[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 143 (Friday, September 23, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5930-S5931]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             FISCAL CHOICES

  Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the difficult 
fiscal choices we, as Members of Congress, must soon make and the 
deficit-cutting proposals that President Obama has recently made.
  As we discuss these fiscal choices, and as we face our exploding 
debts and deficits, it is clear our Nation is truly at a crossroads. A 
nation that was built on the strength of our people's optimism must 
struggle to overcome a loss of confidence--a loss of confidence that 
comes from an economy that has struggled for far too long, a loss of 
confidence that comes from watching debt and deficits explode, a loss 
of confidence that comes from watching Republicans and Democrats engage 
in a fruitless partisan fight.
  The American people worry about how to get their families out of debt 
and their financial house in order. They worry about finding or keeping 
a job. They worry about how they are going to pay the rent, how they 
are going to take care of their children, how they are going to keep 
clothes on their backs, and how, maybe, they can buy them a Christmas 
present.
  Once again, instead of all of us coming together to do what is right 
for the Nation and lighten their worries, congressional Republicans and 
Democrats alike, and the President, are again gearing up for a fight 
about politics, even as our Nation's fiscal and economic picture gets 
worse every minute.
  Today, we yet again find ourselves on the brink, and I cannot begin 
to explain why to the American people. This summer, they watched us go 
through this exercise--the Senate, the House, and the President--and 
then we agreed on spending cuts to keep the government working. Where I 
come from--the same as the Presiding Officer from the great State of 
Minnesota--your word is your bond, and an agreement is an agreement, 
and it is one that should be kept. It is one we negotiated. It should 
not be changed in midstream. I am committed to passing a clean CR to 
keep our government working until the supercommittee we all are 
supporting comes up with the recommendations to reduce the deficit.
  In the midst of yet another disagreement over whether to keep the 
government running, the people of West Virginia and the American people 
are demanding we put our partisan differences aside and work together 
in the best interests of this country. They are pleading for us to quit 
fighting and worrying about the next election and start worrying about 
the next generation.
  With our Nation facing a death spiral of debt, now is the time that 
each of us should be zeroing in on credible, commonsense solutions that 
have truly bipartisan support.
  After carefully reviewing the President's recommendations to the so-
called supercommittee, I believe they fall short of what this country 
needs to put our fiscal house in order. President Obama's deficit 
recommendations not only fall short of his stated $4.4 trillion goal, 
but could, according to an analysis done by the Center for Responsible 
Federal Budget, have the perverse effect of adding as much as $1.9 
trillion to our Nation's debt.
  I am also greatly concerned about rehashing unproductive 
recommendations such as raising tax rates on small businesses in a 
recession and budget gimmicks such as the notion that taxpayers will 
somehow ``save'' $1.1 trillion from not fighting wars in Afghanistan 
and Iraq--and I believe we should not be there anyway.
  I have said this: On my best day, I cannot sell that to the people of 
West Virginia, nor should we try to sell it to the American people.
  That is not to say that the President's proposal is all bad. There is 
some good stuff in there. I have long said our tax system needs to be 
more fair and balanced and that billionaires such as Mr. Buffett should 
pay their fair share. I appreciate the concept of the Buffett rule and 
look forward to seeing more details. And I agree that one of the best 
investments we all could make is in the infrastructure of this great 
country.

  But as they stand right now, President Obama's proposals are too 
skewed to appeal to both sides of the aisle. So we see what we see 
happening again. If we are being serious about addressing our debt and 
deficits, neither Republicans nor Democrats can propose partisan 
proposals and then pretend they are credible. We cannot do that any 
longer. The American people deserve better, and I also know we can do a 
lot better.
  In my short time in Congress, I have seen only one plan that has 
earned support from Members of both parties. In fact, the President's 
own bipartisan deficit commission--the Bowles-Simpson group--is the 
best example of what can be accomplished if we put politics aside and 
do what is right for our Nation. While no one, including me, will agree 
with everything in the Bowles-Simpson approach, it at least offered a 
commonsense, bipartisan template that would cut spending, restore tax 
fairness, and would help restore fiscal sanity to our Nation.
  To date, it is the only plan that has offered a framework that has 
had bipartisan support from the beginning, and still has it now. But 
instead of this approach, there are many people on both sides of the 
aisle who have chosen a path that all but guarantees that Republicans 
and Democrats will continue to fight over how to solve our fiscal 
problems, instead of seeking common ground and commonsense solutions. 
For the sake of our Nation, for our families, we cannot let this 
happen. We must act, and we must act together.
  Looking ahead to the vigorous debates of the fall, my hope is the 
deficit supercommittee will seize the moment and seek common ground to 
develop a plan that puts our Nation on the right path to fiscal 
accountability. Common sense, to me, is that you would start with a 
plan that already has bipartisan support because it will take both 
sides of the aisle to fix this problem.
  I urge them and the President to look beyond partisan politics and do 
what is right for this country. I continue to urge the committee to 
look past their legal mandate of $1.5 trillion in savings and revenue 
and, instead, look for reforms that will create much broader fairness 
in our system that will lead to deficit reductions of at least $4 
trillion.
  I, for one, will work with the Senate Democrats and Republicans who 
are committed to develop a commonsense debt fix that responsibly 
reduces spending; makes our tax system more fair, cuts waste, fraud, 
and abuse, and

[[Page S5931]]

makes sure we protect critical programs such as Social Security and 
Medicare.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 
the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to 
speak as in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________