take up office and for your families. [speaking in native tongue] >> be assured that we will not oppose the government just for the sake of it. if by fluke positive proposals are brought forward, we will support them. i would also like to address some remarks of labour and to gilmore. you had the opportunity to work for a government without being a -- [inaudible] or a gael. [speaking in native tongue] by ruling out all other options for coalition including what those of us on the left, you undermined your own stated aspiration for a labour government and limited the choice being presented to the public.

[speaking in native tongue] let me make it clear that sinn fein will present a robust and constructive opposition to the government, and we will hold it to account for the decisions it takes. [speaking in native tongue] >> deputy? >> first of all, i'd like to congratulate you on your own election to the high office which you've achieved. and i think it's a particularly great achievement considering you retired from this house eight years ago and and that you will be automatically reelected at the next election. [laughter] but i say that with great sincerity, and i know you'll be -- [laughter]

a very fine -- i would like to rise to, first of all, enact the first split in the technical group which -- [laughter] which formed itself yesterday. [laughter] i agree with many of the directions of deputy higgins, but one of the great virtues of this group is there is diversity and difference of opinion, and we intend to express those diverse opinions in many ways in the weeks and years to come. i think the first thing to say is there is a wave, an avalanche of goodwill, of public goodwill moving in the direction of this government. and that i hope and pray that they will capitalize on it and that they will fulfill the faith

which has been put in them by the irish electorate. i personally fully accept that deputy kenny has got that mandate and achieved that mandate ten days ago. but having said that, i am somewhat disspiritted by having read the program for government. i understand why senator full is going to support -- and that's because the program is going to implement the policies which they imposed upon this country. that is something which i find difficult to accept barely ten days after they had opposed it so vehemently.

because we see exactly the same parameters on the economy and the same austerity measures about, and i agree with deputy higgins about this, about to be imposed by the new government. i was deeply discouraged when i read the program for government that-so little -- there was so little in it specific, there was no vision in it and that as deputy martin said, there were so many reviews, there were so many fudges that we do not know exactly what they're promising at all except that they will be the government in the next few years, and they will stick together come hell or high water. that is not good enough! we needed a program for government which fulfilled the program of electoral policies which were made on that side of the house. we did not get that. we did not get a vision.

take, for instance, the e.u./imf deal. where we were promised renegotiation, where we were promised an end to what they called so euphemistically burden-sharing. even before the ink was dry on the program for government, burden-sharing was dropped last pretty in helsinki. last friday in helsinki. so we have to share the burden, as deputy higgins said, with those banks who lent to allied irish and anglo-irish so irresponsibly so many years ago over such a long time. renegotiation means renegotiation. it does not mean going into europe and negotiating a cut in the interest rate which we already know has been conceded. that is not good enough.

we need a government which is prepared to send people out to brussels or strasburg or anywhere else. we're armed with a referendum given to them by the irish people saying that deal is not acceptable. we are not getting that. we are getting a government who is going in with the same deal and the same mandate as the last government. the second point is this: the promises which were made about cronyism and about an end to that, on that issue the program for government is silent! we have a vague promise and a diluted promise that there will be a substantive reduction in -- [inaudible] where are the 145 which were in the program for government and the promise to the reduce 145?

a substantive reduction is not good enough. on top of that, we no longer see any pledges to change the appointments to state bodies, state agencies and semi-state bodies which were promised before the election. maybe this was just an omission. but my fear is this, that whereas the new government is an amazing and welcome relief in terms of its honesty, its integrity, many terms of it -- in terms of it being an end to a dark period of political rule in ireland, i fear that the promises of change will be empty and that they are already disappearing. because i want to be certain that we do not have a version of

cronyism replaced by a fine gael version of crony im. they did pretty well in the '94-'97 period of putting their cronies in power, and it is very important that we see a system established so that that ugly aspect of irish political life is ended. i think, deputy dugan, it's against the rules to interrupt -- [laughter] i wish to say, i wish to say very briefly -- [inaudible conversations] very briefly, i wish to the say a word about minister, something which may not effect you, deputy

dugan, this evening. [laughter] [inaudible conversations] but you never know. [laughter] deputy kenny is a forgiving type, and you never know. >> oh! [laughter] >> but what i fear, what i fear, what i fear is that we are just getting because of the parameters of the economy and because of the restrictions in which they find themselves a, an almost inevitable yielding to the temptation to be a government which is so similar to the last one not in its methods, not in its style -- i grant you that -- but in what it does that it will be indistinguishable. >> thank you, deputy. deputy shea miss healey. >> i want to oppose the

nomination of deputy enda kenny as tsoiseach. the program for government, the program for government is a deep betrayal of working people, of the poor, and of people and families on low and middle incomes. we're seeing absolutely no serious change whatsoever, but it is, in fact, a continuation of the green policies in what is now a much more unfavorable environment for the general public. the continuation of the universal social charge and the request of tax changes in the last budgets ought to continue. the austerity measures are to continue. this is taking place against a background of a 7% rise in the price of staple foods over the last eight months, and it's in a background of continued

increases in mortgage rates and more to come. and, indeed, rocketing fuel prices which many turn will raise food prices further. this will, of course, further depress the economy leading to further increases in unemployment and, indeed, in emigration. i believe the commitment in this program for government to eliminate 25 housing jobs in the public service is obscene. any excess posts which exist in the higher echelons in ministers' offices or in general secretaries' offices must be transferred to necessary services at front line where teachers, nurses, clerical and maintenance staff are attempting to maintain public services to the public in the face of huge cuts. cuts which we now are promised in this program for government are to continue.

and i believe the labour party shuld hang its head in -- should hang its head in shame. there's not even in this program for government a red cent of tax on the assets of the superrich in this country. the 6% who own 250 billion euros worth of assets are not playing a single hebbny. people are being asked to pay for a recession they had no act in creating. the current leader of the labour party has endorsed the humiliation of ireland under the e.u./imf deal. his excuse on radio is that there's a necessity to repair relations with our european partners. that, in my mind, is a form of national grovelingful the french, german and british banks practiced reckless lending to irish and other banks causing

ireland, greece, portuguese and spanish problems. the labour policy is one of groveling to these powerful banks in the hope that we may get a few crumbs. james connolly said the great are great only because we are on our knees. let us rise. and i believe that we must rise up and tell the e.u. and the imf that we will not pay the debts of the irish banks. that the combination of these debts and the imminent mortgage crisis will cause a disastrous default and will make current problems seem minor. but with ireland in a much weaker position to remedy the situation. i want, also, to refer to the organization and delivery of acute hospital services in this country, and i believe that is something which is very

important for the general public, for patients and for their families and, indeed, for the community. our hospital committee of which i am chair has received election commitments from both fine gael and the labour party concerning that they will retain all existing acute hospital services at the general hospital. i will be relentlessly pursuing the honoring of those commitments, and today i call on the incoming government and, indeed, the incoming minister for health to immediately instruct the health service executive to halt the reconfiguration process. [inaudible conversations] >> deputy richard barriss. >> on behalf of the people and along with our colleagues in the united left alliance, we also will not be voting for deputy kenny as the taoiseach.

and the reason why relates to a comment deputy martin made about the need to break from certain bad traditions in irish politics. one of the worst traditions in politics, one that we seem to have a particular capacity for in this country is the politics of saying one thing during an election campaign when you're looking for votes, and then doing something very, very different as soon as the votes are in the ballot box. and it seems to me that is precisely what has happened with this new program for government. deputy kenny said that e.u./imf deal was a bad deal for ireland and was a bad deal for europe. and there was a very clear 'em application that something was going to be done about that, that we were going to stand up to those institutions who were

trying to unload the cost of a financial crisis created by bankers and speculators onto the backs of ordinary people in this country. in a deal which will cause immense suffering for ordinary people in this country but will also cripple our economy for years to come. that talk, that rhetoric of standing up and doing something about the imf/e.u. deal has disappeared with a program for government that is setting out, clearly, its intention to continue that program of austerity, of cuts that was being implemented by the last government in the interest of paying off the bankers and bond holders at the behest of the e.u. and emf. imf. i know the promise emblazoned on almost every fine gael poster was to get ireland working.

and yet in the program for government the plan to get ireland working is met with one of the few specific commitments in the program for government to slash 25,000 public sector jobs. you don't have to be an economic expert to realize you don't get ireland working by 25,000 jobs being axed. it means 25,000 more people unemployed, it means less money being spent in the economy, it means more suffering. and i want to say that it is paragraphly depressing -- particularly depressing that the labour party are going to support deputy kenny, this government and this program for government. labour, frankly, should be ashamed of themselves to sign up for a program that is going to axe the jobs of 25,000 of the people who voted for them. very particularly, voted for them in the hope and expectation that their jobs would be safe.

they should be ashamed of the fact that on national television and on national media when asked about the issue of all the charges, they made solemn promises that they would not introduce water charges, and now they have signed up to a program for government which is setting out to implement those very same water charges. they should be ashamed to sign up for a program for government that is talking about selling off our state assets to pay off the bankers and bondholders and speculators. it is utterly shameful to sell the family silver in the name of paying off bankers and bondholders. ..

