[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15403]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                               COMPROMISE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, in the weeks since our country voted to 
return President Obama to the White House and a Democratic majority in 
the Senate, I have spoken often about compromise. I remain optimistic 
that when it comes to our economy, when it comes to protecting middle-
class families from a whopping tax hike come January 1, Republicans and 
Democrats will be able to find common ground.
  President Dwight Eisenhower, a Republican, once said:

       People talk about the middle of the road as though it were 
     unacceptable. . . . There have to be compromises. The middle 
     of the road is all of the usable surface.

  So said Dwight Eisenhower. Too often Republicans and Democrats in 
Washington face off from our entrenched positions, never realizing the 
solutions to this country's problems rest not on one side of the aisle 
or the other but somewhere in the middle.
  However, as we continue negotiating a responsible path forward, I 
remind everyone within the sound of my voice of one fact: This Congress 
is already one vote away from avoiding the fiscal cliff for middle-
class families and small businesses. We could solve the greatest 
economic emergency facing the Nation today if only the House would 
consider the Senate-passed bill freezing tax rates for 98 percent of 
American families and 97 percent of small businesses.
  As Thomas Jefferson said, ``We should not put off tomorrow what we 
can do today.'' Our legislation would give economic certainty to the 
middle class, protect important tax deductions for families and 
businesses, and restore balance by asking the most fortunate among us 
to pay a little extra to reduce the debt.
  It is also the only bill with a chance of being signed into law by 
President Obama. I was dismayed to hear Speaker Boehner once again urge 
the Senate to take up the House-passed bill extending more tax breaks 
for millionaires and billionaires. The Senate has already considered 
that bill. We rejected it on a bipartisan basis.
  So for the Speaker to say, bring it up, we already have. It was voted 
down in this Congress. The Senate has spoken. President Obama has 
spoken. He has promised he will not sign any bill that mortgages our 
future to pay for handouts for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.
  I only hope the House Republicans have been listening. I also hope my 
colleagues, Republican and Democratic Members of the House and the 
Senate, used the Thanksgiving break not only to give thanks but also to 
reflect on the monumental tasks ahead. I hope they took time to 
reflect, too, on the effort it will take to complete these tasks.
  As President Eisenhower said, there will have to be compromises, and 
seeking the middle of the road is not just acceptable, it is the only 
way forward.


                           Order of Business

  Mr. President, let me say a few words about the schedule. Discussions 
continue on the Defense authorization bill. I just finished a 
conversation with the chairman of the committee, Senator Levin. 
Republican Senators have been having disagreements among themselves on 
what they want to do on the Defense bill. Thus, while these discussions 
are going on, I intend to move to proceed to the Carcieri decision 
affecting Native Americans. I will file cloture on the motion to 
proceed on the motion to invoke cloture on Wednesday.
  Tomorrow, I intend to move to proceed to executive session to 
consider the disability treaty. We will seek a reasonable agreement on 
amendments to this matter. If on Wednesday cloture is not invoked on 
the Carcieri matter, I would intend to figure out some way, with the 
help of Senator McCain and others on the other side, to return to the 
Defense bill under the tentative agreements we have had on that before. 
It is up to Senator Levin and Senator McCain to figure out a way 
forward on that. I am willing to work with them as to what is 
reasonable this late in the game.

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