[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 16268-16269]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        REBUILD AMERICA JOBS ACT

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, today, I join millions of Nevadans in 
commemorating the day, 147 years ago, that Nevada joined the Union. 
Granted statehood during the bitter years of the Civil War, in 1864, 
our mettle was tested from the very beginning.
  Today, our State is once again tested. All over the State of Nevada, 
too many Nevadans are still out of work or underwater in their home 
mortgages during these tough economic times. But I know by facing our 
challenges together, we will once again demonstrate the collective 
strength that comes from being literally ``battle born.''
  What is on this chart appeared in last week's New Yorker magazine. 
``I've got mine.'' ``Change, Smange.'' ``Leave Well Enough Alone.'' 
``Keep Things Precisely as they are.'' ``I'm good, thanks.''
  The pictures portrayed are obviously caricatures of very rich 
people--top hats, vests, cigars. For me, this did not portray people 
who were rich as much as what is going on with our Republican 
colleagues. We know all that has been said about the 1 percent--how 
well they are doing. It was reported last week that during the last 25 
years, their percentage of wealth in America has gone up almost 300 
percent. So there will be a lot of attention focused on the rich, as it 
should be.
  But also I think it should be directed to the Republicans in the 
Senate--not to Republicans around the country but those in the Senate--
because Republicans around the country don't agree. They don't agree 
things are just fine. They don't agree we should leave well enough 
alone. They don't agree that just because the rich are doing so well, 
things are OK precisely the way they are. The vast majority of 
Americans disagree with that.
  It is true that for a few lucky Americans, things in this country are 
going just fine. The haves have never had more. My colleagues in the 
Republican Party in the Senate are singularly focused on making sure it 
stays that way. Everything on this chart applies to what has happened 
in the Senate in the last 10, 11 months. The gap between the haves and 
the have nots has never been bigger. The middle class is falling 
further and further behind.
  That is why, while Republicans advocate for millionaires and 
billionaires, Democrats are looking out for working Americans.
  We have not forgotten that 14 million people are still out of work or 
millions more are struggling to make ends meet. We have not stopped 
fighting to get good-paying American jobs.
  That is why Democrats will introduce the Rebuild America's Jobs Act 
tonight, legislation that will create hundreds of thousands of jobs by 
investing in our Nation's crumbling infrastructure. It would put men 
and women across this country to work, for example, upgrading 150,000 
miles of highways and roads, laying 4,000 miles of train tracks, 
restoring 150 miles of airport runways and installing a modern air 
traffic control system that no longer relies on World War II-era 
technology and will reduce travel time and delays.
  Since the economic downturn began, more than 2 million construction 
workers have lost their jobs. That has happened all over the country. 
This legislation will send hundreds of thousands of those workers back 
to job sites to build $27 billion worth of roads, bridges, and other 
important aspects of our infrastructure.
  The plan would fund $250 million worth of projects in my State and 
millions of dollars in the State of Delaware and other States. It would 
support about 3,300 badly needed jobs.
  Overall, the Rebuild America Jobs Act would invest $50 billion, 
taking our citizens off the unemployment rolls and putting them back to 
work, ensuring our Nation has top-notch infrastructure once again.
  It will also invest $10 billion to create an infrastructure bank that 
would leverage public and private capital to fund a wide range of long-
delayed projects.
  It will do all this without adding one penny to the deficit. Instead, 
it would require millionaires and billionaires to contribute their fair 
share--those whose incomes are netting over $1 million. They would be 
asked to pay a surcharge of less than 1 percent--seven-tenths of 1 
percent, to be exact--to get this Nation's economy back on track.
  Americans overwhelmingly support the Democrats' plan to invest in 
roadways, runways, and railways. Seventy-two percent of the American 
people support the Rebuild America Jobs Act.
  I don't know if I have been to Jonesboro, AR. I had a case that took

[[Page 16269]]

me all over that State on one occasion. But a man in Jonesboro, AR, is 
quoted in last week's Time magazine. ``The Return of the Silent 
Majority.'' I believe Drew Ramey qualifies for that. This is what he 
told Time magazine:

       I used to think I was a libertarian. . . . But I like my 
     roads now. I like my public services.

  That was Drew Ramey from Jonesboro, AR. He speaks for millions and 
millions of Americans, Americans of all political persuasions. Even 54 
percent of Republicans believe a world-class economy should have world-
class roads and bridges. They agree with what we are trying to do.
  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and labor union AFL-CIO rarely agree on 
anything, but they agree on this. They agree we should pass the Rebuild 
American Jobs Act to improve the woeful state of America's 
infrastructure. It is not only labor and business groups but transit 
officials, mayors, and three-quarters of the American people support 
our plan--76 percent.
  I could quote one dozen of my Senate Republican colleagues who have 
supported aspects of this in the past. Why aren't they lining up to 
support our proposal? Two basic reasons. One, Republicans are 
determined to see President Obama fail, even if it means Americans fail 
with him--sad but true.
  My colleague, the Republican leader, said his No. 1 goal in this 
Congress is to defeat President Obama. They would rather see Americans 
continue to struggle, as I have outlined, to find work than work 
together with the President and with us.
  Second, Republicans are more concerned with protecting millionaires 
and billionaires than they are willing to work with us to put 14 
million people back to work.
  I heard on the radio this morning, on National Public Radio, that 
during the Bush years, we lost 8.6 million jobs. We have only gotten a 
little over 2 million of those back--2\1/2\ million, frankly. It wasn't 
long ago that a President who was in office for 8 years could boast, if 
he wanted to, about creating 23 million jobs.
  That is what Republicans have given us. They refuse to ask the rich 
to contribute a tiny fraction more to secure our economic future, even 
if it costs more jobs.
  In recent days, Republicans have shown new interest in the gulf 
between rich and poor that has motivated thousands to occupy parks 
across the country and make their voices heard. Apparently, they 
believe America's staggering income inequality makes a good talking 
point.
  Yet while Democrats fight for jobs for the middle class, Republicans 
fight for tax breaks for the 1 percent of Americans who don't need our 
help.
  I will bet if we could ask these very rich people would they be 
willing to give seven-tenths of 1 percent more to create millions of 
jobs, most of them would say yes. Why aren't my Republican colleagues 
supporting this simple, commonsense legislation?
  I say to my Republican colleagues that I hope they will work with us. 
We want to work with them. If we can do something good, there is a lot 
of good will to go around. But we have to make sure the speeches we 
have heard from some of our colleagues about creating jobs amount to 
doing something about it. We have not seen it yet.

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