>> that says one thing. it's all the promise, the hope relates to the desperate desire for change, the people expressed during the election and to abandon it for a program for government which is simply a plan to do more of the same of causes suffering to ordinary people. and i would cripple our economy for years to come. but i'll finish on this point. deputy gilmore i believe said over the weekend that he feared he would see force of placards

-- for as a pocket he labored secretary -- well, he should fear. he should fear. so should this government. so should this government. the pledge, the pledge of the alliance, the, the pledge of the united left alliance is to support those groups in society who, through no fault of their own are now being targeted with job losses. are now being targeted with brutal course that will put families under. that are being targeted savage courts to the public services on which they depend. we will be supporting and encouraging people to take off their placards and to a democratic way resist this counterproductive unjust and

economically unsustainable program for government that will do nothing to realize the hopes for change that people express in the election. and that is the pledge of the united left alliance over the coming period. thank you. >> i have been liberal in so far as those who are making the main speeches are concerned. however, i want to remind deputies that strictly speaking, the policy of government is not a right at this point, the nomination of the taoiseach, i would ask you to refine your marks and i would have to say particularly those are making the speeches, would you please confine your marks and emotion before the house. next speaker is deputy john huntington. >> first of all, can a welcome you to your position. and i wish you well. i also want to wish deputy kenny

well. i generally mean that. in your talk about the national government my interpretation of a national government was to put every so i hope from that the -- however, it is not possible for me to support you, 20. the previous governments were put out of office. primarily because the pain, they are and the distressed and sickness on many hundreds of thousands of people in that there is constituencies throughout this country. this manifested itself in the severe cost of living standards of middle income groups right into the lower paid workers. and people voted for change. they voted for a reversal of these cuts, not the same program for government that's being put

forward by this particular government. i have always, it's regretful in what sense that labor department -- it's regretful on this occasion where there is no discernible difference between, that the labour party did not attempt to put an alternative lesson and right divide in this as are any other parliaments across your. i think that's regretful. and reversal of the promise of placards and posters. to reverse the dreadful constant, and most of all, universe charges which i described. it has inflicted on hardship on hundreds of thousands of families throughout the district. i would however say that it is my position as an independent that i can do what i think is right for my country and for my

constituency. if i see our policies put forward, i will support him. i cannot however based on the position, based on what i told people i was i told the low to middle income groups, i told these people less well off in society to those who suffered dreadful hardship, that i could not support the government and i would not do so. thank you. >> i wish you well. as the outcomes of this, it's very obvious. i wish to offer deputy higgins and a team every success in tackling the and non-us -- enormous issues facing this country. i thought as an independent i would be upstanding on this motion. there are many proposals.

reversing some of the penal code in the last budget. that is for example, the blind, disabled, the proposal illumination of payments of students, the imposition of universal, nor level of income, decrease in power level, student legislation fee. the abolition of tax relief. this represents barely a section of society cannot be underestimated. at this point was driven home to

me. as late as last night when i received a very alarming phone call i'm a constituent, an employee of the aetna company. to let me know that the workforce had been informed yesterday that the company was now entering into a process. they have no union representation. >> you can't raise those matters now. >> i wonder, this would be a whole disaster for the whole area. and the workforce and for the whole economy. and what i'm asking here i am seeking, if they would intervene immediately. i would be asking here and i would be following up with taoiseach regarding this before the evening is out. this is a very, very serious

matter for all county and our country. and we cannot allow it to be a sandbag. thank you very much. >> mr. wallison. >> we would ask you if you could please, speak to the motion before the house. >> i will not be voting for deputy county taoiseach but i do want to wish him well. obviously, this country get back on its feet. get on a healthy state rather than the reverse. i think the government does is positive, i would shortly supported. likewise, i think i find does not do that and i will not be afraid to criticize it. i realize the huge majority in the house and it was very easy for you to ignore opposition, but i think that we have reached a stage where most people agree

that this parliament should function in much better way than it has for a long time. and i think it would be very positive if the government were to facilitate a healthy working of the parliament. everybody here is representing the people of ireland. and we should all be facilitators in playing a positive role there. it would be disingenuous of me not to mention, but for the length i did, i was very conscious of the huge anger in the people. they do find very difficult to understand why the taxpayer should be carrying the burden of mistakes trying to find the banking system. and i really do think that it would be wonderful if the government had the courage to go and have a referendum and get

the decision of the people, and it will give them so much more strength to go to europe and to deal with this issue. because it is probably one of the biggest decisions ever made iin the history of the state. there's a lot of things that i learned speaking to the people, and one of the reasons that i decided stand myself as well was, i don't think that the people have success well served by the political process. i don't think they see there's a reconnect between the people who come in here at the people that are putting here. and i think we can change that. i think we can all play a part in that. what i do think that we've got to get to a stage where decisions made at this level are made in the best interest of the people. and not just in the interests of big business. it will be great if the new government had the courage to

actually work in the best interest of the people at all times. and at the end of this governments term, it would be wonderful if they could actually be proud to be measured by how well they look after the most vulnerable in society, rather than our strength of gdp. surely how a state looks after those who most need their help has to be the true test of the states. thank you. >> final speaker, deputy flanagan speak of thank you. and best of luck in your new position. and i have to say, it is an amazing honor to even be standing here today representing the people, and representing the people of the republic of ireland. as i'm aware, what's good for the people would be good for the people of the republic of

ireland and vice versa. because one will not be able to work without the other. unfortunately, i had to sit as a west i lament i would be opposing enda kenny for the nomination today. not because i am against him personally, but i do not believe he is the best person for the job. before the election, it is quite clear that everyone who is running for labor posed that someone else be the best person for the job. a short time before the election, it was quite clear the majority of people didn't think enda kenny would be the best person for the job. there's nothing we can do about that now. we have a situation where there is where enda kenny will become the leader. i do wish him best like i was 10 -- i wish them the best of luck on have a bye to children because if he is good luck and he does well here, then they will not have to take the bus or

the plane to london like 19 of the 20 of my families, my family did and my wife's family did. i am terrified about the prospect that don't have to take that same roads. i am conscious of the facts that the children of the people of germany, the children of the people of denmark, holland, belgium, et cetera do not, when the children turn to the age of 18, have to safe listen son, tucker, the best thing you can do is leave your country. i hate dream and i hope that after five years of this governments that we will actually help solve this problem of immigration for once and for all. and i hope that this government withstand that as quickly as is possible. by not only that, i hope that those people, many of my friends and neighbors over the last couple of years, that they will be able to come back to a

country that would be able to sustain him, just like other modern european countries are able to do their i am hoping that enda kenny will be great when working with our european partners. now i have nothing against europe. i've lived in holland. i have lived in spain. i have lived in germany. and i have lived in great britain. but all i know is, if i fall on hard times, all i know is one thing, for the people that would like to be shown respect that would a quiet as i'm talking. i would do the same. i am conscious of the fact that we need to do an awful lot of things immediately. and as quickly as possible to get ourselves out of the hole that we are in. and we need to do them right. because otherwise we are sensing the people in this country to a life of hell. but i'm confident that it is done right, that things can go

very, very well for the people. when it comes to the accra food sector, when it comes to the tourism sector, i believe there is massive potential for jobs. and if fine gael and labor do what is right, then we will live in a wonderful country. but the first thing that needs to be done is, and it is what i do if i have gone out to buy a car, i talk to an expert, i listen to them. if i'm going to buy my house, which i did, i go and talk to an engineer and i listen to their expertise. i beg here and now that enda kenny will listen to the experts, people like constantine, david eck williams, and that men across the chamber from either, shane ross. and listen to them on the fact that we have no choice but to default on this. now, it is in need of a throwback to people he is what is now been described as, what will we do for money if we do that? what the reality is and experts

tell us and they can't all be wrong, that will have to default anyways down the line. so it's better to do it of our own accord and to wait for that kind of bricks to fall on her head. if we do that we have some chance of getting out of this hole that we are in. i read many things in the program of government that i actually agree with. i agree with reforming our health system. i'd like to see a little more detail on us. i agree with the reforming of the way government does an action work in this country. i agree with a few other things. but what i really, really hope is that the governments that are coming in here today i should agree with it themselves. that they really mean when they say they'll go for political reform because unless they do, we cannot get out of this hole. i really, really hope that we want to reform the health system because all i know is i am sort of an expert in health care from the point of view of being a doctor, but i am an expert in it

when it comes to the point of you of being a patient. my children, my wife, myself and my late mother and my father all had to use this health system that we have now. and it is totally inadequate. it was embarrassing to have to watch what my mother went through with health service that she was put through. it was nothing short of a disgrace. and if you can do one thing, please get that right. because if you can't get that right you will have failed. i finished begin by saying i wish enda kenny, i wish gilmore the best of luck in the next five years. if i agree on what you're doing, i will vote with you. if i disagree with you, i will oppose you, hammer and tongs here on the floor. and if i don't in here, i do it to me. and hopefully you see sense because i think we all have one thing in common here. we want to make our country great again. and i finish by paraphrasing a

great irish men, shawn clement. and he says, he said i wish people are capable of doing things just as well as anyone else in the world. and if not, just equally as well. i believe that. i hope he believed that there and if we follow through on it, ireland's will become great again. thank you very much. >> billy ray. >> you'll be glad to know that i will be brief. and first of all i want to congratulate enda kenny and i mean that sincerely. i wish to offer my support to deputy kenny on his proposed election. i am in no doubt aware of the difficulties which face them on the economic front. i shall offer constructive views and will support our reasonable measures that may be necessary to get this country on the right track. i believe that this must be the new government's priority. if they are to have the possibility of securing existing

employment, maintaining and the living standards of our workers and retain the freedom to promote the expansion of our economy and the creation of jobs. we must work cohesively to maintain an environment, where the creation of employment is a priority. we must eliminate all obstacles that hinder the creation of employment. i wish to state that i am very glad, and i'm profoundly grateful to have the opportunity to serve to the best of viability. but in doing so, i wish remind all the other 165 deputies in this house regardless of whatever position you may hold, that we are servants of the people. we are in very difficult times, and very harsh and difficult decisions will have to be made by this house. but i would like to remind the incoming taoiseach, whose document published in the late

1960s, based on the principles of social justice and equality, now more than ever is there a need for these principles to be adhered to. we must legislate in a favorite -- favorable and transparent way. it is of paramount importance to restore the trust of the irish people of the where this house conducts its affairs. and the way legislation is passed through this house, we must work together to achieve this aim, bills will have to be discussed in detail. and the one way i would oppose -- let this be the first stop for bills and let there be open and frank discussions on our bills, give these committees powers to proposed amendments and then bring the bill back to the house for further debate. all of our committees should allow for nonelected people to sit on why invitation if expertise is required.

