent that at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow morning, December 4, the Senate proceed to vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Reid motion to concur with the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 4853 with the Baucus amendment No. 4727, with the time from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. equally divided between the leaders or their designees.

Mr. President, this is a time that virtually no one is happy with. Someone wanted it late, someone wanted it early. As I indicated to Lula Davis, we just split the baby in half. This is the best we can do. Make as many people happy as we can. We are coming in at 8:30, which is unusual on a Saturday morning, but people who live certainly east of the Mississippi, they can go some ways--it is difficult for those of us who live west of the Mississippi to go anyplace, but at least some people will be able to have an afternoon at home or in their States with this agreement that has just been approved.

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and offer my condolences for the passing of a great Nevadan, Velma Bishop. A naturalized U.S. citizen from Canada, Velma labored diligently in many charitable and civic opportunities and programs. She was a wonderful mother and a wife of 45 year to her beloved late husband, Gail Alexander Bishop. Not only will her local, religious, and political communities miss her impact, but so will the great multitudes of people she has been able to touch through a life devoted to service. It is my great honor to recognize her life's work before the U.S. Senate today.

The State of Nevada will miss Velma's can-do spirit. She sacrificed much of her personal time volunteering with special-needs children and orphans. Many people with no biological relation nonetheless knew her as ``mom.'' Her arms were open for anyone; her kind spirit will always be remembered. She was also a very involved member of her local congregation in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Velma worked diligently to raise money for nonprofit concerns and even found time to manage various campaigns for the Democratic Party of Nevada. She never shied away from voicing northern Nevada's needs. Until recently, she continued playing an active role in the Gail Bishop Chapter of the Nevada Alliance for Retired Americans, aptly named after her late husband. Her involvement in the public service back home found her befriending many of the underrepresented or overworked. She battled courageously on their behalf. Among her many mourners is the former Rep. Jim Bilbray, D-Nevada.

I join with my friends back home in Nevada to honor the wonderful life of Velma Bishop. For 81 years she has immersed herself in enhancing the lives of others. I am grateful to recognize her achievements, and with a heavy heart, know that many people join Susan, Steve, and Kate in missing their ``mom.''

Madam President, following leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business for Senators to speak up to 10 minutes each. The majority will control the first 30 minutes; Republicans will control the next 30 minutes. We will be in recess again today from 12:30 until 3:30 to allow for a Democratic caucus.

Yesterday, the House sent us a 2-week continuing resolution, and we need to act on that funding bill before the current continuing resolution expires on tomorrow. I will continue to work with the Republican leader on a time for its consideration.

We have other matters. I am in touch with my caucus, the Republican leader, and the White House to try to move toward completing business before Christmas.

It is my understanding that the order before the Senate is that each side will have a full 30 minutes.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to H.J. Res. 101, which is the 2-week continuing resolution; that the joint resolution be read three times, passed; the motion to reconsider be laid on the table; and any statements relating to this matter be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask the Chair to lay before the Senate a message from the House with respect to H.R. 4853.

The Presiding Officer laid before the Senate a message from the House as follows:

Mr. President, I move to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 4853 with an amendment which is at the desk.

On that I ask for the yeas and nays.

I have a cloture motion which is at the desk.

I have a second degree amendment at the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

I have a cloture motion at the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorums required under rule XXII be waived.

Mr. President, I have a motion to refer with instructions at the desk.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

I have an amendment to my instructions at the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, there is a second-degree amendment at the desk that I ask be reported.

I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, we have worked hard today trying to be at a point where we could be further down the road than we are. I know the Republican leader has worked hard to try to get to a point where we could have the four amendments that people are talking about all around this city.

We were not able to do that because of at least one Republican who held that up. Senator McConnell has given this a valiant try and I have been in the position he is in and I understand that. I certainly do not criticize him.

I would hope everyone understands we are going to have to have some votes Saturday. We are going to wind up having, right now, two cloture votes. We may not have any more. We

may not be able to work out anything with the minority. But everyone should be aware that could happen. We are satisfied, if the minority does not want those other two amendments, then we will just go ahead as we are scheduled now under the rules of the Senate.

We are going to have to be here on Saturday. We have so many things to do, as everyone knows, and we have been trying to work through some of that this week and have not gotten through nearly as much as we wanted.

I am, however, disappointed we have not been able to do more. I received a letter from all the Republicans yesterday saying: We are not going to allow you to do anything legislative until we get the tax cuts resolved and funding the government.

Well, we are not only not getting legislative things done now, now they are not letting us do the tax cuts and funding the government. So we are going to try to work our way through this. We have a lot to do. We have to work together, and I intend to be as cooperative as I can. My caucus, even though we have very strong feelings, recognized we are trying to do what is good for this country, but we cannot do them alone. I apologize for not having more definition early on, but we did the best we could.

So tomorrow we are going to be in session and there will be time for people to give some speeches and do the things they need to do. Be prepared for Saturday. As to what time Saturday, we do not know. Under the rule, it is 1 hour after we come in. If we can work out something different than that, we will do it.