[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 163 (Thursday, November 29, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S12132]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           THE SENATE AGENDA

  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, we are hopefully working down to the end 
of this session. We have completed most of those things that we need to 
do. We need now to focus on those remaining items that I think are 
imperative for us to complete. Obviously, there are lots of things that 
could be done. The fact is, we have spent an extraordinary amount of 
money. We are going to exceed our budget with the budget activities 
and, of course, about $50 billion in addition to that. I agree that it 
should indeed be spent for those things. We are in an emergency 
situation with the terrorists. We are in an emergency situation with 
the economy.
  The two things I believe we have to do are, No. 1, finish our 
appropriations. We are moving along. The House passed one of the most 
difficult bills yesterday. We will now undertake to do Defense 
appropriations. There are about four more with which we need to deal.
  Then we need to finish a stimulus package. The President has called 
upon the Senate to pass a responsible economic stimulus bill.
  It is difficult to identify what will have a short-term impact on the 
economy. Our economy is much lower than we would like. Indeed, as has 
been said, we are in a recession. But we need to do something that will 
have some impact.
  The President has suggested a package that would extend unemployment 
benefits for 13 weeks for Americans who lost their jobs as a result of 
the terrorist attacks; making $11 billion available to low-income 
people to obtain health insurance in a manner such that the system 
would not become mandatory in the future; $3 billion in special energy 
emergency grants to help displaced workers. That has to do with health 
care coverage.

  Then, of course, the other portion has to do with helping create 
jobs, which, after all, is really the result we would like. We would 
like to help people without jobs. Most importantly, we provide 
encouragement to companies and corporations by accelerating 
depreciation so they will invest in new material; partial expensing to 
encourage the purchasing of new equipment; and also have payments for 
low-income workers and get the money in their hands so we can see 
increased purchasing.
  Those are things on which I hope we focus. I know we are talking 
about agriculture. We are talking about railroad retirement. They need 
to be completed. But there is a question of whether they need to be 
completed now with this emergency. We really need to evaluate the 
money. We have already made available $12 billion in new spending for 
many of the things we talked about. The President and the 
administration determine where it will go.
  I am hopeful that we can focus in the relatively short time we have 
left. I am pleased that we seem to be making progress in terms of the 
economic stimulus. The bill that came out of the committee was not a 
bipartisan bill. We did not work on it from both sides. Now we have a 
House bill that is somewhat different. We have a Democratic bill that 
is somewhat different. The President's bill is somewhat different. Of 
course, we need to find a reasonable agreement among those groups to 
come up with something that works. I certainly encourage that we do 
that.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Carolina is recognized.
  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order 
for me to make my remarks while seated at my desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. HELMS. I thank the Chair.

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