then year to the people decisions are made, the more effective they will be. i do not labor myself as an opposition td. nor do i present to be a government td. i am a servant of the peoples, and with that in mind, i shall facilitate the passage of our measures that are required in the national interest. finally, taoiseach, i want to say a special word. we are both rule-based tds. we are both -- we both have faced problems in the past. but here you will be made peace in the country and i've been elected as a td. here we are, the people have spoken. and those, now is our chance to work together to get this country back on its feet. and the last word, with regard to the very serious situation with --

[laughter] >> with the jobs that are under, i've got to say i've already raised it with the incoming government. [shouting] >> deputy. >> deputy? [inaudible] >> [speaking in gaelic] [speaking in gaelic] [speaking in gaelic]

>> is a very important point in our straight we are today. because people hundreds of thousands marched, came out of huge numbers never seen before and gave a resounding board of competence to the different local parties and the different measures. more so, they vote for change because each of the political parties argued on a platform of change. what i feel is probably one of the most disappointing things that we're going to see in the next period of time is that hope, that hope is going to be snatched away from them. and as bad as the dark-haired under the green party government where we had a program of measures the impact on the realize of every every person, they -- when enough hope is dangle in front of your eyes, when people see there's a way out of that, but yet it was snatched away within a couple of hours, that is worse in my view

from what has gone on in the past. that is what we are seeing. we haven't heard so far, we haven't heard very much, we haven't heard very much of a famous catchphrase that was used toward the election campaign, but i will say it here today. a five-point plan. .1, 100,000 jobs, 7 billion year old stamos package. it doesn't appear, does not appear, does not appear in the program for government. does not appear in the program for government. does not appear in the program for governor. and it is very clear, it is very clear in the weeks, by the incoming peace, this is what i believe it does not deserved, does not deserve the support of the house today and it is clear during those negotiations there were more concerned about how we get possession of said how do we create the 100,000 jobs. we have no details in terms of the biggest entries in this country to get our country back to work. but yet there is no lack of

detail. there's a lack of detail and, indeed, time frames as to how many people this government will affect are just a lack of detail of where they'll spend taxpayers money. water meters into every single household they can -- the gamblers who are guaranteed by the state will get paid back. it is for those reasons that i believe that the nominee for taoiseach does not deserve the support of this house today. >> i think that concludes the debate. the question before the house is dominate enda kenny. those in favor? those against?

all 117 -- the motion is carried. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] >> we will ask to remove the

suspension, and also before i ask the taoiseach to speak, members on my left should take their seats to the right. the members on my right should take their seats on the left. [speaking in gaelic] [speaking in gaelic] >> to say i wish enda kenny every success. he has witnessed many changes come and considerable problems as well. but i believe it's been motivated by the highest public and commitment and we continue to do so. and i want to wish health and happiness to your family. particularly to your wife is meant by your side, tremendous strength to you. we remember her family as well. [laughter]

>> when she looked after our office some years ago. [applause] >> so we wish you both well in that regard. on a personal level we've always had a good relationship in the house. i have to continue that strong personal relationship because i think we all share a common desire to show a better and good faith in politics to the irish people. thank you. >> [speaking in gaelic] [speaking in gaelic] >> it's more an honor. [speaking in gaelic] >> i wanted to congratulate

deputy kenny but i want to wish well. it's a great honor for his family and for his party. in relations to the general election, he got the combination of the two parties. i want to wish them well. of course, when it comes to the nitty-gritty stuff i will be challenging many other policies, many of the issues. but today it is your day and i wish you well for the future. thank you. [speaking in gaelic] [speaking in gaelic] >> i would like to, first of all, congratulate deputy simon and the others for their endorsements, my proposal and

seconding the position of attorney. i want to thank initially -- in particular, your last two wards. issuers to with you, you might be a starter position today. [laughter] [applause] >> [speaking in gaelic] [speaking in gaelic]

[speaking in gaelic] [speaking in gaelic] >> i would like to say, ceann comhairle, that your own experience coupled with your exemplary commitment to policy will be an outstanding example in the chair, the honorable sharon that you now hold for the upkeep of the good reputation of politics, the proper context for this housing. and all of its members who spoke either for or against the nomination for taoiseach there but i want to thank the members of the house for the honor that they have given me. because i do stand here with a

sense of deep gratitude and deep humility. and then i'm very mindful of the task that we begin here, a task of rescuing our economy, of resuscitating our reputation, and restoring our society. but it's not only that. because we do stand on the threshold of fundamental change. there is equally under the task. and that is the task of renewal. of renewing the idea of political leadership, leadership that cherishes responsibility over privilege, public over personal entitlement. of conscious over convenience. and i must begin all of this come in deed some of those economic difficult days since i haven't independent. i don't say this to be negative or to be excusing, i say it to be real and to be true. to tell the truth of the ireland of today because here in this house, people like -- and

others, all born good and honorable witness to the state of our country and the state of our people. i include in their private company my own grandfather, indeed my mother, watching this today. they walked up the steps with me every step of this hard stepping journey. and for me and my wife and children. they represent the ability and decency, the very soul of the irish people. and because they do, that spirit brings them here to us on this important day, signifying that we are one people, ancient and new on a journey. a single journey of continuous transformation. the philosophers say our horizons are not fixed, but change as we go. distance and time been filled

with the continuity of both custom and tradition. in whose lives all that is handed down presents itself to us. and because it is that tomorrow, is our today. so when our children look into our eyes, i want them to see a future with a chinese and the good news dreams and imagining, the strength and release that has been passed silently on unobtrusively from mother to daughter, father to son, over the millennia. all merge to create a life of authenticity and honesty. of dignity, compassion, of brilliance and creativity, of purpose and confidence. of generosity and affection, of laughter and hard. a life where they can plan where they can hope and dream and live their dreams, here in their own

country. but our lives, not our futures, are predicated on one thing. that's the truth. that's why today i enter into a covenant with the irish people. in this current crisis, still full of many unknowns, honestly pashtun honesty is not our own policy. our new government will tell the people the truth of a situation, no matter how unlikely that might be. no matter how difficult it might be. we will tell, it is the only way because the people have always a right to know. i use the word over both pledge and promise because i believe the old ways, the old politics damaged us, not just financially but emotionally, psychologically, even spiritually at the level the site itself. covenants restores life-giving since of heart and soul, and spirit to leadership.

to our shared national life. the new government, a partnership between the labor party and fianna fail, will have its own heart as we get the task of getting our country working. our program for government is confident and is ambitious. our program for government is fair. and we will achieve our objectives together your the government and the people working side-by-side in each other's interests, and working hard. and because no party has a monopoly of good ideas, and i don't, in the new spirit of enthusiasm and generosity we want to bring both to our republic. we will collaborate and we will work wherever and whenever possible with the members of the opposition in the interest of our country and in the interests of our people. this is our country. this is our journey. yes, we are in times, but i

believe that for ireland this current crisis is the darkest hours before the dawn. and we have a generational likeness that in the long nights of the western edge of europe, we remembered the light that went before to imagine the light it came from. and we are a people looking always to the new possibilities of a new day. and that new day is here. a bright new day. there is no gap for the people and their government are one again. at day when for -- far off people united in our cause, our single continues, you have to try to make sense of what comes. remember everything, and keep your head. we will. now, together and for our country, let us believe in our

future. for ireland and for each other, let us lift up our heads, turn our faces to the sun, as already been said, hang out our brightest those. it is the first day of a journey to a better future. that future will be achievable, but ireland can again take charge of its own destiny. when in the 1916 fighting, we can prove to be the best small country in the world in which to do business, and which to raise a family, and which to grow old with dignity and respect. our people deserve no less. that challenge is truly ireland's call. my government and i intend to answer that call. and to make our nation proud, prosperous and respected again. and it all starts today.

it is not necessary, ceann comhairle, to inform the president of my nomination so she may appoint me. i thank the members for the contribution. i thank them for this single honor bestowed upon me, as a citizen, as a public representative it is my honor and my gratitude to lead a government that will rise to the challenge that will change the direction of our country and leaders to better future of which i have spoken out. i want to thank all the members for their contributions. accordingly, ceann comhairle, i will suggest that the meeting be suspended for two and a half hours. [applause] [applause] [applause]

[applause] >> we stand suspended for two and a half hours.

>> the u.s. senate is about to gavel and to begin the day. generals beaches are on the order of business until about 2:15 p.m. at that point lawmakers will turn to a judicial nomination and vote on that nomination at about 2:30 p.m. now we go live to the u.s. senate floor here on c-span2. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. today's opening prayer will be opened by the reverend joe bates sr. from the northwest conference of the united methodist church of alabama. the guest chaplain: eternal god, father of all

humankind, we come before you with humble hearts to ask for your blessings and guidance. pour out your wisdom and discernment upon these elected representatives of your people, and fill their hearts with peace and goodwill. enable them to practice just and merciful leadership that will bless and enhance the lives of all our citizens. we thank you, o god, for all the ways you have led us in the past. bless us, this day by helping us to walk in your paths of righteousness, so that justice and peace may prevail in our nation and in our world. to you, dear god, we give our honor and our praise, even as we seek your mercy, and we pray to you in your holy name. amen.

