[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 9, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8145-S8146]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             TAKING ACTION

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, as we return from the August recess, we 
return to the same problems Congress left unresolved when we left in 
July.
  As I traveled around the State of Texas, I continued to hear people 
express concerns not only about high energy prices but high food 
prices. They are concerned that Congress is not doing enough to deal 
with this crisis. Frankly, I have to say that as I talked to 
Republicans and Democrats and Independents in my State, it was hard to 
find anybody who felt as though Congress is doing its job. That is 
right. I don't care whether they were Republican or Democrat or 
Independent, there is a reason Congress has a historically low 
congressional approval rating, according to most public opinion polls, 
and that is because people look at Congress and they see not a genuine 
attempt to roll up our sleeves and try to solve problems but too much 
partisanship, too much point-scoring, too much posturing for the 
upcoming election.
  I don't know any Member of this Senate who actually ran for election 
and hoped to serve in this distinguished body who anticipated coming up 
here and being stuck in the same old replay day after day, month after 
month, where Congress has essentially become dysfunctional in dealing 
with the concerns of the American people. Rather, I think most of us 
hope to come up here and actually make a difference, actually get 
something done. I know there is concern that if something gets done,

[[Page S8146]]

somebody is actually going to get credit for having solved a problem. I 
think that is a risk we ought to take because if Democrats and 
Republicans were actually working together to try to solve problems, I 
think both sides would get credit and the American people would feel 
better about their elected officials and feel as though maybe Congress 
and Washington are somehow a little less disconnected from the rest of 
the country.
  For example, we know that when we left here in August, one of the 
things we had hoped to do was to get a vote on more domestic drilling 
to be able to produce American energy rather than depend, as we do--
$700 billion worth--on importing that energy from other sources. I am 
glad there have been some continuing discussions, and I am hopeful that 
ultimately we will be able to actually do something--do something 
relevant, do something responsive, do something significant to deal 
with these high prices. We know there are several things we can do--
yes, conservation is part of it, using less, but also producing more 
American energy so we are less dependent on importing oil from 
dangerous and unfriendly regions of the world.
  Now, it is interesting, because I think the majority of the American 
people look at Congress and they don't necessarily distinguish between 
Republicans and Democrats and who is in charge and who is not in 
charge. I have to say congratulations to our Democratic friends who won 
the majority in the Senate and in the House in the 2006 election. That 
is the good news. The bad news is the Democrats are actually in charge 
of setting the agenda. When Congress is stalemated over something as 
important to the average American and Texas family as high energy 
prices and we are unable to get it teed up so we can actually have a 
meaningful debate and a vote, an up-or-down vote on more domestic 
production of American energy, it is because our friends on the 
Democratic side control the agenda and they so far have refused to 
allow us that vote. I hope, after traveling their States and listening 
to the American people over this last month, their position will have 
softened a little bit and they will be open to this idea of producing 
more American energy so we are less reliant on imported energy from 
other countries.

  We are going to have a couple of chances to do this. If presumably 
there were an energy bill that was allowed to come up, that would be 
one chance. There is another chance we know we are going to have 
because this is basically the vote we are going to have before we leave 
that is going to decide whether the Federal Government is going to 
continue a moratorium on offshore drilling.
  For almost 30 years now, Congress has imposed an annual appropriation 
rider on appropriations bills that has banned exploration and 
production of oil from offshore sources. We are going to have a shot at 
that regardless of what happens because we are going to have to renew 
that to keep the Government going forward. My hope would be that we 
would be a little more farsighted than that and we would be a little 
bit more willing to consider ideas on both sides of the aisle to do 
what I know the American people are desperate to see Congress do, and 
that is to actually work together to solve the country's problems on a 
bipartisan basis and not to continue to turn a deaf ear to people who 
are in some distress because of high energy prices and all of the 
consequences associated with it.
  We know the economy has moved to the top of the Nation's priority 
list in the upcoming election, some 56 days from now. Of course, there 
is more to the economy than high energy prices, but I submit that is a 
significant--a very significant--part of it.
  We need to deal with issues such as obstructing free trade. We have 
had the Colombia Free Trade Agreement which actually would create 
markets for American-produced agriculture and manufactured goods in a 
country that now--my State alone sells $2.3 billion worth of goods a 
year to that country, but they are put at a disadvantage because there 
is a tariff added to the cost of those goods as they are imported into 
Colombia but not so when their goods are sent to the United States. So 
wouldn't it make sense, when our economy is softening and when people 
are concerned about jobs, as we all are, to say: Yes, we need to have 
more markets for American agricultural produce and for manufactured 
goods because that would create jobs here at home. To me, it just makes 
common sense, but we see nothing but obstruction there.
  Then, when it comes to suggestions about how to deal with so many 
issues, our friends on the other side of the aisle--and including, 
frankly, some Republicans in the so-called Gang of 10 regarding the 
Energy bill--have proposed raising taxes on domestic oil and gas 
production by $30 billion. We tried that before. There is going to be 
some division, some difference of ideas on both sides of the aisle. We 
tried that before during the Carter administration, and, because of a 
windfall profits tax, rather than increasing our independence, 
increasing our self-sufficiency, we actually depressed domestic 
production of oil and gas because those taxes were put 
disproportionately on American-based, shareholder-owned companies when, 
in fact, you cannot impose those taxes on Saudi Arabia or Canada or 
Mexico. By Congress, in a discriminatory fashion, imposing those taxes 
on American shareholder-owned oil companies, it actually depressed 
domestic production, which is opposite of what we have all said that we 
want to do, which is to decrease our dependence on foreign oil.
  So we have some huge challenges, there is no doubt about it, and the 
American people are crying out for a Congress that is actually going to 
respond to those issues.
  We also know that in the national security debate that is so much a 
part of this Presidential race but ought to be a part of what we focus 
on--job No. 1: the national security of the American people--they want 
to make sure there is responsible leadership in place dealing with an 
ever-dangerous world. If there was any doubt about it, the Russian 
invasion of the Democratic Republic of Georgia should have reminded 
people that this is a dangerous world. We cannot let our guard down. We 
need to remain strong because only from a position of strength will the 
United States be able to maintain peace. When our enemies see us let 
our guard down and do things such as try to micromanage the troops and 
set an arbitrary timetable on when they come home rather than based on 
conditions on the ground, they see that not as a sign of strength, they 
see that as a sign of weakness, which emboldens bullies and emboldens 
nations that would like to take advantage of that.
  The last thing I wish to mention in my 10 minutes is that the 
American people want fiscal responsibility. They want to see Congress 
actually doing the job we get elected to do and get paid to do. For us 
to be here now in September having not yet passed a single 
appropriations bill out of 13 appropriations bills is not fiscal 
responsibility. It is simply kicking the can down the road and more of 
the same. Frankly, what the American people do not want to see is more 
of the same. They want change all right. But I submit to you they want 
the right kind of change. They wish to see a Congress that is actually 
functioning, actually addressing their concerns, and actually working 
together to solve problems.

  So far, with this Congress that is controlled by our friends on the 
other side of the aisle, we have been unable to tee up many of these 
important issues. I hope in the short period of time we have in the 
month of September, where we are actually going to be in session, we 
will have a productive session and work together to try to solve some 
of these problems because, frankly, our record so far under the 
Democratic leadership is dismal.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Tennessee is 
recognized.
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, would the Chair let me know when 9 
minutes has elapsed.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Chair will do so.

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