[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 18082-18084]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      MEETING THE SENATE SCHEDULE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, it wasn't too many years ago that sessions 
of the Senate were much shorter than they are now. During the 
summertime, the months of July and August, people went home because it 
was so hot. They simply couldn't handle the heat in this building and 
this town. But that has changed now with air-conditioning.
  We still traditionally take August as our break. We do it for good 
reason. There are a lot of things we have to do to catch up on work at 
home. Senators

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have to travel throughout their States to catch up on things. The State 
of Nevada, for example, is the seventh largest State area-wise in the 
country. Seventy percent of the people live in Las Vegas; 20 percent 
live in Reno. But the other 10 percent are entitled to representation 
in the Senate, as are the two metropolitan areas. In addition, we have 
important obligations around the world. August is set aside as a time 
when Members travel around the world to check assets our country has 
and obligations through treaties and other things.
  The reason I mention that is we have a lot of work to do. This is a 
work period of 4 short weeks, and we hope it is 4 short weeks. It 
wasn't but a month ago when Members of this body and the House were 
criticizing the Iraqi Parliament for taking their summer vacation 
because they hadn't done the work they were supposed to do. The 
American people are looking at us--not the Iraqi Parliament, the 
American Congress--to make sure we also do our work. We have a schedule 
during this 4-week work period we have to meet. If we don't do that, 
the August recess period is going to be shorter. Everyone should 
understand that. I know I have come to the floor earlier in the year 
talking about the need for us to do different things, and it has worked 
out very well. We have worked only one weekend. We have spent a few 
nights but not too many because Members have, on most occasions--when 
it comes time to finish our work before a work period ends, we are able 
to complete the work. I hope that will continue. We have a lot to do.
  I think this could be one of the most, if not the most, important 
work periods of the year. It was reported in the press today that we, 
the majority, have filed 42 cloture motions this year already. Why? 
Because everything we have had to do--motions to proceed, basically 
everything--the Republicans have had us go that route procedurally to 
try to invoke cloture to move forward. We have not always been 
successful, but most of the time we have because it was simply stalling 
when it came right down to it. On many occasions, the Republicans voted 
with us, but they still got their 30 hours to slow things down.
  In spite of that, we have been able to accomplish a lot. We, of 
course, passed an increase in the minimum wage for the first time in 10 
years. As a result of the supplemental appropriations bill the 
President gave us, we were forced into that legislation, not only the 
minimum wage bill but disaster relief which is 3 years overdue for 
ranchers and farmers. We were able to, for the first time over the 
President's objections, get extra money for homeland security. We got a 
billion dollars there. We were able to finally get money for the gulf, 
$7 billion. The President had gone there 22 times, but the money had 
never been forthcoming. We were able, in the supplemental 
appropriations bill, to force that in. We were also able this year to 
pass a budget, a good budget. We think it will set the pattern for what 
needs to be done this year.
  We have had other accomplishments. We also have things we have to do. 
That is why this work period is so important. The Defense authorization 
bill is one thing. This gives us a chance to support our troops with a 
readiness amendment, which will be the first amendment up, which 
requires that active-duty troops have at least the same amount of time 
at home as the length of their previous tour overseas. This will also 
be our chance to force responsible action in Iraq that the President up 
to this point has refused.
  We have had, during the week we have been gone, a number of 
Republicans of good will who have spoken out for the need to change 
policy in Iraq. I appreciate very much their stepping forward, as do 
the American people, Democrats and Republicans.
  Second, we are going to do everything we can during this work period 
to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program which 
provides health insurance to 6 million children. SCHIP must be 
reauthorized before it expires. I hope we can all agree to this as 
important to keep the children healthy. We are also going to turn to 
the Higher Education Access Act, a bill that will help more Americans 
afford college by addressing the alarming rise in tuition costs. It 
could be and will be the most significant change in higher education 
since the GI Bill of Rights. It is going to change programs. It is 
going to take moneys used to pay people who provide these loans, who 
are getting, in the minds of many, outrageous profits from the money 
they give to young people to go to school, take that and put it into 
something that will really educate children.
  Fourth, we are going to tackle appropriations bills. The first bill I 
want to do is Homeland Security. This bill strengthens airport, 
seaport, and water security, supports our first responders, and plugs 
security gaps that have been ignored for far too long.
  Finally, we are going to send the 9/11 and ethics bills to 
conference. As I said during the last day we were here, no longer am I 
going to come here and hope that the good will of the Republicans will 
allow us to go to conference. We are going to finish these bills. If it 
means I have to file cloture to get conferences, that is what we will 
do. It is too bad because on the ethics bill, it is important that we 
do this. It is so important that we do ethics and lobbying reform to 
address the culture of corruption. This legislation passed the House 
and the Senate with minor differences. We should complete them. We 
almost got there the last week we were here, but at the last minute 
somebody stepped in and wanted to stop us from doing this--always some 
diversionary tactic. As to 9/11, we got another letter today from the 
9/11 families saying do something about this.
  Here is our work schedule. Let's make sure everybody understands what 
we need to complete during this work period: Defense authorization; we 
are going to work hard at SCHIP; we are going to finish the conference 
reports on 9/11 and ethics and lobbying reform. We are also going to do 
the Defense authorization bill, as I talked about. We are going to do 
the reconciliation on the Higher Education Access Act, and we are going 
to do an appropriations bill or more, if we can. I repeat: It is time 
that we start legislating for the American people. The minority has 
certainly proven that they can slow things down here, and 42 times we 
have had to file cloture. I hope we don't have to continue doing that. 
We will address the issues I have talked about before we end the work 
period and break for the August recess.
  The recess is important. I repeat: It gives Members the opportunity 
to travel home and abroad, which is so important. It widens our 
understanding of the issues we face. Two of our colleagues, for 
example, both former members of the military, Senators McCain and Reed, 
traveled to Iraq during this Fourth of July work period. They will have 
a lot to report. I have already met with Jack Reed, and I have had a 
wonderful conversation with him. I don't think there is anyone in the 
Senate who has traveled there more than he has. I am quite sure that is 
true. The August recess is also a time to meet with constituents. That 
is also important.
  We are sent here for one reason above all others; that is, to 
legislate. That is what we must do. So I say as respectfully as I can 
to my friends, Democrats and Republicans, who are Senators, you need to 
keep your August travel plans flexible. I believe we can address each 
of these issues I have mentioned in the next 4 weeks and complete our 
work. The conference reports could go very quickly, but it is not just 
up to me, as we move this calendar along at a pace that allows for fair 
debate but not obstruction. In recent weeks, we have seen some of our 
Republican colleagues filibuster even issues that it appears they 
support, which is hard to comprehend, but that is what we have seen. 
That is their right, but I don't think it is good for the country, and 
we are simply going to do what we can to move this body along so we can 
accomplish passage of legislation.
  President Wilson said on one occasion:

       The commands of democracy are as imperative as its 
     privileges and opportunities are wide and generous. Its 
     compulsion is upon us.


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  So, Mr. President, the compulsion to get the job done is upon us now, 
and I look forward to a very successful work period. We are going to 
have to put in some long hours, but certainly that should not be a 
hindrance to our work.

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