the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington d.c., march 10, 2011. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable tom udall, a senator from the state of new mexico, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: daniel k. inouye, president pro tempore. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader is recognized. mr. reid: following any leader remarks there will be a period of morning business until 2:15 p.m. today with senators permitted to speak for up to ten minutes. at 10:30 senator jerry moran

will be recognized to speak for up to 15 minutes. at 2:15 p.m. the senate will proceed to executive session and consider the nomination of max oliver cogburn of north carolina to be district judge for the western district of north carolina. mr. president, i ask unanimous consent there be a total of 45 minutes for debate on the nomination with the provisions of the previous order remaining in effect with a vote being at rather than 2:30 be at 3:00 p.m. today. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. mr. reid:. mr. reid: there will be a vote on the confirmation of the cogburn nomination at 3:00 p.m. the senate small business committee reported s. 493, the reauthorization act of 2011. they did that yesterday. we hope to begin consideration of that bill early next week. mr. president, it's time once again for us to get down to business. yesterday's budget votes didn't brings pwr*eu us any closer

to -- didn't bring us any closer to a conclusion but it did bring one thing to our minds and it did that clearly. that lesson is this: one party alone cannot reach a resolution without the other party's consent. we sroetd on a -- voted on a republican proposal and the democratic proposal. neither vote came close to passing but the exercise wasn't in vain. we demonstrated publicly and on the record that we know that the answer lies somewhere in the middle. now it's time to find that answer and a budget that will reflect our values, keep the country running and create jobs. i can speak only for my caucus when i say we accept the lessons of yesterday's vote. we know we'll have to make a sacrifice to each consensus and we're willing to do that. republicans have to be willing to move their position also. perhaps they're willing to finally acknowledge, given our deep debt, we can't afford

government giveaways to millionaires and companies making big profits. mr. president, perhaps republicans are willing to offer more reasonable cuts the democratic caucus can support. by reasonable cuts, i mean cuts that don't arbitrarily kick head start students out of class or rob college students of their pell grants. both cuts the senate resoundingly rejected yesterday. what i mean is that these cuts that don't pull the plug on renewable energy jobs or cuts that fire thousands of workers at community health centers across the country. republicans should be willing, mr. president, to look at our country's substantial budget and find cuts more worthy than those that would weaken law enforcement, border security to keep us safe. i hope they'll join democrats in saving money by attacking waste, fraud and abuse. i hope they will join us in making tough choices in avoiding the temptation to making

counterproductive cuts. let's come together in a way that strengthens our economy. let's cut in a way that makes our neighborhoods, schools and borders stronger, not weaker. as the negotiation process begins anew, i remind my republican friends time is short. i also remind them that the deadline we face a week from tomorrow is a deadline that they set. we didn't set it. democrats warned from the start that the process would take a month. republicans would agree only to a period half as long as that: two weeks. those two weeks are up, as i said, next friday. so my message is this: our republican colleagues, you should set the deadline and the responsibility meeting it is as much yours as it is ours. both parties also share the responsibility to be reasonable. so let's get to work. we cannot negotiate this in the media. we cannot negotiate this if we're unwilling to give any ground. we cannot be stubborn and expect a solution.

it's time to negotiate in good faith. it's time for all political posturing to end. and it's time for pragmatism, which is long overdue. mr. president, i would also say to my friends in the house, the senate has produced two very, very strong jobs bills. one is the f.a.a. reauthorization, which is long overdue. it is a bipartisan bill, passed overwhelmingly here in the senate and would save or create 280,000 jobs. pretty good step in the right direction. over the last 24 hours we passed the patent reform bill. that will create 300,000 jobs. these two jobs bills need to be completed by the house of representatives so we can send them to the president. these two jobs bills are important. the house should focus on jobs, not these arbitrary cuts that they have been making. i repeat, i would hope that the

house would right away work on our jobs bills that already passed the senate. patents and of course the f.a.a. bill. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader is recognized. mr. mcconnell: throughout the week i pointed out that our nation faces a day of reckoning on entitlements like social security and medicare, and i've expressed my disappointment about the white house failure to lead on reforms that would save these programs, that would save these programs at an opportune moment like our own.

the best time to solve the kind of fiscal crisis we face is when the two parties share power in washington. everyone knows we either address these problems together or they won't be addressed at all. and everyone knows the president has to take the lead. that's why presidents from both parties have done just that during periods of divided government in the past. and that's why many of us are calling on this president to do the same for the good of the country now. but when it comes to job creation, the president isn't just failing to lead. in many cases he's actually blocking the way. and nowhere is this more evident than in the area of energy exploration. americans looking at the price of gas at the pump these days are justifiably upset. what they may not realize is that some in the administration are actively working to prevent us from increasing our own oil

production here at home. so this morning with gas prices on the rise, i'd like to just step back for a minute and quickly review what the administration is doing to inhibit energy production right here at home. taken together, it would be a pretty long list, including delays and suspensions and revocations and outright cancellations of lease permits, which translates to higher prices and fewer american jobs. so i'll just list a few of the highlights. the administration started by canceling oil and gas leases for domestic exploration. immediately after taking office, the secretary of interior, ken salazar, canceled 77 oil and gas leases in the state of utah. one year later the administration suspended 61 more leases, this time in montana. shortly after canceling the utah

leases, secretary salazar extended the public comment period for new offshore drilling by another six months, dragging an already lengthy process out even further. then immediately after the gulf oil spill began last april, the administration imposed a six-month moratorium on offshore drilling in the gulf, even as it canceled energy exploration that was set to take place thousands of miles away from the spill in the gulf up in the arctic. two federal courts on three separate occasions have declared the moratorium in the gulf unjust. the administration has ignored them. it's kept the ban in place despite these rulings, forcing the drillers who have affected by it to relocate their rigs and thousands of good-paying jobs they supported have actually gone to other parts of the world. so if you're wondering where the jobs are, a good place to start is the administration's efforts

to block american energy exploration. senator murkowski points out that u.s. oil reserves at just three sources in alaska -- just three sources in alaska -- could replace crude oil imports from the persian gulf for nearly 65 years. three sources in alaska currently shut down could replace crude oil imports from the persian gulf for 65 years. yet all three are off limits due to decisions made by or continued by this administration. behind all these actions is a complete disconnect. at a time when gas prices are climbing higher and higher, pinching pocketbooks and threatening an economic recovery, democrats in washington would rather ignore the fact that americans will remain dependent on fossil fuel for decades to come. but we shouldn't be surprised by

it. two months before the president was elected, the man he ended up choosing as his energy secretary told a reporter how he'd go about reducing america's dependence on oil. somehow, he said, we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in europe. and if that was the strategy, secretary chu seems to be getting his wish. and the administration is doing just about everything it can to keep them there. now is the time to be asking what we can do to increase domestic energy production, not proposing ways to squeeze american families even more. and that's why all of these actions by the administration, along with a tax hike on energy production some have proposed that will only be passed on to consumers in the form of even higher gas prices, is the very last thing americans need right now. we should be looking for ways to lighten the burden on american families, not saddling them with a minivan tax. there's a better approach.

rather than squeezing the public and killing jobs with artificially higher prices, we should be looking for ways to increase domestic production, even as we promote alternative sources of energy for the future. and all of the above approach to energy production and the jobs that come with it of the kind republicans have been advocating for years would capitalize on the abundant resources we already have right here at home while at the same time looking for alternative sources of energy and new technologies that will free us from depends on fossil fuels down the road. this, mr. president, is a responsible approach. it protects existing jobs and creates new jobs at a time when americans need them. it would reduce our depends on foreign sources of oil. it honors the concerns americans have right now about the rising price of gas, and it respects the reality that most of the

cars in this country will run on gas for many, many years to come. but higher prices at the pump and fewer american jobs is the wrong answer. now, mr. president, on another subject. sadly, we lost david broder yesterday. a lot has been said in the last 24 hours about that distinguished journalist. i'd like to add just a brief word of my own. i won't pretend to have known him well, although we did talk from time to time over the years. but i admired him greatly. you couldn't help but admire him and a few things really stand out. first of all, in a city that's full of people in a rush to make an impression, david was the guy

who took the time to get it right. day in and day out without bombast or pretense. he wasn't looking to make an impression as much as he was trying to do a job and do it well. the notoriety, of course, took care of itself. he was a workhorse first and foremost a reporter who seemed to enjoy the work more than any attention he got for it. everyone who worked with him seems to have a story about watching him knock on doors while he was in his late 70's or ernestly listening to a midwest voter out in the cold. it all points to a sort of sturdiness of purpose and to the old virtues of patience and fairness, hard work in a sense that other people's opinions were at least as valuable as his own. add to that a deep curiosity and

thoughtfulness and a child-like appreciation for the mechanics of democracy and you've got a pretty good model for what political reporting is all about. i hesitate to say that he was conservative in temperment, if not, in his politics. but that's what comes through. it became commonplace to say that david broder was the dean of american political reporters, but i think it's worth understanding what people meant by that. it doesn't mean he was the most exciting guy in the room. he wasn't. it doesn't mean he had the most scoops. i'm not sure that he did. i think what it means, aside from the sheer length of his career, was that more than most people, his life came to take the shape of the profession that he chose in life. it became sort of an extension

of himself. that's what seemed to give him so much joy and satisfaction in his work, along with the respect and admiration and maybe even a little bit of envy of so many others. republican or democrat, liberal or conservative, young or old, we could use a few more david broders. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. under the previous order, the senate will be in a period of morning business until 2:15 p.m. with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each. the senator from oklahoma is recognized. mr. inhofe: mr. president, i appreciate that. i was hoping to have a little bit more time this morning, so i'll cover this a little faster than i normally would. but it's so critical. i just got back from the middle east and i know the problems that are over there and a lot of

people are saying that the -- the gas prices that going up are a result partially of what's happening over there. that isn't the real problem. the real problem is a political problem. let me first of all talk about the commitment that this administration has to cap-and-trade. some people who have been around for a while and remember way back in the kyoto treaty, i led the opposition to grat -- they tried to pass cap-and-trade legislation and since i chaired the committee at that time of jurisdiction, we looked at it, we thought this isn't going to work even by the admission of the environmental protection agency if we were to pass something like this in the united states, it wouldn't have any effect on reduce greenhouse gas. so i would just say this, some of the things happening this morning over in the house, they're looking at this issue and we have introduced legislation that has said that we're -- the e.p.a. does not have the jurisdiction to

