Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of H. Con. Res. 35.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent 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 relating to this matter be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of H. Con. Res. 47.

Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, when we get back on that Monday, a week from this Monday, we are going to have Washington's Farewell Address. It will be read by Senator Johanns of Nebraska. It alternates back and forth between Democrats and Republicans. This is the time for the Republicans to read the address. There will be no votes on Monday as a result of the agreement we reached just a minute ago on this unanimous consent request.

On the 24th, at 11 a.m., there will be a cloture vote on the motion to proceed

to the DC House Voting Rights Act. If cloture is invoked on the motion to proceed, postcloture time will be yielded back, and the Senate will proceed to the bill. There will be immediately another cloture vote on the nomination of Hilda Solis to be President Obama's Secretary of Labor.

I anticipate that after the luncheons we have every week with our caucuses, we will reach an agreement for a time certain for a vote on the confirmation of the nomination of Hilda Solis.

Everyone is reminded that President Obama will address a joint session of Congress Tuesday evening at 9 p.m. in the House Chamber. Members of the Senate will gather on the Senate floor at 8:30 p.m. and proceed to the House.

On Wednesday, February 25, the DC voting rights bill will be up, be open to debate and amendments. We hope to complete this bill by the end of the week.

I would recognize that the House is going to take up, the week we get back, the omnibus appropriations bill.

Friday, February 26, is an announced no-vote day.

So, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned under the provisions of H. Con. Res. 47 until 2 p.m. on Monday, February 23; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and that the Senator from Nebraska, Mr. Johanns, be recognized to read Washington's Farewell Address; further, that following the address, the Senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 160, the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009.

Mr. President, just in closing, it has been a long, hard several weeks for our valiant staff, and there is not any way anyone could suggest well enough the enormous contributions they make to making this body flourish the way it does.

We have gotten a tremendous amount of work done this first working period of this Congress. We should be proud of what we have done. We have passed the most sweeping environmental bill in more than 25 years. We have passed the discrimination bill, the Lilly Ledbetter bill, which is an important piece of legislation for women all over America. We passed the Children's Health Insurance Program, which allow millions of American children to have health insurance coverage that they would not have ordinarily. And we just passed this bill to help our struggling economy. So I think the American people should see that we have worked together on a bipartisan basis to accomplish a lot.

We are so fortunate to have our new President. It is a pleasure to work with him. I have had, this past couple of weeks, the ability to visit with him firsthand in legislative combat.

They are competent. I am so impressed. The President's chief of staff Rahm Emanuel--we could not have done this without his assistance, guidance, and directness.

We had the head of the Office of Management and Budget, Peter Orszag, who I called personally last night to tell him that I know he is not a longtime person involved in politics, but he is a natural. He is a brilliant man. He has a degree from Princeton. He has a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics. I am very impressed with this man, who I did not know other than to say hello to, but I have gotten to know him well because we have spent days together in the last short period of time.

The President's representative up here, who we will deal with all the time, Phil Schiliro, has done a really wonderful job.

Rob Nabors, who was the longtime staff assistant, director of the Appropriations Committee for Chairman Obey, has been magnificent in his work for the White House, working as Peter Orszag's assistant.

There are a lot of people who allowed us to get to where we are, and I appreciate very much their help. It was a real long, hard pull.

The Presiding Officer, my dear friend, the senior Senator from the State of Illinois, who came to Washington with me in 1982, has been invaluable during this very difficult time working on this bill.

Senator Schumer of New York, of course, works with me and Senator Durbin on all the things we do.

And the final point of that legislative team is Patty Murray. She is such a contributor to this Senate. I have such respect for her. She has such a soft touch, but she is as strong as anybody in the Senate.

I am not going to go through the entire list of people. Many, many worked hard.

The chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Inouye, is a hero in many different ways. He is a Member of the Senate who has had the Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to him for his valiant efforts in World War II.

The chairman of the Finance Committee, Senator Baucus, was involved in this from the very beginning and did such a great job.

My personal staff has spent longer hours than I have put in. My chief of staff Gary Myrick is very quiet but such a help to me and the Senate; Randy Devalk, everyone in the Senate depends on him. He is a wealth of knowledge, a fountain of legislative information, and he has just been, really, a remarkably good person.

Mr. President, I am sure I have left off people, but this piece of legislation, I am so happy we were able to get it done.

I will never, ever forget the valiancy of those three brave Republicans who broke from the pack and stood alone to tell America that we needed to do something with our economy which needed help: Senator Snowe from Maine, and Senator Collins from Maine, Senator Specter from Pennsylvania. But for them we would not be where we are.

Senator Inouye was masterful in what he did. Senator Baucus was tremendous in the Finance Committee, and his staff. Senator Baucus's staff was really very good, led by Russ Sullivan, who we depend on--all of us--for his knowledge. He is a CPA. He has been a feature in the Senate for a long time and he was so very important.

