we have an amendment, number 4765, which is a motion to suspend the rules and consider the amendment, and i will make that motion in a moment. we have before us a bill. we're going to spend $136 billion more than what we planned to before this agreement walls made. we have no opportunity under regular order to offset that with less priority, less

important items. so we have an amendment for the senate to vote on. it's not pain-free. it's painful. but it cuts $150 billion from federal expenditures to pay for the additional federal expenditures that will go out the door as a result of this bill. and i actually believe every one of my colleagues in the senate understands the jam we're in. where i'm confused is that when we bring cuts to the floor, not only do they not vote for the cuts, they don't offer alternative cuts. and you really can't have it both ways. you can't say you recognize the significant difficulty our country is in and turn around and vote against somebody making an effort to get us out of that

jam and not offer other additional spending cuts for which to pay. we don't have that privilege any longer. so either the recognition of the problem is real or it's not. and let me describe what's happened just in the last two and a half years. we've run a budget deficit for now 27 straight months, including this month. 2009 budget deficit, as reported, was $1.4 trillion. it was actually $1.6 trillion when you take the money that we actually stole from trust funds and other items. in 2010, $1.3 trillion. on the basis of how we're going now, our budget deficit will probably be in real terms -- not

what's reported to the american people -- $1.6 trillion to $1.7 trillion. how long can we continue to do that? as a matter of fact, the largest budget monthly deficit ever reported was october, $291 billion. the time to act is now. if you don't like what i've put up, then put something else up. let's have a debate about it. let's have an honest discussion about the problem and the possible solutions. that's what the deficit commission was trying to do. that's what a group of us, including the president pro tempore, are trying to do on a bipartisan basis. but the fact -- there's no longer a debate on whether or not we're going to have to cut spending in our country. almost everybody agrees to t the

question is, when will we start? and i will tell you, if this amendment passes, we will send a notice to the world that we get it, the international financial community will start seeing us acting like adults, and no longer delaying the time at which we will start chipping and stop digging. we have a hole so deep, we may not climb out of it now. the last thing we want to do is make that hole deeper. so i move to suspend rule 22, including any germaneness requirements being for the purposes of proposing and considering amendment 4765, and i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: the motion is pending. is there a sufficient second? at the moment, there is not. mr. coburn: i will reoffer. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from michigan.

mr. levin: mr. president, in a moment i'm going to ask unanimous consent that it be in order to call up my amendment number 4787 to the motion to concur to the house amendment. now, my amendment would restore the estate tax exemption level and top a estate tax rate to the 2009 levels of $3.9 million and 49% respectively. it would leave all the other modifications to the estate, gift, and so-called generation skipping transfer taxes the same. the same as they appear in the underlying amendment. raising the estate tax level to $5 million and lowering rate to 35% is just not the responsible thing to do given our current fiscal situation. and it only would exacerbate why wealth -- wealth and inequality in america. only three of every 1,000 decedents have estates in excess

of $3.5 million. at a time when some people are seriously discussing cutting social security, which is relied upon by so many millions of americans, how can congress consider this action to benefit the top .3% of 1% of the population. -- population? now, we don't have an estimate of a savings to the tresh fri this amendment -- treasury to this amendment. but we do know it would save our treasury tens of billions of dollars which we need to help continue unemployment insurance, social security, and other critical programs. mr. president, whether one agrees with this amendment or not, this is an amendment which should be debated. the senate should have an opportunity to debate this issue. and unless we get unanimous consent the way this is currently structured, the senate will be denied this opportunity whether people support it, oppose this -- the estate tax

change or don't know. the way the senate ought to operate, we should have a chance to vote on this amendment. so, mr. president, i now ask unanimous consent that it be in order to call up my amendment number 4787 to the motion to concur to the house amendment. the presiding officer: is there objection? a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming. mr. barrasso: i object. the presiding officer: objection is as part of this amendment, 4809. mr. president, as i think many people know i have been extremely critical of the agreement struck between the president and the republican leadership. i have spoken out against it and i voted against cloture just yesterday. it is one thing to be critical of a proposal, it is another thing to come up with a better alternative. and i think i have done that today. i think the amendment that i'm offering is, i believe, a

significant improvement over the agreement struck between the president and the republican leadership and i would hope very much that we can get strong bipartisan support for it. let me very briefly tell you what it does. first, as i think most americans appreciate, at a time of a record-breaking deficit, it makes very little sense to be providing huge tax breaks to the wealthiest people in our country, drives up the national debt, forces our kids to pay higher debt in the future to pay that debt off. what this does is end all of the bush tax breaks for the wealthiest 2% of americans beginning on january 1st of this year. now, what does it do with the savings? and that's the -- perhaps the most important point that i'll be wanting to make. over the long term what this amendment would do is devote

half of the revenue raised by this provision, by eliminating the tax breaks for the top 2%, it would use half of that money to reduce the deficit. half of that money goes to deficit reduction, which i would hope appeals to many of my republican friends who have consistently, and appropriately, talked about high deficits and the danger of those high deficits to this country. half of the savings by eliminating tax breaks for the wealthy goes to deficit reduction. what does the other half go to? it seems to me, mr. president, that while we should be and must be concerned about the deficit, we must also understand that we continue to be in a major recession, millions of our fellow americans are unemployed. we have got to do everything we can to create decent paying jobs and put those people back to work. what the other half of the savings does is invest in our

