[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 17476]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            LAMEDUCK SESSION

  Mr. REID. I welcome back, as I have indicated, my friends and welcome 
our new colleagues who will be sworn in as Senators this afternoon. 
With Senators Manchin and Coons joining our family, the Senate will 
look a little different starting today. It will soon look much 
different with 16 new Senators taking office. Some desks will switch 
aisles but the majority has not changed.
  On the other side of this building, the House of Representatives will 
look even more different with a new majority and new leaders. But 
before any of that happens, we need to use the next few weeks to finish 
some business. The 111th Congress is not over yet, and the lameduck 
session starts today.
  I will work with my caucus and with Senator McConnell who will, of 
course, work with his caucus. We will see what we can get done before 
the start of the 112th Congress in January.
  The American voters sent us a message two Tuesdays ago. That message 
is they want us to deliver. They want us to work together. Voters did 
not elect only Republicans; they did not elect only Democrats; and they 
did not want either party to govern, stubbornly demanding their way or 
the highway. When the heat of the campaign season cools, our 
constituents are more interested in us getting things done. They would 
rather we work with each other than talk past each other. Despite the 
changes, our charge remains the same. Our No. 1 priority is still 
getting people back to work, and the most important change we can make 
is in working more productively as a unified body to help our economy 
regain its strength.
  I welcome back my counterpart, the esteemed Republican leader. We 
have had, of course, conversations since the elections. I look forward 
to our continued work together.

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