regulate the greenhouse gases. and i'll get to that in just a minute. my message today simply is the higher gas prices are simply a product of this administration's goal. just a minute ago the minority leader said something that he quoted steven chu, secretary of energy, and in that quote he said, we have to figure out a way to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in europe. you know what it is right now in europe? the united kingdom $7.80, ital italy $7.54, france, $7.50. i can't just stop talking about the cap-and-trade agenda until we realize how it does affect things. you might remember, mr. president, that that -- back during president obama stated when he was running for office in 2008 and restated it several times. he said, under cap-and-trade electricity prices would

necessarily skyrocket. necessarily skyrocket. and he had it right. the whole point of that that it would skyrocket if -- if we were to that's in. but that also has an effect on all forms of energy. the house energy and power subcommittee is voting this morning on the energy tax prevention act which i introduced in the senate and it's introduced by -- by congressman upton in the house. the bottom line of the energy prevention act is the e.p.a. to make it so that they do not have the jurisdiction to do what they couldn't do legislatively. let's her when they -- what they tried to do. starting with the kyoto treaty, they tried to pass in 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, a similar type of cap-and-trade. what is the cost of cap-and-trade? the cost is -- and this goes all the way back to the kyoto treaty and when we have the estimates from the wharton school and

m.i.t., it would cost betwee between $300 billion and $400 billion a year. what that translates in my state of oklahoma, $3,000 a year for each family that files a tax return. what do you get for it? as i said, by the admission of the e.p.a. that it's going to be -- it wouldn't -- i said what effect would this have on worldwide immersions of co2? and the answer was, well, it really wouldn't because it only affects the united states of america. now, here's the reality. it could actually increase it. as our jobs go overseas, they go places like china and -- and mexico and places where there are fewer emission controls. so it could have just the opposite effect. but nonetheless, i say this because there are people wandering around who say we should do something about emissions but i want to make sure those people are listening

that even if we did this it wouldn't have any effect on the -- their hope is if we restrict enough supply the price will increase and we can then simply ship to what we call green energy. you know, i think it's important that people understand that the republican position on this is, yes, we want green energy. we want renewables, but we also want coal and natural gas and nuclear and oil. these are things that can run america today. and this is what we're doing. if we -- back in oklahoma, they're logical people, so they ask a question, what would it be if we were to -- if they don't want oil, don't want coal, how do you run this machine called america? the answer is, you can't. unfortunately there isn't the time i was hoping there would be. it's not just the administration. not just secretary chu, but others in the administration. the allen krueger, the assistant secretary for economic policy, he said the administration believes it is no longer

sufficient to address our nation's energy needs by finding more fossil fuels. they're anti-fossil fuels and yet they admit in the tax subsidies they call are currently provided, the oil and gas industry, they lead to inefficiency by encouraging an overinvestment in domestic resources in this industry. it's an admission, and it comes from kal allen krueger -- quote --"the small change in domestic producer cost could cause some production to shift from nest toic foreign suppliers. that means we would have to depend on the middle east to -- to import more of our energy from the middle east. by the way, think it's important to note that the congressional research service, and i think we all respect the work that they do, they came out with a report and they have stated and no one has been able to refute this yet that the -- that the united states of america now has the

largest supply of recoverable reserves in gas, oil, and in coal. now, we keep hearing people say that it's only 3% of -- of the amount of -- of -- of and -- we're using 25% of energy we're producing 3%. that's just flat not true. and i think people understand that. because they use that as proven reserves. you can't prove reserves until you drill and we have a political problem that the democrats don't want us to drill. and now if -- if -- if -- in that case we have to fall back on the other way of looking at it and that is recoverable reserves. and i would say this, that we're in a position to have the recoverable reserves as this chart shows here this is the recoverable reserves that we -- that we have right now. this is america's true oil potential. this is what we could produce here. and -- and this is the -- the -- the proven reserves that they

talk about. well, the bottom line is we have -- and i don't think anyone -- i think it's and i couldn'incontrovertible, we do e world's largest supply of gas, oil, and coal. this chart shows that the amount of oil, gas, and coal that we have is greater than that of china, iran, and canada, all three put together. this is what we've got here. so people say, if that's the problem why are we importing from foreign countries? we're importing from foreign countries because we have a political problem. we have a majority in this senate and we had a majority -- they had a majority in the house and the president who are trying to -- to continue this policy of not allowing us to develop our own resources. we're the only country in the world that doesn't develop our own resources. now i do know there are a lot of problems out there. i do know we're going to end up with -- certainly we have problems in the middle east and all that, but when i go home and i talk to my wife, the number

one problem is what she's paying for gas. it's not going to get any better. and that's what -- how many people who went to school and didn't learn about supply and demand? we have all the supply we need in the united states of america when you add what we get from mexico and canada to be totally independent from the middle east. but they won't let us develop it. 83% of our federal lands right now is -- is off-limits and it's a political problem because they don't want to do it. i can remember when we had the oil spill down in the gulf, some of the far left environmentalists were rejoicing that it happened. they were rejoicing because they can parlay this into us not using our own natural resources. last week the e.p.a. issued its own permit in the gulf. that was due to a lot of political pressure and a realization that the american people are not as dumb as they think we are and we can develop

our own resources and resolve this problem that we have. i would say this, if you look at what we have right now in reserves in terms of recoverable reserves in -- in oil and in gas, we have enough right now to run this country, enough oil for 90 -- this is in recoverable reserves -- for 90 years, we have enough gas in recoverable reserves to run this country for 90 years. that's 90 years and that's not including shale. i think we all know about the great shale deposits taking place in the western parts of the united states and that is gigantic compared to what we have available to us. we hear about methane hydrates. i didn't include these. the reason is because they're not recoverable today. they're not something we could do today. if we lifted all of our restrictionings that wouldn't gives -- restrictions that wouldn't give us the shale that is out there.

but what we would be able to do is further develop those. even without those we can run this country called america for 90 years on our own oil and gas. and we go to coal and the significance of the coal reserves we have 28% of the world's coal. in fact the c.r.s. cites america's recoverable coal reserves to be 262 billion short tons and for perspective the united states only use uses $1.2 billion tons of short coal each year. what we have is oil, gas, and coal. and this is enough. the only problem is we have an administration by their own admission wants to kill oil, gas and coal and fossil fuels. and we can't do this without -- without the change in the administration and the change in policy. and i think as you see the gas prices go up and all of america should listen to this, all they have to do is remember what it was that this administration's

position is and that is as stephen chu said, as the secretary of energy, he told the wall street in 2008 somehow we have to boost the price of gasoline to the rates in europe. in is president obama's position. if we take this position, we are going to have the gas prices going up and you can talk around it all you want, but supply and demand is a very simple thing. we have the potential supply in this country to run this country for the next almost 100 years on just what we have developed. with that, i know that the senator from kansas is anxious to make his statement and i would yield the floor.

mr. roberts: mr. president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

a senator: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the quorum call. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas is recognized, without objection. under the previous order, the senator from kansas is recognized for 15 minutes.

mr. moran: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to speak to the senate up to 25 minutes. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. mr. moran: mr. president, thank you. i'm humbled today to deliver my initial and very first speech on the floor of the united states senate and to discuss a topic of vital importance to our country's future: our nation's fiscal health. mr. morann: it's a privilege to join the members of this chamber and to work alongside my friend of nearly 40 years and colleague, senator patts. we met some time ago when i came to washington, d.c. as a summer intern, the summer of 1974 and watergate, for a congressman named sebelious, and my colleague, pat roberts, was his chief of staff and has been my friend since. i'm also humbled to follow in the footsteps of governor sam brownback and the many who came before him and whose names are etched in this desk where i now stand. i'm mindful of their service and particularly that of senator bob

dole, who served kansans for nearly three decades in this seat. during the nearly 36 years on capitol hill, senator dole became known as the leader who worked relentlessly to forge alliances to pass -- in order to pass significant legislation. today he serves as a role model for those who have dedicated their lives to public service. i thank senator dole for his call yesterday wishing me well today, but i thank him more for his distinguished service to our country and to kansans. i know the love and respect that the people of his hometown of russell have for him and i will work to honor his legacy. i grew up just down the road from bob dole's hometown in a smaller town, plainville. a place where folks know their neighbors and look after them. much of what i know about people i learned early in my life by working at the local hardware store, the swimming pool, the drug stock, and on my paper route -- drugstore, and on my paper route.

i learned that there is good in every person and that satisfaction in life comes from what you do for others rather than what you do for yourself. i learned that each family's joys and sorrows are increased and diminished when they're shared with their neighbors and friends. and i learned what it means to put others first, just as my mom and dad always had. i was fortunate to grow up with loving parents who taught me the value of hard work, the importance of education and the necessity of integrity. in fact, they once made me return the three cents i'd found when i turned in a pop bottle from my neighbor's back porch. my dad, a world war ii veteran, worked in the oil fields of western kansas and my mom, who grew up in the depression, was the laid you paid your light bill to. they were my boy scout leaders and my sunday schoolteachers and they always encouraged me to do my best. my parents worked hard, avoided debt, paid their bills and wanted to make sure my sister and i would have the chance to

pursue our dreams. i was also fortunate to have many teachers who instilled in me a love for learning and a desire to explore the world beyond our city limits. as a kid, i enjoyed reading about politics and history and government, and people like my fourth grade teacher, mrs. pruder, helped me to dwp an interestodevelop an interest inr country and public service. because of my teacher's interest in me, i'm part of the first generation in our family to attend and graduate from college. nothing in my background would suggest that i would have the opportunity to serve as a member of the united states senate. that says something about our country and the opportunity that we as americans have to dream big and to pursue those dreams. it also says something about our home state and the special way of life we lead. the pioneering spirit of those who settled our state 150 years ago and tamed the west lives on in kansas today. we work hard. we come together to find

