[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 128 (Thursday, September 20, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S6476]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        NEED FOR NEW LEADERSHIP

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, we all understand there is an election 
going on around here in a few months, but I would like to remind my 
colleagues on the other side that we also have a job to do right now. 
We have multiple crisis-level issues to deal with. Yet our Democratic 
friends don't seem to want to do a thing. Never before--never before--
has a President and a Senate done so little to confront challenges so 
great.
  We have a $16 trillion debt. Democrats haven't bothered to pass a 
budget in 3 years. Every single American will get hit with a massive 
tax hike in just 3 months if we don't act to prevent it.
  Democrats are saying we shouldn't do anything about it; just go off 
the cliff. Go off the cliff, and let's see what happens. The defense 
budget is about to suffer automatic cuts that the President's own 
Defense Secretary--the Defense Secretary in this administration--has 
described as devastating. But Democrats can't be bothered to figure out 
a way to avoid them.
  The Middle East is in turmoil. We remain at war in Afghanistan and 
with al-Qaida, and Senate Democrats have not even bothered to pass the 
Defense authorization bill.
  Gas prices have more than doubled over the past 4 years--doubled in 
just 4 years. Democrats responded by conspiring with the President to 
make sure a domestic pipeline didn't get built. They just let the debt 
grow, let taxes go up, let the defense cuts stand, and let gas prices 
get higher and higher. They don't pass a budget, don't pass any 
spending bills, don't do anything that involves making tough choices; 
just sit around and kill time in the hopes that the voters will focus 
on the other guys instead.
  Look, our constituents didn't send us here to watch the clock or to 
offer running commentary on the Senate floor. They sent us here to make 
a difference. We have jobs to do. It is about time we did them. In 
these very challenging times, Americans deserve leadership. Never 
before--never before--has a President and a Senate majority party done 
so little when our challenges were so great. There is no excuse for it.

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