Floor Statements

Madam President, following leader remarks, if any, there will be a period of morning business until 10 a.m., with Senators allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes each. The majority will control the first half, the Republicans will control the final half.

Upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of the House message which accompanies H.R. 4213. There will be up to 2 hours for debate on the Thune amendment, which is numbered 4376, with the time equally divided and controlled between Senators Thune and Baucus or their designees. If all time is used, at approximately noon today, the Senate will proceed to a vote on the motion to waive the Budget Act with respect to the Thune amendment.

As a reminder, last night I filed cloture on the Baucus substitute amendment. The managers of the bill will work with Senators on agreements to consider amendments so that we can move toward completion of the bill as quickly as possible. Senators should expect additional votes today in relation to amendments to the bill. Senators will be notified when additional votes are scheduled.

I have spoken to the manager of the bill, Senator Baucus, and he has spoken to a number of his Republican colleagues, and we are going to try to arrange a number of votes as soon as we finish the Thune matter. There are at least three that I know the Republicans want to offer, and there are a number on our side, but we will try to get that done as quickly as possible. This is not a time for never-ending amendments. This is the seventh week we have been on this legislation. They have not been contiguous, but they have certainly been spent on this legislation. So we hope we can work out a reasonable agreement on the amendments that need to be debated and voted on. If we can't work something out tonight, this afternoon, we will have to have a cloture vote in the morning. I would hope that can be avoided. I don't know if it can be.

The problem we have is that we have asked the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, to work to extend the time administratively so that the 21-percent cut to Medicare doesn't go into effect. We think we have been able to do that, until tomorrow. But we are in very perilous times here. Unemployment compensation benefits have already expired. These tax extenders, which are so important to businesses, have expired. Therefore, it is essential that we get something done. Remember, Medicare reimbursement is not just for Medicare patients. Even though some doctors have already said they are going to drop Medicare patients, it is for more than Medicare patients because most reimbursement in our country is based upon Medicare levels--insurance companies, HMOs, and veterans programs. So everyone on both sides of the aisle should understand that the time to sit back and say: We will work something out later isn't going to be here. We have to do something today, or tomorrow at the latest, because of this 21 percent cut. We have cried wolf for the last time. It will go into effect over the weekend.

We also have an important element in this legislation that deals with

FMAP. The poorest of the poor in our country are able to get Medicaid through the State programs, and we assist at the Federal level. Those programs, in most States, are in a perilous state. They have cut a lot of the programs. A lot of people who are eligible for certain Medicaid procedures and office visits and things of that nature have been terminated already. I have received calls from at least 20 Governors-- and it is not just Democratic Governors--who are desperate for this money.

So everything in this bill is paid for except FMAP and the situation I related to regarding unemployment compensation extension. Everything else is paid for. The doctor fix is paid for in the amendment that is now before us where cloture has been filed. So I hope we can work through these amendments the Republicans have to have and we have to have on our side and, if possible, we can go ahead and set up a vote to get rid of this piece of legislation today; otherwise, we will have a cloture tomorrow, and 30 hours runs after that, and by that time the doctors and patients will be harmed significantly, notwithstanding the fact that the unemployed have already been hurt.

Madam President, would my friend yield?

Madam President, I would say to my friend from Alabama, we are trying to work something out for votes this afternoon, and we are in the process of doing that. I think it would be appropriate that until 1 o'clock we be in a period of morning business, with Senators allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes each during that period of time. I want to hopefully come back with an arrangement to move forward on the legislation.

Madam President, there is one thing I didn't do. I apologize to my friend for interrupting him and express my appreciation for his usual cooperation.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following be the next four amendments in order to the Baucus motion to concur, with each of the amendments in this agreement subject to an affirmative 60-vote threshold; that if the amendments achieve that threshold, then they be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that if they do not achieve that threshold, then they be withdrawn; that if there is a sequence of votes with respect to these amendments, then prior to each vote there be 2 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled in the usual form and that after the first vote, any succeeding votes be limited to 10 minutes each; further, that no intervening amendment be in order during consideration of these amendments: No. 4371, Casey; Coburn, No. 4331; Whitehouse, No. 4324; and that the Whitehouse amendment be modified with the changes at the desk. And the final amendment in this sequence is the LeMieux amendment No. 4300.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the next speakers be Senator Coburn--does the Senator from Oklahoma have any idea how long he will be?

Senator Casey, how long?

Senator Stabenow?

We need not do a consent agreement. Everybody can watch the clock on their own.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Baucus motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 4213 with amendment No. 4369 occur at 7:30 p.m. this evening.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to Calendar No. 210, H.R. 3962, and that the Baucus substitute amendment, which is at the desk, be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be read the third time, passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; that any statements relating thereto be printed in the Record, as if read, with no further intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, what this is, as of Tuesday, the doctor fix--the reimbursement for Medicare physicians--expired. The administration was able to--the Health and Human Services Department--extend that for 3 days. It runs out, I think, tomorrow. It is still good until tomorrow. So if we don't do this, not only will doctors who take Medicare patients get a 21-percent cut, in addition to that, so will others that are based upon Medicare reimbursements--veterans, insurance companies, HMOs, even TRICARE and the military. It will be a shame if this weren't agreed to. Remember, it is paid for. It is not a question of running up the debt.

My friends on the other side have the opportunity to take care of the doctors for the next 6 months, fully paid for. If not, there is going to be havoc in America starting tomorrow.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a bill to provide for an extension of unemployment insurance provisions that are in this bill we just had a vote on, for an extension of unemployment insurance provisions; that the bill be read the third time, passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; that statements relating to the matter be printed in the Record, as if read, with no further intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, this is extending unemployment benefits for people who have been out of work a long time. As Mark Zandi, Senator McCain's chief economic adviser, says, nothing stimulates the economy more than giving an unemployment check to somebody who has been unemployed for a long period of time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of a bill--the provision in this bill we just dealt with--to extend the temporary increase of the Medicaid FMAP through June 30, 2011; that the bill be read the third time, passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; that any statements relating to the matter be printed in the Record, as if read, with no further intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, here is one I hope we don't have objection to. If there were ever a bipartisan piece of legislation, this is it. This is legislation originally devised by the Senator from Georgia, Johnny Isakson. It has been good for the economy--the first-time home buyers tax credit.

Right now, there are hundreds of thousands of people who have qualified for this first-time home buyers tax credit. The problem is that the banks processing the paper are taking too long. If we don't extend this time, they will lose the opportunity to buy a home for the first time. It is fully paid for. It passed by a large margin. It seems that we should at least get this done tonight. It would allow these papers to be processed. I cannot imagine why something as bipartisan as this should not go forward.

I ask unanimous consent that the Finance Committee be discharged from H.R. 4994, and that the Senate proceed to its consideration; that the amendment we dealt with yesterday, the so-called Reid amendment, which is at the desk, be considered and agreed to; the bill, as amended, be read the third time, passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; that any statements relating to this matter be printed in the Record, as if read, with no further intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object, how is it paid for, I ask my friend?

That is what I thought. First of all, that money is not there; it is obligated. I also say this. The economic recovery money-- the stimulus money--has created millions of jobs in America today--at least 3 million. But the best bang for the buck will come in the next quarter of this year. All the economists say that. It has taken a while to get the programs up and running. This would be taking good money that will create lots of jobs. We are all aware of the deficit. We are all aware of that. We understand where it came from. We understand that President Obama found himself elected President in a huge hole created by the one who was President before him. That is the reason we passed the recovery bill. It wouldn't be right, with the country still struggling to gain its economic viability, to cut the legs out from under this program that has worked so well.

