[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 151 (Tuesday, October 11, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6361-S6362]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              JOBS AGENDA

  Mr. CORKER. Mr. President, I rise to talk a little bit about the 
conversation we just had on the floor.
  There is no question that in the State of Tennessee and all across 
our country, I think the biggest item on anybody's mind is our economy 
and people having jobs in each of our States.
  I still believe the very best thing we can do to create a sound 
economy is for this deficit committee to do what it needs to do in 
November and December and for us to show the American people we have 
the ability to deal with the big structural issues our country faces. I 
believe that with all my heart.
  I don't think there is a business in our country today that is 
looking for some sugary stimulus bill that will be here and gone, 
leaving us with lots of debt and increased taxes down the road. I 
believe that.
  I guess I am disappointed that again we are in a situation, just as 
we were last Thursday night, where we are really not here to solve 
problems--neither side, candidly--we are here to have some political 
stunt take place.
  I do want to say to my friends on both sides of the aisle that there 
are numbers of people here who have worked hard to get the free-trade 
agreements in the place they need to be, and I think we are all 
expecting them to pass tomorrow. I think all of us who support these 
three free-trade agreements that have been languishing for 995 days--by 
the way, that includes lots of Senators on both sides of the aisle. I 
think what we just heard the leader say--that if we were to get on this 
jobs bill, as he is advocating we get on today, the likelihood of us 
actually taking up these free-trade agreements and passing them 
tomorrow is almost nil. I mean it is not going to happen. We know there 
are people who oppose the free-trade agreements, and I doubt very 
seriously that we are going to see a unanimous consent to move off a 
jobs bill that everyone knows is really for show on to something that 
is serious, such as the free-trade agreements that some people oppose.

  So I have had lots of conversations with Senators on both sides of 
the aisle over the course of the last 72 hours regarding the need for 
us to have a real

[[Page S6362]]

debate on jobs. I hope that at some point we will actually have a real 
debate on a real jobs bill that people really want to pass. I would say 
that to make that happen, that would actually mean the Republican 
leader and the Democratic leader would actually have to sit down and 
craft a piece of legislation on which there is common ground. Of 
course, that is not what is happening, and we know that. And for all of 
us who have things we have done in life that are productive, and we 
have chosen to come serve our country in this way--we have the ability 
to be productive in other ways--for all of us to come up here and to 
watch this continual charade taking place in this body is 
disappointing. It burns up a lot of time, and we accomplish nothing for 
the American people.
  So, candidly, I want to have a debate on jobs. I know that, again, 
moving to the jobs bill tonight would negate the opportunity for the 
only thing we could do recently to actually create jobs, which is 
passing these three free-trade agreements, and what they will do is 
enhance American manufacturers' ability to make and sell things 
overseas, enhance farmers across our country and their ability to sell 
their goods overseas. It is a one-way positive street for us because 
these countries already have low trade tariff barriers in our own 
country. So it lowers those barriers for us into their country.
  I am going to vote against proceeding to the jobs bill. I am 
disappointed that we cannot do things--we know we have a Republican 
House, and we know that to pass something that is good for this 
country, it requires a negotiation between all of the players. So each 
time we bring up these bills that are totally crafted in partisan ways, 
we know all we are doing is wasting time.
  I do have one glimmer of hope; that is, this deficit reduction 
committee. The fact is that this committee was put together with six 
Republicans and six Democrats, so this committee has the ability to do 
some things that no one can blame the other side for. I mean we are 
talking about something that is totally split.
  I will say one other thing. This committee was put together and 
solely conceived by leadership in the Senate and the House. So we had 
four people, the leaders of the House and Senate, who conceived of this 
supercommittee, and they are the ones who appointed the members to this 
supercommittee. They decided who the members of this committee were 
going to be. They set it up purposefully so that it was equally 
balanced--six and six. Candidly, the success of this committee is 
totally in the hands of our leadership. So it appears to me that for 
the first time in a long time, we actually have within leadership's 
hands totally the ability to pass something that is great for our 
country, and anything short of getting to the $1.5 trillion that is 
laid out in this legislation is totally a failure.
  What I am sure of is that since this was totally set up in a 
bipartisan way by leadership on the Republican and Democratic side in 
both the House and Senate and they choose the members, there is no 
question in my mind that this is going to be successful or, candidly, 
be viewed by many as a failure--failure of leadership, candidly. So I 
am certain we are going to get to $1.5 trillion, and I am hopeful, as 
are a number of Republicans and Democrats within the Senate--I think we 
have a list of over 40--that we are actually going to get to a $3 
trillion reduction in the deficit, that we are going to go big or, as 
some have said, we end up with something that is qualitatively equal to 
that. Many of us know that trying to get $3 trillion in savings over a 
10-year period might be difficult. I still hope it happens. I still 
think it can happen. I think there are numbers of people in this body 
who have worked to make that happen.
  But some people have said: Well, maybe we can get some major reforms 
to Medicare and other kinds of programs in the second 10, and maybe 
qualitatively that is equally as good. I am certainly willing to look 
as one Senator at all of those things. It is a waste of time to be 
bringing up totally partisan bills in this body, knowing that to become 
law they have to pass the House of Representatives, which means anybody 
who brings up something in this body today that is totally partisan 
knows that in advance. That is discouraging to me, discouraging to 
waste time talking about something we know is never going to become law 
for campaigns for House Members, Senate Members, and the President to 
run on.
  But at least I am hopeful that in November and December we are going 
to have something big happen because, again, this is totally in the 
hands of bipartisan leadership, who totally appointed the Members, who 
totally are working with this group.
  Again, Mr. President, to me, that is the best stimulus we can 
possibly create for this country. It is for small businesses and big 
businesses, for Republicans and Democrats all across this country to 
see that this body actually has the ability to do something to create 
some stability in this country and actually tackle the No. 1 issue that 
can continue to dissipate our country's standard of living, which is 
our inability to deal with debt.
  To me, that is the greatest job stimulus we can deal with. There are 
all kinds of regulatory issues and American energy issues and others 
that, to me, we can take up in a true jobs bill. It is my hope we will 
do that soon. All I had to hear today, in addition to knowing this is a 
partisan effort which, again, I hate to see ever taking place on this 
floor--the fact is, for any Senator who wants to see the three free-
trade agreements that have been languishing, any Senator on the 
Democratic side, any Senator on the Republican side who wants to see 
the three free-trade agreements passed into law tomorrow as has been 
planned, anybody who wants to see that happen must vote no on the jobs 
bill being debated because, as the majority leader stated today, if we 
begin to debate the jobs bill, that means we cannot, without unanimous 
consent--which we know will not happen in this body--pivot and go to 
the trade agreements.
  In addition to the fact that I know this is not a serious effort--
although I would love to debate jobs--and the fact that I know if we 
get on this bill we cannot pass these free-trade agreements in time, I 
certainly plan to vote no on proceeding to them and hope at a date when 
we want to take up a true jobs bill, we will have a vigorous debate in 
this body and actually have the ability to pass something that will 
create jobs.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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