[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 129 (Thursday, September 23, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7389-S7391]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 FAA REAUTHORIZATION AND TAX EXTENDERS

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I also want to add my support for the FAA

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reauthorization bill which the Senator from North Dakota talked about. 
It is important that we get this done. We have been operating without 
an authorization since 2007. We had a bill pass through the Senate by a 
vote of 93 to 0 back in March, and this is something that needs to be 
done.
  So I hope we can get floor time scheduled for this and that we can 
get on that bill, get a conference report, and get it through and 
enacted because there are a number of important improvements that need 
to occur, and that legislation provides for that to happen. It has been 
kicking around here for way too long, so I hope we can get to that bill 
and quit having to do these month-to-month or--in this case, as it ends 
up being--the end-of-the-year extensions, which keeps us from doing 
what we need to do, and that is get a long-term reauthorization in 
place that provides some certainty and predictability for the users of 
aviation in this country.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, might I ask, through the Chair, that the 
Senator yield for a question?
  Mr. THUNE. I would be happy to yield to the Senator.
  Mr. BAUCUS. I wanted to ask him--because we have to ask questions 
around here--isn't it a good idea for us to have more permanence and 
not pass so many short-term extensions in Congress, just as a general 
principle?
  Mr. THUNE. I would say to the Senator, through the Chair, one of the 
things I think is hurting business and economic development in this 
country is a lack of certainty.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Is the Senator aware, if my calculation is correct, that 
there are about 130 extenders that we have to extend at the end of 
every calendar year--approximately 130? Did the Senator know the number 
is that great?
  Mr. THUNE. I didn't know the precise number, Mr. President. I will 
say to my colleague from Montana if it is not, in fact, 130--and I will 
take his word for that--I know it is a lot. There are lots of 
provisions in law that need to be extended and lots of communities in 
this country that depend on that.
  Mr. BAUCUS. One final question: Does the Senator agree it is about 
time this Congress does something about that; that we pass fewer 
extenders and more laws that are a little more permanent?
  Mr. THUNE. I would say, through the Chair, to my colleague, I think 
it is important that this Senate act in a way that provides some 
certainty and predictability for people in this country who depend upon 
public policy coming out of here that has some permanence to it. Right 
now, we continue to act on short-term extensions in so many different 
areas. So I don't dispute at all the statement of the Senator from 
Montana.
  Mr. BAUCUS. I thank my good friend from South Dakota for mentioning 
that.
  Mr. THUNE. If I might continue, Mr. President, let me just say with 
regard to the observations of the Senator from Montana that I couldn't 
agree more that we need to get these things done, and we need to 
provide some long-term certainty for those in this country who rely 
upon decisions that come out of the Congress. I know the Senator from 
Montana has offered an extenders bill that would provide at least some 
near-term relief for many of these provisions of law that expire and 
that impact so many across this country.
  I would say through the Chair to my colleague from Montana that I 
agree with his premise. I think it comes down to how we go about doing 
that. The Senator from Montana has offered up a proposal that would 
extend many of these expiring tax provisions, but he does it in a way 
that raises taxes. I have a proposal I offered earlier in response to 
the majority leader's unanimous consent request to move a tax extenders 
bill that would substitute my bill for that one because my bill does 
all the same things the Senator from Montana wants to accomplish. But 
it does it with spending reductions--reducing spending--as opposed to 
raising taxes.
  There are a number of things my bill would do, one of which is to 
extend the $215 million tax break for teachers to purchase books, 
supplies, computer equipment, and other materials for the classroom.
  It also includes the biodiesel tax credit, which supports our 
Nation's budding biodiesel industry. It provides $854 million in tax 
relief for these biodiesel manufacturers to invest in our clean energy 
future.
  The bill reinstates the State and local sales tax deduction, which 
provides $1.8 billion in tax relief to residents of States such as 
South Dakota who pay State and local sales taxes but are not allowed to 
deduct these taxes from their Federal income taxes. It also allows for 
the deduction of State and local property taxes, which saves taxpayers 
$1.5 billion as well.
  My bill reinstates the research and development tax credit, which the 
President has supported for 2010. This important tax credit 
incentivizes important research and development across the country.
  It also provides a number of needed tax credits for businesses to 
invest and create jobs, including refundable AMT credits for 
corporations, and it provides a generous doc fix. One of the things we 
talk about around here is the doc fix. On the doc fix, we continue to 
go month to month or quarter to quarter. Now we are good to the end of 
November. But at the end of November we are going to be dealing with 
this issue again. If we do not, physicians across the country are going 
to experience a significant and dramatic pay reduction, which will 
impair their ability to serve patients across this country who depend 
upon Medicare.
  My doc fix provides a 2-percent increase for 2011 and another 2-
percent increase for 2012. The current doc fix, as I said, is set to 
expire later this year, on November 30.
  The way I do this is I fully offset this by spending cuts, including 
medical malpractice reform, a freeze on Federal salaries, reductions in 
wasteful, duplicative, and excessive government spending, rescinding 
unspent Federal funds including the stimulus, an expansion of the 
affordability exception to the individual mandate that was included in 
the recently passed health care reform bill and by disposing of unused 
and unneeded Federal property.
  I also add in my proposal a new deficit reduction trust fund, where 
rescinded balances and money saved through this amendment will be 
deposited for the purposes of paying down the Federal debt. It does not 
include job-killing tax hikes on carried interest income, which would 
discourage investment and hurt our Nation's productivity, and does not 
include a 70-cent-per-barrel increase, a tax hike on oil, nor does it 
double count the revenues from that tax by saying it both offsets the 
cost to the bill and also adds money to the Oil Spill Liability Trust 
Fund.
  I concur entirely with the premise the Senator from Montana was 
addressing, that we need to get these things extended. We need to 
provide some permanence. But there is a difference in the approach on 
how we deal with that. The Senator from Montana proposed one way, I 
proposed another. I obviously would love to get a vote on this proposal 
because I think what we ought to be focused on right now, rather than 
raising taxes at a time when we have a very fragile economy in an 
economic downturn and making it more difficult for businesses to create 
jobs, that we ought to be looking at what we can do to reduce spending 
in our Federal budget and offset the cost of these extenders and pay 
for this 2-year extension of the doc fix, which also provides for a 
modest increase, not the significant reduction they are going to 
experience otherwise. We do this through spending reductions in the 
Federal budget. I hope we get an opportunity to vote on this.
  I yield my time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Franken). The Senator from Montana.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I appreciate the remarks of my good friend 
from South Dakota. I hope we can find some reasonable accommodation, 
some compromise. There are 100 Senators here. Each has his or her own 
view as to what the right solution should be. Without sounding too 
trite and corny, we are a democracy, we have to live together. I hope 
we could find a way to get these provisions extended in a way with give 
and take, back and forth. Clearly, if I bring up a bill and it is my 
way, it is not going to pass. With all due respect to my friend from 
South Dakota, if he brings up his bill his way, it is not going to 
pass. The only way to get something to help the people whom we are here 
to represent is to find a

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compromise, working together in accommodation. I know the Senator looks 
forward to that. I hope we can achieve that result.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, if the Senator will yield, I say in 
response to that, that is absolutely true. Around here I think, 
traditionally, tax extenders have been something both sides have worked 
on. Generally, it tends to be kind of noncontroversial. I think our 
side is very open to discussions and would welcome an opportunity to 
sit down with the majority and the Senator from Montana and others, 
whoever they feel necessary, to work something out. We stand ready and 
willing to have that discussion and hopefully to get this thing put 
behind us.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana.
  Mr. BAUCUS. I would add a final point to these remarks; that is, the 
approach I take. As chairman of the Finance Committee, I try not to 
bring up these extenders bills until they have been worked out. With 
sufficient work on both sides, I believe that leaves at least 60 votes 
available, and I hope we can achieve a result quickly.

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