E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 111 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 155 WASHINGTON, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009 No. 173 House of Representatives The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 1, 2009, at 2 p.m. Senate FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009 The Senate met at 9:45 a.m. and was to the Senate from the President pro care bill. The debate will be controlled called to order by the Honorable JEFF tempore (Mr. BYRD). in alternating, hour-long blocks until MERKLEY, a Senator from the State of The assistant legislative clerk read 10 p.m., from 10 until 10, with the ma- Oregon. the following letter: jority controlling the first hour. The U.S. SENATE, majority will control the time from 10 PRAYER PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, until 10:30 and the Republicans will The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- Washington, DC, November 20, 2009. control the time from 10:30 until 11 fered the following prayer: To the Senate: p.m. Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, Let us pray. There will be no rollcall votes during of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby today’s session of the Senate. The next O Lord, Your Holy Word and our own appoint the Honorable JEFF MERKLEY, a Sen- good sense tell us that all we are and ator from the State of Oregon, to perform vote will occur tomorrow night at 8 all we call our own belong to You. Help the duties of the Chair. p.m., Saturday, November 21. That us to find ways of living and sharing ROBERT C. BYRD, vote will be on the motion to invoke with others that will reflect this truth. President pro tempore. cloture on the motion to proceed to the Today, shower our lawmakers with Mr. MERKLEY thereupon assumed health care legislation. Your blessings. Enable them to see and the chair as Acting President pro tem- experience evidences of Your love. Give pore. f them the wisdom to walk humbly and f to see everything with faith’s eyes. Let RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY them live with true thanksgiving, re- RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY LEADER membering Your love and presence LEADER The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- which can turn deserts into paradise. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- pore. The Republican leader is recog- Give them boldness to take stands for pore. The majority leader is recog- nized. what You have revealed is the applica- nized. tion of Your principles and justice for Mr. REID. Mr. President, I suggest f our Nation. We pray in Your great the absence of a quorum. Name. Amen. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- HEALTH CARE REFORM f pore. The clerk will call the roll. Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, our The assistant legislative clerk pro- good friends on the other side of the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ceeded to call the roll. aisle have spent 6 weeks behind closed The Honorable JEFF MERKLEY led the Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unan- doors putting together this trillion-dol- Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: imous consent the order for the lar experiment in health care that I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the quorum call be rescinded. raises premiums, raises taxes, and United States of America, and to the Repub- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- makes drastic cuts to Medicare. We lic for which it stands, one nation under God, pore. Without objection, it is so or- have now had less than 48 hours to look indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. dered. through this 2,074-page bill, but there f f are 10 things we know for sure that every American should begin to under- APPOINTMENT OF ACTING SCHEDULE stand. There are 10 things about this PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE Mr. REID. Mr. President, at 10 bill we can begin to convey to the The PRESIDING OFFICER. The o’clock this morning, the Senate will American people with certainty, start- clerk will please read a communication resume debate on H.R. 3590, the health ing this morning. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S11825 . VerDate Nov 24 2008 23:50 Nov 20, 2009 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0637 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A20NO6.000 S20NOPT1 wwoods2 on DSK1DXX6B1PROD with SENATE S11826 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE November 20, 2009 The Democratic bill includes nearly not have that option anymore. Those higher taxes, and cuts to Medicare that $1⁄2 trillion in new taxes that hit vir- are the kinds of Americans for whom produce more government is not re- tually every single American, includ- the cost of insurance is going to go up form. Yet that is precisely what we ing, most importantly, middle-class dramatically. would get were we to pass this 2,074- families who make less than $250,000 a What else do we know about this page bill sitting here beside my desk. year—almost $1⁄2 trillion dollars in new 2,074-page bill? It creates a government I yield the floor. taxes, a substantial part of it hitting plan that the Congressional Budget Of- f middle-class families who make under fice has said would bring about higher $250,000 a year. premiums. The majority has said the RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME The second thing we know about this whole point of the government plan, The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- massive 2074-page bill is it will raise in- having the government, in effect, get pore. Under the previous order, the surance premiums for the 85 percent of into the insurance business, is to offer leadership time is reserved. Americans who already have health in- a lower cost alternative, but the only f surance in our country. So we know way to do that is to subsidize costs, ra- SERVICE MEMBERS HOME OWNER- buried in this 2,074-page bill are higher tion care, and undermine private insur- SHIP TAX ACT OF 2009—MOTION insurance premiums for all Americans. ance, which could lead to a government TO PROCEED The third thing we know about this takeover of health care. massive 2,074-page bill is there will be In the Democratic plan, the Congres- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- huge cuts in Medicare, $1⁄2 trillion in sional Budget Office actually says the pore. Under the previous order, the cuts in Medicare over 10 years, and it government insurance company would Senate will resume consideration of will limit many of the choices seniors have higher premiums. So, clearly, the the motion to proceed to H.R. 3590, now have. only way it could have a positive im- which the clerk will report. Additionally, this monstrous 2,074- pact on the cost of insurance would be The assistant legislative clerk read page bill, according to the Congres- to subsidize costs, ration care, and un- as follows: sional Budget Office, will not lower dercut private insurers. Of course, that Motion to Proceed to H.R. 3590, to amend health care costs. My recollection was would be the first step toward what the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify that the principal reason we went down some of the more candid liberals in the the first-time homebuyers credit in the case this path in the first place was to do House have said is a single-payer sys- of members of the Armed Forces and certain something about the cost increases tem. They are actually disappointed other Federal employees, and for other pur- poses. that are hitting American businesses this bill doesn’t go far enough to create and individuals. So we go through pass- a government insurance company, The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- ing, presumably—I hope we don’t, but which then leads to a single-payer, Eu- pore. Under the previous order, there if we pass this 2,074-page bill, we will ropean-type system. will be debate until 10 p.m., the time actually increase costs. The true cost What else do we know about this bill? controlled in alternating 1-hour blocks, of this bill, which was not stated by The Democratic bill, for the first time the majority controlling the first hour. the majority at the announcement of in history, would allow Federal pro- The Senator from New Mexico is rec- the bill—if you look at the 10-year pe- grams to pay for elective abortions. ognized. riod when everything is implemented, How do people out in America who feel Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I rise the true cost of the bill is $2.5 trillion. strongly about that issue—what do to speak for a few minutes about the Certain gimmicks were employed to they say about it? According to an AP health care legislation that has now try to make the bill look like it actu- story just this morning, a direct quote been proposed by the majority leader ally was deficit neutral or even raised from the person with the Catholic and that we will be hopefully pro- money for the Government over 10 bishops who work with this legislative ceeding to for serious discussion, delib- years. The way that was done was to issue here on the Hill—here is what he eration, and opportunity for amend- delay the implementation of parts of had to say. This is a quote from this in- ment. Let me talk first about where we the bill.