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Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 111 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION

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Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 111 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 111 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 156 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2010 No. 20 Senate (Legislative day of Monday, February 8, 2010) The Senate met at 2 p.m., on the ex- appoint the Honorable MARK BEGICH, a Sen- legislation. It started with a bipartisan piration of the recess, and was called to ator from the State of Alaska, to perform jobs tax credit with HATCH and SCHU- order by the Honorable MARK BEGICH, a the duties of the Chair. MER; we have a section 171 small busi- Senator from the State of Alaska. ROBERT C. BYRD, ness tax issue that small businesses are President pro tempore. really looking for; we have a highway PRAYER Mr. BEGICH thereupon assumed the bill extension; and we also have Build chair as Acting President pro tempore. The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- America Bonds. fered the following prayer: f We also, prior to the end of this Let us pray. month, have to do some things that are RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY extremely important to the country. Our Father, whose power is unsearch- LEADER able and whose judgments are a great We have to extend the PATRIOT Act. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- We have a number of other things we deep, we quiet our hearts today in Your pore. The majority leader is recog- have to extend. We have only been able presence. nized. to get agreement to extend those for Give to our lawmakers a reverential short periods of time, but they need to awe of You, which is the beginning of f be done—some tax extenders. We have wisdom. May they use this wisdom to SCHEDULE to do a number of those things. We amend the defective, leading people to Mr. REID. Mr. President, the issue hope we can merge the two. We will choose life and blessings. Lord, let this before the Senate today is what we do make that determination, how we are high place of governance become the with Mother Nature. Mother Nature going to do that, in the next few hours. audience chamber of Your presence, as has been very difficult to deal with. We have a message that we can use You provide our Senators with courage The Presiding Officer, being from the from the House, so we do not need per- in the midst of fear, faith in the midst State of Alaska, is used to this kind of mission to move to that. of doubt, and hope in the midst of de- weather, but most of us are not. We The issue before the Senate and the spair. have one snowstorm and that is usu- decision I have to make after speaking We pray in Your sacred Name. Amen. ally it for the year, but we have had a to the Republican leader is what we do f series of them this year. Maybe it is a when we come back here on Thursday. We will have an intervening day. I PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE result of the Senator from Alaska bringing the weather with him. would rather not be in session tomor- The Honorable MARK BEGICH led the What we are trying to do—we don’t row if, in fact, we have to file cloture on that package I just talked about. I Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: have it worked out yet—we may be have told everyone what I think would I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the able to get consent to start the judge be the appropriate way to do it is to United States of America, and to the Repub- vote pretty soon and have that run for lic for which it stands, one nation under God, get on that bill and to have some a reasonable period of time and then indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. amendments on both sides. I hope we have the second vote be open for some f can do that. We really need to finish considerable period of time so that peo- the bill this week. I hope we can do APPOINTMENT OF ACTING ple, if they are here, could vote on both that in a reasonable time. PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE and then go home if they are Wash- It appears from what I have been able ington residents or some people who The PRESIDING OFFICER. The to determine that the storm will end are having trouble getting here could clerk will please read a communication sometime early tomorrow evening. The be here on time to vote on that. We are to the Senate from the President pro problem is, the streets in the DC area close to being able to work that out. tempore (Mr. BYRD). are pretty difficult, so we would have I would also say we are contem- The legislative clerk read the fol- to make sure everyone has time Thurs- plating, if we can work out the proce- lowing letter: day to get here. There are some people dural difficulties, not being in session who live in the suburbs when they are U.S. SENATE, tomorrow. We have some things we PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, in Washington, so we have to make Washington, DC, February 9, 2010. have to work out prior to that time be- sure they have time to get here. To the Senate: cause, as most everyone knows, we Anyway, we are working on these Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, have been working on a bill to end this issues. We have the Presidents Day re- of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby work period. It is really a nice piece of cess. I hope we do not have to work ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S509 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:09 May 18, 2010 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD10\RECFILES\S09FE0.REC S09FE0 mmaher on DSKD5P82C1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE S510 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE February 9, 2010 into the weekend to complete that. It ative as I can be to make sure people We all agree that this debt poses a is really difficult to put all this stuff who want to change this in some way major threat to America’s future pros- over. People’s lives are really on the legislatively will be able to do that. I perity, and we all agree that slashing line with our being able to create some may, as I have already indicated to ev- debt should be a top national priority. jobs. The four things I have been talk- erybody, have to stop amendments in How can we do it? There are four prin- ing about we have been told by the order to get to where we are on Thurs- cipal ways to reduce government debt: Congressional Budget Office would cre- day. But I will be happy to open up the No. 1, inflate the dollar; No. 2, raise ate jobs immediately—not next year vehicle and have people offer amend- taxes; No. 3, cut spending; and No. 4, but now. ments. I have no concern at this stage increase economic growth. Let me So I hope we can work through this. about, frankly, whether the amend- briefly discuss each. I have had one discussion already with ments are germane or relevant, just if First, inflation. Inflation is tempting the Republican leader today, and I will people want to offer amendments on for governments looking to mitigate have some more before the day is out. some subject and to have the ability on their debt problem, but its economic That is about the best information I both sides to do that, we should be able consequences are catastrophic. As can give Senators for the time being. to do that. President Ronald Reagan famously f f said, inflation is ‘‘as violent as a mug- RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME ger, as frightening as an armed robber, LEADER and as deadly as a hit man.’’ Although The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- America has not experienced painfully The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- pore. Under the previous order, the high consumer price inflation since the pore. The Republican leader is recog- leadership time is reserved. late 1970s and early 1980s, we all re- nized f member what it took to kill that infla- f EXECUTIVE SESSION tion: soaring interest rates and a deep REPUBLICAN SUPPORT recession, the worst since the Second World War. As former Wall Street Mr. MCCONNELL. If I may, I missed NOMINATIONS OF JOSEPH A. Journal editor George Melloan notes in the first part of what my friend was GREENAWAY, JR., TO BE UNITED his new book, ‘‘The Great Money saying, but I think I understand the STATES CIRCUIT JUDGE FOR Binge,’’ inflation is ‘‘a tax no one can gist of it because we had an oppor- THE THIRD CIRCUIT, AND CRAIG escape.’’ And it is one that dispropor- tunity to talk a couple of times today. BECKER, TO BE A MEMBER OF tionately hurts lower and middle-in- The dilemma we currently have on THE NATIONAL LABOR RELA- come Americans and older Americans the proposal the majority leader is re- TIONS BOARD with savings. ferring to is that I believe it is the case that not all members of the Finance The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Taxes, a second option for trimming Committee are yet fully aware of what pore.
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