[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 178 (Wednesday, December 9, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8508-S8509]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS BILL AND FILIBUSTERS

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, today we are taking a long, overdue step in 
moving beyond the Bush No Child Left Behind law.
  The Every Student Succeeds Act will reduce the focus on testing while 
still ensuring that all students are making progress. This 
reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act also 
includes new investments for early childhood education--a priority for 
Democrats.
  The senior Senator from Washington, Mrs. Murray, and the chairman of 
the HELP Committee, Senator Alexander, did good work in getting this 
bill passed. But while we pat ourselves on the back for passing this 
legislation, we shouldn't forget that we could have done this a long 
time ago. It was not long after the bill passed that we knew it was 
full of flaws, and we tried valiantly to change it for a number of 
years.
  Why didn't we change it? Because there were Republican filibusters. 
We couldn't bring the bill to the floor. In fact, nearly every major 
bipartisan bill we passed this year could have become law in years past 
if Republicans had not blocked them, obstructed them, and filibustered 
them.
  What are we talking about? We are talking about the bill we are going 
to vote on at 10:45 a.m., the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 
and the so-called doc fix. My friend referred to that, the SGR. For 
years, because of something the Bush administration had done to fix it 
on paper to make the budget look good, we could not get past that. It 
was terrible for Medicare patients and very bad for Medicare 
physicians. We tried to change it not once, not twice, not three times, 
but numerous times. Every time we couldn't do it because of Republican 
obstructionism.
  We passed the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. Why didn't we do it 
earlier? Because the Republicans filibustered it, blocked it, and 
obstructed it.
  The Department of Homeland Security funding that nearly shut down the 
government--we tried to do it earlier. We couldn't because of 
obstruction by Republicans.
  The Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, also called the 
Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act--why didn't we 
do that earlier? Because they wouldn't let us. They filibustered it, 
they blocked it.
  For the Shaheen-Portman energy efficiency bill it was the same thing; 
the USA FREEDOM Act, the same thing. As to cyber security legislation, 
my friend comes and boasts about all the good things done, and it 
includes cyber security. It takes a lot of gall to come here and boast 
about that. It was filibustered time and again by the Republicans.
  My friend also talks about how great the Senate is operating. When he 
signed up for this job, he said that, as Republicans, they would take 
all bills through the committee of jurisdiction--absolute falsehood. 
They have not done that.
  What am I talking about? Well, S. 534, the Immigration Rule of Law 
Act of 2015, went directly to the floor. DHS, Department of Homeland 
Security appropriations, directly bypassed the committee. For the 
Keystone Pipeline it was the same thing; Iran nuclear agreement, same 
thing; vehicle for the Trade Act, same thing; Trade Preferences 
Extension Act, same thing. H.R. 644, Trade Facilitation and Trade 
Enforcement Act, same thing, went directly to the floor and skipped the 
committee. Patriot Act extension, same thing--it skipped the committee. 
Highway bill, same thing--it skipped the committee. Defund Planned 
Parenthood skipped the committee and came right here. The vehicle for 
the Iran bill skipped the committee and came directly to the floor. The 
pain-capable bill, same thing--it skipped the committee and came here. 
And there are many other instances.
  The bills I have talked about, with some exception, were good bills 
in the last Congress, and they were good bills this Congress. The only 
difference between then and now is that Republicans no longer blocked 
them.
  I am not amused. I know that some may think this is amusing, but it 
is not. It is too serious. When my Republican colleagues take victory 
laps on legislation they filibustered last Congress, that is not a 
laughing matter. I say to my Republican friends: You get no credit for 
passing legislation now that Republicans blocked then. It doesn't work 
that way. We have not obstructed; we have been constructive. If 
Republicans are intent on claiming credit for moving forward bills they 
have blocked in the past, I hope they will change course this coming 
year and finally start to do something for the middle class.
  Where have we done anything for the middle class during the first 
year of this Congress? I don't see a place. We are halfway through the 
114th Congress, and I have seen little hope that they are planning on 
doing anything in the next few months. Let's see what happens next 
year.
  This Congress so far has been a failure for middle-class Americans. 
We can change that next year. We can do something about the minimum 
wage that has been filibustered numerous times by the Republicans. 
Increasing the minimum wage is good for American workers, businesses, 
and the economy. Under Senator Murray's proposal, 38 million Americans 
stand to benefit from an increase in the minimum wage. In Nevada, 
almost 400,000 workers will get a raise. That is almost one-third of 
our State's workforce.
  Next year we can finally address unfair wage disparity that takes 
money out of American women's paychecks. On average, women make about 
77 cents for every dollar their male colleague makes for doing the same 
work. For women of color, the disparity is even worse. African-American 
women make 64 cents for every dollar their male colleagues make for 
doing the same work. Latino women make 53 cents for every dollar doing 
the same work that a man does. That is really unconscionable. I 
encourage the Republican leader to take up Senator Mikulski's Paycheck 
Fairness Act, which would help close the wage-gap disparity for 
American women.
  Next year we could pass legislation to ease the burden of student 
loans, which are so costly. Americans now owe more than $1 trillion in 
student loan debt. Student loans are the second largest source of 
personal debt in the United States--even more than credit cards or auto 
loans. I hope Republicans will work with us to do something about this 
next year. Americans with student loans need the help.
  These are just a few of the important matters I urge Republicans to 
undertake in the coming year. There are many things we can do to help 
the middle class. So instead of telling us how the Senate is working, 
why not work with Democrats? Instead of telling us how productive this 
year has been in

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spite of all the empirical data that proves otherwise, why not make 
this coming year productive for America's working families? If we do 
that, then we can honestly tell the American people that the Senate is 
working again--not obstructing--because they would be working with us. 
We have worked with Republicans to pass legislation outlined by the 
Republican leader and previously filibustered by them.

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