June 30, 2010 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 156, Pt. 9 12313 SENATE—Wednesday, June 30, 2010 The Senate met at 9:30 a.m. and was turn to a period of morning business consent. It is the end of the month called to order by the Honorable MARK for 2 hours, with Senators during that today, and we should get this done. I BEGICH, a Senator from the State of period of time allowed to speak for up hope we can do that. Alaska. to 10 minutes. Following morning busi- As many people are aware, Senator ness, the Senate will proceed to execu- BYRD will lay in repose in the Senate PRAYER tive session and will debate the nomi- Chamber from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. to- The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- nation of GEN David Petraeus. There morrow. The family will be in the fered the following prayer: will be up to 20 minutes for debate Chamber from 10 a.m. until 12 noon. Let us pray. prior to a vote on confirmation of the Members are encouraged to pay their Eternal and blessed God, in the midst nomination. Senators should expect respects to the family from 10:15 a.m. of our days of labor, we are grateful for that vote to occur around noon today. until 12 noon. opportunities to pray. As a reminder to all Senators, last Senate staff with floor privileges and As our lawmakers grapple with press- evening I filed cloture on unemploy- a congressional ID are invited to pay ing issues, give them the wisdom to ment insurance and the home buyer respects from the Senate floor and seek Your guidance and to depend upon tax credit extension. That vote would should enter the Chamber through the Your direction. Respond to their peti- occur tomorrow unless we arrange, by north door of the Capitol. Members of tion by undergirding them with Your unanimous consent, sometime today to the public and Senate staff without enabling might, empowering them to do this. I will work with the Repub- floor privileges are invited to pay trib- exercise responsible stewardship of lican leader on an agreement that ute to Senator BYRD from the Senate their influence by striving to be lights would let us vote on that issue today if galleries from 10:15 a.m. until 3:45 p.m. in a dark world. Open their ears and the minority is so determined. The public and staff without floor hearts this day to hear Your voice and We will also be able to resume con- privileges should enter via the Capitol obey Your commands, strengthening sideration of the small business jobs Visitor Center. them to make their utmost contribu- bill this afternoon. We will consider f tion to healing a hurting world. amendments. Rollcall votes are ex- MEASURE PLACED ON THE We pray in Your great Name. Amen. pected to occur throughout the after- CALENDAR—H.R. 5623 f noon and into the evening. Mr. REID. Mr. President, as I indi- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE I say to Democratic Senators, we were looking yesterday for an amend- cated, H.R. 5623, the Homebuyer Assist- The Honorable MARK BEGICH led the ment, but none was available. So I ance and Improvement Act, is at the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: agreed to have something happen in desk. I believe it is due for a second I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the the interim and let the Republicans reading. United States of America, and to the Repub- offer amendments if we have none The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, ready or offered. I hope we will also be pore. The Senator is correct. The clerk indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. able to resume consideration of this will read the title of the bill for the f matter and make headway. It is ex- second time. APPOINTMENT OF ACTING tremely important that we do that. The assistant legislative clerk read PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE On unemployment compensation, we as follows: The PRESIDING OFFICER. The really need to do this. I have had a A bill (H.R. 5623) to amend the Internal number of conversations with Senators Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the home- clerk will please read a communication buyer tax credit for the purchase of a prin- to the Senate from the President pro from individual States about how dif- ficult it is for them to have these long- cipal residence before October 1, 2010, in the tempore (Mr. INOUYE). case of a written binding contract entered The assistant legislative clerk read term unemployed no longer having into with respect to such principal residence the following letter: anyplace to go for help, and there are before May 1, 2010, and for other purposes. newspaper articles about people who U.S. SENATE, Mr. REID. Mr. President, I would at PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, are desperate throughout America. So I this time object to any further pro- Washington, DC, June 30, 2010. hope we can do something on that. ceedings. To the Senate: We have here, and I will call for it in The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, a little bit, the reading of the bill we of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby pore. Objection is heard. The bill will got from the House of Representatives be placed on the calendar. appoint the Honorable MARK BEGICH, a Sen- dealing with extending the first-time ator from the State of Alaska, to perform home buyer tax credit. That will allow f the duties of the Chair. RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY DANIEL K. INOUYE, the paperwork to be completed. There President pro tempore. is significant support on the other side LEADER Mr. BEGICH thereupon assumed the for this, and I would hope we could do The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- chair as Acting President pro tempore. this by consent. If not, it will be part pore. The Republican leader is recog- of the vote we have on unemployment f nized. compensation. There is no effort to do f RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY anything other than to get these two LEADER matters passed. So I would hope my CAP AND TRADE The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- friends on the other side of the aisle Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, yes- pore. The majority leader is recog- would consider just letting us do the terday, President Obama invited a nized. home buyers assistance, the thing that group of Senators down to the White f passed the House. It is paid for. It has House to talk about the kind of energy been agreed to by Democrats and Re- bill he would like Congress to pass SCHEDULE publicans. It passed the House last sometime this summer. Mr. REID. Mr. President, following night with 400 votes—400 votes. So I The first thing we heard about this leader remarks, if any, the Senate will would hope we could get that done by meeting is that the President said it ● This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. VerDate Mar 15 2010 13:08 Jul 23, 2013 Jkt 089102 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR10\S30JN0.000 S30JN0 ehiers on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with BOUND RECORD 12314 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 156, Pt. 9 June 30, 2010 was not a meeting about the oilspill. is to minimize the damage from the oil technology to the world, they are now Let me say that again. The President that reaches the shores. And the fourth at 50 percent of the value of our annual said the purpose of this meeting was most important thing is to find out aircraft exports. China has decided not to discuss the ongoing crisis in the who did what wrong, at BP and in the that the future of the world is based on Gulf of Mexico, where up to 60,000 bar- Federal Government, and to hold them new, clean energy technology, and they rels of oil are spewing into the gulf accountable. are doing something about it. They waters each and every day, and which But the first thing is to fix the leak. don’t come to their leadership and squabble, at least not in a public fash- have been for 72 days now. f Senator ALEXANDER had to raise the ion; they get focused—focused on cre- issue himself, only to be dismissed by RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME ating businesses and jobs and being the President. Well, I am sure that will The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- ready to compete in the 21st century. be of great comfort to the people of the pore. Under the previous order, the The third premise of our energy pol- gulf coast. When the President called leadership time is reserved. icy goes to something on which the Senators to the White House to talk Senator from Kentucky may or may about energy, I am sure most people in f not agree with me. I happen to believe the gulf thought the crisis down there MORNING BUSINESS the activities of humans on this Earth would at least be a topic of discussion. make a difference when it comes to the The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Evidently, they were wrong. planet. I happen to believe when we The second thing we heard about the pore. Under the previous order, there look at glacial melt around the world, meeting is that the President made will now be a period of morning busi- it reflects the fact that the world is what was described as a ‘‘very pas- ness, with Senators permitted to speak changing.