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Congressional Record—Senate S8476

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Congressional Record—Senate S8476 S8476 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 12, 2011 humming and the middle class from advanc- have to go to executive session and re- thing—a bill or a nomination—I put a ing, is a 4.6-point hike in marginal tax rates port the two nominations. I would be reason in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD for the rich. happy, then, to yield to my colleague so that everybody knows it is me. I am This, in a country $15 trillion in debt with to speak first, if he wishes. not a secret-holds guy. out-of-control entitlements systematically The reason for my objection is not starving every other national need. This ob- Would my colleague agree with that? session with a sock-it-to-the-rich tax hike The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- related to the substance of his duty as that, at most, would have reduced this year’s ator from Iowa. Ambassador; I object to his nomination deficit from $1.30 trillion to $1.22 trillion is Mr. GRASSLEY. I am willing to do because of the way Mr. Eisen handled the classic reflex of reactionary liberalism— that, but I thought I maintained the the controversial firing of Gerald anything to avoid addressing the underlying right to the floor by— Walpin and the congressional inquiry structural problems, which would require Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I ask into that firing. Mr. Walpin was the in- modernizing the totemic programs of the unanimous consent that after we have spector general at the Corporation for New Deal and Great Society. moved to executive session, the Sen- National Community Service, As for those structural problems, Obama AmeriCorps. Mr. Eisen was at the has spent three years on signature policies ator from Iowa be the first to speak in that either ignore or aggravate them: the time period allotted to the oppo- White House Counsel’s office at the —A massive stimulus, a gigantic payoff to nents. time. Democratic interest groups (such as teach- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Any attempt to undermine the inde- ers, public-sector unions) that will add near- objection, it is so ordered. pendence and integrity of inspectors ly $1 trillion to the national debt. general raises serious concerns with —A sweeping federally run reorganization f me, and anybody ought to know that of health care that (a) cost Congress a year, CONCLUSION OF MORNING about this Senator. An inspector gen- (b) created an entirely new entitlement in a BUSINESS eral who does his or her job runs the nation hemorrhaging from unsustainable en- risk of losing friends at any agency as titlements, (c) introduced new levels of un- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning certainty into an already stagnant economy. business is closed. well as maybe the White House. The —High-handed regulation, best exemplified Congress must not sit idly by when an f by Obama’s failed cap-and-trade legislation, inspector general is removed improp- promptly followed by the Environmental EXECUTIVE SESSION erly. Protection Agency trying to impose the After the President abruptly removed same conventional-energy-killing agenda by Inspector General Walpin from office, administrative means. NOMINATION OF NORMAN L. EISEN there were allegations that he was Moreover, on the one issue that already en- TO BE AMBASSADOR EXTRAOR- fired for political reasons. So I started joys a bipartisan consensus—the need for DINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY the investigation. There was evidence fundamental reform of a corrosive, corrupted tax code that misdirects capital and pro- OF THE UNITED STATES OF that the removal may have been moti- motes unfairness—Obama did nothing, ignor- AMERICA TO THE CZECH REPUB- vated by a desire to protect a friend ing the recommendations of several bipar- LIC and political ally of the President, tisan commissions, including his own. mayor of Sacramento Kevin Johnson. In Kansas, Obama lamented that millions The inspector general and CNCS ‘‘are now forced to take their children to NOMINATION OF MARI CARMEN management were clashing over an in- food banks.’’ You have to admire the audac- APONTE TO BE AMBASSADOR quiry into misuse of Federal grant ity. That’s the kind of damning observation EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENI- money at a charity run by Johnson. the opposition brings up when you’ve been in POTENTIARY OF THE UNITED There were allegations that the grant office three years. Yet Obama summoned it money was used to pay for personal to make the case for his reelection! STATES OF AMERICA TO THE Why? Because, you see, he bears no respon- REPUBLIC OF EL SALVADOR services for Johnson such as maybe sibility for the current economic distress. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under washing his car. There seemed to be It’s the rich. And, like Horatius at the the previous order, the Senate will pro- evidence of that. There were allega- bridge, Obama stands with the American ceed to executive session to consider tions that the grant money has been masses against the soulless plutocrats. the following nominations, en bloc, used to pay for political campaign This is populism so crude that it channels work. So what would you expect an in- not Teddy Roosevelt so much as Hugo Cha- which the clerk will report. The bill clerk read the nominations spector general to do? vez. But with high unemployment, economic The IG was pushing aggressively to of Norman L. Eisen, of the District of stagnation and unprecedented deficits, what require Johnson to repay the Federal else can Obama say? Columbia, to be Ambassador Extraor- grant money that his charity could not He can’t run on stewardship. He can’t run dinary and Plenipotentiary of the on policy. His signature initiatives—the account for. The inspector general was United States of America to the Czech also pushing to have Johnson prohib- stimulus, Obamacare and the failed cap-and- Republic, and Mari Carmen Aponte, of trade—will go unmentioned in his campaign ited from receiving future Federal ads. Indeed, they will be the stuff of Repub- the District of Columbia, to be Ambas- grant funds. This caused, as you might lican ads. sador Extraordinary and Pleni- expect, a political uproar because some What’s left? Class resentment. Got a better potentiary of the United States of people feared that might prevent the idea? America to the Republic of El Sal- city of Sacramento from receiving Fed- Mr. KYL. I thank the Chair. vador. eral stimulus dollars during the finan- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under cial crisis. ator from Iowa. the previous order, there will be 1 hour All of this background cried out for Mr. KERRY addressed the Chair. of debate equally divided in the usual further investigation. I also learned The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- form. that Mr. Eisen personally delivered an ator from Massachusetts. The Senator from Iowa. ultimatum to Inspector General f Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I Walpin. He demanded the inspector want to speak about one of the votes general resign or be terminated within ORDER OF PROCEDURE we are going to have this afternoon, 1 hour. At the time he delivered the ul- Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I apolo- and it has nothing to do with Mr. timatum, no notice had been given or gize for interrupting my colleague, and Eisen’s job as Ambassador. It is about provided to Congress as is legally re- I will not for long. I think my col- why he has not been confirmed to this quired under the Inspector General Re- league wants to speak on the subject of point. form Act. the nominations that are going to be The President announced Mr. Eisen’s The IG Act requires the President to contained within an hour of debate, nomination to be Ambassador to the tell Congress the reasons for removal equally divided. I want to make certain Czech Republic on June 28, 2010. On of an inspector general 30 days before the comments of the Senator are going September 20, 2010, I provided public taking action. That is what the law re- to be part of that time period. So if I notice of my intention to object to the quires. Now, ironically, I cosponsored could ask, for my colleague—I believe nomination. In other words, as I al- this provision with Senator Obama be- we are almost at the hour where we ways do when I put a hold on some- fore he became President Obama. The VerDate Mar 15 2010 07:27 Jan 22, 2013 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD11\RECFILES\DECEMBER\S12DE1.REC S12DE1 bjneal on DSK2TWX8P1PROD with December 12, 2011 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S8477 goal of that provision is to make sure would talk to his family or the people going to get into the details; and, No. Congress is aware of why an inspector who worked with him every day about 3, all of the board members agreed, in- general is being removed. your concerns. That would be the only cluding the Republican board members. We need independent inspectors gen- way to find out if there had been simi- Mr. Eisen clearly led the staff to be- eral. They should not be removed for lar incidents or if it was only a one- lieve that the President’s decision was political reasons. So we need to make time occurrence. based in part on the unanimous agree- sure Congress is informed of the rea- Instead, the chairman of the board ment of the board that the inspector sons for getting rid of an inspector gen- asked Mr. Eisen at the White House general should go. That was false.
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