[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 485-486]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        CONSEQUENCES OF INACTION

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, it is often said that actions have 
consequences, and that is an understatement, but in the Senate inaction 
also has consequences. My Republican colleagues are very effective at 
creating gridlock in this body--at preventing the Senate from doing its 
job. While this type of obstruction may serve Republicans' political 
purposes, it does not serve this country's purposes generally; that is 
for sure. It may serve the Republicans' political purposes, but it does 
not in any way lead to something that is good for the country's 
purposes.
  On Friday I received a letter, as did the Republican leader, from 
Secretary of State John Kerry. John Kerry is someone who understands 
the Senate, having served here for a quarter of a century. After a year 
at the State Department, more than a third of Secretary Kerry's 
leadership team remains vacant--1 year and it remains vacant. Four of 
his six under secretaries have yet to be confirmed, and 58 State 
Department nominees are pending before the Senate. In just that one 
department, that one cabinet slot, we have 64 spots that are left 
floating around out there someplace. This is unacceptable. At a time 
when our Nation needs a robust presence abroad, the Senate is stuck. 
The State Department cannot afford for a third of its leadership 
positions to be vacant. It is not good for the State Department, it is 
not good for our country, and it is not good internationally.
  This is what Secretary Kerry said, among other things, in the letter 
he wrote to us:

       It is not an overstatement that today so many critical 
     national security positions are still awaiting confirmation 
     that it is now affecting our ability to do the nonpartisan 
     work of American foreign policy; defend the security of our 
     Nation, promote our values, protect our interests and help 
     our businesses compete overseas, which creates jobs for 
     Americans. Simply stated, the backlog in confirmation of 
     State Department nominees is impacting our national security 
     and weakening America's role in the world.

  Mr. President, the Senate's inaction, its failure to carry out its 
duty to advise and consent, has consequences. Why are we not moving 
forward? It is because of obstruction by the Republicans in the Senate.
  Under the adept leadership of Chairman Menendez, the Senate Foreign 
Relations Committee is expected to report out at least 31 State 
Department nominees this week. Many of those nominations were made 
months ago and returned to the President at the end of the first 
session of the 113th Congress. Why were they returned? Because of 
obstruction of the Republicans.
  It is incumbent upon the Senate to promptly consider all nominees, 
and in particular the vital nominees who will protect our national 
security and our role as a world leader. Unfortunately, Republicans 
have made it difficult and time consuming to confirm any nominee no 
matter how essential or how noncontroversial. If the Senate can't even 
fill its constitutional duties, how can we hope to engage in a robust 
amendment process?
  We waste so much time trying to get simple nominations done. They 
complain about not having amendments. In this last work period, Mr. 
President, we spent weeks eating up time that meant nothing to anyone.
  The same Republicans who wasted months of the Senate's time last year 
are now bitterly complaining that the Senate does not spend enough time 
considering amendments. Every hour Republicans force us to spend 
watching the clock, waiting to confirm nominees, to vote procedural 
motions before even beginning debate on legislation, is an hour we 
could have spent debating and voting on amendments.
  We cannot have the extension of emergency unemployment insurance be 
bogged down by a raft of political amendments. Republicans are so 
obsessed with taking pot shots at the Affordable Care Act and staging 
political

[[Page 486]]

stunt votes that they are willing to derail a bill that will help 1.4 
million out-of-work Americans. We can't allow that. It is unfair.
  Still, the complaints of the minority have not fallen on deaf ears.
  First my Republican colleague said they would not vote for an 
extension of unemployment benefits unless it was fully offset. I 
compromised. It is fully paid for in the bill before this body.
  Next my Republican colleagues said they would not vote for this 
legislation unless it enacted real reforms for the unemployment 
insurance program. I agreed. That is in the bill before the body.
  Now many of my Republican colleagues say they will turn their backs 
on Americans who have been out of work for months and months unless 
they have an opportunity to vote on amendments to this bill. Although I 
wonder what Republicans will demand next, I am willing to do what it 
takes to protect middle-class workers struggling to find jobs. So 
reasonable amendments, a reasonable number, relevant amendments, of 
course we would be happy to take a look at that. I would be happy to do 
that. We have Tuesday caucuses every week. I will go over this with my 
caucus in some detail. But my Republican colleagues can't take yes for 
an answer. If they insist on swamping this important measure with 
extraneous political amendments, it will be clear they never wanted to 
extend unemployment in the first place.
  If Republicans are serious about offering relevant amendments to 
strengthen and improve this bill, I am willing to sit down and talk 
about it. I am willing to allow votes on these amendments. However, I 
am not going to allow this legislation to be bogged down, as I have 
indicated, by meaningless votes or derailed by another doomed crusade 
to strip millions of Americans of the affordable care they have now. 
And once Republicans get the amendment votes they want, I hope they 
will give 1.4 million out-of-work Americans the vote they want and 
need.
  My Republican colleagues should remember that a final vote on this 
legislation--a vote for middle-class men and women who desperately want 
to work and desperately need help--is the only vote that really 
matters.

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