Floor Statements

Mr. President, 50 years ago--April 12, 1959--the Las Vegas Convention Center opened its doors for the first time. The first event at the new convention center was the World Congress of Flight's air and space show. Attracting 7,500 attendees, this was the first-ever international air show in American history, attracting the participation of 51 foreign nations. Originally 1.5 million square feet, the convention center has grown over the years to accommodate its popularity to a current size of 3 million square feet.

Today, the Las Vegas Convention Center is a major part of Nevada's culture and a force for job creation and economic growth. More than 46,000 jobs are directly related to the meetings

and conventions industry in southern Nevada. Aside from the jobs directly within the building, the Las Vegas Convention Center also contributes to the success of the dozens of small businesses that serve and supply the trade show industry. This includes florists, office supply stores, caterers and transportation services, just to name a few.

The Las Vegas Convention Center has contributed to Las Vegas growing into the No. 1 trade show destination in America. Clark County hosts more than 22,000 meetings, conventions, and trade shows every year. The convention center has also been home to many of our Nation's most historic product announcements--including the VCR, the DVD player and high-definition television.

By hosting concerts by the Beatles, heavyweight fights featuring Muhammed Ali, events with Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Ford, Reagan and Bush, the Las Vegas Convention Center has for 50 years played a central role in the fabric of our national culture.

The Las Vegas Convention Center is an example of private industry and public agencies working collaboratively for the benefit of the community. I congratulate the Las Vegas Convention Center--and all those who make it a success--on 50 outstanding years of creating opportunity for the people of Nevada and capturing the imagination of people throughout America.

Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of S. Con. Res. 13, the concurrent resolution on the budget. Under an agreement reached last night, 40 hours of the statutory time remains, with the time equally divided between the majority and the Republicans. Under the agreement, when the Senate resumes consideration of the budget resolution, Senator Murray will be recognized to speak for up to 15 minutes. Following her remarks, Senator Gregg or his designee will be recognized to offer an amendment. That amendment will be limited to 1 hour of debate equally divided. Then Senator Boxer will be recognized to offer an amendment in relation to the Thune amendment No. 731. Debate on that amendment will also be limited to 1 hour equally divided. Following debate on the Boxer amendment, Senator Conrad or his designee will be recognized to offer a side-by-side amendment to the Johanns amendment No. 735.

I will say, Mr. President, we have on this side a number of Senators who want to speak on the budget. They want to talk about the merits of the budget. We will try to the best of our ability to work them in between amendments. We recognize anyone can grab the floor anytime they want. Senator Conrad and Senator Gregg are going to do their best to try to make this an orderly process, and we will cooperate in any way we can to have that be the case.

Mr. President, would my friend yield for a unanimous consent request?

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 2:30 p.m. today, the Senate proceed to vote in relation to the following amendments in the order listed; and that no intervening amendments be in order to any of the amendments covered in this agreement; that prior to each vote, there be 2 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled in the following form; that after the first vote in this sequence, the vote time be limited to 10 minutes each; and that all time utilized during the votes count against the time on the budget resolution: Boxer No. 749, Thune No. 731, and Gregg No. 739.

Those are the three amendments.

Mr. President, I extend my appreciation to my friend from Alabama.

Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will proceed to the budget resolution. Under the statute that governs this legislation, we have 50 hours of debate. There will be no rollcall votes today. There should be a lot of votes in the next few days after today.

Mr. President, 8 years ago, President Bush inherited from President Clinton a prosperous and a very strong nation with a tremendously powerful, growing economy. Our unemployment rate was at an exceptionally low rate of just over 4 percent. We had a budget surplus of about $130 billion. We were actually paying down the debt. For 3 years, we paid down the debt by about half a trillion dollars.

