[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 114 (Tuesday, September 21, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9433-S9434]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ROADBLOCK TO PROGRESS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, it is after Labor Day so the campaign 
rhetoric is in full bloom. One thing we have already heard and continue 
to hear is this charge of a ``do-nothing'' Congress. And in yet another 
great paradox unique to this town, we find those who complain that the 
Senate is not driving ahead and are themselves the roadblock to 
progress.
  For a year and a half we have seen a stall ballgame for the ages, an 
effort to run out the clock on this session practically before it 
began. We have seen unprecedented obstruction by a determined minority. 
Sadly, tactics not employed since the founding of the Republic have 
become commonplace in this body. We have seen tactics employed not only 
against highly controversial items but against noncontroversial, 
broadly supported items, too.
  The CARE Act, which provides numerous tax improvements to assist and 
empower those who run, contribute, and benefit from our charitable 
organizations passed the Senate 95 to 5. No Democratic Senator voted 
no. Yet our colleagues on the other side of the aisle refuse to let 
this bill go to conference and, therefore, it lies near death.
  Fortunately, I understand that the IDEA bill, which reforms and 
enhances the funding of education for disabled children--which passed 
the Senate 95 to 3--may well be going to conference tonight. If so, 
that is excellent movement in the right direction.
  The Workforce Investment Act, which authorizes the worker training 
programs for young people, dislocated adults, veterans, Native 
Americans, seasonal workers, and migrant workers, passed the Senate 
last year by unanimous consent. No one objected. Yet this bill also has 
not been able to go forward. Think about it. Bills virtually with no 
voiced opposition are being stopped by a silent and shadowy force, and 
the American people are being denied better jobs, better education, and 
a more compassionate society all because of a pattern of obstruction.
  I think the practitioners of this obstruction owe an explanation to 
the American people as to why they are blocking these widely supported 
bills that they previously voted for on the Senate floor.
  Fortunately, the majority leader's extraordinary effort and patience 
has enabled much to be done in spite of the obstruction. We have passed 
tax cuts to get the economy going again, and it sure is going again. We 
have passed a Medicare prescription drug benefit that is giving seniors 
an immediate helping hand with a full comprehensive benefit to start in 
about 15 months. We have passed a Do-Not-Call Registry and the Healthy 
Forest Act, the partial-birth abortion bill, and the NATO enlargement 
treaty. But that was last year. What about this year?
  We passed into law a pension relief and stabilization plan for 
private sector businesses, workers, and their retirees. We passed into 
law a BioShield Act to improve countermeasures from biological, 
chemical, and other terrorist attacks. We passed into law the Unborn 
Victims of Violence Act and also a Defense appropriations bill, as well 
as a supplemental for operations in Iraq.
  So much has been accomplished, but much more can and should be done. 
I call on our colleagues to allow us to move forward on the Workforce 
Investment Act and CARE right now so we can have an America with 
workers trained for the modern workplace, a better educational 
environment for our children, and a more compassionate safety net for 
our citizens.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I want to make a brief statement. I have 
already spoken today on the issue Senator McConnell has presented to 
the body. It was done earlier today by the distinguished junior Senator 
from Pennsylvania on the CARE Act, a bill that the minority wants to 
become law. But as I said to the Senator from Pennsylvania through the 
Chair, there are other ways of doing this than to conference. I have a 
list of a series of bills that have passed in this body, have been 
negotiated between the House and the Senate, and that did not go to 
conference. I don't know the exact number, but scores of bills passed. 
The same thing could be done with the CARE Act. The same could be done 
with the Workforce Investment Act.
  I say to my distinguished counterpart, the senior Senator from 
Kentucky, that the risk for Republicans is

[[Page S9434]]

that their strategy may just be too obvious. The majority has become so 
unyielding at times that it seems more devoted to tagging Democrats 
with the obstructionist label than getting legislation passed. Bills 
have been abandoned rather than let Democrats have the votes on 
amendments they demand, such as a minimum wage increase or rules 
protecting workers' rights to overtime. The complaints about Democrats 
ignore the fact that internal Republican differences also cause delays.
  I have on a pair of Allen Edmonds shoes today. They are shoes that 
are made in the United States. President Bush wears these shoes. So 
does Senator Kerry. They are one of the few shoe manufacturers left in 
America. The reason I mention that is that the chief executive of the 
company, John Stollenwerk, is upset because, as a result of our doing 
nothing on the FSC bill, he is now paying 19-percent penalties. And to 
this day, even though we agreed to go to conference, the House has not 
appointed conferees.
  I say to my friend with all sincerity, we need not find fault. Let's 
find a way to work together. Let's impose our goodwill upon the Speaker 
of the House and have him appoint conferees to the FSC bill so that we 
can still have shoes made in America.
  I ask unanimous consent that the list of bills to which I referred be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

    Bills Enacted Into Law Without Using a Conference To Negotiate 
          Differences in Language Between the House and Senate


