[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 462-463]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                THE SECOND SESSION OF THE 110TH CONGRESS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, first, I welcome back the distinguished 
majority leader. It is good to see him and good to be at the podium 
again, refreshed and ready for act 2 of the 110th Congress. Republicans 
are eager to get to work on the unfinished business from last year, and 
we are determined to address the other issues that have become more 
pressing or pronounced since we stood here last.
  We face a number of urgent challenges domestically and 
internationally, and there will be a strong temptation to politicize 
them or put them off as the current administration comes to a close and 
a new one prepares to take its place. This would be an irresponsible 
path, and it is one we should not take. We have had a Presidential 
election in this country every 4 years since 1788. We won't use this 
one as an excuse to put off the people's business for another day.
  We have our differences in this Chamber. But Americans expect that 
when we walk into this well we will sort through those differences and 
work together toward common goals. And here are a few things we should 
be able to agree on: We need to show America that Government can live 
within its means by keeping spending low; that we can protect their 
quality of life without raiding their wallets with higher taxes; that 
we won't push problems off to future Congresses; and that we will not 
take chances with their security.
  As we do all this, we can be confident of success--confident because 
we have faith in this institution, and confident because of what we 
learned the last time around. Personally, I think there are a lot of 
lessons we can take away from last year, and that if we're smart we 
will learn from them. We all know what worked and what didn't work. We 
all know the formula for success and the formula for failure. So this 
year even more than last year, success and failure will be a choice.
  I think we can agree, for instance, that we all worked best last year 
when we worked together. Last January our Democrat colleagues presented 
us with a minimum wage bill that didn't include needed tax relief for 
small businesses. It didn't pass. But when they did include the tax 
relief these small businesses deserved, it did pass--by a wide margin.
  Our friends gave us an energy bill that would have meant higher taxes 
and higher utility rates. It didn't pass. But when they agreed to 
remove these objectionable provisions, it did--by a wide margin. Senate 
Democrats also tried to use a looming AMT middle class tax hike as an 
excuse for a giant tax hike elsewhere. That didn't get very far. But 
when we all agreed to block the AMT expansion without a new tax, 
together we prevented a major middle class tax hike.
  The temptation to partisanship was strongest on issues of national 
security. By the end of the year, the majority had held 34 votes 
related to the war in Iraq and its opposition to the Petraeus Plan. Yet 
whenever Republicans defended the view that Congress should not 
substitute its military judgment for the judgment of our military 
commanders, or cut off funds for troops in the field, we moved forward. 
With the recent success of the Petraeus Plan, the chances of such votes 
passing this year have not improved. It was wrong to tempt fate when 
our progress in Iraq was uncertain. It would be foolish to do so when 
progress is undeniable.
  So there is a pattern here, a pattern for true accomplishment. And 
now that we know it, we shouldn't hesitate to follow it. Not this 
November. Not sometime this summer. But now.
  As we move into 2008, the problems we face are big, they're real, and 
they are urgent. And Americans expect competence, cooperation, and 
results. We know from experience that it's in our power to deliver. And 
it's in everyone's interests that we do. So on behalf of Senate 
Republicans, I want to begin this session by extending the hand of 
cooperation to our colleagues on the other side. As we begin this 
second session, we need to focus on our common goals.
  We need to come together to protect and defend Americans from harm. 
We need to come together to meet the economic challenges of the moment. 
And we will need to come together to protect Americans' quality of life 
by keeping taxes low, and by working to relieve anxieties about 
healthcare, tuition, the cost and quality of education, jobs, and the 
fate of entitlements.
  On the economy, Republicans are encouraged by recent talk on the 
other side of a willingness to work with us on an economic growth 
package. Now it is time to prove this is more than just talk. We need 
to move ahead with a plan that stimulates the economy right away and 
which is consistent with good long-term economic policy.
  An effective plan will focus on growing the economy and securing 
jobs. It will be broad based for maximum effect, and it won't include 
wasteful spending on programs that might make us feel good but which 
have no positive impact on the economy.
  Republicans in the 110th Congress have shown that we will use our 
robust minority to ensure we are heard. And we will use our power to 
reject any growth package that's held hostage to wasteful spending. 
Americans are concerned about the state of the economy, they are 
looking to us to act, and acting now will be far less costly than 
waiting for more troubles to gather. Time is short. We need to put 
together a bipartisan package that helps the economy, and do it soon--
without raising taxes and without growing government.
  In the longer term, Congress can keep the economy stable by keeping 
taxes low and by assuring families, retirees, and small businesses that 
current rate reductions and tax credits will continue. We can prepare 
for the future by making sure every child in America gets a good 
education through reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act and 
by completing action on the Higher Education Act.
  Our friends should also resist the temptation to increase taxes on 
dividends and capital gains; agree early that we would not offset a 
patch for the alternative minimum tax with a massive tax elsewhere; 
extend the current expanded child tax credit; and end the marriage 
penalty for good.
