[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 51 (Thursday, March 26, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2022-S2023]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               THE BUDGET

  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, Teddy Roosevelt once noted that one of his 
life's great prizes was to work hard at work worth doing. Well, I 
believe the work we have done this week to boost our Nation's economy, 
support our national defense, and expand opportunity for hard-working 
families is work truly worth doing.
  The budget we have been debating in the Senate this week will boost 
the Nation's economic growth by more than $500 billion over the next 10 
years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. It 
also will balance the budget in 10 years, with no tax hikes, protect 
the Nation's most vulnerable citizens, strengthen America's national 
defense, and improve economic growth and opportunity for hard-working 
families.
  This budget's economic growth dividend means that more jobs will be 
created across the country in all 50 States. In fact, the Senate Budget 
Committee estimates that nationwide there will be more than 1.3 million 
additional jobs in 2025. And this is only the spending reductions 
included in this budget. If the Senate takes the additional step and 
adds the recommended tax and regulatory reforms

[[Page S2023]]

to these spending reductions, the economic and job benefits will be 
even bigger.
  This balanced budget is an important first step to help Washington 
live within its means, just as hard-working families have to do every 
day. A balanced budget means real accountability in Washington and 
ensures that programs actually accomplish what they set out to deliver.
  I wish to thank my colleagues for their consideration, cooperation, 
and patience to bring us to this point. I wish to particularly thank 
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for allowing the Senate and 
Senators to actually do our job, both in committee and on the floor of 
the Senate. Under Majority Leader McConnell, we have received support 
and backing from the Senate Republican leadership, and it has been a 
great leadership team. It is because of this leadership that we have 
come to this result--the first Senate Republican resolution since 2006.
  This commitment to an open, honest, and transparent legislative 
process is crucial to helping Congress restore the trust of the 
American people.
  I also owe thanks to the outstanding Republican members of the Senate 
Budget Committee, who worked long and fought so hard and tenaciously to 
outline a plan that can balance the budget over the next 10 fiscal 
years. Thanks also are due to the many Members on this side who came 
and spoke on the budget's behalf, offered amendments to make it 
better--well, almost always to make it better--and worked with us and 
each other to move through the resolution's debate and voting process 
together.
  I have enjoyed my partnership with Senator Sanders since we both took 
on our new roles just a few months ago at the beginning of the 114th 
Congress. We have known each other a long time, served on some of the 
same Senate committees, and to have him across the aisle managing this 
bill with me has been an enjoyable part of acting on my first budget 
resolution. I also appreciate his staff who worked with him so 
diligently.
  I also wish to focus for a moment on some of the staff who helped 
lead us here. I thank the Republican staff of the Senate Budget 
Committee, including the director, Eric Ueland; my deputy staff 
director Dan Kowalski; parliamentarian Tori Gorman; chief economist 
Bill Beach; director of budget review Matt Giroux; senior budget 
analysts Peter Warren and Steve Robinson; budget analysts Greg 
D'Angelo, Chris Cook, John Selden, and Andrew Herther; junior budget 
analyst Kaitlin Vogt; chief counsel Greg Dean and assistant counsel 
Clint Brown; editor Elizabeth Keys; Susan Eckerly; communications 
director Joe Brenckle; executive assistant Kim Proctor, and staff 
assistant Katie Wachob. Without all their work, which began last year, 
we would not be here this evening standing on the verge of passing the 
Senate's fiscal year 2016 budget resolution.
  I have to mention that they didn't even change offices when we got 
the majority so that they could be working on this budget, knowing that 
since it is always our first opportunity in the majority, we had a lot 
of work to do.
  In addition, thanks are owed to the chief clerk of the committee, 
Adam Kamp, and his dedicated staff, who worked tirelessly supporting us 
in our efforts.
  As well, thanks to my personal staff, including my legislative 
director Tara Shaw, and the personal office legislative team of Travis 
Jordan, Becky Cole, Clint Lohse, Renee Bender, Bart Massey, Kristin 
Chapman, and Elizabeth Schwartz. I particularly have to mention my 
chief of staff, Flip McConnaughey.
  We have been supported by the great work of our floor and cloakroom 
staff, led by Laura Dove and Robert Duncan; the Senate Parliamentarian 
Elizabeth MacDonough and her team, along with our bill and amendment 
clerks who keep us on the straight and narrow. Key staff from Senator 
McConnell's office have been very helpful, including his chief of staff 
Sharon Soderstrom, his policy director Hazel Marshall, and his budget 
and appropriations policy adviser John Burks.
  Also, I wish to thank Russ Sullivan, Monica Popp, and Johnny Slemrod 
from Senator Cornyn's Whip Office.
  After 5 days of consideration and 50 hours of debate on our budget 
resolution, truly everything that can be said has probably been said by 
everybody who can say it. But I don't think anyone said this yet: I 
want to thank the people who voted for the final passage of S. Con. 
Res. 11, the fiscal year 2016 Senate budget resolution. We now move on 
to conferencing.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, the ranking member of the Budget 
Committee is not on the floor, so let me take this opportunity on 
behalf of the Democratic members of the Budget Committee to express my 
appreciation to our chairman. We obviously disagree on the substance of 
this budget, as the votes reflect. Indeed, we think it is an awful 
budget. But I think I speak for all of us when I say how impressed we 
have been by the calm and civil and courteous and patient manner in 
which the chairman has led us through a very substantively difficult 
issue. I wish to join him on behalf of the Democrats on the Budget 
Committee in thanking all of the relevant staff--the parliamentary 
staff, the committee staff, the floor staff--who have supported us 
through this process.
  Our chairman is a very courteous gentleman.
  Mr. ENZI. Thank you.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. I yield the floor.
  Mr. ENZI. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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