[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 22340-22341]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    FINAL WEEK OF THE 109TH CONGRESS

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, today we begin the final week, as I 
understand it, for the work created for the 109th Congress. There are 
only a few days left to complete a mountain of work, 2 years of work, 
really. The mission we have before the Senate these next few days is an 
impossible mission. It is truly a mission impossible, but we have to 
try.
  The American people made it clear last month they want Members to 
work together. The judgment was held on whether a one-party town works 
and the American people said no. We have to work together. We have to 
work together this week and certainly when we come back after the first 
of the year.
  To accomplish what needs to be accomplished in the next few days is 
mission impossible. We cannot get it all done. Appropriations bills, 
budget, health care nominations, conference reports for all kinds of 
things that, as I have said, somehow never make it to the other side of 
the Capitol.
  I told Democratic Senators gathered recently that many of them have 
never, ever, participated in a conference, a conference between the 
House and Senate. Why? Because the Republicans would not hold them. We 
simply did not have them. Some of the most memorable times of my career 
were when I participated in conferences. A bill passed the Senate, a 
bill passed the House, you meet together, Democrats and Republicans, 
House and Senate, to work out the differences.
  This administration and the Republican-dominated House and Senate did 
not believe in that. They did not believe in 200 years of experience. 
They did not hold conferences. They would bring a bill back that the 
Republicans in the House and the Republicans in the Senate agreed upon. 
We had to take it or leave it, period.
  That is not the way it is going to be next year. We are going to have 
Senators participating in things that many of them have never 
participated in: a real live conference, where Democrats and 
Republicans from the House and the Senate meet in a room and work out 
the differences on a bill.
  This year we have so much to do. And as I said, it is mission 
impossible. If we had years left, if we had months left, if we had 
weeks left in the 109th Congress, maybe we could do something about it. 
But we have days remaining to finish all the items I have mentioned, 
and many more.
  I want to comment briefly. My friend, the distinguished majority 
leader, talked about the nuclear option. One reason we are here in the 
waning moments of the 109th Congress trying to complete the work that 
needs to be completed is because, again, the Republicans who control 
the House and

[[Page 22341]]

the Senate--but here in this instance the Senate--decided to do away 
with 200 years of experience in this Senate. It was decided by the 
Republicans--because there were 55 Republicans and 45 Democrats--that 
they did not want the Senate to be the Senate. They wanted the Senate 
to be the House.
  In the House of Representatives, if you have more than the other 
party, you get whatever you want. That is not how the Senate has worked 
for more than 200 years. The Republicans in the Senate in the 109th 
Congress said, we want another House of Representatives. They adopted 
the so-called nuclear option. They were not getting enough judges, 
enough of their rightwing, ideological judges. They were not getting 
enough--but it was well over 100. I don't know how many it is now. They 
were not getting enough. They wanted every one of them and they were 
willing to throw the traditions of this Senate overboard.
  One of the negative things that happened in my political career was 
having to oppose the nuclear option. I said at the time, I say today, 
the most important thing I have ever worked on in my governmental 
career is the nuclear option because it was so anti-Senate, so 
antigovernment. I said in the Senate, why are you doing this? Why are 
you doing this, my friends, the Republicans? It would take a miracle 
for us to retake the Senate. As a result of the nuclear option and the 
other very bad things this Republican-dominated Senate did, the miracle 
occurred. One reason it occurred is because of the nuclear option. The 
American people knew that was beyond the pale.
  We want to get our work done this year. We are willing to work up 
until Christmas, if necessary. We want to finish what we have to 
finish. I have talked to the majority leader. He knows the things I 
think should be done, must be done. We are leaving many things undone. 
However, as I said before, it is mission impossible. We cannot do it 
all; there is simply not enough time.
  We spent too much time on the nuclear option, on estate tax, on gay 
marriage, on flag burning. The American people said, Why don't you work 
on our issues? On November 7, they said, Work together on our issues. 
We are committed to working together on the issues of the American 
people.

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