[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 27 (Tuesday, February 26, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S847-S848]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             SEQUESTRATION

  Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, one of my colleagues recently said 
something that, after a week at home with my constituents, I am sure we 
are all feeling. Referring to the across-the-board cuts from 
sequestration that are just days from going into effect, he said: 
``When it's in your State or your backyard, it's devastating.'' I think 
that is exactly right. They would be devastating for our families, our 
national defense, and our economy.
  But these cuts can be avoided if Congress comes together on a 
balanced replacement. We should replace the sequestration in a balanced 
way, and then we should move forward on a fair, comprehensive budget 
deal that provides certainty for our families and businesses.
  I know my constituents in Washington State want to see a deal because 
if we are unable to find a fair replacement for sequestration, 
everything, from our military bases to our schools, is going to be 
affected. Twenty-nine thousand local civilian defense employees could 
be furloughed. Thousands of Washington students could lose access to 
Head Start services and basic education resources. One thousand workers 
cleaning up dangerous nuclear material at the Hanford nuclear site 
could be furloughed for weeks. And Washington State's military bases 
could face hundreds of millions in cuts to crucial areas such as new 
aircraft acquisition, research and development, flying hours, and ship 
operations.
  We are days away from allowing these kinds of impacts to begin in 
every one of our home States. We never should have reached this point, 
but there is no denying that we have. We are days away from 
sequestration because my Republican colleagues continue to insist that 
while it is fine to cut programs that families and communities depend 
on, the wealthiest Americans shouldn't have to make any further 
contributions to deficit reduction.
  The last few years have been very difficult ones for bipartisanship, 
but I truly believe all of us know there is a smarter way to reduce our 
debt and deficit. We can do better than throwing up our hands and 
permitting these across-the-board cuts to go into effect. And we know 
the American people deserve better.
  That is exactly why Democrats have put forward a credible, 
responsible plan to replace sequestration. Our legislation builds on 
the precedent set in the yearend deal, and it is in line with the 
balanced approach the American people favor. It would replace half of 
the first year of sequestration with responsible spending cuts and half 
of it with revenue from those who can afford it the most. Our bill 
calls on the wealthiest Americans to pay at least the same marginal tax 
rate on their income as our middle-income families pay, and it would 
eliminate needless tax breaks for oil and gas companies and companies 
shipping jobs overseas. At the same time, our replacement package would 
make responsible cuts. Our bill would eliminate direct payments to 
farmers which have been paid out even during good times and for crops 
farmers weren't even growing. As the drawdown from Afghanistan is 
completed, our bill will make adjustments to our military that are in 
line with a strong 21st-century strategy.
  Our legislation meets the Republicans halfway. It will protect 
families and communities we represent from slower economic growth, 
fewer jobs, and weakened national defense. It would allow us to move 
past sequestration toward working on a fair, comprehensive budget deal 
that provides certainty for American businesses and families.
  My Republican colleagues will say that the yearend deal closed the 
door on using revenue to bring down the deficit. They will say that all 
we need is spending cuts. That is not how the American people see it. 
More than a month after the yearend deal, 76 percent of Americans and 
56 percent of Republicans favored a combination of spending cuts and 
revenue increases to reduce our deficit. House Republicans have put 
forward a plan that does the exact opposite. They passed a bill--last 
Congress, I might add--that would replace only the automatic defense 
cuts. It would force struggling, hard-working families and seniors to 
bear the burden of deficit reduction. Their bill didn't even include a 
penny of new revenue, and it is unclear if it would even be able to 
pass the House this Congress if they brought it up for a vote.

  What the House Republicans offered, in other words, was more of the 
same extreme and partisan approach that has led American families and 
our economy from one crisis to another crisis to another. It is what we 
saw actually when Republicans held up funding for the Federal Aviation 
Administration, stalling airport construction projects and putting tens 
of thousands of workers' jobs at risk. It is what we saw during the 
debt ceiling debate when tea party Republicans held our economy 
hostage, fighting for fiscal policies that economists across the 
spectrum said were hugely irresponsible. It is what we saw less than 2 
months ago when Republicans waited until the very last minute to 
protect 98 percent of Americans from income tax hikes.
  This strategy, which puts a wrongheaded ideology above American 
families and our economy, just doesn't work. And Republicans' latest 
strategy--to just let sequester happen--is even worse. In fact, as tea 
party Republicans in the House cheer on the sequester, here is what is 
being produced by companies in States all across the country. This is 
called a ``warn notice,'' but that is just Washington-talk for what it 
really is. It is a layoff notice or a furlough notice. If Republicans 
choose to block a balanced approach to replace the sequester, this is 
what is going to begin arriving in a matter of days at the doorsteps of 
workers in our country. This piece of paper, which looks like this, is 
going to spell serious economic setbacks for our families, for their 
ability to send their kids to college, and for the economy of their 
communities. This will be the consequence of Republicans' complete 
unwillingness today to compromise.

  I think we can all agree our workers should not have to worry about 
political posturing, putting their jobs at risk. Businesses should not 
have to think about elected officials holding the economy hostage to 
advance extreme ideology. And families should not have to wonder one 
month what their paychecks will look like the next month, just because 
of a debate here in Washington, DC.
  So I wish to ask my Republican colleagues to seriously--seriously--
consider our proposal. Replacing the sequester with evenly divided 
spending cuts and revenues--a balanced approach that Americans 
support--would put us on a path to end this pattern of governing by 
crisis for all our constituents. That will allow us to get to work

[[Page S848]]

on a long-term budget agreement that is fair to the middle class, that 
gets our debt and deficit under control, and reflects the values and 
priorities of the American people.
  The American people want a balanced deal. They want us to manage our 
finances. They want us to put together a budget and move forward. We 
want to do that. We want to get out of this ``crisis by crisis.'' The 
program we are offering to replace the sequester for this year will 
allow us to get back to that process and begin to manage our country in 
a better way.
  So I hope our Republican colleagues join us in this and help us move 
to a place where we can assure the American public that we do care 
about their future and their finances and the fragile economy we are 
now facing.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.

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