I did not mention a person we have come to depend on in the Senate-- all of us--because he has been the chief person on the Appropriations Committee for Senator Byrd, and that is Chuck Kieffer, who was with us all the time, as was Senator Inouye's chief clerk on the Appropriations Committee, Charlie Houy.

Now, as I said, I am sure I have missed a few people because this was, really, a big team effort.

In my own mind, this piece of legislation is the most important piece of legislation I have worked on for the country. The country is in trouble, and we are so fortunate we were able to get it passed. It is going to give this country a shot in the arm. My State of Nevada needs this so very much. We are going to have a number of meetings in Nevada next week to talk about all the good that will flow to Nevada as a result of its passage.

As usual, Lula Davis is so important to how we function here. She is the person who tells us how we can move forward on things. She is invaluable to every Democratic Senator, and especially to me.

As I announced earlier, Mr. President, the next vote will occur at 11 a.m., Tuesday, February 24. That vote will be on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the District of Columbia House voting rights legislation.

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

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

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

Mr. President, the papers from the House will be here momentarily, within the next few minutes. Senator McConnell and I have spoken a number of times during the day. We believe it is fair that Members have an opportunity to study this big document. The basic document people have already read but, of course, that is what the conference is about. They change things. So this should be here in a short time. This will give Members all night to look at this. Senator McConnell and I talked a few minutes ago. We will come in tomorrow at a reasonable hour, spend all day debating this. This would give people the opportunity to read all the papers. Then we would vote sometime late tomorrow afternoon or in the early evening. I have talked to Senator McConnell. He has been certainly more than fair. As everyone knows, Senator Kennedy is ill. He came here earlier this week, and it would be to his health advantage not to have to come back tomorrow. Senator McConnell has agreed that is, in fact, the case. It doesn't change the vote count, but it means we can set a definite time which is very helpful.

In addition, Senator Brown's mother died. The celebration of his mother's life starts tomorrow. Senator Brown has agreed to leave for, I don't know what it would be called in his religious belief, a viewing, and people will come and greet his family. It is a very large extended family. They will do that. That would be completed around 8 tomorrow night. So we are going to keep the vote open for Senator Brown until he arrives tomorrow night. This is not the first time we have done this.

I have announced we will hold our votes to 15 minutes, plus we give Members 5 minutes' leeway. After that, the vote is closed. But we have always said that on a close vote, we would keep the vote open until everything is done. Everyone understands that when one's mother dies, we have to be a little more understanding of the situation. This is very difficult for Sherrod Brown to go home because he has to turn right around and come back here the same night. He is going to fly here and fly back the same night so he can be at the funeral Saturday morning. I appreciate Senator McConnell and all Senators working toward doing this. We will come in at some reasonable time and enter a unanimous consent request that I am confident will be granted so we can do this. We are going to close shortly and come back in the morning at an agreed-upon time with the minority leader.

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

Madam President, during the Presidential campaign, candidate Barack Obama came to Nevada 20 times. Most of those visits were to Las Vegas. It is a place he and I have spoken about lots of times. His staff who came with him loved Las Vegas. I want everyone to understand that when President Obama, at his press conference Monday night, said there was a need for an economic recovery plan, he was very serious about that, and he meant it.

During the question-and-answer period, the President made remarks concerning trips to Las Vegas by financial services companies and their employees. I have spoken at length with President Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. I will speak to the President when I have that opportunity. Mr. Emanuel made it clear to me--and I know this is the case--that President Obama's criticism was aimed at the potential use of taxpayer funds for junkets.

Now, we gave a lot of money to these banks, and they shouldn't be taking junkets with any of that money, whether they go to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, New York City, or anyplace else. That was the point President Obama was making.

We all know Las Vegas is a premier destination source of the world, and people look upon it as a good place to go for a little timeout. I repeat, during the campaign President Obama was in Nevada 20 times. In fact, he just accepted my invitation to visit again this spring, early summer for the first time as our President.

Nevada has lots of hotel rooms, but Las Vegas has more than 140,000-- far more than any other place in the world. We have millions of feet of visiting space. The largest convention center in the world is in Las Vegas.

As all Americans spend less as a result of our economic crisis, it is important to note that Las Vegas, with an average daily hotel rate of only $119, is one of America's most affordable cities to visit. It is one reason nearly 6 million people came to Las Vegas to attend more than 20,000 meetings and conventions last year.

President Obama and I agree that every penny of taxpayer funds should be protected. We also agree Las Vegas is one of America's greatest destinations for tourists, families, and businesses.

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Guy Rocha, who retired from his post as Nevada State archivist on February 2 exactly 28 years to the day from the time he assumed this position. He began as the youngest State archivist in the Nation. At this time, only the New Hampshire and Maryland State archivists have served longer than him. His exceptional archival and research abilities have earned him an impressive reputation and have made him an invaluable asset to the State of Nevada.