infrastructure -- in our infrastructure. i don't have to tell anybody here that our infrastructure is crumbling, that is our roads, bridges, schools, dams, housing and transferring our nation's energy sector. we need to put billions of dollars into building a 21st century rail system. and when we do that, we not only create jobs now, and this is the fastest way that i know to create jobs, we make our country more productive and internationally competitive in the future. and if we do not build our infrastructure, if it continues to crumble, and the engineers out there tell us we need trillions of dollars investment, we are going to lose our place in the global economy. so we've got to invest in infrastructure, half of the savings does just that. mr. president, in addition this amendment replaces the payroll

tax holiday. -- holiday with a one-year extension of the make work pay credit. in other words, we are giving targeted tax breaks to the middle class, not reducing payroll taxes for millionaires and members of congress. and this proposal would not endanger social security and, in fact, it would go to the people who most need it. it would be a lot fairer because lower-income people would do better, upper-income people would not get it. there's addresses a concern that i think many americans have, and that is diverting money away from the payroll tax endangers the long-term solvency of social security. as eric kingson, the co-chair of the strength in social security campaign, an organization representing tens of millions of senior citizens and workers said, extending and expanding

the make work pay tax credit is far superior to the payroll tax cut to most americans. it is more stimulative, fairer in distribution, imposes no new administrative costs on employers and includes over six million public sector employees who will receive nothing from the payroll tax cut and it doesn't run the risk of undermining the -- et cetera. so it addresses that issue as well. third, this amendment addresses another issue that i know a lot of people in this country have concern about, and that is the estate tax giveaway in the underlying bill by inserting in its place the 2009 estate tax rate for two years. mr. president, let's be clear the estate tax only applies to the top .3% of 1%. what we are doing now is not lowering estate tax and raising

exemptions, which only benefit the very, very wealthiest people in this country. what we are doing now is bringing us back to the 2009 estate tax rates for two years. further, mr. president, this amendment addresses an issue that, to me, is very important, and i know to many members here because we had a lot of support for it when i brought this amendment up last week. as you well know our seniors who are on social security and disaibleanddisabled vets have nd a cola in the last two years. a lot of those folks are trying to get by on $14,000, $16,000 a year. what this amendment also includes is a $250 cola for over 57 million americans, senior citizens, veterans and persons with disabilities. without this provision, seniors, as i mentioned, would be going through their second year without a kolla and i think that -- cola and i think that

that is unfair. further, of course, this amendment would keep all of what i consider to be the positive aspects of the president's agreement wit with the republic. obviously it would extend middle class tax cuts for 98% of americans, it would extend unemployment insurance for 13 months, it would extend the child earned income tax credit included in the recovery act so, mr. president, what we are doing here is i think bringing forth a far better proposal than the agreement struck between the republicans and the president. let me summarize, ends tax breaks for the rich, uses half of that money for deficit reduction, half of that money to create millions of jobs rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. it would replace the payroll tax holiday of which many people

have concerns, diverting money away from social security with a one-year extension with the make work pay credit, much more targeted to low and moderate income people, not to members of congress and the richest people in this country, not threatening social security. this amendment would strike the estate tax proposal in the underlying bill and insert the 2009 estate tax rates for two years. and that is, i think, a much fairer proposal than giving even more tax breaks for the wealthiest people in this country. and, lastly, this amendment would provide a $250 cola for over 57 million american senior citizens, disabled veterans, and people with disabilities. it also includes an extension of middle-class tax cuts for 98% of merntion an extension of unemployment insurance for 13 months, and an extension of the child tax credit, earned-income tax credit, and college tax credit extension. so i think this is the

alternative that many americans would like to see -- creates jobs, cuts the deficit, and is much fairer, much fairer than the agreement, the underlying bill that we are voting on now. mr. president with that i would move to suspend rule 22 for the purposes of proposing and considering amendment number 4809 to the house message to accompany h.r. 4853, and i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: the motion is pending. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the yeas and nays are ordered. mr. sanders: with that, i would yield the floor. mr. baucus: mr. president, i yield myself four minutes from the time under control of the leader's time. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. baucus: the national is about to pass a bill that should

significantly bolster our economic recovery. the bill we are about to pass will cut rates for families, it will reauthorize unemployment insurance, it will extend the child tax credit and the college tuition tax deduction, it will extend the research and development tax credit, and accelerate depreciation for businesses, it will cut payroll taxes for workers. these are important provisions. but the bipartisan leadership did not include several other important items, several that include important attention. i worked hard to include these provisions in the bill we just passed. but some on the other side of the aisle would prevent their inclusion. these are commonsense provisions that frankly i cannot imagine how any senator could oppose them. one provision i would like to highlight this morning is the provision to repeal the 1099 reporting requirements. small businesses across america

were disappointed that this provision was not included in the bill. i'm talking about the repeal of the recently expanded form 1099 information reporting requirements. surprisingly, some on the other side of the aisle blocked inclusion of a provision to repeal these requirements. i included repeal of these requirements in the tax alternative the senate voted on earlier this month and senator schumer included a repeal of this provision in his alternative. several mages measures to repeal the new rules have received bipartisan support and frankly repeal of this reporting requirement ought to be a no-brainer. the new rules take effect at the beginning of 201 that. means that many small businesses will soon begin spending money to gear up for them. small businesses across montana and across this great nation should not have to spend their time and money to fill out more government paperwork. instead, we should let them

focus on staying in business, growing their business, and creating jobs. many small business owners have contacted me about this provision. many are puzzled that some republicans now appear to oppose repeal in private after having advocated repeal in public. i can understand why small businesses are puzzled and frankly i don't see how any senator can oppose repealing it. i intend to keep working on behalf of america's small business to see that this u unrealistic information reporting requirement is repealed. so, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the finance committee be discharged of h.r. 4849, that the senate proceed to its immediate consideration, that the senate agree to the baucus amendment to repeal the form 1099 reporting requirements -- it is at the desk -- at that bill as amended be read a third time and passed, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table, and that this all occur without intervening

action or debate. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. barrasso: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming. mr. barrasso: thank you, 34r-7. reserving the right to object, as the chairman knows, senator johanns that is proposed a republican alternative on this issue. would the senator amend his request to substitute the johanns amendment? mr. baucus: mr. president, i appreciate my good friend from wyoming, but i cannot agree to amend my request in that way because of the cuts in the spending in the johanns amendment. the johanns amendment is way beyond the repile of 1099. it is a totally different animal. therefore, i cannot agree to that amendment. the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming. mr. barrasso: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. baucus: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. baucus: mr. president, i have two unanimous requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate.

