[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.
____________________