[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 104-107]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                  JOBS

  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, first of all, this is the first opportunity 
I have had to follow our new President pro tempore of the Senate on the 
floor. He was just elected yesterday.
  I have spoken on the floor at times when he has been in other 
leadership roles. He is a solid Member of this Senate whom we rally 
around in so many ways. The comments he just made about the leader of 
our friends on the other side and the importance of family to Senator 
Reid--that is also important to Senator Hatch. People are important to 
Senator Hatch. I believe he is going to be a tremendous President pro 
tempore of the Senate, chairman of the Finance Committee, and a 
critical leader at a critical time.
  The comments he made on the floor today about Senators being willing 
to take tough votes, to take positions on issues, to let the American 
people know where we stand--that is not only where the Senate ought to 
be but in so many ways it is where Senator Hatch has always been as a 
Member of the Senate and now as the highest elected official in the 
Senate, the President pro tempore of the Senate. I look forward to 
seeing him do that job, seeking his advice, and watching his leadership

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as he leads us now in multiple ways in the Senate.
  Mr. HATCH. Would the Senator yield for a comment?
  Mr. BLUNT. I yield to the Senator.
  Mr. HATCH. I thank my dear friend from Missouri for being so kind and 
thoughtful to me and the Senate. I appreciate our friendship and the 
leadership he provides in this body.
  Mr. BLUNT. I thank my friend for his leadership and his comments.
  The Presiding Officer and I are looking at legislation we looked at 
last year where the Senate would simply have to stand up on rules and 
regulations that have an impact on the economy and say ``Yes, we are 
going to improve those'' or ``No, we are not going to do those.'' That 
would be a role for the Senate where the regulators for the first time 
have an obstacle and an opportunity to come to the people who have to 
go to the voters and say: What do you think about this rule? What do 
you think about this regulation?
  I look forward to seeing the REINS Act again that would put some more 
controls over regulators, which both the Presiding Officer and I have 
worked on.
  Today I will talk for a few moments about the work we will hopefully 
get to quickly.
  The first numbered bill in this new Senate is the bill to authorize 
the Keystone Pipeline. In the 6 years that Canada has been waiting to 
try to sell us a product that we need, I have spoken about this--as 
many of us have--many times. It is hard to actually think about what I 
might say today that hasn't been said before in that 6-year period of 
trying to do what I believe and what most Americans believe is the 
logical thing for us to do.
  Our best trading partner, Canada--more North American energy is one 
of the critical keys to our economic future. As I over and over again 
think of the list of opportunities in front of us, that has to be near 
the top. What happens when we have more American energy? What happens 
when we are more self-sufficient with our two closest neighbors for the 
energy we use, the energy we need? What happens when we are less 
dependent on economies that we don't do as much business with or places 
that aren't as friendly to us as our neighbors to the north and our 
neighbors to the south?
  More American energy has an impact on utility bills, it has an impact 
on transportation, and it has an impact on whether we are going to make 
more things. An economy that grows things and makes things is stronger 
than an economy where we just trade services with each other. We should 
be looking for those things which create that competitive incentive for 
us to get back into manufacturing.
  In the last session of Congress, we were able to pass a bill I 
cosponsored with Senator Brown from Ohio on advanced manufacturing, and 
I think it is going to have an impact on doing things in different 
ways, but I don't suggest that it would have a greater impact than a 
utility bill that somebody thinking about building a factory understood 
that they had a great likelihood of being able to pay for a long time 
and in a competitive way or a delivery system that works. Those are the 
kinds of things that will create more American jobs.
  The Keystone Pipeline clearly creates some jobs in and of itself. I 
think 20,000 jobs or so is the estimate just to build the pipeline and 
another 20,000 for all of the support of material and things that go 
into that pipeline.
  I think the President's own State Department has a number of 42,000 
jobs that would be created if we go to this shovel-ready project. We 
had a lot of discussion in the country when the President became 
President about the importance of finding shovel-ready projects. This 
is a project where people have had the shovels in hand for a long time. 
They have a product we need. We are their best trading partner. It is 
logical that they would want to sell it to us. It is equally logical 
that we should want to buy it from them. The State Department says over 
and over again--and this is the State Department where the Secretary of 
State was put in place by the President, who yesterday said he would 
veto this bill--the State Department says over and over again that 
there is no environmental impact we should be concerned about.
  For people who say: Well, the Canadians should be concerned about the 
impact of taking that oil out of the ground, that is really going to 
happen. The oil sands are going to be heated up. The oil is coming out 
of the ground. It is going to be sold to somebody. The question is, Do 
we take advantage of that logical opportunity or do we give that 
opportunity to somebody else?
  When we get into this debate next week, somebody will say: Well, 
maybe there are 40,000 jobs to build the pipeline, but there are only 
three or four dozen jobs to run the pipeline. Well, of course--it is a 
pipeline. It is not complicated to do, but it is the logical and 
easiest way to move fuel that we need, oil that we need, oil that would 
become part of our commerce and other commerce.
  But anybody who thinks that those are the only jobs that would be 
created when we grasp the idea of more American energy just isn't 
thinking about what this means to our economy. There are many jobs to 
be created. That is why this has become such an important issue and 
such an important vote--not just for the pipeline itself but for the 
message it sends to the American workforce, the message it sends to 
people who are thinking about making things in America, and the message 
it sends about our future economy. This is one of many things that are 
just waiting for us to take advantage of them so that we can grow our 
economy in new and positive ways.
  Among the things that will be said that I will disagree with on this 
in the next few days: Well, this is only 35 permanent jobs. Anybody who 
believes that embracing more American energy is only 35 American jobs 
is either kidding themselves or just trying to kid the American people.
  We need to take advantage of this opportunity. There is no government 
funding involved. It is just government approval. This is a $7 billion 
project, 42,000 jobs. The government just has to say yes.
  Six years and several months ago ago--I think about 2 months ago now 
we passed the 6-year anniversary of the Canadians having the 
application and asking us to let them do this. Why do they even have to 
do that? Because they cross an international border. We build pipelines 
in the country all the time with very little Federal involvement.
  This is revenue for the States, communities, and counties this 
pipeline goes through. There is a revenue stream there. You pay for the 
permanent ability to have that infrastructure available to you. It is a 
$7 billion project, revenue for State and local government, but most 
importantly, it is a sign from the people of the United States of 
America through their government that we are going to take advantage of 
this great opportunity of more American energy that is in front of us.
  Since he came to the Senate the same day I did 4 years ago, Senator 
Hoeven has been a leading advocate as a North Dakotan. He understands 
what energy can do for the economy. He also understands the importance 
of being able to transport that energy product around in the right way. 
It frees train cars for manufactured goods, agriculture, and other 
things. It does so in the best way. Senator Manchin, joining with 
Senator Hoeven as the principal sponsors of the bill, is a leader on 
these energy issues. He understands energy issues. I am pleased to be a 
cosponsor of this bill. I believe there are 60 of us who have 
cosponsored the bill--clearly enough to send the bill to the 
President's desk. It would be nice if the President would look at the 
opportunity and decide to sign this bill.
  This is an important part of the future of the country. It is time 
for the Senate, the Congress, and the Government of the United States 
to wrap its arms around what this means to the people of the United 
States. It means good jobs. It means a different future than if we 
don't have it.
  One other topic I wish to mention while on the floor is--speaking of 
good jobs--jobs for veterans. A bill I filed in