they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. i ask consent that these requests be agreed to and these requests be printed in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. landrieu: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. ms. landrieu: i see my good friend, senator demint, and i know he has time allocated to him. i also have eight and a half minutes left. i just want to make sure that i will be able to retain my eight and a half minutes. the presiding officer: the senator has seven minutes remaining. ms. landrieu: my seven minutes. i'd like to retain my seven minutes after senator demint speaks. mr. demint: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from south carolina. mr. demint: mr. president, i have an amendment at the desk, i believe. a motion -- a motion, excuse me. the presiding officer: the motion is pending. mr. demint: thank you, mr. president.

in just a moment i'll move to suspend the rules for the purpose of offering my motion to permanently extend the current individual income tax rates, finally repeal the tax tax once and for all and permanently patch the alternative minimum tax. mr. president, i know a lot of work has gone into this tax compromise, and i appreciate the fact that both sides have worked so hard to strike a deal. while i appreciate the efforts that have been made, i'm concerned the bill currently under consideration does not permanently extend tax rates and thus will have a marginal, if any, benefit to our economy. temporary rates make for a temporary uncertain economy. my substitute amendment ensures a long-term stable economic environment for americans to create jobs, buy a home, invest their assets, save for

retirement, and preserve their family farm or business. mr. president, we need to stop and consider what we are doing to our country and to our economy. we are the premier free market economy in the world. yet almost all our federal tax rates are temporary. i've been in business most of my life, and i understand a lot about how free markets work, how businesses plan, usually in a five- or ten-year win dorks looking at their bottom line, how many people can they afford, can they build a new plant. and now they're not only looking at whether or not to do it in the u.s. but all over the world. but now in our country we have a temporary, uncertain tax code that makes it very difficult for businesses to plan. and it's not just with the tax code. for the last several years we've

waited until december to tell doctors what we're going to pay them to see medicare patients the next year. how do they plan their staff in their offices? we know some have already laid people off not knowing what they're going to get paid next year. free markets, free enterprise work within a framework of a rule of law where people know what their taxes will be, what the laws will be, what the regulatory environment will be. but in america tailed if we take -- but in america today, if we take this compromise, almost all of the tax rates are almost one year or two years, and then people can expect them to go up or to change. we cannot operate the world's largest economy in this type of environment. mr. president, washington does not have a tax revenue problem. it has a spending problem. we must let all working americans keep their hard-earned money, not just for a year or

two but allow people actually to look out and to see, can they make those car payments for four or five years? can they make those house payments for 15, 20, or 30 years? they need to know what their tax rates are going to be. we must repeal the immoral death tax once and for all. it's zero this year, but the proposed compromise will have it at 35% of any estate over $5 million next year. now, that may sound like a much better deal than we would have had, but even with that, the estimates are that this could cost 850,000 jobs to let this tax reemerge. we must commit ourselves to recovering from our years of overspending, overtaxing, overreaching. the american people deserve better. and they told us so in the november elections. mr. president, according to rule 5 of the standing rules of the

senate, i move to suspend the rules for the purpose of proposing and considering amendment 4804 to permanently extend the 2001 and 2003 income tax rates, permanently repeal the estate tax, and permanently patch the alternative minimum tax, and

mr. bayh: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from indiana is recognized.

mr. bayh: if i could be permitted a few moments of personal privilege before i begin my former remarks, there are so many people i need to express my heartfelt gratitude to here today. starting with, of course, my wonderful wife susan. i know we're not supposed to recognize people in the gallery, but i will break the rules for one of the first times here to thank my wife. we have been married for 25 wonderful years, and, frankly, mr. president, i wouldn't have been elected dog catcher without susan's love and support. i often remember a story during my first campaign when i met an elderly woman who took my hand, looked up into my eyes and said young man, i'm going to vote for you. i was curious and i asked her why. she said with a twinkle in her eye, she said well, i have met your wife. it seems to me you did all right with the most important decision you will ever make, i will trust you with the other ones, too. it's not uncommon in our state, as senator lugar can attest, that people say they really vote for susan's husband. darlg, i can't thank you enough. she is a -- she was a wonderful first lady, is a phenomenal

mother, and is the partner for my life. next, i'd like to express my gratitude to my parents. even though they were very busy, i never doubted for a moment that i was the most important thing in their life. there is no question that my devotion to public service stems from their commitment, something, mr. president, i think you can relate to as well. i've always admired my father's selfless commitment to helping our state and nation. i'm proud to follow in his footsteps here in the senate and to share his name. my mother taught me that even from the depths of adversity can come hope. she was diagnosed with cancer at age 38, passed from us at age 46, and the age i now recognize to be much, much too young. i miss her but i suspect, as so often in my life, she is watching from on high today. next are my wonderful sons, nick and beau. they came into our lives when i was still governor and were

