Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 112 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION

E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 112 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 158 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2012 No. 17 Senate The Senate met at 9:30 a.m. and was U.S. SENATE, minutes each, with the time equally di- called to order by the Honorable TOM PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, vided and controlled between the two UDALL, a Senator from the State of Washington, DC, February 2, 2012. leaders or their designees, with the ma- New Mexico. To the Senate: jority controlling the first half and the Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby Republicans controlling the final half. PRAYER Mr. REID. Mr. President, I suggest appoint the Honorable TOM UDALL, a Senator The PRESIDING OFFICER. Today’s from the State of New Mexico, to perform the absence of a quorum. opening prayer will be offered by Rev. the duties of the Chair. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Dr. Joseph Vought, senior pastor of DANIEL K. INOUYE, pore. The clerk will call the roll. The assistant legislative clerk pro- Community Lutheran Church in Ster- President pro tempore. Mr. UDALL of New Mexico thereupon ceeded to call the roll. ling, VA. Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask The guest Chaplain offered the fol- assumed the chair as Acting President pro tempore. unanimous consent that the order for lowing prayer: the quorum call be rescinded. Let us pray. f The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- God of grace and glory, in whom all RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY pore. Without objection, it is so or- righteousness, peace, and goodness are dered. found, You have created us in Your LEADER f image, given us a world of good gifts The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- and the blessing of this land we call pore. The majority leader is recog- AMERICAN BUSINESSES home. nized. Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, over the Send Your spirit of wisdom, discern- f last several months, I put my staff on ment, and grace to these elected serv- a little mission. I asked them to iden- ants. Take away any fear or prejudice SCHEDULE tify manufacturing companies in my that may keep them from civil dis- Mr. REID. Mr. President, following home State of Illinois that have not course, good will, and mutual endeav- leader remarks, the Senate will be in a only weathered this recession but are or. Remind them of their calling to period of morning business until 11 doing well and are hiring. I wanted to serve, and inspire them to make deci- a.m. this morning. The majority will meet with these companies and find sions which promote the common good, control the first half and the Repub- out why the recession has treated them ensure justice and liberty for all, and licans the second half. Following morn- differently, particularly when it comes make this Nation a beacon of hope for ing business, the Senate will resume to manufacturing jobs. I have been the world. consideration of the STOCK Act. We pleasantly surprised at how many busi- In Your holy Name we pray. Amen. worked very hard until late in the nesses I have found to be in that condi- tion in my State. Not to understate our f evening last night to try to come up with an agreement to complete action unemployment rate or the impact of PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE on this bill. We will notify Senators the recession on many businesses, the fact is there are some that have not The Honorable TOM UDALL led the when those votes are scheduled. We hope that can be done. only weathered the storm but are doing Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: quite well, and they represent a variety I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the f of different goods that they manufac- United States of America, and to the Repub- RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME ture. lic for which it stands, one nation under God, The heartening and encouraging indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- news is that we are hearing more often f pore. Under the previous order, the that companies have decided to re- leadership time is reserved. source their jobs back to the United APPOINTMENT OF ACTING f States. In his State of the Union Ad- PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE dress, the President spoke of one such The PRESIDING OFFICER. The MORNING BUSINESS company, Master Lock, located in Mil- clerk will please read a communication The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- waukee, WI, which he noted has now to the Senate from the President pro pore. Under the previous order, there announced that they think America is tempore (Mr. INOUYE). will now be a period of morning busi- the best place to make products and do The assistant legislative clerk read ness until 11 a.m., with Senators per- business. That is a good trend we want the following letter: mitted to speak therein for up to 10 to encourage. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S283 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:59 Feb 03, 2012 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A02FE6.000 S02FEPT1 tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with SENATE S284 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE February 2, 2012 We know we have lost a goodly share most efficient and cost-productive We have a State with a lot of unem- of manufacturing jobs over the last plants in all of Chrysler Corporation, ployment, over 8 percent. In some parts several years. In the year 2000, more and it should be expanded. of the State, it is over 10 percent. You than 17 million Americans were em- In November, Caterpillar, the largest wonder how in the world with so many ployed in manufacturing. Ten years exporter in my State, the largest man- people out of work there would be later, the number had fallen to 11.5 ufacturer, announced a $600 million in- good-paying jobs unfilled. It turns out, million—from 17 million to 11.5 mil- vestment in its plants in Decatur and I found, as I traveled around the State, lion. More than 300 of those jobs were Peoria, IL, and they are going to bring those in manufacturing who want to lost in my home State of Illinois in back hundreds of jobs to our area. hire new employees run into three ob- that decade, from 2000 to 2010. American companies are beginning to stacles. But American manufacturing is realize that manufacturing products The first obstacle is that people ap- growing again. One of the real good right here in the United States can be plying for a job don’t have the skills news stories is Chrysler. I am sure the profitable again. That is good news for necessary to work in manufacturing Presiding Officer remembers the con- Illinois and good news for America. today. Those who have not seen it per- troversy when General Motors and Manufacturing was the backbone of the sonally may not know what manufac- Chrysler faced bankruptcy and the pos- American economy for decades. We turing looks like today. It is much dif- sibility of literally going out of busi- may never see it return to its heyday, ferent than the image of 30, 40 years ness. In my lifetime, other car manu- but we should take steps to strengthen ago. The plants themselves are much facturers have gone out of business. it. cleaner operations, and most of them The President decided—and rightly In the State of the Union Address, are computer driven. Unlike the old so—that we could not afford to lose President Obama laid out a number of days of steam and dirt in every direc- those jobs. So we engineered a loan key steps to boost manufacturing and tion, those aren’t the manufacturing with General Motors and Chrysler, pre- ensure that more products have these plants of today, in many instances, mised on their changing the way they three key words: ‘‘Made in America.’’ across America. The President’s proposal builds on did business. What they are looking for in appli- legislation that I introduced personally Many critics said that was the wrong cants for industrial maintenance, for in 2010 to reduce the tax benefits that thing to do, the capitalist purists who example, which is a major area of need companies can claim when they close were saying: No, no, these things hap- as baby boomers age out and retire—in- factories here in the United States. pen. Companies go away, and new com- dustrial maintenance requires that the Hard as it may be to believe, the Tax panies emerge; General Motors and applicant have more than a passing Code rewards and compensates those Chrysler should be allowed to go gently knowledge of mathematics and com- companies that decide to close down into the night. puters. If they don’t, frankly, they are manufacturing in the United States President Obama disagreed. Many of walking into an environment where and move it overseas. The Tax Code us disagreed. And he put a downpay- they cannot be of much help. currently allows companies moving op- ment on the future of the American In some areas—in Danville, for exam- erations overseas to the deduct their automobile industry which has paid off ple—a local manufacturer is teaming moving expenses and reduce their taxes handsomely. Just this last week, the up with the Danville Community Col- in the United States as a result.

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