[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 298-299]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            WORKING TOGETHER

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, today, with the inspiration of the second 
inauguration of President Obama fresh in our minds, we renew our 
efforts to fulfill the promise of prosperity for every American.
  The theme of yesterday's inauguration was ``Faith in America's 
Future.'' Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birth and life we also 
celebrated Monday, once said, ``Faith is taking the first step even 
when you don't see the whole staircase.'' I have faith that the Members 
of the 113th Congress will bring this Nation closer to realizing the 
promise of prosperity. The last Congress was too often characterized by 
sharp political divides--divides that hampered efforts to foster 
success for all Americans. I am hopeful and cautiously optimistic that 
the 113th Congress will be characterized not by our divisions but by 
our renewed commitment to cooperation and compromise. I urge every 
woman and every man fortunate enough to serve in this Chamber to 
remember that it is possible to hold fast to our principles while 
making the compromises necessary to move our country forward.
  Democrats will hold fast to the guiding principle that a strong 
middle class--and an opportunity for every American to enter that 
middle class--is the key to this Nation's success. Democrats will stand 
strong--strong for the standard of balance. We will remain resolute--
resolute in the pursuit of fairness for all Americans, regardless of 
where they were born or the color of their skin, regardless of the size 
of their bank accounts, regardless of their religion or sexual 
orientation.
  Those principles will direct our course as we introduce our first 10 
bills today--a tradition we have had in the Senate, which is that the 
majority party introduces the first 10 bills--as we mend our broken 
immigration system, strengthen our schools, and rebuild our roads and 
bridges, and we will look to those principles as we bring forth other 
measures included in those 10 bills. Those principles will be foremost 
in our minds as we balance the right to bear arms with the right for 
every child to grow up safe from gun violence. Those principles will be 
our North Star as we work to end wasteful tax loopholes and balance 
thoughtful spending reductions with revenue from the wealthiest among 
us. And those principles will point the way as we work to ensure that 
this country's uniformed servicemembers never struggle to find 
employment when their military duties end. Through every struggle and 
every triumph, those principles must be our guide.
  Not a single piece of important legislation can pass the Senate or 
become law without the votes of both Democrats and Republicans, so we 
will be willing to compromise and work with our colleagues across the 
aisle. Unfortunately, a number of bipartisan bills passed the Senate 
during the last Congress that were never acted upon by the House of 
Representatives. So this year the Senate will revisit some of those 
legislative priorities that passed on a bipartisan basis here.
  We will again take up the Violence Against Women Act. This is an 
important piece of legislation that is expiring. We will take up the 
farm bill, which is a revolutionary piece of legislation that would 
save the country up to $24 billion. We will again revisit historical 
reforms to save the U.S. Postal Service, and we will take up 
legislation to make whole victims of Hurricane Sandy. Each of these 
initiatives passed the Senate on a bipartisan basis after deliberation 
and debate during the last Congress but was left to languish by the 
House.
  The Senate will continue to help our fellow Americans recover from 
Hurricane Sandy before another similar disaster strikes. Hundreds of 
thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed in New York, New 
Jersey, and New England, and tens of thousands of Americans were left 
homeless by this destructive storm. We have a responsibility to aid our 
countrymen as they rebuild their lives and their communities, as we 
have after terrible floods, fires, and storms in other parts of our 
Nation.
  Once we complete that vital legislation, the Senate will take action 
to make this institution we all love--the U.S. Senate--work more 
effectively. We will consider changes to the Senate rules. Because this 
matter warrants additional debate, today we will follow the precedents 
set in 2005 and again in 2011. We will reserve the right of all 
Senators to propose changes to the Senate rules, and we will explicitly 
not acquiesce in the carrying over of all the rules from the last 
Congress. It is my intention that the Senate will recess today rather 
than adjourn to continue the same legislative day and allow this 
important rules discussion to continue later this month. I am hopeful 
and cautiously optimistic that the Republican leader and I will reach 
an agreement that allows the Senate to operate more effectively in the 
coming months.

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