[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 135 (Tuesday, September 13, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5509-S5510]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE PRESIDENT'S JOBS SPEECH

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I listened carefully to the statement 
made by the Republican leader. I noticed that for the last few days the 
Republicans have been very quiet and calm and circumspect in their 
reaction to the President's speech to a joint session of Congress last 
Thursday night. The President, of course, came to us and said this 
economy needs a helping hand; we have to step in and do something. We 
have to act and act now. He came up with a list of proposals Thursday 
night that I think really do address what America needs: First and 
foremost, to create jobs--that is the No. 1 priority. The President 
says we will do this by creating tax incentives for small businesses in 
particular to hire people who have been unemployed and to give raises 
to those who currently work.

  He knows families are struggling across America, working families, 
middle-class families. Many of them are living paycheck to paycheck. A 
recent poll asked working families in America how many could come up 
with $2,000 in 30 days, either from savings or borrowing, to meet a 
medical emergency, for example. It turns out barely half of the working 
American families polled can do so. Barely half of them could come up 
with $2,000. It is a reminder to many of us who have a comfortable life 
that the vast majority of working families struggle every single month 
to make ends meet. President Obama understands that, and that is why he 
has proposed a payroll tax cut that will put more money in the hands of 
working families. In Illinois, it will be an average of about $1,400 a 
year. I wish it were more, but it is a recognition by the President 
that to get this economy moving again, people have to have more 
confidence in their own situation at home and more confidence in the 
future. Giving working families this spending power can make that 
difference.
  The President also understands and I am sure the Presiding Officer 
understands as well that many of the families who are unemployed now 
are desperate. I visited with many of them during the August recess, 
going to the Elgin Work Center and to others in McHenry County. I sat 
down with these people who have been out of work for months--some even 
years--and asked them: What is your day like? They come to these job 
centers, they sit down, and they work on their resumes. They pore 
through all of the want ads, they pore through all of the information 
about people seeking new employees, and they send out their resumes as 
quickly as possible. Of course, very few of them get any response at 
all.
  It is a desperate situation. Some of them have lost their homes. Some 
of them are seeing their kids returning from college, unable to 
continue their studies because Dad is out of work. Some of the 
marriages that have been involved have been strained and some have 
failed because of this economic hardship. The President understands 
that, and I hope we do too.
  Unemployment compensation is absolutely essential as a lifeline to 
these families, and the President makes that part of his package.
  When I hear the Republican leader call these suggestions a 
hodgepodge, I don't think he is fair and I don't think he is just. Take 
a look at the specifics: incentives for businesses to hire new workers, 
payroll tax cuts for working families for more spending money in hand, 
unemployment compensation for those who are out of work so they can 
survive.
  The President also focuses on critical people. How many of us in the 
last 48 hours have given a speech somewhere at home or here talking 
about the great first responders of 9/11? The policemen, the 
firefighters, the medical professionals who literally risked and some 
even gave their lives in response to that national emergency. We know 
what is happening across America. Many of these policemen and 
firefighters are losing their jobs, along with teachers. The President 
understands that, and he puts resources into saving some of those jobs 
so that we can have the protection we need in our communities and the 
teachers we need for the next generation of workers.
  President Obama believes, and I agree, that we need to invest in 
America. When we build the infrastructure in America that will serve us 
in the 21st century, we create good-paying jobs right here at home. 
These are not jobs you can ship overseas. President Obama understands 
that. That is why that is a major part of his proposal. We are talking 
about highways and bridges and airports and ports and waterways and 
schools. The President understands that investment in America not only 
helps us today in invigorating the economy but will pay off for 
generations to come.
  There were very few lines the President gave at his speech that drew 
standing applause from the Republican side. I felt at one point that 
the temperature of the Republican side of the aisle in the House 
Chamber was 40 degrees below that on the Democratic side. It was cold 
over there. There was one line they finally acknowledged, and that was 
when the President said: For goodness' sake, we owe it to our veterans 
who have come home to put them to work. To know that 10 percent of 
those people who risked their lives for America are now back home and 
in unemployment lines is absolutely unacceptable, and President Obama 
recognizes that in what he has called for to get this economy moving 
forward.
  I don't think the Republican leader is fair in calling this a 
hodgepodge. It is

[[Page S5510]]

a carefully constructed plan to get this economy moving forward. What 
really troubles the Republican leader--and I know he said as much this 
morning--is that President Obama pays for it. Over and over, we hear 
from the Republican side: Don't add to the deficit. Pay for what you 
do.
  The President came out yesterday with his proposal of how to pay for 
it. How does he pay for it? For one, he takes away the subsidy to the 
oil companies. There is a Federal subsidy that comes out of the 
Treasury and goes to oil companies across America, raises gasoline 
prices through the roof, making them able to enjoy the biggest business 
profits in the history of the United States. Isn't it time to cut back 
on that subsidy and use those resources for the President's plan to get 
the economy moving forward?
  The President limits the tax deductions and credits for those in 
higher income categories. I find it hard to understand why the 
Republican position is that we cannot ask those who are well off, the 
most comfortable people in America, to pay one penny more in taxes. 
Their position is absolute: not one penny more in taxes for the 
wealthiest in America. I think it is fair to limit the tax cuts to the 
wealthiest so that we can provide tax cuts for working families. That 
is sensible. It is not only morally right, it is economically right, 
and it troubles me when I hear the Republican leader reject that out of 
hand.
  It appears that the warmth of the August Sun is cooling now in 
September, and those who went home and heard how unhappy America is 
with congressional roadblocks and obstruction have forgotten that 
lesson. They have forgotten what they heard. They are coming back now 
and saying that once again we are going to have a face-off and a 
confrontation.

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