March 12, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 155, Pt. 6 7157 raise about $300 billion a year. They Sunday, digging deep and putting were confirmed without a single dis- are not refunding that. So this is an- money in, a far greater percentage of senting vote by Democrats. Notwith- other giant problem the President has their pocket—and they are not getting standing that, Senate Republicans with his budget. any tax break for that. They are not have decided to ignore the national se- A couple other concluding points. We getting a tax break. They take a stand- curity challenges this country is facing have a situation here where we should ard deduction and they give to charity since the attacks of 9/11, and they have sit down together and think about our because it helps the people in this returned to their partisan, narrow, ide- children, our grandchildren. Instead of country who are in need. These are ological, and divisive tactics of the giving us what we want today, let us people who barely have enough money 1990s. think about the debt we are passing on to pay for food for their own families, In fact, it was the nomination of Eric to them. What is that debt like? It is as yet they give to charity. Holder to be the Deputy Attorney Gen- though we have taken their credit card Let us stop setting up a straw man eral in 1997 that was the last time a and we are running up their credit card that somehow the very wealthy among President’s choice for Deputy Attorney and they have to pay the finance us won’t give anything to charity if we General was held up in the Senate. He, charges. That means they have to work remove some of their tax breaks. You of course, was also nominated by a harder and they have to pay higher either feel a moral responsibility to Democrat. Senate Republicans have taxes in the future to pay those finance give to charity or not. It is not because unfortunately returned to their old, charges. This debt adds trillions of dol- you are doing it to placate the IRS. tired playbook. They ought to listen to lars in interest payments on their cred- You do it because it is the right thing what is best for the country, not what it card—trillions of dollars. to do. It is like the story in the Gospel they are told to do by radio personal- This is not the direction our country of the widow’s mite. She gave all she ities. should be going in today. We should be had. And to those wealthy who wanted David Ogden will fill the No. 2 posi- thinking about being fiscally respon- to denigrate what she gave, the Lord tion at the Department of Justice. As sible and thinking about future genera- said: She gave more than you did be- Deputy Attorney General, Mr. Ogden is tions, just as generations before us cause she gave all she had. going to be responsible for the day-to- have done. So let us not cry, or pull out the day management of the Justice Depart- world’s smallest violin for this. People Madam President, I yield the floor. ment, including the Department’s crit- will give to charity if they feel they f ical role in keeping our Nation safe can and should help the least among from the threat of terrorism. He is CONCLUSION OF MORNING us, not because they are getting some highly qualified to do so. He is leaving BUSINESS kind of a tax break. a very lucrative and successful career Now, this idea that we must have tax The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. in private practice, taking an enor- breaks for the wealthiest here, because, UDALL of New Mexico). Under the pre- mous cut in pay to return to the Jus- after all, that is how we will pay for vious order, morning business is closed. tice Department, where he previously the war in Iraq—remember the last ad- served with great distinction, and hav- f ministration saying: We will give huge ing previously served with such dis- tax breaks and that will pay for the EXECUTIVE SESSION tinction at the Department of Defense. war in Iraq. It gave us the biggest def- Senators KAUFMAN, KLOBUCHAR, and icit in the Nation’s history and it pre- DURBIN made statements yesterday in NOMINATION OF DAVID W. OGDEN cipitated the problems we are having support of the nominee, and I was very TO BE DEPUTY ATTORNEY GEN- today. pleased to hear these three distin- ERAL—Resumed Let us be honest about this. If we give tax breaks, give them to the hard- guished Senators speak so highly and The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under working men and women in this coun- favorably of him. Senator SPECTER, the the previous order, the Senate will pro- try who are paying Social Security Judiciary Committee’s ranking mem- ceed to executive session to consider taxes, who are getting a weekly, or ber, also spoke yesterday in support of the following nomination, which the even hourly salary. They are the ones Mr. Ogden’s nomination, and I was clerk will report. who need the tax breaks. Warren very pleased to hear Senator SPECTER’s The bill clerk read the nomination of Buffett, one of the wealthiest people in statement. I thank them all. David W. Ogden, of Virginia, to be Dep- the world, has argued against these But after that, I was disappointed at uty Attorney General. huge tax breaks for people like himself. the handful of opposition statements The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under As he pointed out, he pays a lesser per- that parroted outrageous attacks the previous order, there will be 2 centage of his income to taxes than against Mr. Ogden that had been hours of debate equally divided and people cleaning up his office—to jani- launched by some on the extreme controlled between the two leaders or tors in his office; to secretaries in his right. These attacks from extremists their designees. office. distort the record of this excellent law- The Senator from Vermont is recog- So let us be honest about this. People yer and this good man. They begin by nized. give to charity if they feel it is their ignoring the truth, the whole truth, Mr. LEAHY. I thank the distin- moral duty, as my wife and I feel it is and then mischaracterizing a narrow guished presiding officer, a good friend to give to charity, not because of any sliver of his diverse practice as a liti- from New Mexico. tax exemption. Let us be honest about gator. Those who contend that Mr. Mr. President, before I begin on the that. Ogden has consistently taken positions David Ogden matter, I have been lis- Now, on the other issue, David against laws to protect children are un- tening to a couple of days of debate not Ogden. The Senate is finally ready to willing to tell the truth. They chose to on Ogden but on the budget, and I see stop the delaying tactics we have had ignore Mr. Ogden’s record and his con- these crocodile tears. Oh, my gosh, we to put up with and will conclude its firmation testimony. might eliminate some of these special consideration of President Obama’s What these critics leave out of their tax breaks given to people making over nomination of David Ogden to be Dep- caricature is the fact that Mr. Ogden $250,000 or $500,000 or $1 million or $2 uty Attorney General. We will finally aggressively defended the constitu- million. My heart breaks for them, it give the nomination an up-or-down tionality of the Child Online Protec- really does, that they do not get all vote that in the past, when George tion Act and the Child Pornography kinds of special tax breaks, that they Bush was President, Senate Repub- Prevention Act of 1996 when he pre- might be unwilling to actually give licans used to claim was a constitu- viously served at the Justice Depart- money to charity. But then I look at tional right of every nominee. ment. In private practice, he wrote a the people who make $25,000 or $30,000 a After all, all four of President Bush’s brief for the American Psychological year—people I see when I go to mass on Deputy Attorney General nominees Association in Maryland v. Craig in VerDate Mar 15 2010 13:11 Jun 30, 2011 Jkt 079102 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR09\S12MR9.000 S12MR9 wwoods2 on DSK1DXX6B1PROD with BOUND RECORD 7158 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 155, Pt. 6 March 12, 2009 which he argued for the protection of Levin; White & Case, LLP; former Acting As- In fact, when asked about this point child victims of sexual abuse. sistant Attorney General, Office of Legal in connection with his own nomina- For those who talk about how one Council; former Assistant United States At- tion, Chief Justice Roberts testified: might help out and do charitable torney. Daniel Price; former Assistant to the President and Department of National Secu- . it has not been my general view that works, let me tell you about his per- rity Advisor for Internal Economic Affairs. I sit in judgment on clients when they come. sonal life. He has volunteered his time David C. Frederick; Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, ... at the Chesapeake Institute, a clinic Todd, Evans, & Figel, PLLC; former Assist- .