              108th Congress (as of May 6, 2004--24 bills)

       H.R. 1584, Clean Diamond Trade Act; H.R. 1298, AIDS 
     Assistance; H.R. 733, McLoughlin House National Historic Site 
     Act; H.R. 13, Museum and Library Services Act; H.R. 3146, 
     TANF Extension; H.R. 659, Hospital Mortgage Insurance Act; 
     H.R. 1516, National Cemetery Expansion Act; H.R. 3365, 
     Military Family Tax Relief Act; S. 313, Animal Drug User Fee 
     Act; S. 1768, National Flood Insurance Program 
     Reauthorization Act; H.R. 1828, Syria Accountability and 
     Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act; S. 459, Hometown Heroes 
     Survivors Benefits Act.
       H.R. 2297, Veterans Benefits Act; S. 877, CAN-SPAM Act; 
     H.R. 100, Servicemembers Civil Relief Act; H.R. 1006, Captive 
     Wildlife Safety Act; H.R. 1012, Carter G. Woodson Home 
     National Historic Site Act; S. 686, Poison Control Center 
     Enhancement and Awareness Act Amendments; S. 1680, Defense 
     Production Act Reauthorization; H.R. 2264, Congo Basin Forest 
     Partnership Act; H.R. 743, Social Security Protection Act; S. 
     1881, Medical Devices Technical Corrections Act; H.R. 254, 
     Border Environment Cooperation Commission and a North 
     American Development Bank; H.R. 2584, International Fisheries 
     Reauthorization Act.


                       107th Congress (51 bills)

       H.R. 428, Taiwan--World Health Organization; H.R. 1696, 
     World War II Memorial; H.R. 801, Veterans' Opportunities Act 
     (insurance coverage); H.R. 2133, 50th Anniversary 
     Commemoration--Brown v. Board of Education; H.R. 2510, 
     Defense Production Act Extension; H.R. 768, Need-Based 
     Educational Aid Act; H.R. 10, Railroad Retirement and 
     Survivor's Improvement Act; H.R. 2540, Veterans Benefits 
     Act; H.R. 2716, Homeless Veterans Assistance Act; S. 494, 
     Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act; S. 1196, 
     Small Business Investment Company Amendments Act; H.R. 
     1291, Veterans Education and Benefits Expansion Act.
       H.R. 2199, D.C. Police Coordination Amendment Act; H.R. 
     2657, D.C. Family Court Act; H.R. 2336, Redact Financial 
     Disclosure--Judicial Employees and Officers; H.R. 2884, 
     Victims of Terrorism Relief Act; H.R. 700, Asian Elephant 
     Conservation Reauthorization Act; H.R. 3090, Temporary 
     Extended Unemployment Compensation Act; H.R. 2998, Radio Free 
     Afghanistan Act; H.R. 1892, Family Sponsor Immigration Act; 
     H.R. 1499, D.C. College Access Improvement Act; H.R. 3525, 
     Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act; H.R. 169, 
     Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and 
     Retaliation Act; H.R. 4560, Auction Reform Act.
       H.R. 3275, Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism 
     Convention Implementation; H.R. 327, Small Business Paperwork 
     Relief Act; H.R. 3487, Nurse Reinvestment Act; H.R. 1209, 
     Child Status Protection Act (immigration); H.R. 4687, 
     National Construction Safety Team Act; H.R. 2121, Russian 
     Democracy Act; H.R. 4085, Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-
     Living Adjustment Act; S. 1533, Health Care Safety Net 
     Amendments; H.R. 3801, Education Sciences Reform Act; H.R. 
     3253, Department of Veterans Affairs Emergency Preparedness 
     Act; H.R. 4015, Jobs for Veterans Act; S. 1210, Native 
     American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination 
     Reauthorization Act.
       S. 2690, Pledge of Allegiance; H.R. 5005, Homeland Security 
     Act; H.R. 2546, Real Interstate Driver Equity Act; H.R. 3389, 
     National Sea Grant College Program Act Amendments; H.R. 4878, 
     Improper Payments Reduction Act; H.R. 1070, Great Lakes and 
     Lake Champlain Act; H.R. 3394, Cyber Security Research and 
     Development Act; H.R. 2621, Product Packaging Protection Act; 
     H.R. 3908, North American Wetlands Conservation 
     Reauthorization Act; H.R. 3833, Dot Kids Implementation and 
     Efficiency Act; H.R. 5469, Small Webcaster Settlement Act; 
     H.R. 2237, Veterans Benefits; S. 2017, Native American 
     Settlements and Indian Financing Act Amendments; H.R. 3609, 
     Pipeline Safety Improvement Act; H.R. 4664, National Science 
     Foundation Authorization Act.

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, let me say briefly to my good friend 
from Nevada, I remain hopeful, as I know he does, that we will indeed 
be able to pass the FSC bill before we leave this year. I am optimistic 
that will be the case.

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