[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 148 (Wednesday, October 5, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S6146]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         VOTE ON THE JOBS BILL

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, for the past 3 weeks President Obama 
has been racing around the country trying to rally public support for a 
second stimulus bill and demanding that Congress pass it right away. 
The President has not been demanding that Congress debate the bill or 
be allowed to amend the bill. He has demanded in no uncertain terms 
that we hold a vote on the bill as it is, right away.
  A couple weeks ago in Denver, the President said he has the pens all 
ready, lined up on his desk, ready to sign the bill into law. Just 
yesterday in Texas, he called on Congress to put the bill up for a vote 
so the entire country knows exactly where every Member of Congress 
stands. One of the President's top advisers, David Axelrod, summed up 
the President's position this way: ``We want them to act now on this 
package,'' David Axelrod said. ``We're not in negotiations to break up 
the package. It's not an a la carte menu.''
  So yesterday I tested the President's rhetoric. I proposed that we do 
exactly what he wants and vote right away on this second stimulus bill 
he has proposed as the supposed solution to our jobs crisis. And the 
Democrats blocked it. In other words, the President's own party is the 
only obstacle to having a vote on his so-called jobs bill. Now I 
understand our Democratic friends want to jettison entire parts of the 
bill altogether, not to make it more effective at growing jobs, not to 
grow bipartisan support. No, they want to overhaul the bill to sharpen 
its political edge. So my suggestion to the White House is that if the 
President wants to keep traveling around the country demanding a vote 
on this second stimulus, he focus his criticism on Democrats, not 
Republicans, because they are the ones who are now standing in the way 
of an immediate vote on this legislation.
  But, of course, the President knew as well as I did that many 
Democrats in Congress do not like the bill any more than Republicans 
do. Despite his rhetoric, he knew Republicans were not the only 
obstacle, which means one thing: The President is not engaged right now 
in a good-faith effort to spur the economy or create jobs through 
legislation. He is engaged in a reelection campaign. By the way, the 
election is not until 14 months from now.
  Madam President, 1.7 million Americans have lost jobs since the 
President signed his first stimulus, and his idea of a solution is to 
propose another one. Even Democrats know it is a nonstarter, which is 
why so many of them do not want to have to vote for it. That is what we 
all witnessed here in the Senate yesterday.
  It is time the President put an end to this charade. Stop campaigning 
for a bill written in a way to guarantee it will not pass and work with 
us on the kind of job-creating legislation both parties can agree on, 
things such as the trade bills, rolling back overburdensome 
regulations, domestic energy production, and tax reform. Republicans 
are ready to act on any and all of those issues.

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