[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 20, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S253-S254]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              THE ECONOMY

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, tonight the President of the United States 
will lay out his agenda for the year, but unfortunately it sounds as if 
much of it will be a rehash of the same stale, top-down ideas Democrats 
have been trotting out for the past 6 years: more taxes, more spending, 
more regulation--in other words, more government. If Democrats could 
sum up their agenda in one phrase, it would be ``government knows 
best.'' But the past 6 years have very clearly demonstrated that 
government does not know best. The past 6 years of the Obama economy 
have not been kind to American families.
  It is time for new ideas. It is time to change the focus from 
building up government to building up people. Americans need more jobs, 
better wages, and lower costs for health care, education, and energy, 
and the Republicans' priority is meeting those challenges. We want to 
rebuild the economy from the ground up and increase economic 
opportunity for every American.

[[Page S254]]

  Tonight the President will talk about helping middle-class families, 
and Republicans are pleased to see the President pivoting back to 
middle-class concerns--something Republicans have never looked away 
from. We hope President Obama is serious about wanting to work with 
Republicans to address the challenges facing the middle class, but it 
is a little hard to take the President seriously when he is talking 
about helping middle-class families while simultaneously issuing veto 
threats for bills that would benefit them.
  Within the past 2 weeks, the President has issued veto threats for 
two bills that would help create jobs for middle-class families--a bill 
to fix ObamaCare's 30-hour workweek provision, which is affecting 
employees' hours and wages, and a bill to approve the Keystone 
Pipeline. The House passed both of these bills earlier this month, and 
the Senate is currently in the process of considering the Keystone 
legislation. If it weren't for the President's veto threat, Keystone XL 
could be approved in the next few weeks, but thanks to the President, 
the future of the pipeline is still in doubt.
  The Keystone XL Pipeline is supported by bipartisan majorities in 
both Houses of Congress. Six of the Senate Keystone bill's original 
sponsors are Democrats. The American people support the pipeline. 
Unions--a traditionally Democratic constituency--support the pipeline 
because their members want the jobs the pipeline would create. In fact, 
a number of unions sent letters just this month reiterating their 
support for the pipeline.
  This is what James P. Hoffa, president of the International 
Brotherhood of Teamsters, said:

       The Teamsters Union continues to believe that the Keystone 
     XL pipeline will contribute to enhanced energy security, 
     economic prosperity, and, of critical importance, the 
     creation of good-paying jobs.

  Those aren't Republican talking points; that is a letter from James 
Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
  Edwin D. Hill, president of the International Brotherhood of 
Electrical Workers, said something similar:

       At a time when job creation should be a top priority, the 
     Keystone XL Pipeline project will put Americans back to work 
     and have ripple benefits throughout the economy. During 
     construction the project is expected to support at least 
     42,000 jobs and contribute $3.4 billion to the U.S. Gross 
     Domestic Product.

  Again, that is from Edwin D. Hill, president of the International 
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
  Yet, despite all this support, President Obama is willing to turn his 
back on American workers to appease the only people who seem to oppose 
the pipeline; that is, members of the far-left environmental wing of 
the Democratic Party.
  Over the years, the President has offered various excuses for why he 
is not yet ready to approve the pipeline. He has cited environmental 
concerns. The only problem with that, of course, is that the 
President's own State Department has stated the project will have 
minimal impact on the environment. The President has also cited the 
court case over the pipeline's Nebraska route as a reason for waiting 
on the pipeline approval. Well, as of a week and a half ago that excuse 
is gone. The Nebraska Supreme Court has now upheld the pipeline's 
route. The administration responded by reiterating the President's veto 
threat.
  President Obama has tried to minimize the impact of the pipeline 
delays by diminishing the importance of the jobs the pipeline would 
create. He has repeatedly mentioned that most of the jobs the pipeline 
would create would be temporary. Well, tell that to a construction 
worker who is looking for a job. Does the President oppose all 
infrastructure projects because some of the jobs they create are 
temporary? Or does he just oppose projects when the jobs they create 
are opposed by the fringe elements of his party?
  The Keystone XL Pipeline will be a boon to our economy and to 
American workers. The President's own State Department has stated that 
the pipeline would support more than 42,000 jobs during construction 
and contribute $3.4 billion to the economy. In my home State of South 
Dakota the pipeline will support 3,000 to 4,000 jobs during 
construction and generate over $100 million in earnings, according to 
the President's State Department. These are not my figures. These are 
figures from the President's own State Department.
  Keystone will bring in millions of dollars in State and local taxes 
for a host of local priorities--from schools to law enforcement to 
roads and bridges. In addition to providing jobs and generating revenue 
for State and local governments, the Keystone XL Pipeline will also 
help America's farmers get their goods to the market. Rail backlogs 
this fall left too many farmers struggling to ship their harvests. 
Keystone XL would help alleviate future backlogs by taking 100,000 
barrels of North Dakota and Montana oil off the rails, which would free 
up substantial space for farmers and for other rail shippers.
  Finally, the Keystone XL Pipeline will strengthen our energy security 
by reducing our dependence upon energy supplies from volatile 
countries. This increased energy security will also keep energy prices 
low for American families. Recent gas price reductions are largely due 
to increased North American energy development which has reduced our 
dependence on oil from countries such as Venezuela, Russia, and Iran. 
The Keystone XL Pipeline will help us continue to replace oil imports 
from volatile countries with our own oil and imports from our friend 
and ally Canada. That in turn will help keep American families' energy 
bills low. With energy bills accounting for more than a quarter of 
after-tax income for families making less than $30,000, lowering 
Americans' energy costs should be a priority.
  It is time for the President of the United States to fish or cut 
bait. Approving the Keystone XL Pipeline should be a no-brainer. 
Republicans support it, Democrats support it, unions support it, and 
the American people support it. The pipeline would create jobs. It 
would increase revenue for local governments. It would strengthen our 
energy security, and it would do all of this--all of this--without 
spending a dime of taxpayer money.
  President Obama can talk all he wants tonight about helping American 
workers and middle-class families, but it is his actions that will show 
whether he really means what he says.
  If the President is serious about helping middle-class families, if 
he is serious about standing with American workers, then he will 
approve the Keystone XL bill when it gets to his desk.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Flake). The Senator from Arkansas.

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