[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 191 (Tuesday, December 13, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8493-S8494]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            WORKING TOGETHER

  Mr. REID. Madam President, in the last month, Republican leaders have 
repeated this mantra over and over: We support a payroll tax cut for 
working families. But we have not seen any proof of this yet. It has 
only been talk.
  Senate Republicans have twice voted down their own payroll tax 
proposal, and House Republicans were unable to bring their plan to a 
vote for weeks. We understand they are going to have a run at that 
tonight.
  I have served in the House of Representatives. When I served in the 
House of Representatives, no one would ever consider pushing something 
through with a majority of the majority. When I served there, Bob 
Michel was the Republican leader, Tip O'Neill was the Speaker, Jim 
Wright was the majority leader and the Speaker, and they always worked 
together on a bipartisan basis to get legislation passed. It is only a 
new thing that now the Republicans are saying: We are not going to pass 
anything unless we can do it on our own. That is unfortunate.
  I spoke to the Speaker yesterday. I have the highest regard for him. 
I consider him a friend. But I said to him, as seriously as I could, we 
are not going to finish the work for our country this year unless we 
work together. You cannot pass anything in the House unless you get 
Democratic votes because anything you pass with strictly Republican 
votes fails over here; and over

[[Page S8494]]

here we cannot pass anything unless we get Republican votes. It is a 
fact of life.
  We have issues we have to complete this year. So we have to 
understand, as I explained to the Speaker yesterday, we are going to 
have to do this together. We cannot magically say 53 Democrats are 
going to pass something here. In the House, even though the Republicans 
have a majority, they know we have a bicameral legislature, and they 
have to get something passed over here also.

  I am very disappointed in what the Speaker has done to get a vote 
over there that he thinks will pass. He keeps adding ideological candy 
to the proposal. Last week, they were supposed to have a vote. At that 
time, they could not get the Republican votes to do it. I suggested 
they go to either the former Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, or Steny Hoyer, the 
minority leader over there--I do not know the exact title--but the two 
leaders, Pelosi and Hoyer, and the suggestion was turned down.
  This ideological candy they have added to this bill to get 
rebellious, rank-and-file Republicans on board is not going to sell 
over here.
  They recently added a provision to fast-track the controversial 
pipeline proposal attractive to the tea party, which is not opposed by 
President Obama. It is not opposed by him. He is saying this is such a 
big deal that, for example, the State of Nebraska feels it would--
unless there are some major changes made--badly damage that most 
important aquifer we have in that part of the country. In fact, it is 
probably the biggest, most important one we have anyplace in the 
country.
  So as was announced yesterday by the Secretary of State, she said: If 
the Republicans are trying to push this on me, I cannot make a decision 
in 3 months. That is what the legislation calls for. If they do that, I 
will have to turn it down. The Secretary of State has said that in 
writing.
  In effect, as some have said, what they are trying to do is kill the 
hostage. The hostage is the Keystone Pipeline. If they push this 
through, it is bound and doomed to failure.
  But to tell everyone where they are coming from--they, the 
Republicans--Jim Jordan, who is a Republican Congressman, said about 
the Keystone Pipeline:

       Frankly, the fact that the President doesn't like it makes 
     me like it even more.

  I repeat, the President has not said he does not like it. But as a 
result of what has happened in Nebraska and other places along that 
pipeline, there are some major studies that need to go forward.
  President Obama and the Democrats in the Senate have already declared 
the House legislation dead on arrival. Yet--after weeks of delay--
Republicans are going to vote on it tonight. They are wasting time 
catering to the tea party folks over there, when they should be working 
with us on a bipartisan package that can pass both Houses. We have 
offered solutions--serious, good-faith proposals with bipartisan 
support.
  If Republicans continue to block these reasonable plans to cut taxes 
for 160 million workers, there, of course, will be consequences. 
Middle-class Americans will notice when they open their paychecks in 
January they will have less money to spend, and they will have 
Republicans in Congress to blame--no one else.
  Also, for the third time in 2 weeks, Senate Republicans have 
filibustered a qualified nominee, one of the President's nominees.
  Last night, they blocked confirmation of Mari Aponte to serve as 
Ambassador to El Salvador--the job she already has. She has done it 
well for 15 months. She has finalized an important international 
anticrime agreement with the people of El Salvador and forged a strong 
partnership with El Salvador in many different areas during her time as 
Ambassador.
  I hope the Republicans will come to their senses before her term 
expires at the end of the year and approve this good woman.
  I had a Republican Senator come to me after the vote and say he 
believed Republicans wanted to vote for her, and he was glad I moved to 
reconsider the vote. I hope that, in fact, is the case.
  Last week, Republicans blocked the nomination of Richard Cordray to 
serve as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau--the Consumer 
Financial Protection Bureau. Mr. Cordray has a record of protecting 
consumers from predatory lenders.
  Two days before that, Republicans blocked the nomination of Caitlin 
Halligan to be on the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. She is an 
exceptionally well-qualified person, with a great resume, an 
exceptional legal mind. She was blocked.
  All three nominees were qualified. All three had bipartisan support. 
All three were committed, enthusiastic public servants. Yet Republicans 
opposed their nominations for one purely partisan reason: to deal a 
blow to President Obama.
  This kind of Republican obstructionism has, unfortunately, become 
very commonplace. But it also has consequences, and Republicans aiming 
to hurt the President have once again harmed our country instead.

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