E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 111 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 156 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 2010 No. 100 Senate The Senate met at 9:30 a.m. and was ator from the State of Alaska, to perform able to resume consideration of this called to order by the Honorable MARK the duties of the Chair. matter and make headway. It is ex- BEGICH, a Senator from the State of DANIEL K. INOUYE, tremely important that we do that. Alaska. President pro tempore. On unemployment compensation, we Mr. BEGICH thereupon assumed the really need to do this. I have had a PRAYER chair as Acting President pro tempore. number of conversations with Senators The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- f from individual States about how dif- fered the following prayer: ficult it is for them to have these long- RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY term unemployed no longer having Let us pray. LEADER Eternal and blessed God, in the midst anyplace to go for help, and there are newspaper articles about people who of our days of labor, we are grateful for The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- are desperate throughout America. So I opportunities to pray. pore. The majority leader is recog- nized. hope we can do something on that. As our lawmakers grapple with press- We have here, and I will call for it in ing issues, give them the wisdom to f a little bit, the reading of the bill we seek Your guidance and to depend upon SCHEDULE got from the House of Representatives Your direction. Respond to their peti- dealing with extending the first-time tion by undergirding them with Your Mr. REID. Mr. President, following leader remarks, if any, the Senate will home buyer tax credit. That will allow enabling might, empowering them to the paperwork to be completed. There exercise responsible stewardship of turn to a period of morning business for 2 hours, with Senators during that is significant support on the other side their influence by striving to be lights for this, and I would hope we could do period of time allowed to speak for up in a dark world. Open their ears and this by consent. If not, it will be part to 10 minutes. Following morning busi- hearts this day to hear Your voice and of the vote we have on unemployment ness, the Senate will proceed to execu- obey Your commands, strengthening compensation. There is no effort to do tive session and will debate the nomi- them to make their utmost contribu- anything other than to get these two nation of GEN David Petraeus. There tion to healing a hurting world. matters passed. So I would hope my will be up to 20 minutes for debate We pray in Your great Name. Amen. friends on the other side of the aisle prior to a vote on confirmation of the f would consider just letting us do the nomination. Senators should expect home buyers assistance, the thing that PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE that vote to occur around noon today. passed the House. It is paid for. It has As a reminder to all Senators, last The Honorable MARK BEGICH led the been agreed to by Democrats and Re- evening I filed cloture on unemploy- Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: publicans. It passed the House last ment insurance and the home buyer I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the night with 400 votes—400 votes. So I tax credit extension. That vote would would hope we could get that done by United States of America, and to the Repub- occur tomorrow unless we arrange, by lic for which it stands, one nation under God, consent. It is the end of the month indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. unanimous consent, sometime today to today, and we should get this done. I do this. I will work with the Repub- f hope we can do that. lican leader on an agreement that As many people are aware, Senator APPOINTMENT OF ACTING would let us vote on that issue today if BYRD will lay in repose in the Senate PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE the minority is so determined. Chamber from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. to- We will also be able to resume con- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The morrow. The family will be in the sideration of the small business jobs Chamber from 10 a.m. until 12 noon. clerk will please read a communication bill this afternoon. We will consider to the Senate from the President pro Members are encouraged to pay their amendments. Rollcall votes are ex- respects to the family from 10:15 a.m. tempore (Mr. INOUYE). pected to occur throughout the after- The assistant legislative clerk read until 12 noon. noon and into the evening. Senate staff with floor privileges and the following letter: I say to Democratic Senators, we a congressional ID are invited to pay U.S. SENATE, were looking yesterday for an amend- respects from the Senate floor and PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, ment, but none was available. So I Washington, DC, June 30, 2010. should enter the Chamber through the To the Senate: agreed to have something happen in north door of the Capitol. Members of Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, the interim and let the Republicans the public and Senate staff without of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby offer amendments if we have none floor privileges are invited to pay trib- appoint the Honorable MARK BEGICH, a Sen- ready or offered. I hope we will also be ute to Senator BYRD from the Senate ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S5637 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 03:34 Oct 09, 2010 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD10\RECFILES\S30JN0.REC S30JN0 mmaher on DSK69SOYB1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE S5638 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 30, 2010 galleries from 10:15 a.m. until 3:45 p.m. this is also what the President was aisle during the last Presidential cam- The public and staff without floor talking about in his Oval Office speech paign. The notion was that if we just privileges should enter via the Capitol a couple weeks ago were right: when started drilling in every direction, we Visitor Center. the President urged Americans to view could solve America’s energy problems. f the gulf oilspill as a reason to embrace It was an irresponsible chant, failing to his vision of energy consumption in address the most fundamental issue of MEASURE PLACED ON THE this country, he was talking about giv- our time: the future of America’s na- CALENDAR—H.R. 5623 ing government vast new powers over tional energy picture. Mr. REID. Mr. President, as I indi- industry and over the everyday lives of What you heard this morning from cated, H.R. 5623, the Homebuyer Assist- Americans through a new national en- the Republican leader is a return to the ance and Improvement Act, is at the ergy tax. subject but ignoring the past. What we desk. I believe it is due for a second In other words, at a moment when know is this: We know we have become reading. the American people were hoping to more and more dependent on foreign The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- hear about what the White House was oil. It costs us, as a Nation, $1 billion a pore. The Senator is correct. The clerk doing to fix the oil leak in the gulf, the day that we are sending overseas to will read the title of the bill for the President was using that moment to other countries to buy their oil to sus- second time. prepare the ground for yet another tain our economy. This dependence, The assistant legislative clerk read piece of legislation that would expand unfortunately, leads to commitments as follows: the reach of government, and which we have to make—military commit- A bill (H.R. 5623) to amend the Internal would do absolutely nothing to solve ments, political commitments, eco- Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the home- the crisis at hand. nomic commitments—because of this buyer tax credit for the purchase of a prin- The leak still is not fixed. For more dependence on foreign oil. cipal residence before October 1, 2010, in the than 2 months, this pipe has gushed oil The second reality is this: We under- case of a written binding contract entered into the gulf, polluting our waters and stand there is a new, emerging energy into with respect to such principal residence technology in the 21st century. It is an before May 1, 2010, and for other purposes. our beaches, wreaking havoc on the lives and livelihoods of millions along energy technology based on efficiency, Mr. REID. Mr. President, I would at the gulf. I think it is most people’s economy, and the reduction of costs. this time object to any further pro- view that the left-wing wish-list can There are other countries in the world ceedings. wait. Fixing this immediate problem that are taking the lead in this area, The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- should be the top priority right now. not the least of which is the nation of pore. Objection is heard. The bill will One of the President’s senior advisers China. be placed on the calendar. said the other day that when the Presi- I recently heard from MICHAEL BEN- f dent was elected, he had to deal with NET of Colorado, who spoke to us at a problems that had been put off for too Democratic Senate luncheon.