  We can also boost the economy by boosting trade, which broadens the 
market for U.S. goods. Last May, Democratic leaders agreed to allow 
passage of four free--trade agreements if the Administration negotiated 
increased worker rights and stronger environmental protections. The 
administration did its part by negotiating the changes. Yet so far, 
only one of the four FTAs from last year, Peru, has passed. Now it is 
time for the Democrats to uphold their end of the bargain and pass the 
remaining three FTAs: Panama, South Korea and Colombia.
  We can help the economy by keeping spending low. Republicans will do 
our part by making sure, as we did last

[[Page 463]]

year, that government spending bills don't exceed fiscally responsible 
levels even as they meet the Nation's highest priorities. And Democrats 
can help by keeping spending in these bills low from the start--and 
resisting the urge to lace them with poison pill social policy.
  Working together to strengthen America at home also means increasing 
access and lowering the cost of good health care. We should empower 
individuals and protect the doctor-patient relationship by promoting 
research into new treatments and cures and by investing in new 
information technology like electronic medical records and e-
prescribing. We can also increase access by letting small businesses 
pool resources to get the same deals from insurers big businesses do.
  In the coming months, Americans will hear a lot of different health 
care proposals coming out of the campaigns. And while presidential 
election years are not typically the time when broad based reforms are 
achieved, we shouldn't let disputes among candidates or the failures of 
the past keep us from delivering something for Americans now. In the 
long term, Republicans are committed to the goal of every American 
having health insurance. But there is no reason we can't find 
bipartisan support this year for other common sense measures that 
remove barriers to access and increase coverage options.
  We should also be able to agree that too many judicial posts have 
been left empty too long. Last year we confirmed 40 judges, including 
six circuit court nominees, and an attorney general. But we are not on 
pace to keep up with historical precedent. The historical average for 
circuit court confirmations in the last Congress of a divided 
government is 17. President Clinton--who had the second most judicial 
confirmations in history, despite having to deal with a Republican 
Senate almost his entire time in office--had 15 circuit court 
confirmations in his last Congress.
  Clearly, we need to catch up. But we can not confirm judges if they 
don't get hearings. And since last summer, Democrats have allowed only 
one hearing since last summer, one hearing--since last summer, one 
hearing--on a circuit court nominee. Compare that with Senate 
Republicans in 1999, who held more hearings on President Clinton's 
nominees in the fall of that year alone than Democrats allowed this 
President all last year. This pattern is neither fair nor acceptable.
  As we focus on crucial issues at home, we are reminded that our first 
responsibility is to keep Americans safe. For some, the passage of time 
has made 9/11 seem like a distant memory and the people behind it a 
distant threat. Yet the best argument in favor of our current strategy 
of staying on offense is the fact that not a single terrorist act has 
been carried out on American soil since that awful day.
  We decided early on in this fight that the best strategy would be to 
fight the terrorists overseas so we wouldn't have to fight them at 
home. This policy has worked. And we must continue to ensure that it 
does by giving those who protect us all the tools they need.
  One of the most valuable tools we have had is the Foreign 
Intelligence Surveillance Act, which lets us monitor foreign terrorists 
overseas and react in real time to planned attacks. In August, we 
updated this protection. Yet with only 10 days to go before it expires, 
we need to pass new FISA legislation that allows the intelligence 
community to continue its work and which assures telecom companies they 
will not be sued for answering the call to help in the hunt for 
terrorists.
  Some of our Democratic colleagues delayed consideration of this vital 
legislation at the end of the last session. And it should have been the 
first thing we turned to this session. American lives do not depend on 
whether we pass the Indian health bill by the end of the month.
  We also need to renew our commitment to the brave men and women of 
the Armed Forces whose hard work over a number of years has helped 
change the story in Iraq in 2007. No issue should bring us together 
more readily than this one. Yet no issue threatens to divide us more as 
the November elections draw near. Let the candidates say what they 
will. The Senate should stand united in supporting the troops--and we 
can start by affirming that the Petraeus plan is working.
  We could even go one step further by making a pledge that during the 
session that begins today, we will not attack the integrity of our 
uniformed officers or subvert the efforts of the troops--all of whom 
have made sacrifices for us equally, regardless of our political 
parties or theirs.
  Beyond that, we should be able to agree that we need to invest in the 
future of our military. This remarkable volunteer force is built on the 
finest training, weaponry, and education system in the world. We need 
to support this great national resource not only to retain our strength 
for today's battles, but in preparation for the unexpected challenges 
that lie ahead--particularly in the Persian Gulf and in the Pacific, 
where our strategic interests will continue to be challenged for many 
years to come.
  So we stand at the beginning of a new year. I, for one, am hopeful 
that it will be a year in which we accomplish much for the people who 
sent us here. We can start by agreeing to protect taxpayer wallets and 
by facing concerns about health care and the other economic pressures 
that so many American families face. We must act right away to keep our 
economy strong. And above all we can work together to keep America and 
its interests safe both at home and overseas.
  We can do all this--we can live up to our duties to work together on 
behalf of the American people--by learning from last year and working 
together. Republicans are ready, we are eager, to do our part.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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