[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 25, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S81-S82]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             118TH CONGRESS

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, the new Congress is a chance for a fresh 
start, and we need a fresh start. We cannot afford a repeat of the past 
2 years.
  Despite the fact that Democrats controlled Congress by the slimmest 
of margins in the last Congress, Democrats acted as if they had a 
mandate for radical, far-left change.
  Democrats shoved through multiple partisan spending sprees, including 
the so-called American Rescue Plan Act which kicked off our current 
inflation crisis. And what they got through was mild compared to what 
they wanted to push through--from a Federal takeover of elections to 
some of the most extreme abortion legislation in the world. 
Fortunately, some of the Democrats' most radical proposals didn't 
ultimately make it through Congress, but not for a lack of trying on 
Democrats' part.
  Despite the fact that they had nothing more than a technical 
majority, Democrats did their best to eliminate a voice for the 
minority party in the Senate by attacking the Senate filibuster rule. 
Some contemplated packing the Supreme Court to secure judicial support 
for Democrat policy priorities. And Democrats' rhetoric was often as 
extreme and divisive as their policies, with the standout example being 
an address the President gave a year ago this month in which he 
suggested that half the country was racist.
  Mr. President, we have had another election, and the American people 
rejected one-party rule by electing a Republican House of 
Representatives. They have created a situation in which both parties 
will have to work together to get anything done.
  I hope this will mark a new less partisan moment here in Congress. I 
hope we can move on from the past 2 years and start afresh to work 
together to address the challenges facing our country, because there is 
a lot that we can do together.
  Despite the partisanship of the Democrat agenda over the last 2 
years, there were still moments that reminded us that there are many 
areas where we can agree or are close enough to work together.
  I introduced a number of bipartisan bills in the last Congress, and I 
am looking forward to working with colleagues of both parties on a 
number of issues in the new Congress.
  One major piece of legislation we take up every few years is the farm 
bill, which has a strong bipartisan history. During my time in the 
Senate, I have introduced farm bill legislation with both Democratic 
and Republican

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colleagues, and I think that working together, we can produce a bill 
this year that will meet the needs of our Nation's farmers and ranchers 
and strengthen U.S. agriculture production.
  Another obvious area for bipartisan cooperation is the Federal 
Aviation Administration reauthorization that is coming due this year, 
and none too soon, as recent air travel fiascos have made clear. Our 
last FAA reauthorization bill was a strongly bipartisan piece of 
legislation, and this year's bill should be the same.
  Another area where I think there is a lot of room for bipartisan 
cooperation is promoting transparency and accountability in Big Tech.
  President Biden recently published an op-ed in the Wall Street 
Journal calling for, among other things, section 230 reform. I already 
have bipartisan legislation with Senator Schatz to reform section 230 
and increase transparency and due process for users around content 
moderation actions taken by Big Tech platforms, and I will work to 
advance that legislation in this Congress.
  I also think there is a lot we can do on a bipartisan basis to 
advance trade agreements to expand markets for American products and 
services around the world. The Biden administration has been slow to 
take action on trade, and I think there is a real interest from Members 
of Congress of both parties to accelerate our trade efforts and create 
new market access opportunities for American workers and producers.
  I would also like to think we can agree on the need to conduct 
serious oversight of government spending to ensure that taxpayer 
dollars are being used efficiently and effectively. Democrats forced 
through trillions of dollars in new spending during the last Congress, 
and conducting oversight of how that money is being spent is nothing 
less than our responsibility as Members of Congress. I am thinking in 
particular of the massive funding infusion--$80 billion the Democrats 
handed to the IRS. Especially given the IRS' shaky record when it comes 
to handling taxpayer data, I would hope we can agree that rigorous 
oversight of the IRS is required.
  I also hope that my Democrat colleagues will be open to working to 
extend tax relief for American businesses and American families. 
Americans and small businesses are going to face serious tax hikes if 
the tax relief from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act isn't extended or made 
permanent. I would like to think that Members of both parties could 
work together to extend this tax relief and the benefits it provides 
for Americans.

  Another thing that I am hoping will happen in this Congress is a 
return to regular order when it comes to appropriations bills and other 
legislation. Omnibus appropriations bills are not an ideal way to fund 
the government, to put it mildly. They are an invitation for waste and 
all the other problems that come with hastily thrown together 
legislation, and we need to do everything we can to make sure 
individual appropriations bills go through the committee process and 
are individually debated on the floor.
  I am very encouraged that the incoming Democrat chair of the Senate 
Appropriations Committee has joined Senator Collins, who will be the 
top-ranking Republican on the committee, to announce her desire to pass 
appropriations bills through regular order. I really hope that that 
will be a bipartisan priority this year.
  For similar reasons, we need to put a greater emphasis on making sure 
nonappropriations bills--especially the biggest bills that we 
consider--go through regular order in committee, where they could be 
publicly debated and amended and receive input from all committee 
members.
  I hope that we can move forward a more collaborative and transparent 
process, which is the kind of process that best serves the American 
people.
  Getting anything done in divided government requires a genuine 
attitude of compromise, with both sides conceding things, rather than 
the ``my way or the highway'' approach that we have seen from Democrats 
over the past 2 years. But if we can get there, then I think we can 
achieve a lot together in this new Congress.
  I am eager to work with my colleagues from both parties to address 
the challenges facing our country. And for the good of the American 
people, I hope we will build a record of bipartisan accomplishment over 
the next 2 years.
  I yield the floor.
  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. DAINES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Hickenlooper). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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