barely 3 when i was sworn into the senate. they are the joys of my life. i hope that one day they will draw inspiration as i did from their upbringing in public service and will choose to devote themselves in some way to making our country and state better places. i am so proud of you, my sons. next, to my devoted staff and to the staff that serves us here in the senate. my personal staff has had the thankless task for 12 years of making me look better than i deserve, and in that, they have performed heroic service. they have never let me down. to the extent that i have accomplished anything on behalf of the public, it is thanks to their tireless efforts and devotion. each could have worked fewer hours and made more money doing something else, but they chose public service. it has been an honor to work with you. i will miss each of you and can only hope that we will remain in touch throughout the years. no one has been privileged to have better support than me. for the men and women who work in the senate and make it possible for us to do our jobs, i want to express my heartfelt

gratitude. you have always been unfailingly courteous and professional. the public is fortunate to have the benefits of your devotion, and on behalf of a grateful nation and a thankful senator, let me express my appreciation. next to my colleagues. more about each of us later, but let me simply say that it has been my privilege, the privilege of my lifetime, to get to know each of you. there is not one of you who is not exceptional in some way or about whom i do not have a fond recollection. each of you occupies a special place in my heart. i am especially fortunate to have served my career in the senate with senator richard lugar. i have often thought that congress would function better if all members could have the find of relationship that we have been blessed to enjoy. he has been unfailingly thoughtful and supportive. even though we occasionally have differed on specific issues, we have never differed on our commitment to the people of our state or to the strength of our friendship. dick, thanks to you and char for

so much. you're the definition of a statesman. finally, to the wonderful people of indiana for whom i have been privileged to work almost my entire adult life. hoosiers are hard working, patriotic, devout and full of common sense. we are middle america and embrace middle-class values. the more of indiana we can have in washington, frankly, the better washington will be. to my fellow hoosiers, let me say that while my time in the senate is drawing to a close, my love for you and devotions to our state will remain everlasting. as i begin my final remarks, my final former remarks on this floor, my mind goes back to my first speech as a united states senator. it was an unusual beginning. i was the 94th senator to deliver remarks in the first impeachment trial of a president since 1868. the session was closed to the

public, emotions ran high, partisan divisions were deep. it was a constitutional crisis, and the eyes of the nation and the world looked to the senate. my first day as senator, i was sworn in as a juror in that trial. there were no rules. all 100 of us gathered in the old senate chamber. the debate was hot, but we listened to each other. we all knew that the fate of the nation and the judgment of history, things far more important than party loyalty or ideolong cal purity, were in our hands. consensus was elusive. finally, we appointed ted kennedy, john kerry's esteemed colleague, a liberal democrat, and phil gramm, a conservative republican, to hammer out a compromise, and they did. their proposal was adopted unanimously. the trial of our chief magistrate, even in the midst of a political crucible, was conducted in accordance with the highest principles of due process and the rule of law. the constitutional balance of powers was preserved, and the

presidency saved. the senate rose above the passions of the moment and did its duty. three years later, the senate was once more summoned to respond in a moment of crisis. the country had been attacked and thousands killed in an act of suicidal terror. this building had been targeted for destruction and death, and that would have occurred but for the uncommon heroism of ordinary citizens. i was told not to return to my home for fear that assassins might be lying in wait, so i picked up my sons from their school, and we spent the night with a neighbor. two days later, those senators who could make it back to washington gathered in the senate dining room. there were no democrats or republicans there, just americans. without exception, we resolved to defend the nation and to bring to justice the perpetrators of that horrible crime. the feeling of unity and common purpose was palpable.

fast forward another seven years. in october, 2008, i was summoned along with others late at night to a meeting just off this floor. the financial panic that had been gathering force for several months had attained critical mass. the secretary of the treasury, henry paulson, spoke first. he turned to the new head of the federal reserve, ben bernanke, and said ben, give the senators a status report. bernanke and his low-key profferrial manner said the global economy is in a free fall. within 48-72 hours, we will experience an economic collapse that could rival the great depression. it will take millions of jobs and thousands of businesses with it, companies with which all of you are familiar will fail, trillions of dollars in savings will be wiped out. there was silence. we looked at each other, democrats and republicans, and asked only one question: what can be done?

the actions that emanated from that evening helped to avoid an economic catastrophe. the jobs of millions and millions of people were saved, businesses endured. the measures required were unpopular. my calls were running 15,000- 20,000 opposed and only about 100-200 in favor of acting. the house initially voted down the measures. the economy teetered on the edge of the precipice, but senators did our duty. some sacrificed their careers that evening. the economy was saved. i recount these moments from my tenure to remind us of what this body is capable of at its best. when the chips are down and the stakes are high, senators, regardless of party, regardless of ideology, regardless of personal cost, doing their duty and selflessly serving the nation we love, are capable of great things.