commonsense solutions and try to make a difference in our communities, our state and our nation. we also strive to provide a better future for our kids and grandkids so they can pursue their dreams and reach their goals. this is the reason i got involved in public service, and it's the reason i remain involved today. since coming to congress in 1997, i made it a priority to stay connected with kansas, and so i return home on the weekends. whether i'm at the grocery store, attending church or filling the tank with gas, the conversations i have with kansans matter to me and impact the work i do here in washington. when i served in the house of representatives, i held annual town hall meetings in each of the 69 counties in the district following the lead of my predecessor, then-congressman pat roberts. i have continued this tradition as a senator and have begun traveling throughout all 105 counties in our state to hear directly from kansans, and i'm committed to making sure their voices are heard in our nation's capital. last spring in kansas, i watched

our oldest daughter walk across her college graduation stage and it was another defining moment for me. our country is facing fiscal challenges and if we fail to act our children's future is at risk. i believe all members of congress and in fact every american has the responsibility to be a good steward of what has been passed on to us. and so at that moment, that graduation event, i renewed my commitment to do my part to turn this country around. i'm one of many voices to express this concern. in 1985 president reagan took the podium during his second inaugural address and spoke about one of his greatest concerns: our nation's deficit spending. he told the american people that 50 years of deficit spending had finally brought our nation to the time of reckoning. he said we've come to a turning point, a moment for hard decisions. we must act now to protect future generations from government's desire to spend *euts citizens money -- its

citizens money and tax them into servitude when the bills become due. i'm here today 26 years later to issue, unfortunately, the same warning. we are again facing a turning point in our country's history and we no longer can delay difficult decisions. when president reagan spoke those words our national debt was $1.8 trillion. today that number has soared to $14 trillion, slowing our economic growth and threatening the prosperity of future generations who will have to pay for our irresponsibility. our government borrows 40 cents of every $1 it spends and half our national debt is shared by foreigners. the simple truth is our nation's debt is the responsibility of several congresses and presidents who have allowed us to live well beyond our means for way too long. members of both political parties have ignored this growing fiscal crisis and left it up to others in the future to deal with. in my travels in kansas, i'm

often asked how can washington continue to spend and borrow so much? what will our country be like for our kids and grandkids? i join kansans in voicing these concerns. in just the last two years government spending has grown nearly 25%, and we have had a record $1 trillion budget deficits. this year the federal government will spend $3.7 trillion and collect $2.2 trillion. that's a shortfall of $1.5 trillion. common sense, kansas common sense tells us this pattern cannot continue. some will say we need to raise taxes to get us out of this mess, but the reality is we don't have a revenue problem. we have a spending problem. experience shows us that money raised by washington, d.c. results in more spending in washington, d.c. the debate about government is often about government -- about government spending is often seen as a philosophical or

academic or partisan issue. but the truth is out-of-control borrowing and spending has very real consequences on the daily lives of americans. when we continue to fail to balance the budget, it means increasing inflation, higher interest rates, uncertainty in the economy, which results in less business investment and fewer jobs. this is not an academic discussion. it is not a partisan discussion. it is about the future of our nation. and we were not elected to ignore these problems, but rather to confront them. congress can and should do what kansans do, make decisions based on solid values and be held accountable for those decisions. just a few weeks ago the international monetary fund issued a report outlining just how serious our financial situation has become. america wasn't the only country that came under this scrutiny by the i.m.f. japan, for example, has also fallen behind in its deficit goals. and to make matters worse standard & poor's downgraded

japan's credit rating. if we do not face the reality and take serious steps now to confront this challenge, we will find ourselves in a similar position. the impact will be disastrous, just as it's been in greece and portugal and ireland. unfortunately, this reality has not yet sunk in in enough places in washington, d.c. president obama asked congress to increase the debt ceiling, allowing our country to take on even more debt. but it would be irresponsible to allow more spending without a serious plan in place to reduce the deficit. americans are looking for leadership in washington to help create jobs and get our economy back on its feet. but lately they heard a lot of partisan rhetoric and all they've seen is more government spending. it is time for our government to change direction and to change dramatically. we must work together to restrain spending and to put in place progrowth measures that create jobs. by saying both no to more spending and yes to projobs

measures, we will reduce the uncertainty in the marketplace, encourage business investment, become more competitive in the global economy and, most importantly, create employment. the best way to get our spending under control is to get a budget and stick to it. one of our basic responsibilities of congress is to produce an annual budget and yet we're once again operating under temporary spending measures called a continuing resolution because the democrat leadership failed to pass a budget plan last year. congress has taken virtually no step to address this deficit spending. we've got to come together and see that we do so, and we must pass a commonsense budget that reduces our deficit this year, next year, and well into the future. last month president obama sent his 2012 budget message to congress. instead of moving toward fiscal responsibility, the proposal contains more of the same borrow-and-spend mentality. it proposes $1.6 trillion in new taxes and doubles the national debt by the end of his four-year

term. at no point during the president's ten-year budget projection would our government spend less than it's taking in. rather than spend more, we must close the gap between what government takes in and what it spends. look for a number of ways to do that. last month i introduced the reset act to rescind $45 billion in unspent stimulus funds and direct those funds toward paying down the deficit. another commonsense measure i've long supported is a constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget. unfortunately, when members of congress are not required to prioritize their spending, they simply borrow more over a long period of time. this proposal, this constitutional amendment would limit federal spending to 20% of gross domestic product and would require two-thirds of a majority of congress to raise the taxes. by forcing congress to be disciplined, to live within a budget, we will turn away from record deficits and back to fiscal responsibility. in addition to living by a responsible budget, we must also address our long-term unfunded

liabilities, including social security, medicare, and medicaid. last year mandatory spending made up 56% of our entire budget. this percentage will only increase in years ahead as more americans retire and fewer workers are there to replace them. already social security pays out more than it collects, and its total debt will increase over $500 billion in the next ten years. medicaid spending consumes nearly a quarter of state budgets and will further burden states who are now required to pay for the vast medicaid expansion contained in the recent health care reform law. furthermore, medicare's unfunded liabilities are $37 trillion. this staggering sum is nearly three times the amount of our current national debt. this challenge cannot be ignored any longer. we must pursue change and reform, but it will take the leadership of president obama and the willingness of both political parties. we are ready to have that conversation with the president, and we expect his leadership. finally, history shows that

economic growth starts with the private sector. so congress must create an environment where entrepreneurship and business can flourish. small businesses are the backbone of the american economy and generate 65% of the new jobs over the last two decades. they employ half our private-sector workers and clearly small business is the engine of job creation and critical to our country's economic success. business owners as i toured plants in kansas will say what next, what next harmful thing is washington, d.c. going to do that puts me out of business? for too long washington has increased the regulatory and tax burden on businesses at the expense of jobs. mountains of government regulations and higher taxes are undercutting any efforts to create jobs and erode our global competitiveness, especially in manufacturing and agriculture and energy. rather than hiring new workers, businesses are spending their resources on complying with ever-changing regulations and increase taxes or worse those businesses are leaving our country. we need to be doing all we can to put people back to work and grow the economy, and that includes replacing our

convoluted tax code and eliminated bureaucratic intrusion into our free-market economy. maintaining a strong business environment at home must be coupled with opening new foreign markets for american goods and agriculture commodities around the world. in today's global economy we cannot afford to sit on the sidelines while other countries move forward. each day that passes we risk losing more of our markets and our market's share to competing nations. across the country thousands of americans depend upon exports for jobs, including more than one-quarter of all manufacturing workers in kansas. by increasing our nation's exports, we will create jobs and opportunities for all americans. without raising taxes or increasing the federal budget. while our nation's unemployment rate hovers between 9% and 10%, it is simply inexcusable to not do what we know we can do that will create jobs in america. one commonsense way to open more markets is to pass trade agreements with colombia and south korea which have been stalled in congress. during this delay, colombia

moved with trade deals with argentina, just to name a few competitors. comparably terrorists caused american farmers to lose nearly 20% of agricultural products. it it's past time to pass these trade agreements and create more markets and therefore more jobs for americans. for the u.s. to remain competitive in a global market, congress must also develop a comprehensive energy policy that allows for ample energy supplies which are affordable and reliable. rising gas prices and recent events in the middle east demonstrated once again the importance of having access to reliable energy. no single form of energy can provide the answer to meet our country's energy needs, we must develop traditional sources of oil and natural gas and coal and encourage the development of renewable energy sources like biofuels, wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower. expand the use of nuclear energy and encourage conservation. lastly we need to improve the flawed health care law and

replace with t -- commonsense changes, give states the flexibility to address health needs of their unique populations, enact medicare liability and enable small businesses to pool together to offer coverage at lower prices. these ideas have bipartisan support and are backed by the american people because we know they will work. congress should be an ally of the people, not an adversary. congress has the responsibility to create an environment where free market can succeed so business can move forward with confidence and start again creating jobs. in washington, d.c., it's often easy to forget what's most important in the midst of all the talk of partisan politics, the next election or the latest poll. when i need a reminder, i'll take a walk and i'll walk from this magnificent capitol to the lincoln memorial. between those two points i now pass the world war ii memorial, i pass the vietnam wall and on my way back i'll walk by the

korean war memorial. these memorials to our citizen soldiers help put everything in its proper perspective. our freedoms are so important that our nation's sons and daughters were willing to risk their lives to defend and protect them. these brave men and women didn't sacrifice for republicans or democrats. they gave their lives for greater good of our country and to ensure that their children and grandchildren would also experience american freedom and liberty. we have before us an opportunity, an opportunity to set aside the game of politics and to work together to confront the enormous challenges before us. whether we have the courage to tackle our fiscal crisis now will determine the course of our country's future into the next generation as well. and i stand ready to work with all my colleagues in this chamber to do what it takes to get our economy back on track. americans are known for their enterprising spirit and strong resolve and our country will recover when we begin to live

within our means and create a pro-growth business and job environment. last month, we recognized the 100th anniversary of president reagan's birth. it is a fitting time for all americans to honor the memory of a man whose leadership guided our country through many challenges. our 40th president believed in the greatness of america. he believed in the principles of individual liberty, of self-government, and free enterprise, and he believes that there are no limits to -- believed that there are no limits to growth and human progress when men and women are free to follow their dreams. it is with that same optimism and hope for the future that i stand here today. i did not come to washington, d.c. for personal glory. i came to washington because i believe we have a responsibility to be good stewards of what we've been given and to pass to the next generation the life we love and lead. we know what america can and should look like. when i took this oath of office about six weeks ago, standing just a few feet in front of me, i pledged to support and defend

the united states constitution and to faithfully fulfill the duties of this office, so help me god. and i will continue to seek his help and his guidance in the days ahead, knowing that in him, all things are possible. as i humblely begin my new responsibilities, i remain committed to leading with kansas commonsense and to making the tough decisions necessary today so that tomorrow and every day y thereafter our children and grandchildren can live in america with freedom and liberty and that they will have the opportunity to dream big and to pursue those dreams. if i'm successful, i will have fulfilled my responsibilit resp- if i'm successful, i will have fulfilled my responsibilities as a parent, just like my mom and dad, and as an american who believes our country's better and brighter days lie ahead. i yield back the balance of my time.