President Bush and congressional Republicans inherited an economy that was growing and lifting all Americans along with the growing economy. Then Bush, Cheney, and the congressional Republicans set about dismantling the foundation of prosperity that built up over the years. They slashed taxes for the super-rich based on the long-discredited theory that these dollars would trickle down to the middle class and poor. They repealed or ignored oversight laws meant to protect our financial markets from manipulation and excess. They borrowed hundreds of billions of dollars to fight a war in Iraq marred by waste, fraud, and abuse. It took all of their 8 years in power, but George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Republican allies here not only reversed the prosperity they inherited but set us on the course of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

This January, President Obama inherited from President Bush an unemployment rate above 7 percent, and climbing, a Republican deficit of nearly $500 billion, and a national debt twice the level it was when he took office. In the first weeks of his term, President Obama has shown exactly why our country entrusted him with the Presidency during this hour of crisis. We inherited a Republican deficit of half a trillion dollars. But with calm and determined leadership, President Obama proposed an economic recovery plan that is now beginning to stem the tide of job loss--especially jobs--and create new opportunity for workers and small businesses in every corner of our country. He proposed a budget that focuses on long-term prosperity, in addition to near-term recovery, by lowering taxes for working people, laying the groundwork for cutting the Republican deficit in half, and investing in renewable energy, health care, and education.

Over the past weeks, Members of Congress have taken a close look at the President's budget and considered their own proposals to strengthen it further. As usual, Chairman Conrad has done an outstanding job. He has brought Democrats and Republicans into the budget process and considered all proposals with equal weight. That is how we will approach this week ahead.

A piece of legislation this important to America's future requires us to move forward in a serious, productive, and inclusive manner. Democrats have maintained all year that the best solutions to the challenges we face come

when both parties seek and find common ground. The minority can play a major role in this process but only if they offer solutions, not sound bites.

We all recognize that reversing 8 years of Republican deficits and fiscal irresponsibility will take time. It will not happen overnight. We may not know exactly when the recession will end, but I am confident that passing the budget will hasten the day when recovery begins.

Mr. President, 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 have spoken to the two managers of the bill. As soon as Senator McConnell comes to the floor, they will turn the floor over to him. He is coming, but he was detained on the way. So if the two managers will go ahead and start the bill, and when Senator McConnell gets to the floor, he has a statement he wants to make, and that will start the time counting.

Mr. President, while the admiral, the Senate Chaplain, is on the floor, I wish to take a minute and acknowledge the prayers he offers here every morning. I have the good fortune to be here almost every day, and the thought and preparation he puts into his prayers is meaningful to most all the Senators; I don't know if there is an exception to that. Often, these prayers are directed, it seems, to me; I guess that is what prayers are all about.

I appreciate very much his leadership and the hard work he does not only with individual Senators but with our staffs. He has been a comfort to so many different individuals who work in this huge Capitol complex with their personal tragedies and difficulties. Most of those don't take place as the prayer does in the Capitol before millions of people. They are very private matters. We recognize that, and word comes back to me and others about all the good he does.

Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business for an hour, and Senators will be allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes each during that period of time. The Republicans will control the first 30 minutes. The last half hour will be controlled by the Democrats.

Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of the national service legislation.

Cloture was filed last night on the underlying bill. As a result, there is a 1 p.m. filing deadline today for first-degree amendments.

Today will be a very confusing day on the floor. We have the Budget Committee meeting. There will be a series of votes starting at noon and then at 3:30 this afternoon. Those could take a considerable period of time. In addition, there is a White House meeting that I believe is a bipartisan meeting; is that right? Is the Senator going to the White House today?

But it is a bipartisan meeting.

The President will brief the bipartisan group of Senators on what is going on in Afghanistan. It is a report that has been completed. I mention that because that takes place at 1 p.m. today. There will be a lot of difficulty in scheduling votes here today.

In addition, there is a 4 p.m. Senators-only briefing with Ambassador Richard Holbrooke to talk about Afghanistan and Pakistan. We are going to try our best to finish this bill, so everyone be patient. I have had extended conversations with Senator Hatch. It is very doubtful whether we will have to try to invoke cloture on this. I think people have had opportunities to offer amendments.

If there are other amendments to be offered today, I hope Senators will do it quickly so we can schedule the debate and votes on those. We have had a good week on this important, truly bipartisan piece of legislation, with heavy bipartisan support.

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that no further amendments be in order; that the Mikulski and others substitute amendment, as amended, be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; that the bill be read a third time and the vote on passage of the bill occur at 5 p.m. today, notwithstanding rule XII, paragraph 4; that the vote on passage require an affirmative 60-vote threshold, and if that threshold is achieved, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that the Hatch title amendment which is at the desk be considered and agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table; further, that the cloture motions on the substitute amendment and the bill be withdrawn.

Madam President, I now ask consent that the time until 5 p.m. be equally divided and controlled between the leaders or their designees, that the 10 minutes prior to the vote at 5 p.m. be equally divided and controlled between Senators Mikulski and Hatch or their designees, and that Senator DeMint control 5 minutes prior to the time specified above.

Madam President, this will be the last vote for today and this week. We are going to come back Monday. We don't know the time we are going to start. There is a statutory 50 hours on the budget resolution. I would lay on the record, Senator Conrad has had an extremely difficult time this week, with the burden he has trying to get this bill out of the committee. He is faced with a very difficult situation in the State of North Dakota. They have record snow. The Red River, as I understand it, is 20 feet over crest. That is hard to comprehend. As you know, it is a pretty flat area and that water will run for miles. He is hopefully going to, with the help of Senator Gregg, complete the budget out of the committee today so he can go back to his State. Because of that we don't know exactly what time he can get back. It took Senator Enzi 2 days to get out of Wyoming with the snows that have been occurring there in the last 2 days.

We will start Monday. If Senator Conrad for some reason can't be here,

we will make sure we are able to proceed with that legislation until he can return. But we do have to start using up the time on Monday.

I would further say that I appreciate very much Senator Conrad's persistence and willingness to be here. He has worked on these budgets for a long time. I don't know what I would do without him. He is very good.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

When I asked for the quorum to begin, I should have asked the time be divided equally between both sides.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, 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 the Senate now proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators allowed to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, this month marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most important institutions in the growth and prosperity of the State of Nevada--the Nevada Gaming Commission.

On March 30, 2009, the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, will mark this anniversary and honor those who have contributed to the stability, integrity, and success of the world's first gaming control system.

The Nevada State Legislature approved the Nevada Control Act in response to Gov. Grant Sawyer's request for gaming reform in his first state of the State address. Governor Grant and others recognized that clearer rules and oversight were necessary to show America that Nevada was serious about fair and ethical gaming.

When Governor Sawyer appointed the first members of the Gaming Commission in 1959, he said that the key characteristic of his appointees must be integrity. Governors since that time have followed that guideline and ensured 50 years of an ethical Commission.

This 50th anniversary leads me to reflect upon my 4 years as chairman of the commission, from 1977 to 1981. During these 4 years, we transitioned to a new world of gaming where Nevada shared the legal gaming stage with New Jersey. I will always remember the support I received as Commission Chairman from Governors Mike O'Callaghan, Robert List and my fellow commissioners. Over the course of my years in public service, nothing has given me more satisfaction than the progress we made during those years.

The current members of the Gaming Commission--Chairman Peter Bernhard, Arthur Marshall, Sue Wagner, Radha Chanderraj and Tony Alamo--personify the qualities of leadership Nevada expects and deserves.

To all the members of the Nevada Gaming Commission, past and

present--and all the support staff who have helped them succeed--I extend my warm congratulations on this 50th anniversary.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 85 and the Senate proceed to its consideration.

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, there be no intervening action or debate, and any statements related to this matter be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 88.

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, and any statements relating to the measure be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that on Friday, March 27, the Budget Committee be permitted to file the committee- reported concurrent resolution on the budget, and they be allowed to do this between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.