[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 190 (Monday, December 12, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S8470]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              MIDDLE CLASS TAX RELIEF AND JOB CREATION ACT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, later this week Senators will have an 
opportunity to do three big things with a single vote.
  By voting for the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act that 
will soon come over from the House, Senators will be able to extend the 
temporary tax relief working Americans continue to need nearly 3 years 
into this administration, prevent more job losses in the middle of a 
jobs crisis by blocking a new regulation on U.S. manufacturers, and 
facilitate the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs through the 
construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. One vote, three 
accomplishments. That is to say nothing of the other things the bill 
would do such as the doc fix and unemployment insurance.
  My suggestion is that once this legislation comes over from the 
House, we pass it without delay. Based on the merits of the bill, it 
should be a strong bipartisan vote. Nothing could be more bipartisan 
right now than preventing job loss or facilitating the creation of new 
private sector jobs.
  The President has said job creation is his top priority. Here is a 
bill that helps him achieve it without a dime of taxpayer money. The 
President says he wants to extend the payroll tax extension. Here is a 
bill that does it. The President says he wants unemployment insurance 
extended. This bill does that. The President says he wants the two 
parties to compromise. This is it. There is no reason this legislation 
shouldn't have the President's enthusiastic support.
  The only reason--the only reason--for Democrats to oppose this job-
creating bill would be to gain some political advantage at a time when 
every one of them says job creation is a top priority.
  Here is what the junior Senator from West Virginia, a Democrat, had 
to say just today about the pipeline measure contained in the House 
bill:

       I'm for the Keystone Pipeline. All the trade unions, 
     everyone's for it. It creates thousands of jobs.

  I couldn't say it better.
  The House actually had a stand-alone vote on the Keystone XL back in 
July. Forty-seven House Democrats voted for it. I would suggest to my 
friends on the other side that they join with us and close out the year 
on a bipartisan note.
  The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act was written to 
appeal to both parties, and I have yet to hear anyone on the other side 
offer a single good reason for opposing it. So far, the only reason 
Democrats have given for opposing this bill is that they would rather 
extend the payroll tax cut on its own without adding language about a 
pipeline that many of them say they support anyway. So evidently they 
would vote for both these things separately but not together. That 
makes absolutely no sense.
  Look, you are either for this pipeline project and the jobs that 
would come with it or you are not. If you are for it, there is no 
reason to oppose it just because it is not offered as a stand-alone 
measure. That doesn't make any sense.
  It is time to stop the posturing. Here is a bill that contains top 
priorities from both sides. Let's take it up and pass it without any 
more theatrics. Let's pass this job-creating bill and give Americans 
the certainty and the jobs they deserve.
  I yield the floor.

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