[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 142 (Saturday, August 7, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5993-S5994]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         INVEST IN AMERICA ACT

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I applaud what the majority leader just 
said. We are here. A lot of Senators, both Republicans and Democrats, 
have rearranged schedules to be here. Let's go forth and do the 
country's business. If people have amendments they want, bring them up. 
Vote them up or vote them down. But let's just get on and do our work.

[[Page S5994]]

  My Appropriations Committee staff worked very, very hard with both 
the Republican and Democratic side on the parts of this piece of 
legislation that required work from the Appropriations Committee. They 
have worked weekends, evenings--long, long days--drafting and 
redrafting and redrafting to make sure that people on both sides 
approved of what they wanted. Now, the American people expect us to 
vote. We are here. Let's vote.
  I am happy to see Republican amendments or Democratic amendments come 
up. But it is one thing to talk about them on the news shows or on 
social media or trying to talk to the press in the halls and make sound 
bites; it is another thing to actually vote. Let's vote. Let's let 
people know where we stand. That is how the people in our State know 
where we stand.
  Frankly, those who are afraid they may cast a vote that creates 
problems--but we are not here to cast only popular votes. I have cast 
more votes than all but one person in the history of this country. I 
have cast well over 16,000, almost 17,000 votes. I am sure I can go 
back over those votes and find some and say: Hmm, in retrospect, I 
might have voted the other way. But I voted.
  What we are doing in not bringing this up and getting this done, we 
are trying to vote ``maybe.'' I don't know anybody in my State, 
Republican or Democrat, who elected Senators to say: We want you to 
vote ``maybe.'' No. We want you to vote.
  It doesn't mean the people of my State will agree on every vote. I 
hope that they will agree on a lot of them. But I will represent my 
State. I will represent my conscience. But I will represent the Senate, 
and I will represent my oath of office. My oath of office is not to 
just sit here and do nothing but talk to the press and others; my oath 
of office is, I respect the Constitution, and I will vote. So let's 
hope they vote.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. 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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