[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12479]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             THE SEQUESTER

  Mr. REID. Every respectable economist has said that the shortsighted 
arbitrary cuts known as sequester will cost American jobs. Medical 
researchers say these painful cuts will set medical research in this 
country back decades, potentially costing the world a cure for cancer, 
flu, AIDS, and many other diseases against which we are on the cusp of 
making great headway. The sequester we know will cost us investments in 
education that give children a shot at success and keep American 
workers competitive. We also know the sequester will slash the safety 
net that keeps millions of senior citizens, children and veterans and 
low-income families from descending into poverty.
  I know the sequester is as bad for national security as it is for the 
economy. These cuts have grounded one-third of U.S. combat aircraft, 
slashed troop training budgets, and kept an aircraft carrier that 
should have been headed to the Persian Gulf and other places stranded 
in port instead. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of civilian employees 
of the Department of Defense, employees who support military missions 
carried out by servicemembers overseas, have been furloughed.
  It is not too late to reverse these hard-hearted cuts, cuts that were 
never supposed to take effect in the first place. The sequester was 
designed to be so painful it would force Democrats and Republicans to 
compromise and find a smart, responsible way to reduce the deficit. 
There was compromise on one side with the Democrats and, of course, 
none, as usual, with Republicans on the other side.
  But we have not given up on reversing these cuts and choosing that 
responsible path. We have cut the deficit in half over the last 3 
years, by more than $2.6 trillion. While there is more work to be done, 
we should be making targeted cuts while investing in that which makes 
America grow.
  It is clear we have reduced the debt by $2.6 trillion and the yearly 
deficit has been cut in half over the last 3 years.
  The way to pursue this type of sound fiscal policy is through regular 
order--regular order of the budget process. While there is more work to 
be done in the cuts I have talked about, we should be making targeted 
cuts while investing in what makes America grow. The American economy 
is poised to grow. It is growing now--not strong enough, not fast 
enough, but it is growing. All we have to do is get out of the way.
  According to a report released last week by the nonpartisan 
Congressional Budget Office, reversing the sequester would create an 
additional 900,000 jobs. It would increase gross domestic product by 
one percentage point. That is 1 million jobs right there. The United 
States just dug its way out of the great recession. We have seen 40 
straight months of job growth, with private sector employers adding 
more than 7.2 million jobs. But we cannot afford to reject almost 1 
million new jobs. Congress must reverse the sequester and stop 
manufacturing crises.
  If Republicans force us to the brink of another shutdown for 
ideological reasons, the economy will suffer. I suggest to any of my 
Republican colleagues who have this idea, give a call to Newt Gingrich. 
He will return your phone calls. Ask him how it worked. It was 
disastrous for Newt Gingrich, the Republicans, and the country. It 
didn't work then and it will not work now. If Republicans threaten 
catastrophic default on the Nation's bills, the economy will suffer, 
and that is an understatement.
  If Republicans refuse to work with Democrats to negotiate a 
reasonable budget to reverse these deep cuts, the economy will suffer. 
It is time to remove the stumbling blocks that are preventing the 
American economy from recovering and expanding.
  It has been 129 days since the Senate passed its reasonable, 
progrowth budget.
  Remember, the Republicans said: We want regular order. We want a 
budget.
  We passed the budget. Now they will not follow regular order. They 
will not let us even go to conference. We have asked consent to go to 
conference with the House 17 different times. As long as Senate 
Republicans refuse to allow Budget Committee chairwoman Patty Murray to 
negotiate a budget compromise with her House Republican counterparts, 
the economy is at risk. It is time to set aside partisan differences 
and work to find common ground.
  Passing the Senate Transportation appropriations bill that is on the 
floor now would be a good step toward restoring regular order. This 
measure, the Transportation bill, would create jobs rebuilding 
America's deficient infrastructure and renew the Nation's commitment to 
make affordable housing available to low-income families.
  I commend the appropriations committee, led by Barbara Mikulski. The 
subcommittee, whose work is now before the Senate, is led by Patty 
Murray. They have done wonderful work. I believe some of my Republican 
colleagues are as eager to return to regular order, passing an 
appropriations bill, as I am. I do believe that. They have to break 
away from the pack. I hope these reasonable Republicans will continue 
to work with us to advance this important bipartisan measure.

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