on my office wall hangs a famous print: the senate in 1850. there is henry clay, there daniel webster, thomas hart bennett, john c. calhoun, william seward, james douglas, james mason and sam houston. giants walked the senate in those days. my colleagues, they still do. in "profiles in courage," john kennedy tells the stories of eight united states senators whose acts of selflessness and fortitude rescued the republic in times of trial. serving in this body today are men and women capable of equal patriotism, if given the chance. new profiles in courage waiting to be written. it shouldn't take a constitutional crisis, a terrorist attack or a financial calamity to summon from each of

us and from this body collectively the greatness of which we are capable, nor can america afford to wait. we are surrounded today by gathering challenges that if unaddressed will threaten our republic, our growing debt and deficits, our unsustainable energy dependency, increasing global economic competition, asymmetric national security challenges, an aging population, and much, much more. each of these is difficult, each complex. the solutions will not be universally popular, but all can be surmounted, and i'm confident that they will, with the right leadership from us and the right ideas. i am confident because i know our history and i know our people. i know all of the challenges we have overcome, the wars, the economic hardships, the social turmoil. i know the character of the american people, our resiliency, our innate goodness and our courage, and i know that we can

succeed, but it will not be easy and it will not happen by itself. it is up to us. america is an exceptional nation because each generation has been willing to make the difficult decisions, and, yes, the occasional sacrifices required by their times. america is a great nation not because it is preordained but because our forebears both here in the senate and across the nation made it so. for ten generations, the american people have been dedicated to the self-evident truth that all of us are created equal and have been endowed by our creator with inalienable rights. from the beginning, it is freedom that has been the touchstone of our democracy. freedom, not from the benevolence of the king, not by the forbearance of the majority, not by the magazine anonymity of the state, but from the hand of almighty god. the freedom to enjoy the fruits of our labors, the freedom to

speak our minds and worship god as we see fit, the freedom to associate with those of our own choosing and to select those that would govern us. from the hillsides of ancient athens to the fields of runny meade to the village greens of lexington and concord, to the halls of this great senate, it has always been the same: the innate human longing for independence now finds its truest expression in the american experiment. we are the guardians of that dream. each generation of americans has been called to renew our commitment to that ideal, often in blood, always with sacrifice. now is our time. now is the time for us to keep faith with those who have come before and to do right by those who will follow, to lift high the cause of freedom in all of its manifestations within its surest sanctuary, this united states senate.

all of this was put into perspective for me one day on a visit to walter reed army hospital. i was visiting wounded soldiers. there was a young sergeant from georgia. he had been married three weeks before deploying to iraq. he was missing his left arm and both legs. his wife sat by his side. a look of dignified calm was upon his face. i asked if he was receiving the care he needed. yes, he said, he was. i asked if there was anything that i could do. no, no, there was not. anything he needed? no. i had never felt so helpless or so insignificant. i left his room, made my way to the hospital front door, walked outside into the bright sunshine, sat upon the curb and

cried. all i could think of was what can i do, what can i do to be worthy of him? what can each of us do? look at what he sacrificed for america. what are we prepared to give? is it too much to think that while soldiers are sacrificing limbs on our behalf that we can look across the aisle and see not enemies but friends, not adversaries but fellow citizens? when servicemen and women lay down their lives, can we not lay down our partisanship and rancor but for a while? can we not remember that we are one nation under god with a common heritage and a common destiny? let us no longer be divided into red states and blue states but reunite once more as 50 red, white and blue states. as a civil rights leader once reminded us, we may have arrived on these shores on different ships but we're all on the same boat now. so, my friends, the time has

come for the sons and daughters of lincoln and the heirs of jefferson and jackson to no longer wage war upon each other, but instead to renew the struggles against the ancient enemies of man, ignorance, poverty and disease. that is why we are here. that is why. if i had been able to contribute even a little to reconciliation among us, then i have done my duty. my prayer is that in the finest traditions of this senate both in my time and my father's time and days before, we may once again serve to resolve our differences, meet the challenges that await us and in so doing forge an american future that is worthy of our great past. so that when our children's children write the history of our time, they may truly say of us, here were americans and

senators worthy of the name. i thank you. i yield the floor. and i'm glado be here with my colleagues. to express my gratitude for the incredible blessed journey -- life's journey that i have experienced thus far and the wonderful contribution this place has made to that. i have been enormously blessed by the people of arkansas to have represented them and the united states congress first, as a member of the house of representatives, and finally now as a united states senator. today i rise as the daughter of two amazing parents, martha and

joey lambert. a seventh generation farm family. dirt farmers, not to be confused, we didn't farm dirt. we were hardworking farmers who were not afraid to get dirty, to get our hands into the earth and to do what it was that we have done for generations in arkansas. i'm also the proud wife of dr. steve lincoln and the very proud mother of two incredible young men, reece and -- inaudible] great boys. you all have watched them grow up. because it is the many, many unique life experiences that each of us brings to this place and to this job that really, really contributes to the mark that we leave on this institution. when i came to the senate, my boys were two and we were about to celebrate their third birthday. we didn't have any friends up here, so i looked around the

senate to see who had children, who could bring their kids to our birthday party and there were a few. we kind of had to rent out a moon bounce and had a baby partd it was fun. and i realize how important that experience was for me to bring to this body to share with people. patty murray knows, she's been there. mary landriue, amy klobuchar, so many others who've had their children here in the senate and what a difference that makes in your perspective on what you're doing here. it makes a big difference. birthdays were a big deal when we first got here. in my household, you're allowed to celebrate your birthday for an entire week and it's always a great time. my first birthday i celebrated in the senate was unusual. we had just moved. my husband had moved his practice, the boys were here, they had just turned three, it was hec hectic, it was a new

congress, we had all just come through an impeachment trial, there were many things going on. and when my birthday came around, it kind of came and went and my husband noticed that. but we'd gone to a spouse dinner. it was shortly after my birthday, my first birthday here in the senate, and my good friend, joe biden, who was my seatmate before he left to become vice president, he and his wife jill had really reached out to us to make us feel comfortable. we were young parents. we had small children. we were both working very, very hard. and the first spouse dinner we came to, we were sitting with joe and jill and jill produced a lovely birthday gift. it was a monda monogrammed box. something obviously she thought about. it wasn't something she picked up and regristed from your closet at home. and it meant so much to my husband and to me that we were a part of a family that was

realizing what we were going through. not just what they were going through but what we were going through. and i looked at jill and told her, i said, you couldn't have done anything to make me more happy or my husband than to think of something that was important in our lives. and they did that. and i've been a part of this family, and it's been a great time. as i glance back on my time he here, i do so with great pride, knowing that each of my votes and actions were taken with the best interests of the people of arkansas in mind. i've always, always attempted to conduct myself in a manner that would make arkansans proud, and tears today i hope are not going to affect that. living by my mother's rule, as we did growing up, if it was rude or dangerous, it was not allowed. and i hope that i have definitely met that rule, because mother sent us off with it. as a farmer's daughter, i'm honored to have helped craft three farm bills that were crucial to arkansas's economy.

