E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 113 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 160 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2014 No. 18 House of Representatives The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Friday, January 31, 2014, at 3 p.m. Senate THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2014 The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was to the Senate from the President pro ahead, and I think it is safe to say that called to order by the Honorable CHRIS- tempore (Mr. LEAHY). despite the hype, there was not a whole TOPHER MURPHY, a Senator from the The legislative clerk read the fol- lot in this year’s State of the Union State of Connecticut. lowing letter: that would do much to alleviate the U.S. SENATE, concerns and anxieties of most Ameri- PRAYER PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, cans. There was not anything in there The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- Washington, DC, January 30, 2014. that would really address the kind of fered the following prayer: To the Senate: dramatic wage stagnation we have seen Let us pray. Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, over the past several years among the Eternal Spirit, we don’t know all of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby middle class or the increasingly dif- appoint the Honorable CHRISTOPHER MURPHY, that this day holds, but we know that a Senator from the State of Connecticut, to ficult situation people find themselves You hold this day in Your sovereign perform the duties of the Chair. in trying to find stable, good-paying hands. Lord, we praise You, that even PATRICK J. LEAHY, jobs. There was no creative proposal though we only have a feeble hold on President pro tempore. for increasing mobility or opportunity You, You have a mighty grasp on us. Mr. MURPHY thereupon assumed the for folks who need it most. Guide our lawmakers across their Chair as Acting President pro tempore. Even more remarkable, the President toiling hours, illuminating their mo- Mr. REID. Mr. President, I suggest completely ignored the serious hard- ments with the light of Your wisdom. the absence of a quorum. ship that folks in Kentucky and just Lord, empower them to live with integ- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- about everywhere else in the country rity and wisdom amid the corruption pore. The clerk will call the roll. are dealing with right now as a result that seeks to keep them from glori- The legislative clerk proceeded to of his health care law. He just blew fying You. May they be unafraid to call the roll. right past it like it was not even hap- contend steadfastly for truth, as You Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I pening. give them the ability to see it. Use ask unanimous consent the order for There are serious issues that demand their labors to hasten the day when the quorum call be rescinded. a serious response, and if for some rea- justice and understanding will encom- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- son the President doesn’t want to face pass our world. pore. Without objection, it is so or- up to them or offer meaningful solu- We pray in Your great Name. Amen. dered. tions, Republicans certainly will. We f f have a lot of creative ideas on our side PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE that speak to the day-to-day concerns RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY of middle-class Americans. In the The Presiding Officer led the Pledge LEADER of Allegiance, as follows: months ahead we will keep talking The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- about them. In fact, just this morning I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the pore. The Republican leader is recog- United States of America, and to the Repub- the House Republican leadership lic for which it stands, one nation under God, nized. reached out to the President in an ef- indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. f fort to solicit his help in encouraging f the Democratic leadership in the Sen- PROPOSED IRS REGULATIONS ate to take up House-passed bills that APPOINTMENT OF ACTING Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, ear- do the types of things the President PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE lier this week President Obama ex- said the other night he supports. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The plained to the American people what Maybe that would be a good use of the clerk will please read a communication he hopes to accomplish in the year President’s phone and his pen. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S609 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 05:14 Jan 27, 2015 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4637 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD14\JAN 2014\S30JA4.REC S30JA4 bjneal on DSK2TWX8P1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE S610 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 30, 2014 This morning I would like to take a for them politically. So instead of try- ministration that now seems willing to moment to address something else the ing to persuade the public that they do anything to keep those it disagrees President did not address on Tuesday have the best answers to the problems with from fully exercising their con- but that his administration is already we face, they try to shut everything stitutionally protected right to free quietly planning to do in the months else out of the political process. They speech. ahead. I am referring to the adminis- try to shut them up, and they have no After recent scandals the IRS should tration’s radical new proposal to codify problem using the powers of the gov- not be getting more involved in what the same kind of targeting of grass- ernment itself to do it—less than a people can and cannot say but less in- roots groups that an independent in- year after presiding over one of the big- volved. Commissioner Koskinen must spector general determined that the gest abuses of government power in the take a stand against this kind of thug- IRS engaged in in the run up to the modern memory. The arrogance here is gery and make it clear to a nervous 2012 election. I realize it just doesn’t literally breathtaking. public that his agency will not engage seem possible to a lot of people that But we have seen this kind of thing in any more government-sanctioned the Obama administration would even again and again from our liberal crackdowns on speech. think of touching an issue this radio- friends over the years. They just can- You know, the President made what I active after last year’s scandal, but not accept a public that disagrees with think was a pretty revealing comment those who think that underestimate their plans for the country. They just in a recent interview when he talked the extent to which this administra- cannot seem to accept a society in about his inability to break through tion and its allies are willing to go to which ‘‘we, the people,’’ establish the with certain Republicans. Rather than keep those who disagree with them rules—not them. Whether it is the fair- concede that they may have a different from speaking out or participating in ness doctrine or the DISCLOSE Act, world view or that they disagree with the political process. They underesti- they want those who disagree with his approach to the issues of the day, mate the extent to which they are will- them to sit down and shut up. Their the President blamed FOX News and ing to go to hold onto power, and they view is you can fight for your ideals, Rush Limbaugh of somehow convincing forget how speech is usually stifled. you can speak out, but only if you folks that he is something he is not. I think a far more likely explanation James Madison once wrote: agree with me. If you are on the other side, you don’t have a right to speak is that the President does stuff like I believe there are more instances of the this. I think a more likely explanation abridgement of freedom of the people by out; not only that, but I am going to is that in the sixth year of his Presi- gradual and silent encroachments by those put you out of business. I am going to dency he would rather blow kisses to in power than by violent and sudden use the IRS—for goodness sake, the his liberal base than work with Repub- usurpations. IRS—to identify anybody who dis- licans to create jobs and increase op- That was James Madison, and that is agrees with me and shut them up. I am portunity and prosperity for the mil- what is going on. The fact is that right doing it through regulation because I lions of Americans who are really now the Obama administration is get- cannot pass it through legislation. ting ready to codify the same kind of This is just one way the President struggling out there. Rather than let people from one end of the political intimidation and harassment of its po- plans to go around the people’s elected spectrum to the other duke it out litical opponents that stunned the Na- representatives this year and every through robust public debate, he wants tion last year, and hardly anybody is American needs to know about this to use the IRS to drive conservatives talking about it—certainly not the abuse of power.