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader is recognized. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, i just want to congratulate our new senator from kansas for his inspiring first speech to his colleagues and suggest that it seems like we have a new senator from kansas in the tradition of bob dole and sam brownback and pat roberts, and i congratulate our new colleague on a fine, inspirational first speech. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. moran: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

the presiding officer: the senator from alabama's recognized. mr. sessions: mr. president, we had two important votes -- the presiding officer: the senator is notified that we're in a quorum call. mr. sessions: i thank the chair and ask that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. sessions: mr. president, we had two important votes yesterday on what we're going to about the surging set that this nation is incurring and the dangers that debt poses to the future health of our economy, prosperity of our people, the employment of our people. we had a debt crisis, financial crisis in 2007, and we still haven't recovered from it damaged us. it damaged american individuals. there are people employed -- unemployed today in large numbers because of that and we haven't yet recovered from it. we have some growth, but we have

not come out of it. and we've got to deal with that in a serious way. so the proposal was, as passed by the house, to reduce the spending for the rest of this seven months in this fiscal year ending september 30th, b by $61 billion and our colleagues in the senate proposed to do nothing, basically, $4.6 billion reduction in spending over the rest of this fiscal year. that's an unacceptable number. perhaps we can disagree over where cuts ought to occur, but it's critically important at this time in history as i will discuss that we take real action that sends a message. and that actually saves money. not washington speak about saving money, but real savings in money and we can do that.

every city, county and state is doing that all over the country and far -- and far bigger deductions in spending than we're discussing here. so the house proposal was to reduce discretionary spending spending, $61 billion, which is about 6% reduction in the plan and spending level. that's not going to -- planned spending level. that's not going to destroy our country. it's still well above the levels we were spending in 2008. but that $61 billion, when calculated over 10 years, because it reduces the baseline of our government spending -- when we calculate our net savings of $862 billion counting interest. because it's at $61 billion every year plus the interest. and we pay interest on the debt we're running up. this year we started out projecting a $1.3 trillion

deficit this year, the largest in the history of the republic, but now the scores have gone up and we're looking like ove over $1.6 trillion. $1,600,000,000,000. we take in $3.8 trillion -- just get this -- we take in -- no, we spend $3.8 trillion, but we're bringing in only $2.2 trillion. this is why 40% of what we are spending this year is borrowed. we have an opportunity now, this c.r. is it. we need to reduce spending now. you say, well, we can wait. we don't want to reduce spending for some of our favorite programs. this is damaging. we hear the old speeches that sound like they were given 20 years ago about any proposal to cut any spending level as seen

as some total disaster suggesting the republic will cease to exist. and, of course, americans know that's not so. they're not buying that. what world are we in? the president submits a budget that basically does nothing but continue the increase in spending. we just had the state department in the budget committee, i'm ranking republican on the budget, they're asking for a $10.00 -- 10.5% increase in state department spending. the department of education was in last week, they want 11%. the department of interior was in, the president proposed a 9.5% increase in their spending. increases, 2012, that's their proposal. what world are they in? what about transportation? you know what they proposed to

increase transportation by? $62 billion excuse me -- 62%. this -- this -- what world are we operating in? all right. you say you just exaggerating, it's business as usual, we don't have to make any changes. we need to make investments, sessions. this country needs to have more investments. the state department had a 33% increase in two years. education department's had a 30% increase. i mean, when does it stop? if you reduce some of the increases that's been obtained is that some real cut or is it just moving back to a more sane level? that's what it is. but when you don't have money, you have to make tough decisions. so, again, the question is, are

you just raising this politically? you're just trying to make a political point or is it really something here that's happening in america that's dangerous and requires us to take this step whether we want to take this step or not? are we required to? is it real? do we have a crisis that's dangerous for us? this is what mr. erskine bowles, mr. bowles was president clinton's chief of staff. he was appointed by president obama and co-chaired the debt -- debt commission that did their report. this is what he said the day before wed. both of them -- yesterday. both of them. this was a signed joint statement to the budget committee the day before

yesterday. "we believe that if we do not take decisive action, our nation faces the most predictable economic crisis in its history." close quote. are these extremists? they spent months studying the crisis the nation is in, what it takes to get us out of it. they proposed some substantial changes in what we are doing. and just yesterday they said, we're facing a crisis, the most predictable this nation has ever faced in its history. in other words, you can see it coming. people say, oh, i -- it won't happen us to. well, they should probably pick up the book, "this time it's different" by professor rogoff at rinehart, i believe, one of the great universities. their book proposes and shows

how governments, sovereigns get into financial trouble and how quickly bad things can happen and the title it should tell you something. the title is "this time it's different." and the title suggests that all of these great financeers and these countries that ran up too much debt never thought it was going to happen to them. and when people raised questions they said, don't worry, this time it's different. well, is this an extreme book? is this a dangerous book? because they say that when your debt, based on history and worldwide studies, reaches 90% of your total economy, your total debt reaches 90% of your g.d.p., your economy on average loses 1% growth and is at risk of a -- a catastrophic adjustment. some sort of crisis. well, what percent of g.d.p. are

we now? we've gone over 95% and the experts tell us that by september 30th, when this fiscal year ends, we'll be at 100% of g.d.p. so is this some sort of fearmongerring talk or are we dealing with reality? are we really seeing a -- facing a crisis that we can see in front of us? mr. geithner, the secretary of the treasury, unlike the budget director, also testified before the budget committee, mr. geithner was more tbrang frank. when asked, did you agree with the rogoff study, is it a sound study? wre, i believe it is. and then he said this, frankly, i think it understates the risk. understates the risk. when asked about that, he said, basically, there can be systemic immediate shocks that occur that are unple unpredictable like in7

when we went from a boon to a bust. these things happened in greece, ireland, iceland. these things can happen in this modern world of electronic financial transfer very, very quickly. now, i -- i believe we can prevent this. i believe we can prevent it. but we've got to take action or we're heading in the wrong direction. well, did you notice the news yesterday? bill gross, who runs the world's biggest bond fund at pacific investment management, a tota total -- the big bond fund -- announced that they had totally eliminated u.s.-government related debt from their flagship -- ship fund. "as the united states government projected record deficits."

so that's a big development, frankly. i mean, he manages more money than anybody in the world, i guess, in the history of the world. he's eliminated government debt from the total return fund. and that was just announced. so is that something we should be concerned about? i think it is. because who's going to buy our debt? who will buy our treasury bonds at now 10-year bonds at 3.5% or so interest? people get worried about your debt. they sell their bonds, who's going to buy them? where are we going to get people to -- to buy our bonds without paying higher and higher interest rates? and -- well, we're -- is our crisis coming upon us? let me share with you the testimony that mr. simpson and

mr. bowles gave to the budget committee just two days ago. this is what mr. bowles said, co-chairman appointed by president obama. he's very wore wrid. " -- worried. "this problem is going to happen. it is a problem. we're going to have to face up to in maybe two years, maybe less. maybe a little more." close quote. he's talking about a crisis. he said it's the most predictable crisis the nation's ever faced. he's pleading with us to get off the course, the unsustainable path we are on. and then what about alan simpson, a great, distinguished senator from wyoming who's so frank and articulate in his expressions. he's always a delight to hear. this is what he said -- quote -- "i think it will come before two

years. i'm just saying at some point i think within a year, at the end of the year if they -- the people who hold our debt -- just thought you're playing with fluff, 5%, 6%, 7%, they're going to say 'i want some money for my favor.' if there's anything guys love, it's money. and money guys when they start hraougs money -- start losing money panic. and let me tell you they will, it won't matter what the government does then, they'll say i want my money. i've got a better place for it. just saying for me, it won't be a year. do we have a time agreement? the presiding officer: the time expired some moments ago. a limit of ten minutes.

mr. sessions: i thank the chair and wrap up and ask for two additional minutes. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. sessions: let me add a few more things that have happened. in an analysis -- this is "the washington post," late january -- quote -- "in an analysis of the u.s. debt last week, s&p, standard & poor's, said the unthinkable could occur unless the u.s. officials take action. it goes on to say -- quote -- "the u.s. officials must act quickly to control government deficits or face slower growth or even more difficult choices in the future. the international monetary fund said thursday in a report criticizing the tepid u.s. response to the rising debt. admiral mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, i believe that our debt is the greatest threat to our national security. close quote.

