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S62 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 21, 2010 SENATOR-ELECT SCOTT BROWN up to 10 minutes each. That time will that on health care, as well as on clean Mr. REID. Madam President, I had a be equally divided and controlled be- energy, debt reduction, and immigra- good conversation with Senator-elect tween the two leaders or their des- tion, for example, Republicans have SCOTT BROWN yesterday. He is coming ignees. The Republicans will control been offering the following alternative to Washington today. I look forward to the first half; the majority will control to 1,000-page bills: going step by step in visiting with him. We have a time set the final half. Following morning busi- the right direction to solve problems in for him to come by my office. ness, the Senate will resume consider- a way that re-earns the trust of the In my conversation with him, he ation of H.J. Res. 45, a joint resolution American people. Comprehensive immigration, com- seemed very pleasant and excited about increasing the statutory limit on the prehensive climate change, and com- coming to Washington, which I am sure public debt. Currently, we have three prehensive health care bills have been he is. We talked about his daughter amendments pending. We hope we can well intended, but the first two fell of going to Syracuse and the fact that reach short time agreements so we can schedule votes on these amendments. their own weight, and health care, if JOE BIDEN graduated from Syracuse, enacted, would be a historic mistake and he knew that. I look forward to our f for our country and a political kami- meeting with him. MEASURE PLACED ON kaze mission for Democrats. f CALENDAR—S. 2939 What has united most Republicans against these three bills has not only THE NIGERIAN TERRORIST Mr. REID. Madam President, I under- been ideology but also that they were stand that S. 2939, which was intro- Mr. REID. Madam President, I will comprehensive. As George Will might duced by Senator DEMINT, is at the speak briefly on the statement of my write: ‘‘The Congress. Does. Not. Do. desk and is due for a second reading. friend, the senior Senator from Ken- Comprehensive. Well.’’ tucky, about the Nigerian terrorist. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Two recent articles help explain the The one thing we need not do is po- pore. The clerk will read the title of difference between the Democratic liticize the fight against terrorism. the bill for a second time. comprehensive approach and the Re- John Brennan did testify yesterday in The bill clerk read as follows: publican step-by-step approach. our classified briefing. It was classi- A bill (S. 2939) to amend title 31, United The first, which appeared in the new fied. The things that took place there States Code to require an audit of the Board journal, National Affairs, and was writ- should be classified. People should not of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ten by William Schambra of the Hud- and the Federal Reserve banks, and for other son Institute, explains the ‘‘sheer am- be talking about it. The reason that is purposes. the case is that we want people who bition’’ of President Obama’s legisla- come to classified briefings to be able Mr. REID. Madam President, I object tive agenda as the approach of what to speak freely. to any further proceedings on this bill Mr. Schambra calls a ‘‘policy Presi- We have had a long history in our at this time. dent.’’ country of people who commit crimes The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Mr. Schambra says the President and on our territory in the United States pore. Objection is heard, and the bill most of his advisers have been trained being tried in the United States, in- will be placed on the calendar under at elite universities to govern by cluding Richard Reid, the shoe bomber. rule XIV. launching ‘‘a host of enormous initia- It isn’t as if this is the first time some- f tives all at once . formulating com- prehensive policies aimed at giving thing like this happened. Even though RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME they are proceeding under civil courts, large social systems—and indeed soci- they can always drop back and fall into The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- ety itself—more rational and coherent the category of war criminals if, in pore. Under the previous order, leader- forms of functions.’’ fact, that choice is made. Just because ship time is reserved. This is governing by taking big bites of several big apples and trying to they are going forward in this manner f today doesn’t mean they cannot drop swallow them all at once. In addition, back in some other manner at a subse- MORNING BUSINESS according to Mr. Schambra, the most quent time. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- prominent organizational feature of the Obama administration is its reli- Even though I don’t like to discuss pore. Under the previous order, there ance on ‘‘czars’’—more than the Roma- what went on in a closed briefing, in a will now be a period of morning busi- novs, said one blogger—to manage classified setting, I was there from the ness for 1 hour, with the time equally broad areas of policy. In this view, sys- very beginning to the very end of Mr. divided and controlled between the two temic problems of health care, of en- Brennan’s presentation. I never heard leaders or their designees, with Sen- ergy, of education, and of the environ- him refuse to answer. In fact, he an- ators permitted to speak for up to 10 ment simply can’t be solved in pieces. swered the question that was asked in minutes each, with the Republicans Analyzing the article, David Broder a number of different ways by my controlling the first half and the ma- of the Washington Post wrote this: friend, the Republican leader, and an- jority controlling the final half. The Senator from Tennessee is recog- Historically, that approach has not other Republican Senator. So if there worked. The progressives failed to gain more are any questions about anything that nized. than a brief ascendency and the Carter and Mr. Brennan had to say, I hope that f Clinton presidencies were marked by strik- those questions will be asked directly ing policy failures. to him. We have had some open hear- HEALTH CARE The reason for these failures, as ings. Mr. ALEXANDER. Madam President, Broder paraphrased Schambra, is that My point is that there is a war on during our recent health care debate I ‘‘this highly rational comprehensive terror taking place now. I tried to be as heard a number of times from our approach fits uncomfortably with the supportive of President Bush during his friends on the other side of the aisle Constitution, which apportions power years as President when this was going this question: What are Republicans among so many different players.’’ on after 9/11. I hope my Republican col- for? Broder then adds this: leagues will be supportive of President Well, they will wait a long time if Democracy and representative government Obama. This is not a partisan issue. they are waiting for the Republican are a lot messier than the progressives and f leader, Senator MCCONNELL, to roll their heirs, including Obama, want to admit. into the Senate a wheelbarrow filled James Q. Wilson, a scholar, writing SCHEDULE with a 2,700-page Republican com- in a memorial essay honoring Irving Mr. REID. Madam President, this prehensive health care bill or, for that Kristol in the Wall Street Journal a morning, following leader remarks, the matter, a 1,200-page climate change bill few months ago, says the law of unin- Senate will proceed to a period of or a 900-page immigration bill. tended consequences is what causes the morning business for an hour, with If you have been listening carefully failure of such comprehensive legisla- Senators allowed to speak therein for to the Senate debate, you will know tive schemes. Explains Wilson: VerDate Nov 24 2008 23:34 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G21JA6.001 S21JAPT1 dcolon on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with SENATE January 21, 2010 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S63 Launch a big project and you will almost to pool their resources to purchase Human experience has always taught surely discover that you have created many health plans; No. 2, reducing junk law- that enough small steps in the right di- things you did not intend to create. suits against doctors; No. 3, allowing rection is one good way to get you Wilson also writes that the purchase of insurance across State where you want to go and also a good neoconservatism, as Kristol originally lines; No. 4, expanding health savings way along the way to avoid many un- conceived of it in the 1960s, was not an accounts; No. 5, promoting wellness expected and unpleasant consequences. organized ideology or even necessarily and prevention; and No. 6, taking steps Tuesday’s election in Massachusetts conservative, but ‘‘a way of thinking to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse. We is the latest reminder that the Amer- about politics rather than a set of prin- offered these six proposals in complete ican people are tired of risky, com- ciples and rules. It would have legislative text. It totaled 182 pages, all prehensive schemes featuring taxes, been better if we had been called policy 6. The Democratic majority rejected debt, and Washington takeovers, as skeptics.’’ all six of our proposals and ridiculed well as lots of hidden and unexpected The skepticism of Schambra, Wilson, the approach, in part because our ap- surprises.