I think this is the wrong way to go. I think it is too bad that we are trying to take good money and abuse it. So I object.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum----

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

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, today I come to the Senate floor to congratulate El Mundo, a weekly Spanish language newspaper in Las Vegas, as it celebrates an important milestone in its history. On June 20, 2010, El Mundo, an award winning publication and a longstanding fixture of Southern Nevada's Hispanic media, will celebrate its 30th anniversary.

As the oldest Spanish language newspaper in southern Nevada, El Mundo has covered the issues of greatest impact to the Nevadan Hispanic community over the last three decades, providing invaluable insight into the ever-evolving diversity which characterizes Nevada's Hispanic community. It currently serves a bicultural and bilingual readership of more than 175,000.

In its pages, El Mundo highlights the experiences, needs, and concerns of Hispanics in Nevada and contributes to the future of our state's local economy, politics, and culture through its editorial, opinion and commercial advertising content.

Throughout the years, El Mundo has grown and evolved alongside southern Nevada's Latino community, which has multiplied from 50,000 in 1980 when the newspaper was founded by publisher Eddie Escobedo, to more than half a million today.

In addition, I would like to recognize Eddie's vision and tenacity, whose steadfast leadership at the helm of El Mundo has contributed to the publication's continued relevance, influence and impact. Eddie is a prominent voice for Nevada's Hispanics, a trusted servant leader, and a true Nevadan. I congratulate Eddie, his family, and the El Mundo staff on this great occasion as they continue marching toward greater and bigger milestones.

Mr. President, following leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business for 1 hour. Senators will be permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each at that time. Republicans will control the first 30 minutes and the majority will control the second 30 minutes.

Upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of the House message on H.R. 4213, the tax extenders legislation. There will be up to 5 minutes for debate on the Baucus amendment, with the time equally divided and controlled between Senators Baucus and Grassley or their designees. The Senate will then proceed to vote on the motion to waive the Budget Act with respect to the Baucus amendment. Senators should expect additional votes this afternoon in relation to amendments to the tax extenders bill. Senators will be notified when any additional votes are scheduled.

Mr. President, I ask my friend to modify the consent agreement to have the Senate be in recess from 1 p.m. until 2 p.m. today. We will have a caucus going on at that time.

Mr. President, I appreciate my friend from Alabama wrapping up his speech.

Amendments Nos. 4344 and 4351

Mr. President, notwithstanding the pendency of a motion to concur, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order for the Senate to now consider the Reid amendment No. 4344 in its current form and the Isakson amendment No. 4351; that the amendments be debated concurrently until 2:45 p.m.; that at 2:45 p.m., the Senate proceed to vote in relation to the Reid amendment, to be followed by a vote in relation to the Isakson amendment; that each amendment be subject to an affirmative 60-vote threshold; that if the amendment achieves that threshold, then it be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; that if they do not achieve the threshold, then they be withdrawn; that no amendment be in order to either amendment; that if either amendment is agreed to, then once the Baucus motion to concur has been made, the amendment be considered incorporated in the motion to concur.

I further ask there be 4 minutes between the two votes equally divided.

Mr. President, my friend from Georgia is here, so I will be very quick. In fact, he can take 3 of the 4 minutes between the votes.

The home buyer credit has been wildly successful in stimulating home purchases. I have heard from a number of Nevadans who have met the April 30 deadline for having a binding contract for a home--and not only Nevadans but all over the country--but are very concerned they will not be able to close their transaction by the end of this month.

The failure to meet the June 30 deadline is not the fault of the home purchaser. Banks, title companies, and closing agents are swamped as a result of the success of this program. Many home buyers are stuck waiting for banks to make decisions on short sales. Unfortunately, the banks making these decisions feel no sense of urgency, leaving home buyers powerless to meet the current deadlines. They simply don't care, as has been shown during this entire period of time. The banks don't care about the home buyers or the homeowners.

My amendment extends the deadline for 3 months. This will give the homeowners time and the home buyers time to close their home purchases. My amendment is fully offset by disallowing a tax deduction for punitive damages paid in connection with a judgment or settlement.