Guy Louis Rocha was born on September 23, 1951. He grew up in Las Vegas and later moved to Reno. His first job with the State was with the Nevada Historical Society in Reno in 1976. He was appointed to be the State archivist in 1981. As the State archivist, Guy was responsible for managing Nevada's historically valuable records dating all the way back to 1851. For his longtime service, he received the Award of Merit for Leadership in History from the American Association for State and Local History.

Above all, Guy is known for his love of truth. He commonly corrects the inaccuracies of reporters and journalists. For 12 years he has written the ``Historical Myth a Month'' column for Sierra Sage, and since 2000 he has written a biweekly column in Reno Gazette-Journal. For his work in debunking popular Nevada myths he has come to be known as the ``myth-buster.''

His research expertise and impartiality have even been called upon to provide historical evidence in settling legal disputes. In addition to his archival duties, he has authored two books and many articles and book reviews and he has served as a rotating host for Reno's National Public Radio show ``High Desert Forum.'' Guy also owns a production company that produces historical documentaries.

Guy Rocha has been rightly called a ``State treasure.'' His contributions as the State archivist, as an historian, and as a writer form an impressive legacy to be honored by current and future generations. All Nevadans have reason to be proud of Guy Rocha, and I know I join them in congratulating him on a well-earned retirement from his duties as Nevada State archivist.

Madam President, following leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The time until 12 o'clock will be equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees. At 12 o'clock noon today, the Senate will vote in relation to the Collins-Nelson of Nebraska substitute amendment, to be followed by a vote on passage of the bill. Upon disposition of H.R. 1, the Senate will recess until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus luncheons.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, the distinguished Senator from Montana has 1 minute?

Mr. President, in 1844, a man came to Washington recognizing the country had been in a deep recession in 1837 and it spilled over a number of years. He came to Washington with an idea. He came to Congress with an idea. What he wanted to do was build some power poles, put some wire on them, and he said if he did that, this infrastructure--and he had money to do it--would revolutionize communications in America.

This man, Samuel Morse, convinced Congress to do that. They appropriated $40,000. In that day that was a huge amount of money. The Federal Government appropriated that money and a telegraph line was built between Washington, DC, and Baltimore, MD. The rest is history. It changed America. It changed the world. The first telegraph line revolutionized communications. It was so significant.

Some opposed funding for the new invention that Morse was talking about, but once the wires connecting the two cities were laid, our country's communication structure, as I mentioned, was changed forever. What started as a government investment became a major private sector enterprise, creating thousands of jobs and new opportunities to connect people and ideas. If that sounds familiar, it is exactly what created one of the greatest economic opportunities of our lifetime--not only of our lifetime but ever--the Internet.

Throughout our history the Federal Government has catalyzed good ideas, invested in the ingenuity and entrepreneurship of the American people, and let the private sector flourish--Samuel Morse, the Internet. Faced with an economic crisis today, we have an opportunity to make similar investments that will help our country prosper in the years to come.

Last night, President Obama brought his case of economic recovery directly to the American people. He clearly explained that no new President relishes the thought of starting an administration with a major investment of public funds to clean up the economic mess left by the previous administration. But he had no choice, as he explained so well in Elkhart, IN, yesterday and last night to the American people.

Not one Member of Congress or one single American family relishes the difficult choices left for us to make. But with a growing likelihood that this crisis will grow into what the President has termed a ``possible catastrophe,'' the worst decision would be indecision.

The President, as I mentioned, spoke in the city of Elkhart, IN, a place where unemployment has risen in a short period of time from 4 percent to over 15 percent. But some say the unemployment in Elkhart is truly over 20 percent.

In Nevada the latest figures have surpassed 9 percent unemployment, with no sign of retreat in sight. The people of Elkhart understand our economy will not turn around overnight. Reno and Carson City and Las Vegas have patience for the tough choices in the hard days to come. The American people understand that. But the American people have no patience for a Congress that points fingers, drags its feet or fails to act.

It is not common--in fact, try to think of the last time the National Association of Manufacturers--NAM, the United States Chamber of Commerce, and the AFL-CIO joined in support of legislation, any legislation. But they have in this legislation before us. Each of these organizations understands how important it is for us to pass this bill and to get it to the President's desk.

Yesterday, the Senate took a major step toward doing so by voting 61 to 36 to lift a filibuster and move forward to a vote. Now we move to final passage of President Obama's economic recovery plan, but our work doesn't end there. We must move swiftly with our colleagues in the House to complete work on the legislation and send it to the President's desk as soon as possible. The time for debate on this legislation was productive but it is over.

With common sense as our compass, we must now answer the urgent call of the American people for action.

Mr. President, it is my understanding the order before the Senate takes into consideration the move to waive that; is that true?

So the only thing left is the yeas and nays; is that correct?

Mr. President, there will be no more rollcall votes today.

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

Mr. President, further, we have the Lynn nomination, which has been talked about for several weeks now. We are going to try to work out an arrangement with the Republicans to do the debate tomorrow and have a vote on Mr. Lynn tomorrow.

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