secretary hillary clinton, secretary of state in the obama administration, quote, skater hillary clinton weighted into the debate calling the deficit a measure of weakness internationally. quote, clinton says the deficit is a national security threat. it was 1.3 when she said that. the deficit now is 1.3-plus. secretary geithner, as i indicated, said the same. mr. president, we've had a debate. we've had ten democrats. the effect from the democratic bill that did nothing saying we needed to go further. two republicans defected, one independent defected probably thought it was cutting too much. but the majority of people seem to be saying we need to reduce more. i suggest our leaders get together, if there's a

disagreement about where the reductions ought to occur, so be it, let's work that out. but we need to reduce spending significantly. the house number, in my view, is a minimal amount. i believe it will send a message to the world that this country is willing to take action, even tough action to get off the unsustainable path we are on. i thank the chair and would yield the floor. mr. sanders: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont is recognized. mr. sanders: mr. president, i'm going to try to bring this budget debate down to earth and talk a little bit about the reality of what's happening and go beyond -- there will be a lot of numbers that are out there. my good friend from alabama who sits with me on the budget committee makes the point that this country has a severe budget

crisis. and he is right. he is right. the question is: how did we get to where we are today and how do we go forward in a way that is fair and responsible to address this crisis? and in that regard, the senator from alabama and i have some very strong disagreements. how did we get to where we were -- where we are today when not so many years ago, the day that george w. bush became president, we had a significant surplus? we had a surplus when clinton left office. now we have a major deficit crisis. well, there are a number of reasons. number one, against my votes, we are fighting a war in iraq, which by the time we take care of our last veteran is going to cost us some $3 trillion.

the war in iraq. i didn't hear any of my republican friends saying we can't go to war unless we figure out a way to pay for that. number two, my republican friends for years have been pushing huge tax breaks for the very, very wealthiest people in this country. i didn't hear them ask how that was going to be paid for. number three, under president bush, with strong republican support against my vote, congress passed a $400 billion-plus medicare part-d prescription drug program written by the insurance companies and the drug companies. drove up the deficit. number of course against my vote, congress voted for a massive bailout of wall street. didn't hear too many people talking about how can we pay for that? $700 billion to bail out wall street; didn't hear them arguing that it was too much money, would drive up the deficit.

now, the republicans yesterday, mr. president, brought forth and voted on h.r. 1, and almost all of them voted for it. and those that didn't actually wanted to go further. now, the main point that i want to make this morning is, a, we do have to address the deficit crisis. but, before, we have to address it in a way that is fair and is responsible, and not solely on the backs of working families, the middle class, the elderly, the sick and the poor. that is immoral. that is wrong, and that is bad economics. to my mind, it is absolutely absurd that when my republican friends talk about deficit reduction, they forget to talk about the reality that the wealthiest people in this country today have never had it

so good, that the effect of the real tax rate for the richest people in this country is the lowest on record, and that the wealthiest people in this country -- the top 2% -- have received many, many hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks. so i ask my republican friends, why do you want to balance the budget on the backs of low-income children, low-income senior citizens, those that are sick, those that are vulnerable without asking the wealthiest people in this country who have never had it so good to put one penny -- one penny -- into deficit reduction? i think that is wrong, and the american people think that is wrong. when we talk about deficit reduction, we have got to talk about shared sacrifice. everybody playing a role. not just little kids, not just

the elderly, not just the sick. but even dare i say it, people who have a whole lot of money and who have never done so well. mr. president, i have not been impressed at how the media has been covering this issue because i think they have not made it clear to the american people how devastating the cuts are that the republicans want to impose on working families. let me just very briefly tick some of them off. the republicans want to throw over 200,000 children off of the head start program. every working family in america knows how hard it is today to come up with affordable child care, early childhood education. we have the highest rate of childhood poverty in the industrialized world. republican solution is slash

head start by 20%, cut 200,000 kids off of head start and lay off 55,000 head start instructors. mr. president, you well know that the cost of college education today is so high that many young people are giving up their dream of going to college while many others are graduating deeply in debt. republican solution? slash pell grants by $5.7 billion and reducing, reduce or eliminate pell grants for 9.4 million low-income college students. middle-class families, working-class families, you hear that? we're going to balance the budget by either eliminating or lowering pell grants, the ability of young people to go to college, for over 9 million college students. now i know in my office we get calls every week from senior citizens, people with

disabilities, widows who are having a hard time getting a timely response toward their social security claim. it takes too long to process the paperwork. what the republicans want to do is slash the social security administration, the people who administer social security for seniors, for the disabled, for widows and orphans by $1.7 billion. and that means 500,000 americans who are legally entitled to social security benefits will have to wait significantly longer times in order to receive them. mr. president, we have 50 million americans with no health insurance today, 45,000 americans die because they don't get to a doctor on time. last year i worked very hard with a member, many members of the senate to expand community health centers so that more and more low- and moderate-income

people could walk into a doctor's office, get health care, dental care, mental health counseling. republicans want to slash in h.r. 1, the bill they voted for yesterday, they want to deny primary health care to 11 million americans, at a time when state after state is cutting back on medicaid. what are you supposed to do if you're 50 years old, you have a pain in your chest, you don't have any health insurance? where do you go? and republicans want to deny health care to another 11 million americans. mr. president, for the poorest people in this country, community services block grants provide the infrastructure, the ability to get out emergency food help, emergency help to pay the electric bill, liheap, they are the infrastructure in this country that protects the poorest and most vulnerable people. republicans want to slash $405

million from the community services block grant. that is wrong, and the president's proposed cut to the community services block grant is also wrong. we have in real terms 16% of our population today, our workforce is really unemployed. if you add together the official unemployment, those people have given up looking for work. those people who are working part time want to work full time. republicans want to slash $2 billion in federal job-training programs. republicans want to slash $400 million in liheap. in liheap. that is the program that in my state and all over this country enables people to stay warm in the wintertime. we have a lot of senior citizens in the state of vermont getting by on $13 thousand, $14,000 a year income. they need help. it gets cold in vermont. it gets 20 below zero. you've got to stay warm. people don't have the income. liheap has been a very valuable

tool. republicans want to slash $400 million from liheap. they want to slash the e.p.a., environmental protection agency, by 30%. these are the people who have successly enforced the clean air act, the clean water act, so that the air we breathe doesn't give us asthma, doesn't provide us with a soup which makes us sick. the clean air act has been an enormous success in cleaning up our air. the republicans want to slash that by 30%. republicans want to cut the women and infant nutrition programs. this is the program that provides the -- the w.i.c. program that provides supplemental nutrition programs for women, infants and children. they want to cut that by $750 million. poverty in america is increasing. what we understand is that pregnant women and little kids do not get good nutrition, the

likelihood is that they're going to get, that the births might be low weight opbd the little babies -- or the little babies might come down with illnesses if they don't get good nutrition. poverty is increasing, yet the republicans want to cut the w.i.c. program by $750 million, 10%. title 1 education funding. everyone understands we have problems with education right now, large dropout rates. republicans want to cut $5 billion from the department of education. on and on and on it goes. now, what do i think? do i think that it's appropriate that we balance the budget on low-income pregnant women and infants who need nutrition? do i think you should throw 200,000 kids off the head start program, do i think that you cut social security, do i think that you cut unplanned parenthood?

does that make sense? i don't think so. i don't think that's good for america. but i do believe we have to move toward a balanced budget. what is one way to go forward other than savage cuts on programs for the most vulnerable people in this country? and that is i think we have got to begin talking about revenue. not just cuts. mr. president, today i will be interuse iuseinter -- introducig legislation, which does two things. number one, it creates a millionaire surtax used for deficit reduction. 5.4% surtax on income over $1 million. all households that have income over $1 million will pay a 5.4% surtax on that income which will go into a -- an emergency deficit reduction fund. just doing that, asking

millionaires to pay a little bit more in taxes, after all of the huge tax breaks they have received, will bring in approximately $50 billion a year. now, mr. president, i think that that is a good idea, but it is not just me who think it is a good idea. recently last week there was an nbc news/"wall street journal" poll, they asked what is the best way to go forward on deficit reduction? 81% of the american people believe it is totally acceptable or mostly acceptable to impose a surtax on millionaires to reduce the tef sit. the -- the deficit. the american people get it. they understand you can't move toward deficit reduction just by cutting programs that working families, the middle class, low-income people desperately need in order to survive in the midst of this terrible recession. they understand that serious,

responsible deficit reduction requires shared sacrifice. it is insane -- and i use that word advisably, it is insane to talk about deficit reduction as my republican friends do on one hand and say, oh, yes, we have to give hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars of tax breaks to the top 1%, top 2% when those guys are doing phenomenally well, seeing an effective tax rate lower than it has been in decades and receiving tax breaks already. why does anyone think it is moral or rate to move to deficit reduction on the backs of the weak and the vulnerable? i understand, and i know something about politics, i do understand that the parents of kids who are in head start do not make large campaign contribution contributions. and i -- campaign contributions. and i know the senior citizens who need some help with social

security do not make large campaign contributions. i understand that the college students trying to go through college on a pell grant do not make large campaign contributions. there is a sense of morality that we have to make here. i think it makes no sense. i think it is immoral, i think it is bad economics to balance the budget on the backs of working families while we give continued tax breaks to those people who don't need it. so, mr. president, today we will be introducing a piece of legislation which i hope will have strong support. i think it paves the way for us to go forward in serious deficit reduction in a way that is fair. do we need to make cuts? absolutely. absolutely. but do we also need to ask the wealthiest people in this country to start contributing toward deficit reduction? i think we do.

so, once again, the legislation that i've introduced today creates a millionaire's surtax of 5.4%, which would bring in about $50 billion a year to be used exclusively for an emergency deficit reduction fund and we also end tax breaks for big oil and gas companies which would bring in abou about $3.5 billion a year. over the past decade the five largest oil companies in the united states have earned nearly $1 trillion in profits. meanwhile in recent years some of the very largest oil companies in america have paid absolutely nothing in federal income taxes. in fact, some of them have gotten a refund, a rebate from the i.r.s. so that is my plea. my plea is that, yes, the need for deficit reduction is real. it is urgent. let's go forward. but let's go forward in a way that is fair and responsible and not simply on the backs of the most vulnerable people in it

country. and, with that, mr. president, i would yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. sanders: mr. president, i have -- the presiding officer: the senator's notified we're in a quorum call. the presiding officer: quorum

call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. sanders: i have 10 unanimous consent requests for committees to meet today. they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. i ask that these requests be agreed to and these requests be printed in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. sanders: i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: