November 30, 2011 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 157, Pt. 13 18343 SENATE—Wednesday, November 30, 2011 The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was SCHEDULE family will have $1,000 less to spend on called to order by the Honorable Mr. REID. Madam President, fol- food, clothing, and diapers next year— KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, a Senator from lowing leader remarks, the Senate will except those 350,000 people. the State of New York. be in morning business until 10:30 a.m. Republicans can continue to try to Following morning business, the Sen- protect people who earn an average of PRAYER ate will resume consideration of S. $3 million apiece. We are not going to do that, not in today’s economy. In The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- 1867. The filing deadline for second-de- other words, Republicans are increas- fered the following prayer: gree amendments to the Defense bill is ing taxes on nearly every American Let us pray. 10:30 a.m. today. At about 11 o’clock, family to protect people who make an Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts, there will be a cloture vote on S. 1867. average of $37,500 a week—far more Heaven and Earth are filled with Your It is my understanding the vote will than most Americans make in a year. glory. Lord, You have given us the be at 11 o’clock. Is that right, Madam You can take Nevada, you can take hope that Your kingdom shall come on President? It is not about 11, it will be Kentucky—take Kentucky, the home Earth. Help us to see the signs of its at 11. of my friend the Republican leader. dawning as we labor for liberty. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- There, 2.1 million middle-class workers May the work and deliberations of pore. The Senator is correct. will be hit with a tax increase if the our lawmakers so reflect the nature of Mr. REID. We will continue working Republicans block our proposal. In Ne- Your coming kingdom that people will through the pending amendments. Sen- vada, we have fewer people than Ken- be filled with faith. ators LEVIN and MCCAIN are managers tucky, but the same basically applies Increase our hunger and thirst for of this bill, and Senators will be noti- in Nevada. But in Kentucky specifi- righteousness, and feed us with the fied when votes are scheduled. There cally, 1,345 Kentuckians earn an aver- was a little void here from 10:30 until bread of Heaven. Lord, empower us all age of $3.5 million each, each year, and the vote. That will be debate time on to work for that perfect day when Your that will be protected thanks to the ef- the motion to invoke cloture on the will shall be done on Earth as it is in forts of Senate Republicans. Heaven. Defense bill. Why would Republicans throw 92 per- We pray in Your sacred Name. Amen. f cent of American families under the f PAYROLL TAX CUTS bus, whacking them with a tax in- Mr. REID. Madam President, Repub- crease beginning January 1, to protect PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE the richest of the rich? Why would they licans love to talk about taxes. They do that? It certainly sounds like polit- The Honorable KIRSTEN E. GILLI- like them low, we like them high—or ical suicide, not to mention shockingly BRAND led the Pledge of Allegiance, as so they would have you believe. By callous policy. One might assume there follows: that logic, Republicans ought to be lin- is a compelling reason for Republicans I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the ing up to support our payroll tax legis- to stake out this seemingly indefen- United States of America, and to the Repub- lation. Democrats propose we cut taxes sible ground, to take the side of the top lic for which it stands, one nation under God, for 160 million Americans and every two-tenths of 1 percent of American indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. single business in our country. The av- earners while raising taxes on 160 mil- erage American family would save f lion others. about $1,500. Yet Republicans appeared APPOINTMENT OF ACTING Here is their reason. They say they out of the woodwork to oppose our want to protect job creators. Of course PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE plan. They do not like these particular that claim is laughable on its face. Our The PRESIDING OFFICER. The tax cuts because they are paid for with bill would cut taxes for literally every clerk will please read a communication a small, 3.25-percent surtax on people business in America, and for 98 percent to the Senate from the President pro making more than $1 million a year. of these companies, these firms, includ- tempore (Mr. INOUYE). But we have learned that Republicans ing virtually every small business, it The assistant legislative clerk read only care about keeping taxes low for a would cut payroll taxes in half, from the following letter: very small group of people. This small 6.2 percent to 3.1 percent. U.S. SENATE, group is the richest of the rich. I could quote virtually every member PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, Here is the contrast. One side has of the Republican caucus, all 47 of Washington, DC, November 30, 2011. Democrats fighting to cut taxes for 160 them, singing the praises of small busi- To the Senate: million Americans who make an aver- nesses that create jobs because they Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, age of less than $30,000 a year. On the have come at various times during this of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby other side, we have Republicans fight- year and previous years to talk about appoint the Honorable KIRSTEN E. GILLI- ing to keep taxes low for fewer than small businesses, what good they do for BRAND, a Senator from the State of New 350,000 people who take home more York, to perform the duties of the Chair. America. And I agree with that. You DANIEL K. INOUYE, than $3 million every year. The con- will not get disagreement from Demo- President pro tempore. trast: 160 million Americans who make crats. That is why our bill cuts taxes Mrs. GILLIBRAND thereupon as- an average of less than $30,000 a year; for every small business in America, sumed the chair as Acting President on the other side, Republicans are including 50,000 firms in Nevada. Yet pro tempore. fighting to keep taxes low for the rich- legislation that will cut taxes for 92 est of the rich—350,000 people who percent of American families and every f make more than $3 million a year. single business in the Nation without What is worse, if Republicans get adding a penny to the deficit may not RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY their way, if they are able to give the get a single Republican vote because it LEADER richest of the rich a pay increase, in ef- would cost a few incredibly prosperous, The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- fect, taxes will actually increase by rich Americans about 2 weeks of pay. pore. The majority leader is recog- about $1,000 a year for 120 million To top it all off, Republicans know nized. American families. Every American the tax increase they are foisting on ● This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. VerDate Sep 11 2014 12:51 Dec 02, 2015 Jkt 099102 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR11\S30NO1.000 S30NO1 jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BOUND RECORD 18344 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 157, Pt. 13 November 30, 2011 middle-class families would be dev- vate sector businesses the American have to suffer any more than they al- astating for our economy. The Eco- people are counting on to help turn ready are for the Democrats’ failed nomic Policy Institute has stated that this economy around. economic policies. this Republican tax hike will reduce The President and Democrats here in Republicans reject the idea that the GDP by $128 billion and cost almost 1 Congress are saying we ought to recoup way to help people is for the govern- million jobs—972,000 to be exact. That the revenue we will not get from one ment to write them a check every once would send our economy back into a group of taxpayers by socking it to an- in a while or adjust their pay stub at a tailspin, and it is impossible to tell other group, a significant number of time of our choosing. We think it is how long would be our recovery. whom happen to be employers. What time to get past the idea that govern- Republicans often say we cannot af- this really means is that one way or ment should be the sole arbiter of peo- ford to raise taxes on the top two- another they want the money coming ple’s futures and livelihoods. We need tenths of 1 percent of American tax- back to Washington so that the Presi- to get government out of the business payers, so I ask, how can we afford a dent and his allies in Congress can of picking winners and losers, and that tax increase on 92 percent of American divvy it up how they want, protecting is why Republicans think the real an- families? and aiding the politically favored few.