i was able to persuade my colleagues to understand the regional differences in production agriculture in our country. but mostly, most of all, i am proud that i was able to impress upon my colleagues and others, hopefully, across this great nation of ours the enormous glessing thablessing that our nn receives from farm and ranch families, what they bestow upon us, what they allow us and all of the rest of the world to do each and every day and that is to eat, to sustain ourselves and to be able to grow. i'm particularly honored to have become the first woman and the first arkansan to serve as the chairman of the senate committee on agriculture, nutrition, and forestry. it's been a wonderful year that i've had. and i'll always be proud of what we have accomplished in that committee this year. and certainly in years past. we passed historic child nutrition legislation. as a result, each meal served in schools will meet nutritional standards that our children and

future generations deserve. putting them on a path to wellness instead of obesity. as a result, we'll see an increase in the reimbursement rate for schools for the first time since 1973, since i was in junior high, younger than my own children today. and we did so by not adding one penny to the national debt, as well as doing it in a bipartisan way. we produced historic wall street reform legislation. when i became chairman of the committee, our economy was on the brink of collapse, our legislation targeted the least transparent parts of the financial system and will bring them not only within the plain view of regulators but also in the view of hard-working americans who want to know what's going on in our economy and in the marketplace. throughout my time in the sena senate, i fought hard on behalf of rural communities and families. in the house, sitting next to ed

markey on the energy and commerce committee, he always called me blanche royal lambert. he said, blanche, every time your mouth opens, it says rural. and i said that's where i grew up, that's who i represent, and you will always hear me speaking on behalf of the families of rural america. i wrote the legislation establishing the delta regional authority, the only federal agency designated to channel resources, aid and technical assistance to economic development in the rural and impoverished mississippi delta region. i fought for tax relief for our hard-working low- and middle-income arkansas families. and i'm most proud of the refundable child tax credit that i worked with senator olympia snowe on. i've also fought for the certainty for arkansas's farmers and ranchers and small businesses with fair estate tax reforms with senator jon kyl. i'm proud of my work on behalf of arkansas and our nation's seniors, including my work on the prescription drug program

for seniors, working with senator baucus and others on the finance committee, the elder justice act that's now law, the first federal law ever enacted to address elder abuse in a comprehensive manner. i was honored to be joined in that effort with senator orrin hatch and herb kohl and the hard work that we put towards that. growing up in a family of infantrymen, i am proud to have fought for arkansas's service members, ve veterans and their families, specifically finding for -- fighting for funding increases for the v.a., as well as the office on rural health, as well as better access to quality mental health and better health care for all of our veterans. i came to congress to fight on behalf of our nation's children, families, veterans, small businesses and farmers, and i'm honored and humbled that in each of these areas, i was able to achieve legislative success on their behalf. but, as my mother would say, straighten up and pay attention to what this is really about.

this speech is not about yesterday and it is not about today. what i'd like for people to remember about this speech is that it was about our nation's future and what we can achieve together. we have great work to do. great work. i may be leaving this body, but that doesn't mean i give up on my country. you all have much work to do. colleagues, we have approached a fork in the road and this is not the first nor do i suspect will it be the last. but we have within our ourselves the ability in this nation to choose a positive and uplifting path. harry reid teases me all the time: do you smile at everythi everything? you know what? there's a lot to smile about. we have great opportunities ahead of us in this country, but they are not going to happen by themselves.

a path that respects differences of opinion. we have opportunity to choose a path that sets aside short-term political gain, a path that maintains this body's historic rules that protect the views of the minority but also puts results ahead of obstruction. again, i grew up in a family, four kids, the youngest. you'veall wonder why i'm so tough. i've been beat up on all my li life. but my dad always said, it is results that count, it is what you finish and what you accomplish. it is not these little battles that we fight, it is the war that we are going to win. and it is not a war that we are going to win without the republicans or without the administration or without our constituents. it is a war on behalf of our nation and it has to be done. it has to be done together.

yal. many of you all have had the wonderful opportunity of meeting my husband. my husband doesn't like crowds a lot. i love crowds because i love being together. i love being a part of things. i love being a part of a team. my team is here, my lincoln team. it's a great team. they've been a wonderful group to work with. you're a part of my team. you're my family here in the senate. being together and working together is an incredible blessing and we have to make sure that we realize that. our country is certainly at its best when we are collectively working together for a goal. all you have to do is listen to your parents or your grandparents talk about victory gardens or rationing nylons or anything else that happened during the war when people were working collectively together. our country is facing many, many challenges. there is no doubt, the american

people are frustrated. they are frustrated with our lack of productivity and they are anxious, so anxious, to be a part of the solution that needs to happen here, the coming together, the finding of the solutions to the problems that we face and the results that we need to have. i'm confident that together we can overcome them, all of these differences, continue to be the leader of the rest of the world as we have been and should be. i leave this body with confidence that we can provide our citizens with the type of government that they deserve, a government that provides results and certainty about the future that they so longingly want to be a part of and that they want to protect for their children, rather than obstruction and sound bites and confusion. with teenaged children at home, it is a true blessing that we live in a day and an age where

