E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 113 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 159 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2013 No. 179 House of Representatives The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Thursday, December 19, 2013, at 11 a.m. Senate TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2013 The Senate met at 9 a.m. and was edge, thank You for coming to our spiritual wisdom and understanding, called to order by the President pro world with the gift of salvation. We leading lives worthy of You as they tempore (Mr. LEAHY.) praise You for forgiving our sins and strive to please You. Infuse them with canceling the penalty which stood PRAYER the spirit of Your peace and grace so against us. that there will be peace on Earth and The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- fered the following prayer: Help our Senators to be peacemakers good will to humankind. Let us pray. as they move toward the finish line of We pray in Your majestic Name. God of peace, in whom are hidden all another year. Lord, may they be filled Amen. the treasures of wisdom and knowl- with the knowledge of Your will in all NOTICE If the 113th Congress, 1st Session, adjourns sine die on or before December 24, 2013, a final issue of the Congres- sional Record for the 113th Congress, 1st Session, will be published on Tuesday, December 31, 2013, to permit Members to insert statements. All material for insertion must be signed by the Member and delivered to the respective offices of the Official Reporters of Debates (Room HT–59 or S–123 of the Capitol), Monday through Friday, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. through Monday, December 30. The final issue will be dated Tuesday, December 31, 2013, and will be delivered on Thursday, January 2, 2014. 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Members of Congress desiring to purchase reprints of material submitted for inclusion in the Congressional Record may do so by contacting the Office of Congressional Publishing Services, at the Government Printing Office, on 512–0224, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily. By order of the Joint Committee on Printing. CHARLES E. SCHUMER, Chairman. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S8869 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 00:00 Dec 18, 2013 Jkt 039060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0637 Sfmt 8633 E:\CR\FM\A17DE6.000 S17DEPT1 jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with SENATE S8870 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 17, 2013 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE pects of the budget that Members do $124,000 for the typical retiree officer— The President pro tempore led the not like, that we are not overly de- the only thing standing in the way is Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: lighted with. We realized from the out- this vote at 10 a.m. on cloture. set that there would be compromises Forty-one of us could say to the Sen- I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the ate: Hold on a minute. We know we United States of America, and to the Repub- and unpleasant decisions that had to be lic for which it stands, one nation under God, made because when you find additional have a problem. We know we have an indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. revenues, when you cut programs that $80 billion package. But there is $6 bil- are popular, it hurts and it is uncom- lion of it here that is unfair to military f fortable. So I appreciate the fact that retirees. We can do better than that. RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY Senator MURRAY and Representative There are amendments we would like LEADER RYAN have made tough decisions. Ap- to offer. There are amendments Sen- parently, the House of Representatives ator GRAHAM would like to offer. There The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The on a bipartisan basis has agreed to go is an amendment by Senator AYOTTE, majority leader is recognized. along. But my objection that moves me the distinguished Senator from New f from ‘‘undecided’’ to a ‘‘no’’ is what Hampshire, that would eliminate this broken promise to our military retirees WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT OF the budget does to current and mili- and pay for it with other savings else- 2013—MOTION TO PROCEED—Re- tary retirees and the fact that it where, savings that have already been sumed breaks a promise that has been made to military retirees for years and endorsed as good government and are Mr. REID. Mr. President, I move to years. It does so retroactively, unlike simply a matter of tightening up the proceed to Calendar No. 243. what it does to Federal employees, un- enforcement of laws that are already The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The like what this Congress directed on an there. clerk will report the motion. earlier occasion when establishing a We can find, my colleagues, $6 billion The assistant legislative clerk read commission to look into retirement. elsewhere without breaking a promise as follows: to people who during the time of a What it does to military retirees under global war on terror have stood for- Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 243, S. the age of 62, instead of receiving the 1356, a bill to amend the Workforce Invest- ward, donned the uniform of the United same cost-of-living adjustment every- ment Act of 1998 to strengthen the United States of America, and volunteered one else would be receiving, it cuts States workforce development system time and time again to re-up, to go their COLA back to COLA less 1 per- through innovation in, and alignment and overseas, place themselves in harm’s cent. improvement of, employment, training, and way, and embark on a career in the education programs in the United States, Why do we have a cost-of-living ad- U.S. military. We can pass a budget and to promote individual and national eco- justment in the first place? The cost- that accomplishes the goals of Murray- nomic growth, and for other purposes. of-living adjustment is designed to pro- Ryan without breaking this promise. I SCHEDULE tect the purchasing power of a pension. so hope we will. But this is the time. So when a young man or young woman Mr. REID. Mr. President, at 10 a.m. Forty-seven minutes from now is the joined the military, say, 20 years ago there will be a rollcall vote on the mo- opportunity we will have. After that, it at age 22, for example, they served for tion to invoke cloture on the motion to is a simple majority. The deal will be 20 years at least and they were entitled concur in the House message to accom- done. The news accounts say that the to a pension under the law. That was pany H.J. Res 59, the budget resolution. debate is over, that the votes are al- the deal. We agreed also that once that Mr. REID. Mr. President, I suggest ready in. the absence of a quorum pension was received and was in place, I would hope that somewhere some- The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. we would protect that pension against one within the sound of my voice is re- MANCHIN). The clerk will call the roll. inflation each year by a cost-of-living alizing this is just another example of The legislative clerk proceeded to adjustment. It is simply fair. It pro- the government breaking its word. call the roll. tects the purchasing power and the real When we do this, when we tell false- Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, I ask ability of that pension to protect and hoods and change our minds and unanimous consent that the order for support the retired military person and change our positions to the American the quorum call be rescinded. that person’s family. people over and over again, what does The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without What this budget does is it goes back that do to the confidence the American objection, it is so ordered. on that promise. It says to people who people should have in their government have completed their service, who have RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME and the confidence in their elected offi- completed the full 20 years of their bar- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under cials to do what we promised to do and gain: You may have done what we to fulfil our side of the agreement? the previous order, the leadership time asked you to do, but now the govern- is reserved. I implore my colleagues even at this ment is not going to do what we told late hour to take a pause, perhaps ask BUDGET RESOLUTION you we would do.