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, JULY 20, 2010 No. 107 Senate The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was appoint the Honorable JEANNE SHAHEEN, a work and struggling to make ends called to order by the Honorable Senator from the State of New Hampshire, meet in a terrible recession. JEANNE SHAHEEN, a Senator from the to perform the duties of the Chair. Ordinarily, this is not a controversial State of New Hampshire. DANIEL K. INOUYE, piece of legislation. Everyone agrees President pro tempore. we should help people who are strug- PRAYER Mrs. SHAHEEN thereupon assumed gling to get back on their feet and keep the chair as Acting President pro tem- The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- food on the table. Unfortunately, the pore. fered the following prayer: President has decided to turn this de- Let us pray. f bate into a political exercise. Eternal God, in whom we live and RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY In his weekly radio address over the move and have our being, from whom LEADER weekend and again yesterday at the we come and to whom we go at last, White House, the President accused Re- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- quiet our spirits and give us the grace publicans of doing something we have pore. The majority leader is recog- to faithfully serve You during these not done. In doing so, he cheapens po- nized. challenging times. Lead our Senators litical discourse and does a disservice to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk f to the people this bill is meant to help. As a former Senator, the President is humbly before You. May they offer to SCHEDULE You their bodies, minds, and spirits in well aware of how the Senate works. service, that they may fulfill Your pur- Mr. REID. Madam President, fol- He knew today’s vote to extend these pose for humanity. Lord, give them lowing any leader remarks, there will benefits had already been scheduled joyful and dauntless hearts, prepared be a period of morning business. Sen- days before he told the Nation, in two for surprises and ready always for fresh ators will be allowed to speak for up to national broadcasts, that Republicans opportunities. Infuse them with the be- 10 minutes each. That will be until were holding it up. He also knew it lief that You can accomplish what 12:30 p.m. today. The time will be would pass. But he intentionally im- seems to be humanly impossible. equally divided and controlled between plied otherwise, leaving the public We pray in Your powerful Name. the two leaders or their designees. The without all the facts. Amen. majority will control the first 30 min- So here are the facts: Republicans utes, the Republicans will control the support extending benefits to the un- f next 30 minutes. employed. As the President himself PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Senate will recess from 12:30 p.m. said yesterday, we have repeatedly to 2:15 p.m. for our weekly caucus voted for similar bills in the past, and The Honorable JEANNE SHAHEEN led meetings. At 2:15 p.m., CARTE GOODWIN we are ready to support one now. What the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: of West Virginia will be sworn in as we do not support—and we make no I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the Senator from West Virginia to replace apologies for this—is borrowing tens of United States of America, and to the Repub- Senator Byrd. Then, at 2:30 p.m., there lic for which it stands, one nation under God, billions of dollars to pass this bill at a indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. will be a cloture vote with respect to time when the national debt is spin- H.R. 4213, legislation extending unem- ning completely out of control. f ployment insurance benefits. That is why Republicans have pro- APPOINTMENT OF ACTING f posed an alternative bill five times PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE that would enable us to extend these RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY benefits without adding a nickel to the The PRESIDING OFFICER. The LEADER clerk will please read a communication debt—a bill Democrats have repeatedly The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- to the Senate from the President pro rejected. pore. The Republican leader is recog- There should be no doubt as to what tempore (Mr. INOUYE). nized. constitutes fiscal responsibility in this The assistant legislative clerk read debate. Last November, the President the following letter: f himself described a bill to extend un- U.S. SENATE, FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY employment benefits as fiscally re- PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, Washington, DC, July 20, 2010. Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, sponsible because it did not add to the To the Senate: later today, the Senate will vote to ex- debt. So according to the President’s Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, tend Federal unemployment benefits to own logic, Democrats who vote to pass of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby millions of Americans who are out of this bill and add nearly $34 billion more ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S6001 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 05:56 Nov 05, 2010 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD10\RECFILES\S20JY0.REC S20JY0 mmaher on DSK69SOYB1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE S6002 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 20, 2010 to the national debt will be doing so in paying their unemployment benefits. I minutes and the Republicans control- a fiscally irresponsible way, and Re- think most Americans see the connec- ling the next 30 minutes. publicans who insist on passing it with- tion here. The Senator from Illinois. out adding to the debt are being re- The President also tried to score po- f litical points yesterday by sponsible. UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE The fact is, this debate is not about mischaracterizing the debate over the unemployment insurance. There is no small business bill. Here is another bill Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, this debate in the Senate about whether we that both parties support. Yet the afternoon is a historic moment in the should pass a bill. Everyone agrees we President would have the American history of this great Chamber. Our be- should. This debate is about whether, people believe that somehow we are loved and now departed Senator from in extending those benefits, we should trying to hold it up just because the West Virginia, Robert C. Byrd, will be add to the debt. majority leader would rather move on succeeded in office with a temporary If Democrats were as concerned to some of his other legislative prior- appointment from West Virginia, and about passing this bill as they say they ities than have a vote on a couple of we will swear in his successor at 2:15 are, they would find a way to do it amendments to this bill that would this afternoon. A few minutes later, without adding to the debt. After all, help to create more jobs. the Senate will take up a historic there is no law that says we are re- So either the President is mis- measure. It is a question of whether we quired to exacerbate one crisis in an ef- informed about what has been going on should provide unemployment benefits fort to alleviate another. Most Ameri- over here or he is deliberately to the millions of Americans who have cans I talk to think a $13 trillion debt mischaracterizing the situation. The lost their job, through no fault of their is one crisis we cannot afford to put off fact is, the Senate is already on this own, and are victims of this recession. any longer. bill and both sides have offered im- In my home State, 115,000 people If Republicans have done anything provements. If the President wants to have fallen off the unemployment rolls wrong in this debate, it was to under- criticize someone for slowing it down, while we have debated whether to ex- estimate how committed Democrats he should point the finger at his own tend unemployment benefits. Across are to spending money we do not have. party for repeatedly taking it off the America, 1.2 million Americans have Given the choice to extend these bene- floor, which brings me to the supple- lost basic unemployment benefits. fits without adding to the debt or al- mental war spending bill. What do these benefits mean to these lowing them to expire, Democrats I will remind my colleagues the Sec- families out of work? Literally, bread chose the latter on five separate occa- retary of Defense has indicated that on the table; literally, whether the sions. They do not seem to appreciate failure to pass this bill before the Au- lights go on when you flick the switch; the fact that by adding to the national gust recess could actually keep our sol- literally, whether they have a roof over debt, they are increasing the long-term diers and marines from getting paid, a their heads. This did not use to be a political burden on everyone—the unemployed, point he reiterated in a letter to the issue. We did not get involved in a par- the employed and our children and majority leader, sent yesterday. tisan debate about unemployment ben- grandchildren who will have to pay for So what is the holdup? efits when it came to other Presidents.

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