[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 53 (Wednesday, April 2, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2043-S2044]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              MINIMUM WAGE FAIRNESS ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 250.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the motion.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 250, S. 1737, a bill to 
     provide for an increase in the Federal minimum wage and to 
     amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend increased 
     expensing limitations and the treatment of certain real 
     property as section 179 property.


                                Schedule

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, following my remarks and those of the 
Republican leader, the Senate will resume consideration of H.R. 3979, 
which is the legislative vehicle for the Unemployment Insurance 
Extension bill, with the time until 10 a.m. equally divided and 
controlled. The filing deadline is 9:30 a.m. today.
  At 10 a.m. there will be a cloture vote on the Reed amendment. 
Additional votes are expected throughout the day. Senators will be 
notified when they are scheduled.


          Measures Placed on the Calendar--S. 2198 and S. 2199

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, there are two bills at the desk due for a 
second reading.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will read the bills by 
title for the second time.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 2198) to direct the Secretary of the Interior, 
     the Secretary of Commerce, and the Administrator of the 
     Environmental Protection Agency to take actions to provide 
     additional water supplies and disaster assistance to the 
     State of California and other Western States due to drought, 
     and for other purposes.
       A bill (S. 2199) to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 
     1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of 
     discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex, 
     and for other purposes.

  Mr. REID. I would object to any further proceedings to both of these 
matters at this time.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Objection having been heard, the 
measures will be placed on the calendar.


                              House Budget

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, in what has become an annual frustration for 
the American people, the tea party-controlled House Budget Committee 
released its budget proposal yesterday. This budget is frustrating for 
Americans because it doesn't reflect what they envision for this 
Nation. In fact, the Ryan budget more closely resembles the wants of 
the multibillionaire Koch brothers than it does a pattern for helping 
America.
  For those who haven't seen the prequels; that is, the newest budget 
proposal, it is the same old story, and it is a story of broken 
promises--of broken promises to our children, to our seniors, and to 
our families.
  To our children we have promised we will protect and provide for 
them, safeguarding them during the vulnerable years of childhood and 
adolescence--at least try to do everything we can to help them. Yet by 
repealing the expansion of health care to millions of Americans by 
cutting Medicaid by $1.5 trillion, the Ryan-Koch budget tells our 
Nation's children they are on their own.

[[Page S2044]]

  We must provide for our children by supplying the tools they need to 
succeed--most importantly, a quality education. But evidently House 
Republicans don't see the need for us to invest in education because 
their budget slashes tens of billions of dollars in funding for schools 
and rolls back Federal financial aid to college students.
  The Koch-Ryan budget breaks the promise to seniors we have had in 
existence since the Great Depression. It would be the end of Medicare 
as we know it. Health insurance premiums for seniors would skyrocket as 
would their prescription costs.
  Finally, a Ryan-Koch budget breaks a promise to every American family 
that we in the Federal Government have given them; that by working hard 
and playing by the rules, they can get ahead. That isn't what the Ryan-
Koch budget would allow.
  What do the Republicans propose to do with this money they cut from 
Medicare, Medicaid, and education? They will create more tax breaks for 
corporations and the wealthy, but it is more than that. It is some of 
the things not written--these holes in the budget that we have heard 
before. We know they want to whack Social Security. They are just 
afraid to put it in writing. The Koch budget would cut the corporate 
tax rate to 25 percent and lower the top individual tax rate for 
America's highest earners.
  I guess what I would say to the House Budget Committee and all the 
House Members--Democrats and Republicans--isn't $80 billion personal 
wealth of the Koch brothers enough? I think most everyone would say, 
yes, it is enough, but not the Koch brothers. They want more. They are 
the richest people in the world. Individually they are only fifth, but 
put them together and they are the richest in the world.
  Under this budget I have talked about, middle-class families would 
pay about $2,000 a year more in taxes, but the rich would pay less. 
Democrats believe in growing the economy from the middle out, but the 
Republicans are still trapped in the trickle-down economics based on 
handouts to the superwealthy and special interests.
  Perhaps the Ryan-Koch budget is summarized best by the Center on 
Budget and Policy Priorities' Robert Greenstein: ``More poverty and 
less opportunity.'' That is what their budget is all about: more 
poverty, less opportunity.
  So whether it is current law such as the Affordable Care Act or much 
needed legislation such as comprehensive immigration reform or an 
overhaul of the tax system, I ask my Republican colleagues to work with 
us for a better America.


                  Recognition of the Republican Leader

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Republican leader is 
recognized.


                       Delivering Real Prosperity

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the Democratic majority led us to 
believe the Senate would be discussing jobs this week, but it seemed to 
be a pretty one-sided discussion.
  Republican Senators came to the floor to talk about our innovative 
ideas to create jobs and grow opportunity for all Americans. As for 
Senate Democrats though--well, they wouldn't even stand to call for 
votes on the jobs proposals.
  I think this reflects a growing divide in the Senate between a 
Republican Party focused on the middle class and a Democratic Party 
that is obsessed with November 4.
  That is very disappointing for America. The American people need two 
serious political parties in this country. But at least our 
constituents can be assured of one thing: Republicans are laser-focused 
on delivering real prosperity to the families who have struggled so 
much in this economy. It is the impetus behind basically everything we 
do, and it is the impetus behind the numerous jobs proposals Republican 
Senators are rolling out this week.
  For instance, several Republican Senators will take to the floor 
again today to talk about energy's potential for driving growth and 
American job creation and why the government needs to stop holding 
Americans back from sharing in the energy boom. I also plan to join and 
discuss my own amendment that would fight back against the President's 
war on coal jobs. I am looking forward to that colloquy.

  But right now I wish to talk about another jobs proposal Senator Paul 
and I have again introduced: national right-to-work legislation. It 
would allow American workers to choose whether they would like to join 
a union, and it would protect the worker from getting fired if she 
would rather not subsidize a union boss who fails to represent her 
concerns and priorities. It is such a commonsense proworker proposal. 
According to one survey, about 80 percent of union workers agree that 
employees should be able to decide whether joining a union is right for 
them. One obvious benefit is increased take-home pay for workers who 
choose to keep the hundreds of dollars that would otherwise be taken 
from their paychecks by union bosses. There is a huge opportunity 
component here as well, because most unions operate on a seniority 
system with pay raises often based off the amount of time the worker 
has spent at a company rather than on her performance. Well, I think an 
American worker deserves an opportunity to earn more money if she works 
hard. I think she deserves the opportunity to rise through the ranks 
and put more money in her pocket if she is determined to do it. That is 
real paycheck fairness.
  These are bedrock American values--core workers rights that should 
never be denied to our constituents, especially in a terrible economy 
such as this one. Many of Kentucky's neighboring States have gone 
right-to-work with great success, and I hope Kentucky will join them 
soon. I recently read an op-ed that laid out how much we could have 
gained over the last decade if we had. It noted that private sector 
jobs have grown about 15.3 percent in right-to-work States compared to 
just 6.9 percent in Kentucky; manufacturing had expanded three times 
faster in right-to-work States and compensation had grown about 14.2 
percent compared to just 4.3 percent in Kentucky.
  So I am encouraged by the members of Kentucky's legislature who 
continue to fight for right-to-work legislation. Kentuckians shouldn't 
be subjected to that kind of prosperity gap any longer, and neither 
should millions of other Americans struggling across our country. I 
believe they should have a more equal chance of finding work in every 
State, and they should no longer see their communities failing to 
secure new investment because their State hasn't passed right-to-work. 
That is just one more reason why I believe in our national legislation 
too.
  So I am asking our Democratic friends to join Senator Paul and me in 
standing up for workers rights and a stronger middle class to join us 
in passing right-to-work legislation.
  Let's be honest. After more than 5 years of economic misery under 
their watch, that is the least Washington Democrats can do for the 
American people. Unfortunately, I suspect we will hear a lot of excuses 
instead about why Washington Democrats cannot or won't stand with us in 
this fight. No matter what they say, though, the American people will 
know the truth: It is because big labor bosses have such sway over 
today's Democratic Party and because big labor bosses aren't about to 
give up their perks or their vise grip over American workers.
  Well, big labor bosses should know that Republicans are determined to 
fight for American workers, American jobs, and a stronger middle class, 
even if the bosses work against us every step of the way. Right-to-work 
is a smart way to get America on the path to real recovery, and it is 
critical to empowering workers and giving them more freedom.
  I commend Senator Paul for his leadership on this legislation and for 
his long-time advocacy on this issue. I hope our colleagues on the 
other side of the aisle will prove me wrong by working together to pass 
important job initiatives such as right-to-work for the American 
people.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.


                       Reservation of Leader Time

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the 
leadership time is reserved.

                          ____________________