information is available at a moment's notice. i've watched my children, i had to go borrow the encyclopedia from my cousins next door. my kids click on the computer and immediately there's incredible volumes of information. they teach me, "mom, come look at this. did you ever know this?" you know, it's amazing what is available to us. it is equally as important, though, that we, the american people, take the time that is necessary to understand the solutions to the challenges and not succumb to the veefn convene of modern technologies to take the place of our own good judgment. we just cannot do that. the minds of the people of this country, the minds of the body of this institution, insuring that we use the good -- ensuring that we use the good sense that god has given us to know what are the right solutions. to all of america, myself

included, we must all discern carefully the information that's provided to us. it's all extremely convenient, but convenience is not what this is about. it's not about convenience. it is all about doing the right thing. so i call not only on our good judgment but our collective love for this country, so that we can meet the challenges that our nation faces. i know that i'm teaching my children that at home. i'm also blocking some of the things they can get on their internet. but i'm also teaching them to use their own minds, their own thoughts. what is it would you have for your fellow man? how would you want people to behave? absolutely critical in this day and age. to my colleagues on both sides of the political aisle, i implore each of you to set the example for our country by working together to move our nation forward. we must start practicing greater civility towards our -- towards

one another, both privately and publicly. i can't forget when i first came to the house of representatives, i called my colleague and neighbor, bill emerson, from southern missouri. i told him, i said, bill, you know, when you move into a new place, where i come from, you bring somebody a cake or a pie or a batch of rolls or something. i said, i'm not a bad cook but i don't have a whole lot of time on my hands. i want to visit with you. you're a republican, i'm a democrat but you're my neighbor. and i'll be willing to bet you that we agree on far more than we disagree on. and as we visited for 45 minutes in that very first introduction, we came to the conclusion that we agreed far more on the same things than we disagreed. we decided to start the civility caucus. it lasted three months. [laughter] the fact is, there is much work to be done there, and we can do it. taking advantage of political

gusts of wind is not what our constituents expect of us, nor is it what they deserve. i urge you to have the courage to work across party lines. there is simply no other way to accomplish our nation's objectives, nor should there be. although you run the risk of being the center, the center of attention for both political extremes, it is a far greater consequence to put personal or political success ahead of our country, and i know firsthand. we must have the courage to come out of our foxholes, the foxholes that we dig into, to the middle, to the middle where the rest of america is and discuss our collective path forward. i'm counting on each of you to do so in a way that respects the temporary position that we have all been granted here and respect this institution of ours that we have been blessed to inherit. it is an amazing place. each of you have seen it in your

own right, and you know. to the young people of america, i think it's so important, i came here as the youngest woman in the history of our country to ever be elected to the united states senate, and i did so because i believe so strongly in the difference i could make. i still do. i still do. and that's what this country is about. it is about making a difference, not for yourself but for others, and i continue that journey now as i leave this place, knowing there are still so many ways that i will make a difference. but to those young people out there in this country, do not think that this place is reserved just for age or experience. it is here, it is here that you can make a difference, whether

you're elected, whether you youe an incredible member of the phenomenal staff that helps to run this place, or whether you just simply choose to be out there and engaged in what is going on. there are many contributions to be made to this nation by the young people of this country. i leave this body with no regrets and with many incredible friendships. the old adage if you want a friend in washington, get a dog, you all know i have a very large dog, but i also have some wonderful friends, some wonderful friends, and i am very, very grateful, very, very grateful for those friendships. when i first arrived, my friend mary landrieu had been in the hospital, and i showed up at her house with a chicken spaghetti casserole, a bag of salad and a bottle of wine at her front door. rang the doorbell and she said

what are you doing here? i said, you know, where we come from, when your neighbor or friend has been sick, you take them dinner. she said blanche, we don't do that up here. i said let me tell you, if we forget where we have come from, there is a big problem, and i'm grateful. i won't attempt to go one by one through each, but know that every one of you all have a special place in my heart. you taught me something. you have enriched my life in such a way, it's amazing. now, you also know, many of you all personally, that i follow in some very large footsteps. between so many arkansans. you know, the most recent being maclellan and fulbright and pryor and dale bumpers who is my immediate predecessor. i want to thank dale for the incredible mentor he has been to

me and for the wonderful things he has done for our state. but i leave you with an unbelievable senator, and that is my good friend mark pryor. he is a statesman. he follows in the footsteps of all of those giants from arkansas. i am enormously grateful to him, for his friendship and more importantly for his great service to the people of arkansas. so i leave you in good hands, without a doubt, with my good friend senator mark pryor. i have been surrounded both in the past and currently by an unbelievably dedicated, loyal and hard-working staff, in both my personal senate office in the state of arkansas and our offices there in washington, and certainly in the agriculture committee. and to my staff, they know how much i love them. our state and this institution are better because of their hard work and their dedication and without a doubt their -- they are smart. they are a great group of people. i am so blessed to not only know

them but to have worked with them. i am blessed by a loving and supportive family who have been my inspiration and without a doubt my bedrock all my life, and they continue to be and i am fortunate. finally, let me say once again thanks to the people of arkansas. my roots have been and always will be in arkansas. that will never change. when steve and the boys and i left after thanksgiving to come back for the lame-duck session, of course, as many of you all know, traveling with your families or just getting back in time, we left at 5:00 in the morning, and we drove to memphis because it was faster, we were halfway between. we had been out at the cabin duck hunting and celebrating thanksgiving with our family, and we were headed to the memphis airport and the sun was coming up. it was a sunrise over the arkansas delta. well, i'm sure many of y'all have never seen that, but it is a magnificent view, and it

