[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 166 (Wednesday, December 15, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10237-S10239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             TAX EXTENDERS

  Mr. COBURN. Mr. President, as we look at the bill we are going to be 
voting on today, it is an interesting perspective if you are outside of 
America looking at it. Here is what people are saying. You are going to 
stimulate the economy with a 2-percent reduction in payroll taxes. You 
are not going to raise income tax rates. Then you are going to spend 
another $136 billion. But for all this you are going to borrow the 
money.
  We spent 8 months on a deficit commission addressing the very real 
problems that are about to become acute for our country. I have no 
disregard for those who bring this bill to the floor. But to bring this 
bill to the floor without the opportunity to cut wasteful Washington 
spending to at least pay for the outflows that are going to come as a 
result of this bill, which will be the $136.4 billion I mentioned--
without an opportunity to at least make an effort for the American 
people to see we understand that part of the waste and duplication and 
low priority items that the Federal Government is presently

[[Page S10238]]

enabling to happen--to not offer and have the opportunity to offer a 
way to not charge that to our children and grandchildren denies the 
reality of everybody else in the world that is looking at our country.
  This afternoon, or later this morning, I will be offering an 
amendment that will suspend the rule, including any requirements for 
germaneness, and we will have a vote. We are going to have an amendment 
that cuts $156 billion from the Federal Government to pay for the $136 
billion that is actually going to go out the door in the next 11 or 12 
months. It is not an easy vote. But the world is going to be looking to 
see if we get it.
  Not only are the people in this country disgusted with our actions, 
that we continue to borrow and steal and beg from future generations, 
but the world financial markets are going to see this. You saw the 
reaction of Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, who worked for 8 months 
trying to drive an issue to get us back on course and create a future 
for us that will allow us to control our destiny rather than someone 
else doing it.
  This is just a drop in the bucket--this amendment--to the waste, 
duplication, and the fraud. We are going to run trillion dollar 
deficits as far as the eye can see right now, with no grownups in the 
room to say we are going to quit doing that. We are going to continue 
to do that.
  What are some of the things in this amendment? A congressional pay 
freeze; a cut in the executive branch and congressional budget of 15 
percent; a freeze on the salaries and the size of the Federal 
Government; limiting what the government can spend on planning, travel, 
and new vehicles; selling unneeded and excess Federal property; 
stopping unemployment benefits to people who are millionaires--by the 
way, we are sending unemployment benefits to people who are unemployed 
and have assets in excess of $1 million; collecting unpaid taxes 
currently in excess of $4 billion owed by Federal employees and Members 
of Congress; force consolidation of duplicative programs; preventing 
fraud, taking some of the $100 billion that is defrauded from Medicare 
and Medicaid every year, and preventing that from happening by the FAST 
Act; streamlining defense spending and reducing foreign aid, including 
voluntary excess contributions to the United Nations.
  The people of the world are astounded that we would spend another 
$136 billion and make no attempt to get rid of the excesses, waste, and 
duplication in our Federal Government. Because we are not allowed under 
the regular order to offer amendments--and I understand the purpose for 
that--this amendment will require 67 votes.
  The American people are going to be looking, and they are going to 
say: Does the Senate get it? Do they understand the severity and the 
urgency of the problems that face our fiscal future?
  When the Joint Chiefs of Staff of our entire military say that the 
greatest problem facing America is not our military challenges but our 
debt, it should give us all pause to consider the reality and impact of 
our excess.
  I yield for Senator Chambliss.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Georgia is 
recognized.
  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, I rise to support the amendment offered 
by my good friend from Oklahoma. America is today at a crossroads--a 
crossroads where we have the opportunity as policymakers to go in the 
direction that the people of America said we should go in on November 2 
or to have the opportunity to go down the road of continuing to spend 
money by this body and the body across the Capitol, without paying for 
the money we are spending.
  These amendments are pretty simple and straightforward. What they say 
is that we as policymakers have an obligation to listen to the people 
who sent us here, listen to the people who said, by golly, we don't 
like the way you are running the financial resources that we send to 
Washington. And here we are, the minority leader, Senator McConnell 
just sat down from saying and talking about an omnibus bill that goes 
in the wrong direction--a direction that is totally opposite of what 
the people of America said they wanted on November 2.
  Now we are going to have a vote today on the tax package that, in my 
opinion, is a good package. Only in Washington is a package which says 
that if you continue to tax people at the rate they are being taxed 
today, it adds to the deficit. There is another part to that. There are 
additions to that tax package that do provide for additional spending--
spending that can be paid for, without any feeling on the part of the 
offsets, or the people who are going to be affected by the offsets, as 
Senator Coburn has proposed.
  These amendments make common sense, they make business sense, and 
they certainly make the kind of sense that the people in America want 
us to start reacting to and providing for.
  Mr. President, America's finances are on an unsustainable path, and 
we cannot ignore this fact by continuing to pass legislation that we 
have not paid for.
  The amendments offered by my colleague from Oklahoma, Senator Coburn, 
are an opportunity for this body to act responsibly so that America's 
future prosperity is not stifled by insurmountable debt.
  All of us in this Chamber believe some portion of this bill should be 
paid for. Here is a chance to show we mean just that. These amendments 
provide billions of dollars of savings by eliminating wasteful 
spending, and by consolidating duplicative programs.
  Moreover, these proposals are bipartisan, having been recommended by 
the President's Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. In 
addition, the amendments include ideas put forth by Presidents George 
W. Bush and Barack Obama to terminate certain Federal programs.
  We are all aware of the tepid, seemingly unstable economic recovery 
from the financial crisis of the past few years. Raising taxes in the 
face of high unemployment and volatile economic times would injure what 
slow growth our economy has, in fact, achieved.
  However, despite almost unanimous support for extending the emergency 
unemployment insurance benefits, they are still unpaid for in this 
legislation.
  If we cannot figure out a way to pay for something that nearly 
everyone in this body supports, how will we ever truly address our 
current spending and debt levels? When will we turn and face the 
unavoidable hard choices?
  There is no better time than now. These amendments provide $46 
billion in savings this year, and $156 billion 5 years.
  Much of the savings can be accomplished by cleaning up our own house. 
Specifically, this amendment proposes a congressional pay freeze and a 
15-percent reduction in Congress's budget; a freeze on how much can be 
spent on the salaries for Federal employees and a reduction in the 
number of government bureaucrats; limiting the amount that the 
government can spend on printing, travel and new vehicles; selling 
unneeded and excess Federal property.
  In the interests of strengthening America's financial future, we have 
to make the tough choices. These amendments do just that.
  We must show the American people that we have the good faith, the 
courage, and the will to confront the challenges before us by working 
toward sound fiscal decisionmaking, by managing our debts and paying 
our bills just as millions of American families have to do month after 
month.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. COBURN. Mr. President, I will close with the following comment. 
The Gallup organization came out today with the latest approval rating 
on Congress. Do you know what it is? It is 13 percent. Thirteen percent 
of the people in this country have confidence in what we are doing and 
87 percent do not.
  I side with the 87 percent. I think they have it right. If we 
continue with the omnibus package, and we continue to have our 
earmarks, and we continue to pass expenditures by not reducing 
expenditures elsewhere, it is going to sink even lower.
  What does that really mean, that only 13 percent of the people in 
this country have confidence in us? What it really means is that the 
legitimacy of our positions and our power is in question. Everybody 
recognizes the problems in front of us. The question is, Will you make 
the hard choices and do the tough part to get us out of the problems we 
have? We can no longer borrow money we don't have to spend on things we 
don't need.

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  With that, I yield the floor and welcome the comments of the Senator 
from Indiana.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Indiana.

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