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the last Congress in the Senate has passed the House again last night, 
the Hire More Heroes Act. I hope we can get to it quickly. Last year it 
passed in the House 406 to 1, but the Senate wouldn't take up the bill 
that passed the House 406 to 1.
  How do we hire more heroes under this act? We give people who already 
have veterans health benefits--TRICARE or other VA benefits--a little 
bit of an exception as an employee. Employers don't have to count them 
toward the 50 employees that trigger a law that many employers are 
trying to avoid being affected by, the so-called Affordable Care Act.
  We have a chance to go to those who served us and say: Look, we are 
going to create one additional opportunity. We are not going to count 
the fact that you already have health care against you; we are actually 
going to let it work in favor of your opportunity to get a job and to 
move forward with that job.
  Whether it is more American energy or hiring our heroes for jobs they 
need to have--the veteran unemployment numbers are unacceptable. 
Veterans who have served since 9/11 at one time last year had an 
unemployment rate right at the 9 percent number. Any number is 
unacceptable. We need to take those veterans' skills and put them to 
work. I hope we do that by quickly following our colleagues on the 
other side of the building--who now have passed this bill twice--and 
getting this bill on the President's desk as well.
  Hiring our heroes, creating jobs, looking at more American energy--I 
am hopeful these are the kinds of things this Congress will quickly 
send a message to the President and the country--these are the kinds of 
things we want to see happen for more opportunity for young Americans 
and for all Americans.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Fischer). The Senator from South Dakota.
  Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I share the view of my colleague from 
Missouri about the importance of the Keystone Pipeline. We will have an 
opportunity over the next several days to talk more extensively about 
that and the importance it has to our economy and to energy security. 
Obviously it is something that we think is about jobs and the economy, 
which is why there is so much support for it in the Senate among 
Republicans in the Senate, and I would argue--I think there will be a 
lot of Democrats as well.
  Yesterday Republicans assumed the majority in the Senate thanks to 
the overwhelming support of the American people, and we are ready to 
roll up our sleeves and go to work.
  This week President Obama is going to be traveling around the country 
attempting to take credit for the recent shred of economic good news we 
have finally seen after 6 years of economic stagnation under the 
President's policies. Unfortunately, all of the campaign-style tours in 
the world cannot disguise the fact that our economy is nowhere near 
where it should be. More than 5 years after the recession supposedly 
ended, Americans are still feeling the pinch. Wages are stagnant. 
Household income has declined by almost $3,000 on the President's 
watch. The price of everything from health care to education has risen. 
And the President's policies have done nothing to help. In fact, the 
President's policies have actually made things worse. Whether it is the 
taxes in the President's health care law or the energy tax proposed by 
the President's out-of-control EPA, the President's policies have done 
nothing to help the economy.
  But there is reason for Americans to be hopeful. Poll after poll has 
demonstrated that the American people are concerned about jobs and the 
economy, and in the new Congress Republicans are going to make jobs and 
the economy our priorities. We are committed to passing legislation 
that would help create jobs, grow the economy, and expand opportunities 
for struggling middle-class families, and we plan to get started right 
away.
  This week the senior Senator from North Dakota, Mr. Hoeven, 
reintroduced legislation to approve the job-creating Keystone XL 
Pipeline. According to the President's own State Department, this 
commonsense project would support more than 42,000 jobs. It would also 
substantially increase revenue to State and local governments, 
providing increased funding for local priorities such as schools, 
roads, and bridges.
  I can speak firsthand to that because it would cross my home county, 
Jones County, in South Dakota. I can say the people in my home county 
see the opportunity to generate revenues that would help support the 
local school district in an area of the State which is losing 
population and having a harder and harder time keeping the school open.
  The pipeline has bipartisan support in both Houses of Congress, and I 
am hopeful that the President will drop his inexplicable opposition and 
finally sign off on this job-creating project.
  Republicans also plan to take up the other job-creating measures that 
spent far too long languishing in the Democratic-led Senate. The 
Obamacare tax on lifesaving devices, such as pacemakers and insulin 
pumps, has already had a negative impact on jobs and the medical device 
industry. At a time when our economy is still suffering from years of 
stagnation, repealing this tax is a no-brainer. I am confident we will 
have bipartisan support for this repeal, and I hope--I hope--the 
President will sign it.
  Republicans also plan to repeal the Obamacare provision that changed 
the definition of full-time work from 40 hours per week to 30 hours per 
week. This provision is forcing businesses to reduce employees' hours 
and wages and hire part-time rather than full-time workers in order to 
comply with the Obamacare requirements. Millions of Americans who want 
full-time work are currently stuck in part-time jobs because they can't 
find anything else. The last thing the government should be doing is 
making it more difficult for employers to offer full-time positions.
  Another Obamacare position that is making it difficult for employers 
to hire is the employer mandate. Later today I will introduce a bill 
called the HIRE Act, which would make it easier for employers to hire 
new workers by exempting Americans who have been unemployed for more 
than 27 weeks from counting as employees for whom a tax penalty must be 
paid by the employer under Obamacare's employer mandate.
  In addition to passing job-creating legislation, the new Republican 
majority is committed to increasing congressional oversight. Executive 
branch agencies have been out of control under the Obama 
administration. The President's EPA alone has proposed billions of 
dollars' worth of regulations that will have a catastrophic effect on 
our economy and eliminate tens of thousands of jobs, if not hundreds of 
thousands of jobs. Just one of these regulations--the backdoor national 
energy tax on coal-fired powerplants--would cause Americans' energy 
prices to soar and destroy families' livelihoods.
  In my State of South Dakota, household energy prices could increase 
by as much as 90 percent. South Dakotans with incomes below $50,000 a 
year already spend one-fifth--one-fifth--of their aftertax income on 
residential and transportation energy costs, which is twice the 
national average, I might add. They can't afford a 90-percent increase 
in their costs.
  What is more, this national energy tax will have almost no effect on 
our air quality. It would devastate communities and drive up energy 
bills in this country for nothing.
  The EPA is far from the only Federal agency to have abused its power 
under the Obama administration. Take the Obama IRS, for example, which 
targeted organizations for extra scrutiny based on their members' 
political beliefs. It is past time for Congress to assert its oversight 
authority and check the executive branch's overreach.
  While Republicans want to work with Democrats as much as possible, we 
will not hesitate to draw a bright line between Democratic and 
Republican priorities.

