9:30 AM || December 1, 2010

Senate Opening

The Senate Convened.

10:21 AM || December 1, 2010

Opening Remarks

 
Senator Reid: (9:32 AM)

·         Today --

·         The Senate will proceed to a period of Morning Business, with senators permitted to speak up to ten minutes each.  The time will be equally divided and controlled, with the Minority controlling the first 30 minutes and the Majority controlling the second 30 minutes.

·         The Senate will recess from 12:30 PM until 3:30 PM for a Democratic caucus meeting.

·         The Majority leader indicated that he will file cloture on the 9/11 Health Bill, the Dream Act, and the Firefighters Collective Bargaining Bill this week.

·         Spoke on the letter sent to him by Senate Republicans.

·         SUMMARY "Earlier this morning, I received a letter from my Republican colleagues indicating they will filibuster any legislative matter brought to the floor prior to the completion of the spending and tax bills. No one is more anxious to put these bills behind us than I. However, passing either will require Republican votes. I wish I could report we're close to wrapping up action on these bills but, we're not. The first meeting that was requested by the President is taking place this morning. Senator McConnell chose Senator Kyl to represent the Republicans in the Senate. I chose the Chairman of the Finance Committee, Senator Baucus, to represent Democrats in the Senate. So, they're moving forward on that to see if there is something that can be worked out. My Republican colleagues knew this as they drafted this letter. Therefore, they also know that the true effect of this letter is to prevent the Senate from acting on many important issues that have bipartisan support. With this letter, they have simply put in writing the political strategy that the Republicans pursued this entire congress, namely, obstruct, delay -- obstruct, delay action on critical matters and then blame the Democrats for not addressing the needs of the American people. Very cynical, but very obvious -- very transparent. My Republican colleagues knew this as they drafted this letter. Therefore, they also know that the true effect of this letter is to prevent the Senate from acting on many important issues that have bipartisan support."

 
Senator McConnell: (9:58 AM)

·         Spoke on the letter sent to the Majority Leader by Senate Republicans regarding priorities for the Lame Duck session.

o    SUMMARY "Republicans have pleaded with Democrats to put aside their wish-list — to focus on the things Americans want us to focus on. They’ve ignored us. The voters repudiated their agenda at the polls. They’ve ignored them. Time is running out. They’re ignoring that. The election was a month ago. It’s time to get serious. It’s time to focus on priorities. A little while ago, I delivered a letter to Senator Reid signed by all 42 Senate Republicans. It says that every Republican will vote against proceeding to any legislative matter until we’ve funded the government and protected every taxpayer from a tax hike. Basically, first things first. With time running out in this session, we need to focus on these critical priorities. As the letter states, our constituents have repeatedly asked us to focus on creating an environment for private-sector job growth. It is time that our constituent's priorities become the Senate’s priorities.  At the moment, every taxpayer in the country stands to get a massive tax increase — and a cut in pay — on December 31st. We need to show the American people that we care more about them and their ability to pay their bills than we do about the special interests' legislative Christmas-list. Republicans are united in our opposition to proceeding to any of these things until Democrats make the priorities of the American people their own."

10:36 AM || December 1, 2010

Morning Business

 
Senator Begich: (10:08 AM)

·         Spoke on the economic recovery.

o    SUMMARY "It didn't matter if you were from Alaska or New Mexico, the economic condition of this country and this world were at risk. So, we made some moves -- some moves that were very controversial and today many of us don't like to talk about because the pollsters will tell you bad news, don't talk about it, the public hates it. It may be the TARP or the auto bailout or the stimulus. Figure out the list. What I look at -- every day I read Business Week. I read the Wall Street Journal. I look at CNBC. I look at all the business publications online and in print. What I like to see is not what politicians are saying about how the economy is going but what other people are saying, people who work every single day try to build this economy."

11:33 AM || December 1, 2010

Morning Business

 
Senator Hatch: (11:01 AM)

·         Spoke on the pending tax increases.

o    SUMMARY "This should be a happy time for families, but the festive mood is dampened by the high unemployment and the slow economic growth rate in this country. Too many businesses are struggling, too many investors are holding back their capital, and too many workers are idle. Here in Washington, we hear too much talk and take too little action to effectively address these problems. For almost four years, our friends on the other side have failed to take action on the tax increase that will soon hit virtually every income tax-paying American. There is a bipartisan resolution staring us all in the face. It is the only bipartisan compromise. I'm talking about the seamless extension of current bipartisan tax policy that was enacted in 2001 and 2003."

