Congressional Record—Senate S6044
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S6044 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 21, 2010 that is our national debt. We have to But it is not enough for them, once our friends on the other side would call worry about that more than the care of losing the debate, to simply pick them- this off and say: All right, enough. We American families who are out of work, selves up, dust themselves off and, like wish we had won. We want a world in through no fault of their own, because good sports, go on to the next disagree- which the deficit only applies to unem- of the wild spree that Wall Street took ment. We have other things we will dis- ployment benefits for working families under the Bush administration. agree about. Nope. That is asking too and we get to dig big holes in the debt I would think more of that argument much of our friends, unfortunately, to and the deficit when it is our tax cuts if it were at least consistent, but it is have that kind of good sportsmanship— for the wealthy, but we lost on that not consistent. It is an argument that to stand up, get back on the field and one. Let us move on. We will take the they apply when regular working fami- go back to the battle. We have to burn hand up off the field, we will dust our- lies are out of work through no fault of 30 hours of Senate floor time to no pur- selves off and move on to the next one. their own because of the Wall Street pose. We can’t do other work during If for no other reason than good sports- meltdown from the Bush policies. That this period. We can’t do amendments manship, I would hope they would do is when they get all excited about how during this period. that and call off this period of delay. important the deficit is. But when it We know how the vote is going to That would also allow us to get to comes to, say, oh, tax cuts for billion- come out. Literally, no possible pur- other business. We may disagree, but aires, tax cuts for corporate CEOs, pose is accomplished by requiring us to we might as well get to the business. well, then a different rule prevails. burn the 30 hours, except two things for We might as well have these arguments Then the debt isn’t so important. Then sure will happen. One thing for sure out. We might as well have our fight. the deficit isn’t so important. What is that happens is that all those families Let’s not just kill time here. So I hope more important are the folks with the out there—those 6,000 Rhode Island my colleagues will reconsider. Time 1 big salaries—the CEOs earning on aver- families, those 2 ⁄2 million families ticks away, awasting here. Everybody age these days 400 times what a regular across the country—will have to wait a has work to be done. The American little longer. They have been stretched average salaried worker gets paid—400 people await us, particularly on jobs to the very end of their budgets and times more every day than the average legislation. There is an enormous they are hanging on by their finger- worker. That is the kind of tax cut amount we could do to help them if we nails. But instead of saying: Fair and that is more important than the def- could simply get to it. icit. square, okay, we tried. We threw up We have a small business bill we are I saw this cartoon the other day, and every obstacle we could, but we lost 60– trying to tee up that would provide I wanted to share it on the Senate 40, so let’s go on to the next thing— enormous value to the economy, in- nope, they are going to make them floor. I thought it was a pretty good cluding in particular Rhode Island, hang on for another 30 hours. description of where we are on this. where small business is so important. Here are our friends on the other side. The other thing they accomplish through this is that they burn Senate Small business is the heartbeat of It says ‘‘Senate GOP’’ on this cranky floor time. The Good Lord only gives Rhode Island’s economy. To the extent fellow’s hat, and a little cat on the us so much time. You can’t get min- we can provide additional capital and front of the boat says ‘‘jobless bene- utes back when they are gone. You support for small business, we could fits,’’ if you can’t read it. The fellow is can’t get hours back when they are get to that. We could be working on saying to the little cat on the front of gone. You can’t get days back when that right this minute instead of being the boat: Too much weight. You get off they are gone. We have a lot of work to stuck in this long delay, in this empty the boat into the water. You are on do in this Chamber, and our friends on Chamber while 30 hours ticks uselessly your own. We don’t care. Actually, it the other side would like to have us do away because our friends simply can’t ends at get off the boat. I added the as much work as possible in as little dust themselves off after their defeat, rest. On the back of the boat we see tax time as possible, because, frankly, they stand up and go on to the next issue. cuts for the wealthy. want as little done as possible. So it They have to force this long 30-hour But the Republicans do not see that. actually suits their goal to burn floor stall. They do not worry about that. They time to no effect here on the Senate I thank the Presiding Officer again are not concerned about that. Since floor. for the time, I yield the floor, and I the estate tax went to zero, four es- So that is what we are doing. I am suggest the absence of a quorum. tates have been reported in the media here alone right now. Senator REED The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- of more than $1 billion—more than $1 was here alone a minute ago. I suspect pore. The clerk will call the roll. billion. Each estate has gone through that when I leave, we will go back into The legislative clerk proceeded to tax free, at a cost to the Treasury, at a quorum call and time will tick, tick, call the roll. Mr. KYL. Mr. President, I ask unani- a cost to the deficit and the debt of tick, tick past with nothing being ac- hundreds of millions of dollars, and not complished here. We could be working mous consent that the order for the a peep—not a peep—from the other side on jobs legislation. We sure need that. quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. from those who are concerned about We could be working on energy legisla- BURRIS). Without objection, it is so or- the deficit, when that is the issue. But tion. We sure need that. There are a dered. you get a poor family out of work, one host of things Americans want us to be lifeline left keeping them in their working on. But the Republican side of f home, one lifeline left keeping food on this Chamber has a strategy to prevent CONCLUSION OF MORNING the table, and giving that lifeline the anything from getting done. Their pol- BUSINESS chop is something they are all for. icy is saying no, no matter what the That is something they are all for. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning question is—that is their answer, no business is closed. Well, fortunately, what happened matter the proposal—as long it comes here in the Senate yesterday is they from the Obama administration. That f lost. They didn’t lose on a fair-and- is their purpose, and they achieve that AMERICAN JOBS AND CLOSING square up-and-down-majority-rules purpose when they burn this time. TAX LOOPHOLES ACT OF 2010 vote. They lost on a 60–40 filibuster So here we are on the Senate floor The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under vote. They made us win by 20 points. with time ticking away, second by sec- the previous order, the Senate will re- Not just majority rules, the way it is ond, minute by minute, accomplishing sume consideration of the House mes- in most places, but they forced us to nothing other than burning 30 hours sage on H.R. 4213, which the clerk will 60–40 and we still won. So the unem- that, frankly, belongs to the American report. ployment insurance benefits should public. These are 30 hours we should be The legislative clerk read as follows: begin to flow to those families who are accomplishing the public’s business, Motion to concur in the House amendment in such distress right now, and won- moving on to the next issues and going to the Senate amendment with an amend- dering how they are going to make it forward. ment to H.R. 4213, an Act to amend the In- through the next day, through the next I would hope that, if nothing else, ternal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend certain moment.