Senate the Senate Met at 9:30 A.M
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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, MARCH 22, 2012 No. 48 Senate The Senate met at 9:30 a.m. and was from the State of New Mexico, to perform major under orders from his com- called to order by the Honorable TOM the duties of the Chair. mander—a caravan of military vehicles UDALL, a Senator from the State of DANIEL K. INOUYE, across the country that the roads were New Mexico. President pro tempore. awful. So he remembered that all dur- Mr. UDALL of New Mexico thereupon ing his military service. When he be- PRAYER assumed the chair as Acting President came President of the United States, The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- pro tempore. he decided something needed to be fered the following prayer: f done about that. The Interstate High- way System was the brainchild of Let us pray. RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY Dwight Eisenhower. Now the Repub- Eternal God, the captain of our souls, LEADER You know every temptation and trial licans in the House are talking as if it we face. Give our lawmakers today the The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- is some socialist program that was de- wisdom to be good stewards of the pore. The majority leader is recog- veloped at Harvard or some other radi- bounties You have given and to trust nized. cally liberal place. I can’t imagine You to deliver them from evil. Make f what their mindset is. BARBARA BOXER, one of the most lib- them pure enough to use wisely the SCHEDULE wealth we call ours, as they remember eral Members of this body, and JIM that to whom much is given, much will Mr. REID. Mr. President, following INHOFE, one of the most conservative be required. Allow no hunger for at- leader remarks, the Senate will be in a Members, came together on a bill that tainment nor thirst of ambition to period of morning business for 1 hour. we passed on a bipartisan basis in the drive them to align themselves with The majority will control the first half, Senate. The vast majority of the wrong. Lord, strengthen them to serve the Republicans the final half. Democrats voted for it, and the vast You this day with right choices and un- Following that morning business, the majority of Republicans voted for it. It swerving loyalty. Senate will resume consideration of is a good bill that will save or create We pray in Your merciful Name. the capital formation bill. 2.8 million jobs. But over in that big Amen. The filing deadline for second-degree dark hole we now refer to as the tea amendments to the motion to concur party-dominated House of Representa- f with respect to the STOCK Act is 10:30 tives, they couldn’t do it. They PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE this morning. couldn’t agree on it. They couldn’t At about 12:30 p.m. today, there will agree even on their own bill. They de- The Honorable TOM UDALL led the be seven rollcall votes, including com- stroyed their own bill. Now they will Pledge of Allegiance as follows: pletion of the IPO bill, the STOCK Act, not even agree to take up our bill. I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the and three judicial nominations. The funding for our highway system United States of America, and to the Repub- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, f terminates at the end of this month. I indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. am not inclined to go for the short- JOBS CREATION term extension they are going to send f Mr. REID. Mr. President, I was dis- to us. They are going to have to feel APPOINTMENT OF ACTING appointed to see in the newspaper this the heat of the American people—they PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE morning and hear on the news that Re- meaning the tea party-driven House of publicans in the House have decided to Representatives. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The not mess with our highway bill—a bill The initial public offering legislation clerk will please read a communication on which we spent 5 weeks. The high- will be on the floor and debated for the to the Senate from the President pro way bill is a piece of bipartisan legisla- last time in just a short time. It will tempore (Mr. INOUYE). tion that will save a great 2.8 million pass. The bill is far from perfect, but it The assistant legislative clerk read jobs. The House of Representatives is is a good bill. It will help capital for- the following letter: so disorganized and in such a state of mation, and I am glad we are able to U.S. SENATE, disrepair that they can’t even extend pass it on to the House. I am hopeful, PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, the highway bill. I don’t know what is with the good work done by Senator Washington, DC, March 22, 2012. To the Senate: in their minds. MERKLEY, Senator WARNER, Senator Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, This program was started by a rad- BENNET and others, the minority will of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby ical liberal Dwight Eisenhower, who wrap their arms around this and pass appoint the Honorable TOM UDALL, a Senator decided after having brought—as a it. I hope they will agree to pass the ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S1955 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 23:56 Mar 22, 2012 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A22MR6.000 S22MRPT1 smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with SENATE S1956 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 22, 2012 Reed amendment. We will soon know today who have no insurance just like In Nevada, thousands of children about that. The bill is going to be gone my family had no insurance when I was with preexisting conditions would, and sent to the President soon if the growing up. We didn’t go to the doctor. once again, as I have indicated, be House agrees to pass this legislation. We had no insurance. The only time I without the ability to be taken care of f can remember going to the doctor was when they are sick. when I was deathly ill—literally death- Almost 23,000 young adults in Nevada HEALTH CARE ly ill. would once again have to defer their Mr. REID. Mr. President, 2 years ago My parents had no car, and I had dreams to take a job or, as I just indi- tomorrow President Obama signed the something wrong. I had been sick for a cated, go to college or risk going with- Patient Protection and Affordable Care long time. My brother had somebody out any care. Act into law. It was the greatest single visit him, and my mother asked if they If Republicans have their way, our step in generations toward ensuring ac- would be good enough to take us over seniors will pay for more prescriptions cess to affordable quality health care to the hospital, which was 50 miles and checkups. We have had about a for every American, regardless of away. They did, and I had a growth on quarter of a million Nevada seniors where they live or how much money one of my intestines. I was very, very who now get wellness visits, cancer they make. sick. screenings, and other preventive serv- Millions and millions of Americans There are many people today just ices. If this goes away, it will not hap- have already felt the benefit of this like I was as a little boy; they have no pen anymore. law. Seniors are saving money—mil- insurance, and they may have the same Tens of thousands of seniors who lions and millions of dollars—on their situation I had, with no transportation saved millions and millions of dollars prescriptions and their free checkups. and having a visitor take them to the in Nevada alone on prescription drugs The doughnut hole is rapidly dis- nearest emergency room. That is what last year will once again be forced to appearing because of this law. happened to me. In my case, the emer- choose between buying food and buying Insurance companies can no longer gency room was 50 miles away. medicine. If Republicans have their set arbitrary lifetime caps on benefits, Unfortunately, Republicans continue way, taxes will increase for small busi- putting millions of Americans one car to target the rights and benefits guar- nesses. So will the deficit. Repealing accident or heart attack away from anteed under that law. If Republicans health care reform would add almost bankruptcy. People think they are in have their way, insurance companies $1.5 trillion to the Federal debt—not good shape; they have a health insur- will once again be allowed to deny care billion, trillion. But when Democrats ance policy. Then they get into a car to sick children because they have undertook health care reform, it accident or they get cancer or some asthma or diabetes or some of the wasn’t just about saving money, it was other dread disease and they are in the other situations young people get. In about saving lives, and we did that. process of being taken care of and they Nevada, thousands of children with While the numbers I have just dis- are told their bills are not going to be preexisting conditions would once cussed are very important, there is one paid anymore; their limit is $10,000 or again be at the whim of insurance com- number that matters more than all the $50,000 and insurance stopped paying panies that care more about making others: 45,000.