E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 110 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 154 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2008 No. 18 House of Representatives The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held Wednesday, February 6, 2008, at 2 p.m. Senate TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2008 The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was APPOINTMENT OF ACTING The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- called to order by the Honorable JON PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE pore. Without objection, it is so or- TESTER, a Senator from the State of The PRESIDING OFFICER. The dered. Montana. clerk will please read a communication f to the Senate from the President pro PRAYER RECOGNITION OF THE tempore (Mr. BYRD). REPUBLICAN LEADER The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- The bill clerk read the following let- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- fered the following prayer: ter: Let us pray. pore. The Republican leader is recog- U.S. SENATE, nized. We acknowledge today, O Lord, Your PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, power, mercy, and grace. We need Your Washington, DC, February 5, 2008. f power for the challenges we face. We To the Senate: STIMULUS PACKAGE need Your mercy, for we transgress Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, Your law and fall short of Your glory. Americans are probably wondering why We need Your grace, for we cannot appoint the Honorable JON TESTER, a Sen- ator from the State of Montana, to perform the rebate checks we have been talking offer anything to merit Your favor or the duties of the Chair. about now for almost a month are still gain Your love. ROBERT C. BYRD, being debated on the floor of the Sen- Empower our Senators for today’s President pro tempore. ate, and we owe them an answer. journey. Give them confidence to draw Mr. TESTER thereupon assumed the Two weeks ago they saw what looked near to You that they may find grace chair as Acting President pro tempore. like a bipartisan agreement between to help them in this time of need. May Democrats and Republicans in Con- f they pass their days in Your presence. gress and the White House over the de- Enable them to learn the faithful stew- RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY tails of a deal. They saw Speaker ardship of time, energy, and abun- LEADER PELOSI and Leader BOEHNER, to their dance. Temper their gifts with Your The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- great credit, resist the temptation to wisdom as You help them with their add pet projects that they knew would decisions. Remind them that leadership pore. The majority leader is recog- nized. only slow the package down—and rob it can work miracles with cooperation of its stimulative effect. They heard a but accomplishes little with criticism f chorus of pleas from economists, trade and bitterness. SCHEDULE groups, and Members of both parties in We pray in the Name of Him who both Chambers endorsing this ap- came to bring peace on Earth. Amen. Mr. REID. Mr. President, this morn- proach. This package had to be tar- ing there will be an hour of morning geted and it had to be timely, or it f business, with Senators allowed to wouldn’t work at all. speak therein for up to 10 minutes So most days we find ourselves try- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE each. The first half of the time will be ing to explain to people why it takes so allocated to the minority, the second The Honorable JON TESTER led the long to do things in the Senate. But Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: half to the majority. this time was going to be different. ORDER OF RECOGNITION I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the Here was that rare situation when both United States of America, and to the Repub- I now ask unanimous consent that parties agreed to put politics and indi- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, following morning business, I be recog- vidual interests aside and come to- indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. nized. gether for the good of the people. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S613 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 23:22 Mar 19, 2014 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4637 Sfmt 0634 E:\2008SENATE\S05FE8.REC S05FE8 mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY S614 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE February 5, 2008 But then the stimulus bullet train it. They are completely fed up with po- bill a ‘‘pet project’’ calling for extend- turned into a rickety stage coach here litical gotcha. Americans want—and ing unemployment benefits. That is in the Senate. When it got right down deserve—results. our ‘‘pet project.’’ I have to stand ac- to it, Senate Democrats couldn’t do Taxpayers will get their rebate cused, and I am guilty of that because what House Democrats had done. They checks and businesses will get their I support that. couldn’t resist—not even one time—a much-needed relief, but not without As we speak, we have some people— chance to play politics. having to watch a show here for a few even though in Washington it is fairly If Americans are wondering why more days or a week—put on for the warm and the low last night was 41, their checks aren’t in the mail, they sake of a depressingly familiar polit- other people are cold. We have a ‘‘pet can find it in last week’s news clips. Of ical circus. project’’ in the bill dealing with giving particular interest is an AP story enti- That is unacceptable to Republicans. them assistance so they can pay their tled ‘‘Politics Creeps into Stimulus I presume it is unacceptable to the 385 heating bills. They will spend that Package.’’ Democrats are holding onto Democrats and Republicans who voted money very quickly. the stimulus bill, the article said, not the stimulus package out of the House. We have another ‘‘pet project’’ that to speed up the rebate checks, but to It is unacceptable to the more than was supported on a bipartisan basis in try to make Republicans look bad in 100 million American families who are the bill to give homeowners relief. One November. Asked about the amend- probably still wondering why we are of the ‘‘pet projects’’ in this bill was ments we were expecting to take up talking about this bill at all. talked about by the President in his this week, the senior Senator from New The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- State of the Union Message. When we York said, ‘‘It’s tough votes for them.’’ pore. The majority leader is recog- heard him say it, we all knew he prob- It’s tough votes for them. nized. ably didn’t really mean it, but he Now, the same AP article also help- f talked about doing something to refi- fully points out that the senior Sen- nance homes that are in default. We STIMULUS PACKAGE ator from New York is no sideline ob- took the President’s word, and one of server in this debate. It notes that he Mr. REID. Mr. President, what we our ‘‘pet projects’’ is what the Presi- moonlights as chairman of the Demo- have seen here on the Senate floor this dent wanted and which is in this Sen- cratic Senatorial Campaign Com- morning is very much in keeping with ate stimulus package. mittee. For people outside the beltway, what has happened in the last 7 years To talk about the timely nature of that means he is in charge of recruit- with the Bush administration. The this, a rebate check, even under the ing and helping Democrat candidates Bush administration is Orwellian. It most generous timeframe, cannot come for the Senate—which, this week, ac- says something that means something until after the income tax returns are cording to the AP, evidently involves else. The President comes to town and filed in April of this year. So we are holding up the stimulus bill over votes wants to be a ‘‘uniter’’ and not a di- moving this as quickly as we should. he thinks will help his candidates vider. The American people know how One of the ‘‘pet projects’’ we have in against Republicans in November. disingenuous that has been. this bill is to take care of about 250,000 Now I don’t know if the thrust of this The President had the ceremony on disabled veterans—American veterans article was entirely accurate. But if it an aircraft carrier. He had his flight who, in the course of their duties serv- was, these are precisely the kind of suit on, with a big banner up saying ing this country, have become disabled. shenanigans Americans had been hop- ‘‘Mission Accomplished.’’ That was al- We, as one of our ‘‘pet projects,’’ de- ing we could get past this year. And, most 5 years ago. Since that time, 3,000 cided it would be nice—if everyone else frankly, Senate Republicans were hope- American soldiers have been killed, was getting a rebate check, shouldn’t a ful after the speed with which the and more than 20,000 have been wound- disabled veteran get one? So that is a House approved its version of the ed. Is that Orwellian? I think so. ‘‘pet project.’’ I support it, and I think growth package that Senate Democrats What has taken place here on the it is very important.