[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 3977]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             JOBS CREATION

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I was disappointed to see in the newspaper 
this morning and hear on the news that Republicans in the House have 
decided to not mess with our highway bill--a bill on which we spent 5 
weeks. The highway bill is a piece of bipartisan legislation that will 
save a great 2.8 million jobs. The House of Representatives is so 
disorganized and in such a state of disrepair that they can't even 
extend the highway bill. I don't know what is in their minds.
  This program was started by a radical liberal Dwight Eisenhower, who 
decided after having brought--as a major under orders from his 
commander--a caravan of military vehicles across the country that the 
roads were awful. So he remembered that all during his military 
service. When he became President of the United States, he decided 
something needed to be done about that. The Interstate Highway System 
was the brainchild of Dwight Eisenhower. Now the Republicans in the 
House are talking as if it is some socialist program that was developed 
at Harvard or some other radically liberal place. I can't imagine what 
their mindset is.
  Barbara Boxer, one of the most liberal Members of this body, and Jim 
Inhofe, one of the most conservative Members, came together on a bill 
that we passed on a bipartisan basis in the Senate. The vast majority 
of the Democrats voted for it, and the vast majority of Republicans 
voted for it. It is a good bill that will save or create 2.8 million 
jobs. But over in that big dark hole we now refer to as the tea party-
dominated House of Representatives, they couldn't do it. They couldn't 
agree on it. They couldn't agree even on their own bill. They destroyed 
their own bill. Now they will not even agree to take up our bill.
  The funding for our highway system terminates at the end of this 
month. I am not inclined to go for the short-term extension they are 
going to send to us. They are going to have to feel the heat of the 
American people--they meaning the tea party-driven House of 
Representatives.
  The initial public offering legislation will be on the floor and 
debated for the last time in just a short time. It will pass. The bill 
is far from perfect, but it is a good bill. It will help capital 
formation, and I am glad we are able to pass it on to the House. I am 
hopeful, with the good work done by Senator Merkley, Senator Warner, 
Senator Bennet and others, the minority will wrap their arms around 
this and pass it. I hope they will agree to pass the Reed amendment. We 
will soon know about that. The bill is going to be gone and sent to the 
President soon if the House agrees to pass this legislation.

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