12:26 PM || December 1, 2010

Morning Business

 
Senator Stabenow: (11:36 AM)

·         Spoke on the pending tax increases and extending unemployment benefits.

o    SUMMARY "It is extremely concerning to me that colleagues on the other side of the aisle -- they've written a letter to the leader today -- they are willing to risk everything in order to get a bonus round of tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. They are literally willing to stop everything, risk everything in the economy in order to get an extra tax cut...In order to get a bonus tax cut for millionaires and billionaires, they are willing to risk the federal deficit, balloon it another $700 billion. Not pay for it. Now, they're saying we at ought to pay for unemployment benefits for somebody who lost their job in this economy through no fault of their own."

·         Propounded a UC that the Finance Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 3981, a bill to provide for a temporary extension of unemployment insurance provisions; that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; that the bill be read three times and passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table (Barrasso objected).

 
Senator Barrasso: (11:54 AM)

·         Responded.

o    SUMMARY "I understand that Senator Brown of Massachusetts objected to this request yesterday, and he offered a fully offset alternative. Therefore, on his behalf, I do object and ask consent that his proposal be inserted into the record."

·         Spoke on health care reform.

o    SUMMARY "One of the largest union-administered health insurance funds in New York is dropping coverage for the children of more than 30,000 low-wage home attendants, union officials say. This is the Service Employees International Union, and they are dropping coverage for about 6,000 children. The President has said no children will be dropped. The secretary has said no children will be dropped, and yet a union, which has encouraged through its lobbying efforts support of the health care law, is now dropping 6,000 children. And why are they doing it? Well, it says that the health care reform legislation requires plans with dependent coverage to expand the coverage up to age 26, and what they say is, "our limited resources are already stretched as far as possible, and meeting this new requirement would be financially impossible.""

12:52 PM || December 1, 2010

Morning Business

 
Senator Isakson: (12:06 PM)

·         Spoke on the pending tax increases.

o    SUMMARY "One way to bring back jobs to America and bring them back more than anything else is to extend the existing tax rates for a predictable period of time, so business knows what the playing field is going to look like. The absence of uncertainty between now and the end of the year means nobody's making a decision to hire anybody until we first make a decision on what their taxes are going to be. If we decide they're going to go up, if we turn, if we capitulate and just let the current sunset take place, then American business, at a time of high unemployment and low productivity in terms of business activity, is going to see an increase in their tax rate and we're going to see a decrease in employment next year in the United States."

 
Senator Leahy: (12:13 PM)

·         Spoke on the confirmation process of judicial nominees.

o    SUMMARY "I think the Senate should end this across the board blockade of confirming noncontroversial judicial nominees. Democrats did not engage in such practices with President Bush. Republicans should not continue in their practices any longer. With nearly 110 vacancies plaguing the federal courts, we don't have the luxury of engaging in these kinds of games. The Senate is well behind the pace set by the Democratic majority considering President Bush's nominations during his first two years in office. At the end of President Bush's second year in office, the Senate with a Democratic majority had confirmed 100 of his federal district and circuit court nominees."

The Senate stands in recess until 3:30 PM.

4:35 PM || December 1, 2010

Morning Business

 
Senator Brown-OH: (3:38 PM)

·         Spoke on the letter sent to the Majority Leader by Senate Republicans regarding priorities for the Lame Duck session.

o    SUMMARY "They are saying that they insist on a millionaire and billionaire tax cuts come January.  They will, for all intents and purposes, shut the government down if they don't get their way. They're saying, forget extending unemployment benefits, forget maintaining unemployment benefits, forget the food safety legislation, forget don't ask don't tell, forget the Russian-American START treaty...forget a middle-class tax cut. They're saying, we will do nothing, we will shut the government down if we can't get a tax cut for millionaires and billionaires."

