[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19733]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        BIPARTISAN ACHIEVEMENTS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the new Congress and the new Senate 
this year have had a habit this year of turning third rails into 
bipartisan achievements. You might say we did so on highways and 
transportation last week. You might say we are doing so on schools and 
education this week.
  We have also overcome significant obstacles to pass important 
legislation that would protect America's privacy online through the 
sharing of cyber threat information that would help fight against 
unfair trade barriers, that would help our military modernize and 
prepare for future threats, and that would bring hope to victims of 
deplorable crimes who suffer in the shadows.
  But when it comes to the truest of third rails in American politics, 
some boil that down to just two phrases: Medicare and Social Security. 
We all know that positive action will be needed if we care about saving 
these programs for future generations. Republicans and Democrats are 
both aware of this inescapable fact. Yet too many politicians have been 
conditioned to believe that bringing one comma of positive reform to 
either law is political suicide.
  Well, bipartisan majorities in the new Congress voted to change a lot 
more than just commas in both laws this year. We took bipartisan action 
on Medicare, reforming a broken payment system that has threatened 
seniors' care. We took bipartisan action on Social Security's 
disability component, enacting the most significant reform in a 
generation. As a result of these bipartisan reforms, we put a permanent 
end to Congress' annual doc fix drama. We brought reform to a program 
for disabled Americans that was scheduled to go broke next year. And we 
broke through on a bipartisan basis--an important psychological barrier 
that has held back broader positive action for the American people.
  The scale of what this new Congress was able to achieve on these 
issues is noteworthy, but it is important for another reason. It clears 
a path for future wins for our constituents. That is good news for our 
country today, it is good news for future generations tomorrow, and it 
is another example of a Congress that is back to work for the American 
people and back on their side.

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