[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 6245-6246]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                               THE BUDGET

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I am sure my colleagues are familiar with 
the old adage: Be careful what you wish for; you just might get it.
  For 2 years my Republican colleagues have said they wish for a return 
to regular order. They asked for amendments, and they got amendments. 
They asked for consideration of bills out of committees, and they have 
gotten that. They asked and then asked again for the Senate to pass a 
budget resolution, even though we already had a budget law signed by 
President Obama. Well, they got what they wished; the dog finally 
caught the car. But it turns out Republicans were more interested in 
demagogy by calling for regular order than actually operating under 
regular order.
  Although the Senate passed a budget resolution under regular order 
after scores of amendments, scores of votes, the Republicans now refuse 
to allow us to go to conference with our colleagues in the House of 
Representatives. This is a new concept.
  For centuries we have had regular order where if the House passes a 
bill and the Senate passes a bill, if they are different, we sit down, 
talk and work out the differences. Not with this tea party-driven House 
and Senate. No, they talk about regular order, they talk a good game, 
but when it comes to regular order they don't want it. They shy away 
from it. They say: No, we don't want regular order. We don't want 
something that has been done in this country for centuries.
  Why are they so afraid? Why are the Republicans so afraid?
  We all know finding common ground isn't easy. They have a program 
where they are asking for $92 billion more in cuts in discretionary 
programs than we are, such as the Head Start Program which allows tens 
of thousands of little boys and girls to get a head start; Meals on 
Wheels, where millions of people have been eliminated from that 
program; medical research--a Senator I had a conversation with this 
morning has a friend with a rare form of breast cancer. A program to 
help this woman cure this terrible disease has been eliminated where 
she lives.
  We know finding common ground will not be easy, but it should be 
done. We should find common ground. We are not afraid to work a little 
harder to get this done. We are not afraid of transparency. Let's sit 
down together and find out where each stands. We have done our work 
over here. Let's find out what the Republicans want to do.
  We need to let the American people know where we stand. That is why 
transparency is so important. Democrats and Republicans will never, 
ever find common ground if we never get to the negotiating table. So 
why don't my Republican colleagues want to go to conference? Last 
night, a junior Senator from Texas said Republicans would agree to go 
to conference only if Democrats first would give in to their demands.
  What were those demands? Well, they want more job-killing budget 
cuts. They want to make sure no millionaire is ever asked to contribute 
to the deficit reduction. That is what he asked: Before we go to 
conference, we want to make sure that happens.

[[Page 6246]]

  He also said he wanted to make sure--remember this, we have been 
there before. Maybe the junior Senator from Texas doesn't remember, but 
we remember. We remember the government being on the verge of losing 
its ability to be part of the world community by not paying its debts.
  Rightfully or wrongfully, this country accumulates debts. Raising the 
debt ceiling doesn't do away with those debts; they are still there. We 
have an obligation to pay the debts that are incurred by this country.
  My friend, the junior Senator from Texas, said he wanted a guarantee, 
as a bargaining pawn, we would make sure the debt ceiling would not be 
raised--or words to that effect. We have been through that before. The 
President made it very clear: He will not negotiate on this country 
paying its bills.
  Republicans refuse to go to conference unless Democrats give in to 
positions that were soundly rejected by the American people last 
November, soundly rejected on the Senate floor with the budget 
resolution we passed. In other words, Republicans refuse to play the 
game unless we let them win.
  The rules are set. We know what the rules are, so let's get down and 
go forward with the rules. But they are not willing to do that. Like 
schoolyard bullies, if Republicans can't win, they will take the ball 
and go home. That is what we were told last night. This is a stunt, but 
it is a nonstarter.
  What is the real reason Republicans are shying away from their 
conference? Speaker Boehner has said he would rather not subject his 
Members to politically tough votes. Now, that is probably very 
truthful. House Republicans are afraid of a backlash from a radical tea 
party that controls what they do over there and has such significant 
sway in what happens over here. They are afraid of the backlash from 
the radical tea party if they even discuss a compromise with us. Even 
if they agree to go to conference with us, they are afraid that will 
hurt them.
  Partisan politics is no reason to shy away from bipartisan 
negotiations. Republicans got what they asked for. They wanted regular 
order, and they have regular order.
  Now it is time to embrace the regular order they said they wanted. It 
has been going on here for centuries. That is what they want. They 
should complete what they asked for. It is time to get away from a 
last-minute fix and short-term solutions. It is time to engage in 
meaningful negotiations and a responsible budget process.

                          ____________________