[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2100-2101]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  UNANIMOUS-CONSENT REQUEST--H.R. 4691

  Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 4691; that the amendment 
at the desk, which offers a full offset, be agreed to; the bill, as 
amended, be read a third time and passed; and the motion to reconsider 
be laid upon the table.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there objection?
  Mr. REID. Reserving the right to object, history is something I think 
you have to be involved in to understand what really transpired.
  First of all, there was no bill on the floor for me to take off the 
floor. There was discussion between Democrats and Republicans. On the 
Thursday before we left for the last weeklong break we took, I was in 
the back hall with Senators Grassley, Baucus, and McConnell. Senator 
McConnell, my friend, said they weren't ready to agree to anything yet.
  Well, it is very clear if we are going to extend benefits for a lot 
of tax provisions that are very important to business, then we should 
at least consider extending benefits for people who are down and out in 
the same period of time.
  So understand, the bill that came before the Senate included a jobs 
package that extends the highway benefits for 1 year, saving a million 
jobs, creating jobs by allowing small businesses--or any businesses--to 
hire somebody who has been out of work for 60 days. They do not have to 
pay their withholding tax and they get a $1,000 tax credit at the end 
of the year.
  In addition to that, to help small businesses, we had a provision to 
allow small businesses to write off and not depreciate up to $250,000 
of purchases in a year--very important to create and stimulate 
business--and we also had in that bill a provision to stimulate the 
economy by extending the Build America Bonds that were so successful in 
our Recovery Act and those funds expired.
  One can have all the excuses one wants. The fact is, my friends on 
the other side of the aisle are opposing extending unemployment 
benefits for people who are out of work.
  I would also say this: Pay-go is very interesting. I am glad my 
friend brought that up. I am glad he brought up the big deficit because 
it is very big. But where was my friend from Kentucky when we had two 
wars that were unpaid for during the Bush administration, tax cuts that 
cost more than $1 trillion unpaid for? Where were my friend and the 
Republicans objecting to that?
  Pay-go is important, and we passed pay-go here--we, the Democrats, 
passed it. My friend did not vote for it. It passed because Democrats 
voted for it. Not a single Republican voted for it. We had these in 
effect during the Clinton years, and it worked. We paid down the debt 
in the last Clinton years.
  We also understand how important the debt of this country is. It 
started to build up so strong during the 8 years of the Bush 
administration. We brought to this floor--no one worked harder than the 
Acting President pro tempore to come up with something to address the 
debt with the chairman of our Budget Committee and others.
  We wanted a debt commission, and we brought to this floor a debt 
commission, a good one. It was based upon what we did with military 
base closings. We tried for decades to close bases that were 
unnecessary in the country anymore, after World War II was over, the 
Korean war was over, Vietnam. We did not need all those bases. But 
because of what happens when trying to close a base because of local 
politics, we could not do it. So we passed a bill that said we are 
going to have a base closing commission. They will come back with 
recommendations, and the House and the Senate have a choice: either 
vote no or yes on their recommendations. And they voted yes, both the 
House and the Senate, and we closed numerous bases all over the 
country.
  The debt commission we established was based upon that--the same 
thing--and we voted, we Democrats voted. It would have passed. Why did 
it not pass? Because seven Republicans who cosponsored the legislation 
voted against it.
  So we do not need lectures here on debt. What we need is to recognize

[[Page 2101]]

there are poor people all over America who are desperate today, and 
people who are working, making good money on these road projects all 
over America today who are being told to go home because we do not have 
inspectors to take care of their work.
  Therefore, Mr. President, I object.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Objection is heard.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, unless my friend has more to say, I suggest 
the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak in 
morning business for up to 15 minutes.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Thank you. Mr. President, will the Acting President 
pro tempore please let me know when I have consumed 12 of the 15 
minutes.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Yes.
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Thank you very much, Mr. President.

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