[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
[[Page S8509]]
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.
____________________