reminded me of all the great things that i came here to do, and it made me feel blessed with all of those things that i was able to accomplish. but to know that i could go back to that same home and to see that sunrise, unbelievable. i'll always treasure the experiences of this chapter of my life and the thousands of arkansans that i have come to know and love. they are a great group of people. and i thank you once again from the bottom of my heart. to the people of arkansas, to this body, and to my good friends. mr. president, i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the senator from arkansas. mr. pryor: mr. president, let me mention a very abbreviated list of blanche lincoln's accomplishments. first woman to chair the senate agriculture committee. first woman to chair the finance subcommittee on social security, pensions and family policy. in fact, the first woman to ever chair a finance subcommittee. chairman of the rural outreach for the democratic -- for the senate democratic caucus. chairman of the senate hunger caucus. co-founder, cochair of the third way. creator of the delta regional authority. author of the 2010 child nutrition bill. a key writer of the 2008 farm bill. author of the refundable child

tax credit. mr. president, i could go on and on, but most of her accomplishments, most of her contributions cannot be measured. as she worked on the agriculture committee, the finance committee, the aging committee and energy committee, she on a countless number of occasions, on amendments and bills, became the senator who was the key to passage or defeat. a couple of years ago, i watched a bill that was making its way through the senate finance committee, and there were lots and lots of people outside this chamber who had a vital interest in the outcome of that legislation, and everywhere i would go, i would be stopped and i would be asked is this bill going to pass? will it come out of the committee? will it get through the floor? and when i told them all the

folks who asked back then, what i told them turned out to be true. as blanche goes, so goes the finance committee because she was that way on all of her committees. she was the swing vote, the key vote to getting things done here in the united states senate. you know, blanche is a role model for many, many people, especially young women who are interested in government. i remember sitting down with one of my good friends earlier this year and his teenaged daughter, and we talked about the senate and politics and history and arkansas, and as we were winding up the conversation, my friend asked his teenaged daughter, he said who is your favorite politician? and of course i sat there and kind of straightened my tie and sat up straight because i knew what the answer was going to be, and she said blanche lincoln. and i know why. because blanche really represents the best in

arkansas -- excuse me. she represents the best in arkansas and the best in politics and in government. she is a workhorse, not a show horse. blanche gets things done. the other night with my teenaged daughter, i watched some of "the wizard of oz." as i was watching it, i was struck that the scarecrow, the tin man and the lion were looking for three things that blanche has and every senator needs in large quantities -- a brain, a heart and courage. and one of senator lincoln's role models that she refers to often is hattie caraway. now, hattie caraway is not exactly a household name in american politics, but her portrait hangs just outside this chamber in the corner opposite the ohio clock. hattie caraway of arkansas was

the first woman ever elected to the u.s. senate. there is much to admire about hattie caraway, the senator and the person, but the one thing that blanche inherited from hattie is the pioneer spirit. even in the first decade of the 21st century, blanche is the owner of many firsts, and even though we don't like to admit it, we're reluctant to talk about it, there is a double standard in politics for women. there just is. now, i'm proud to serve with the largest number of women that the senate has ever seen, but -- and i'll say that goes double for my eight years with senator blanche lincoln. let me say just a brief word about her family. her husband steve is an old friend of mine. we trace our roots back to little rock central high school and the university of arkansas.

the lord has blessed blanche and steve with two bright, energetic, athletic and even sometimes well-behaved sons -- they are, they're great -- that are currently freshmen at yorktown high school in arlington, and they bring their parents much joy, but they also are extremely proud of their mother. i've seen firsthand what a wonderful mother she has been and is, and i stand in awe. in fact, blanche is not only a good senator and a good mother and a good wife, she is much more. she is a good daughter to her mother, who basically runs phillips county, arkansas. she is a good sister in her very large family. she is a good member of her community, helping friends, neighbors and those in need. blanche is very faithful in --

and her relationship with god has given her strength and kept her grounded in good times and in bad. she follows the golden rule and puts her faith in action every single day. simply put, she is a good person. lastly, she is a good boss. she has drawn to her a very talented and hard-working staff in washington, d.c., and in arkansas. i know that they will always be proud to tell people that they worked for senator blanche lincoln. before i get carried away, there is one minor matter that i feel i need to address. on occasion, rarely, just every so often but it does happen, blanche runs a little late. i know many of you are shocked to hear this, but let me just tell you why that is. because people love blanche and blanche loves people, and she's

never too busy to stop, to notice, to listen. she's never too busy to talk to the capitol police or to the janitor here or to that family from idaho who can't figure out the dirksen building. she takes time for people, and that's one of the things that makes her so special. because those people are as important to her as the most powerful members of the congress. and that's what makes blanche special. it is hard to find one word to describe senator lincoln. kind, smart, fearless, persistent, knowledgeable, no-nonsense. i could go on. but the one word i would like to focus on today is friend. there are 99 senators today who consider her a friend. they like her, they like working with her, and they respect her.

i have had many, many republicans and democrats say how much they hate to see her leave, because she makes this place better. there's a passage in the bible that says "well done good and faithful servant." this applies to blanche, but not only to the job she's done here in the senate, it applies to her as a person. there's a lot more to blanche than just being a united states senator. in january she starts a new chapter, and as much as she will be missed and here, we all have confidence that there are many more great things to come. thank you,