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.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that debate be extended until 4:30 under the same conditions and limitations of the previous order; further, that during this period, any quorum calls be equally divided.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum, and I ask that the time during this quorum call be equally divided.

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

Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum be waived.

Mr. President, 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, with the exception of the Senator from Illinois.

Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Madam President, following leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business until 11:30 a.m., with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each. The majority will control the first 30 minutes, the Republicans will control the next 30 minutes, and the remaining time will be equally divided.

Upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate will proceed to executive session to consider several district court nominations: Tanya Pratt, of Indiana; Brian Jackson, of Louisiana; and Elizabeth Foote, of Louisiana. There will be up to 20 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Sessions or their designees prior to a series of rollcall votes, which could be as many as three.

Upon disposition of the nominations, the Senate will recess until 2:15 p.m. today for our weekly caucus meetings.

At 2:15 p.m., we will resume consideration of the House message with respect to H.R. 4213, the tax extenders legislation. We currently have six amendments pending. We hope to reach an agreement to dispose of several of the pending amendments today.

As a reminder, cloture was filed on the motion to concur with an amendment with respect to the tax extenders legislation. The only applicable filing deadline in this situation is for second-degree amendments. Under the rule, second-degree amendments must be filed 1 hour prior to the cloture vote tomorrow.

Madam President, I have spoken to the Republican leader on a number of occasions--the latest just a few minutes ago--to see if we can work out an orderly system to not have to have a vote on cloture tomorrow. We are working on that, and hopefully we can conclude that with an agreement sometime in the near future.

Mr. President, there are not many lists on which Senator Dan Inouye ranks second. He was Hawaii's first Congressman, and he now is the longest serving Senator from that great State. He is the first Japanese American to serve in the House and first Japanese American to serve in the Senate. He was the first chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He has cast more votes than any other Senator west of the Mississippi. We have all heard the stories about his bravery, both legislatively and on the fields of war where, because of his gallantry, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

But there is one place where he comes in No. 2, though it is a remarkable accomplishment nonetheless. This past Friday, Senator Inouye became the second longest serving U.S. Senator in this Nation's history, passing Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. Every day since Hawaii has been a State, Senator Inouye has proudly represented its citizens in Congress. Every day since January 3, 1963, 46\1/2\ years ago, Hawaiians have been proud to call Dan Inouye their Senator. Every day I have had the privilege of knowing him and serving with him, I have been proud to call Dan Inouye my friend.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that on Wednesday, June 16, following morning business, the Senate resume consideration of the House message with respect to H.R. 4213; that there then be 5 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Baucus and Grassley or their designees; that upon the use or yielding back of that time, Senator McConnell or his designee be recognized to make a Budget Act point of order against the Baucus motion; that once the point of order is raised, Senator Baucus then be recognized to waive the applicable budget point of order; that if the waiver fails, then the Baucus motion to concur with an amendment be withdrawn, and Senator Baucus then be recognized to move to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to the bill with an amendment; provided notwithstanding the withdrawal of the previous motion, the previously agreed-upon amendments Nos. 4302, as modified, 4326, and 4311, as modified, be incorporated into the new Baucus motion to concur; that the Reid amendment No. 4344 be reoffered with the same text; that on Thursday, June 17, beginning at 10 a.m., the Senate debate the Thune substitute amendment No. 4333, to be reoffered with the same text; that the amendment be debated for 2 hours, with the time equally divided and controlled between Senators Baucus and Thune or their designees; that upon the use or yielding back of time, Senator Baucus be recognized to raise a budget point of order against the Thune amendment; that Senator Thune, or his designee, then be recognized to move the applicable budget point of order; that if the waiver fails, then the Thune substitute amendment be withdrawn; further, that if the waivers for either Baucus our Thune amendments succeed, the amendments remain pending; finally, that the cloture motion be withdrawn.

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