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  Republicans want to address some of the biggest challenges facing our 
economy, to put our Nation on the path to long-term prosperity. That 
means doing things such as reforming our Tax Code, which is inefficient 
and bloated, making it simpler and fairer for families and businesses 
in this country. It also means reforming our regulatory system to 
eliminate inefficient and ineffective regulations that are discouraging 
job growth.
  The Democratic-led Senate was pretty dysfunctional. The minority 
party was largely shut out of the legislative process. Bills were 
frequently written behind closed doors. The committee process was 
largely defunct. Too often the Senate floor was a forum for partisan 
politicking rather than serious debate. What was the result? The voices 
of too many Americans got shut out of the process and the Senate 
accomplished next to nothing for the American people.
  Republicans intend to change all of that. Under Republican control, 
the Senate will return to regular order. That means bills will once 
again be debated and amended in the open, in committee, before coming 
to the Senate floor. Once bills come to the floor, all Senators, 
regardless of party, will have the opportunity to offer amendments and 
to fully debate legislation before it comes to a vote.
  The American people deserve a Senate that works and Republicans 
intend to give it to them. The American people have spent a long time 
struggling in the Obama economy, but they are about to get some relief. 
Republicans are determined to pass solutions that will help create 
jobs, grow our economy, and expand opportunities for American families. 
We hope--we hope--the Democrats in the Senate and the President will 
join us.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.

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