 
Senator Stabenow: (3:50 PM)

·         Responded.

o    SUMMARY "They want a bonus tax cut on millionaires and billionaires that for the average millionaire will be about $100,000 next year, which is more than the average person in Michigan makes in a year. So, they're willing to shut this place down and risk everything in order to be able to get a bonus tax cut for millionaires and billionaires. What does that mean? They're willing to risk the deficit. They don't mind paying $700 billion, but they say we can't help people who are out of work because it will cost $50 billion -- unless it's totally paid for."

 
Senator Begich: (3:54 PM)

·         Responded.

o    SUMMARY "Once again we're down here, nothing on the other side. They'll come out -- I know they'll have their charts and one liners about how the economy will fall if we don't give the millionaires and billionaires another tax break or bonus. It's not going to. We are on the road of recovery because this side took that lonely road."

5:19 PM || December 1, 2010

Morning Business

Senator Udall-NM (4:08 PM)

·         Spoke on the letter sent to the Majority Leader by Senate Republicans regarding priorities for the Lame Duck session. 

o    SUMMARY "I have a letter here signed by all of the Republicans. They have really threatened to bring this place to a halt, completely bring it to a halt. They've written a letter to Senator Reid and in the letter they say, "We write to inform you that we will not agree to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed for any legislative item until they get what I would characterize as taxpayer funded bonuses for millionaires and billionaires." So, they're going to bring the entire senate to a stop."

·         Propounded a UC that the Energy Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 1574, Clean Energy for Homes and Buildings Act of 2009; that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; that the bill be read three times and passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table (Barrasso objected).

 
Senator Stabenow: (4:21 PM)

·         Responded.

o    SUMMARY "I would say after ten years of tax cuts for the wealthy, where are the jobs? If there ever was a policy that didn't work, it was that one. We have lost in Michigan alone over 800,000 jobs under the policy that they want to continue. In this country, we have lost over eight million jobs under the economic policy that they want to continue."

·         Propounded a UC that the Finance Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 3324, SEAM Act of 2010; that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; that the bill be read three times and passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table (Barrasso objected).

 
Senator Barrasso: (4:25 PM)

·         Responded.

o    SUMMARY "As you know, we are now in December of the lame-duck session. These are things that could have been brought up any time in the last year and a half to two years...I think it's time to stop the theater that we have here and get to the business that we all know we need to address."

·         Propounded a UC that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 4915; that all after the enacting clause be stricken and the substitute amendment at the desk (fully offset 1099 paperwork repeal) be agreed to; that the bill as amended be read a third time and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table (Stabenow objected).

5:53 PM || December 1, 2010

Morning Business

 
Senator McCaskill: (4:30 PM)

·         Spoke on the letter sent to the Majority Leader by Senate Republicans regarding priorities for the Lame Duck session.

o    SUMMARY "If only it were true that we could have brought these things up earlier. If anybody's been paying attention, they would understand that our friends across the aisle have been blocking everything, including motherhood and apple pie, for the last year. They have voted unanimously to move judicial nominations out of Judiciary Committee, then they languish and they will not allow us to bring them up for a vote. And then my friend said that we need to stop the theater."

 
Senator Alexander: (4:47 PM)

·         Responded.

o    SUMMARY "Republicans have written a letter to the Majority Leader that say, "Let's focus on those two things. Let's fund the government and keep the tax rates where they are, which would be the single best thing we can do in the middle of a downturn to help create jobs."  We think we heard the results of the election. Our friends on the other side, they keep insisting on an encore after a concert which attracted a lot of boos. I think what the American people were saying to us is fund the government, keep the tax rates where they are, freeze the spending and go home. Bring the new Congress back in January and let's begin to work on the priorities of the American people. "

 
Senator Schumer: (5:18 PM)

·         Reponded.

o    SUMMARY "Remember when you guys discover the word 'death tax'? It had its effect in a way I didn't like, but it had its effect. Well, now we have millionaires tax breaks. And, you know what? It's going to have the same effect. We are going to finally be able to show America what you've been all about, tax breaks for the wealthy above all -- above the deficit, above helping the middle class, above creating jobs. The days of hiding behind the screen are over because the tax debate we're having now pulls back that screen and shows exactly where you're at."