24070 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 154, Pt. 18 November 17, 2008 SENATE—Monday, November 17, 2008 (Legislative day of Wednesday, September 17, 2008) The Senate met, on the expiration of RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY stretched for blocks to answer Senator the recess, at 12 noon and was called to LEADER Obama’s call to cast their vote for order by the Honorable JON TESTER, a The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- change. Yesterday, Barack Obama officially Senator from the State of Montana. pore. The majority leader is recog- ended his term in the Senate and trad- nized. PRAYER ed up to a new title: President-elect of f The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- the United States. It has been a pleas- fered the following prayer: ORDER FOR MORNING BUSINESS ure to get to know this fine young man and work with his remarkable intellect Let us pray. Mr. REID. Mr. President, following during his short tenure in the Senate. O God of new beginnings, as our Na- my remarks and the remarks of Sen- His presence in these Halls and on the tion greets the dawn of fresh opportu- ator MCCONNELL, I ask unanimous con- Senate floor will be missed. But the nities and daunting challenges, inspire sent that the Senate proceed to a pe- Senate’s loss is America’s gain. I look the Members of this body to trust Your riod of morning business with Senators forward to working with President- sovereignty. May they remember the allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes elect Obama, as we all do, as he con- words of the 75th Psalm, declaring that each. cludes one chapter and begins another You place leaders in positions of au- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- in his life. But, as no one knows better thority. pore. Without objection, it is so or- than the President-elect, our joy in his As we pray for our outgoing and in- dered. election is tempered by a sober realiza- coming Senators, help them to place f tion of the challenges, great and grave, their ultimate trust in You, the author that lie ahead. and finisher of destinies. SCHEDULE In the 6 weeks since we have been Today we also pray for our Govern- Mr. REID. Mr. President, I, of course, gone, our economic crisis has deepened. ment’s executive branch. Sustain our welcome everyone back for what we We have seen numerous bankruptcies, President in the remaining days of his hope to be a short period of time before hundreds and hundreds of thousands of administration. Sustain also the Presi- Thanksgiving. We, of course, have com- jobs lost, consumer confidence plum- dent-elect, Barack Obama. Give him pleted this election. We still have three met, and unemployment go up to 6.5 the integrity of Joseph, the faith of Senate contests where we are waiting percent. Major companies and some Moses, and the wisdom of Solomon. to get the results. One of them should minor companies have gone bankrupt, Prepare him to mobilize the branches be decided in the next few days, the one such as Mrs. Fields cookies, one of my of our Government toward shared ob- in Alaska; the one in Georgia will be favorite places to go in a busy mall in jectives that honor Your name. Amen. decided on December 2; and the one in Las Vegas—because nearly every mall Minnesota will take, I am told, a you go to has declared bankruptcy. f month or 6 weeks. In that race they That is only one example. This morning we learned that have 3 million hand ballots, and Min- Citigroup intends to cut an additional PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE nesota is going to count every one of 50,000 jobs. They have already cut them. So that is going to take a while. The Honorable JON TESTER led the 20,000. We are seeing a potential melt- Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: In the summer of 1858, a young State down in the auto industry, with con- legislator from Illinois accepted his I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the sequences that could impact directly United States of America, and to the Repub- party’s nomination for the Senate with upon millions of American workers and lic for which it stands, one nation under God, a timeless speech that echoed from cause further devastation to our econ- indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. coast to coast. That speech has been omy. If ever there were a time for recited many times. He said: working together, this is it. Senators f ‘‘A house divided against itself cannot have a choice to make. We can wait stand.’’ . I do not expect the Union to be until January when we have a new Con- dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall— gress and a new President or we can APPOINTMENT OF ACTING but I do expect it will cease to be divided. PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE start trying to work on some of these That is what he said. One hundred problems now. If we work together in The PRESIDING OFFICER. The fifty years later, a young Senator from the coming days, perhaps we can begin clerk will please read a communication the land of Lincoln stood on the very delivering solutions for the American to the Senate from the President pro same steps on which Abraham Lincoln people. tempore (Mr. BYRD). stood to announce his pursuit of his Today we will introduce a com- The legislative clerk read the fol- party’s nomination for President by prehensive economic stimulus plan lowing letter: calling upon our country to not just worked out with the Appropriations, U.S. SENATE, believe in his ability to change Wash- Finance, and Agriculture Committees. PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, ington but to believe in what we can do This legislation will invest in infra- Washington, DC, November 17, 2008. together if we set aside what divides us structure to create jobs, extend unem- To the Senate: and embrace a common purpose. Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, ployment insurance for those who are of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby Over the past 21 months, Barack out of work, provide food stamps to appoint the Honorable JON TESTER, a Sen- Obama has had a message of hope much help those struggling families make ator from the State of Montana, to perform like Abraham Lincoln’s which has ends meet, and provide State fiscal re- the duties of the Chair. spread across this country like a tidal lief to prevent States from being forced ROBERT C. BYRD, wave. Two weeks ago tomorrow—it to cut services and raise taxes. There President pro tempore. seems like a long time ago; it was less are other things in it, and I need not go Mr. TESTER thereupon assumed the than 2 weeks ago, Mr. President— through all of that. It is a package of chair as Acting President pro tempore. Americans waited on lines that some $100 billion. ● This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. VerDate Sep 11 2014 11:05 Oct 31, 2017 Jkt 069102 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\S17NO8.REC S17NO8 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD November 17, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 154, Pt. 18 24071 We also put in aid for the ailing U.S. So I look forward to this week. We things here there is credit to go around auto industry. The Treasury Depart- have these bright new Senators com- to every Senator. But if we continue to ment has acknowledged they could pro- ing. In just a few minutes I will meet fail in our accomplishments, there is vide the auto companies the temporary the new Senator from Idaho, whom I blame to go around for everyone. assistance to keep automakers solvent have not met. I have heard such good I hope we all look forward to the by taking money out of the $700 billion things about him. He has a remarkable coming year, one of hope and necessity we have already provided to the Treas- record. He served as a Governor of the to change things because we obviously ury Department. But the Secretary of State of Idaho and then Lieutenant have a big hole, and we have to try to the Treasury said he chooses not to do Governor of the State of Idaho and now find our way out of it. The best way to that because all it would take is one is the new Senator replacing Senator do that is to have 100 people working in stroke of a pen, and that problem CRAIG. the same way. would be solved. I had the opportunity to meet with f We also know that Federal Reserve Secretary Johanns, the new Senator- Chairman Bernanke has authority to elect from Nebraska. What an out- RECOGNITION OF THE provide funds to the automobile indus- standing person he is. I am sure he will REPUBLICAN LEADER try, but thus far neither the Treasury be a great addition to the Senate. And The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Department nor the Federal Reserve I have had an opportunity to meet pore. The Republican leader is recog- has done so, and from what we have some of the Democrats who are coming nized. heard, they have no intention of doing in. f so in the near future. But this week we I think this is an opportunity for us SENATE GOALS can, Congress can, if we move forward, to become closer as a Senate family.