impact of lost export opportunities, the impact on u.s. jobs and the impact on the protection of u.s. intellectual property resulting from the delay. today we've got anecdotal evidence but there isn't any comprehensive government report on what delay means for u.s. businesses and our economy. i wish this amendment weren't necessary, but we've seen with korea, with colombia, and with panama agreements we cannot assume -- the presiding officer: senators, please take your confers outside. mr. thune: we cannot assume an agreement is going to be implemented swiftly. this amendment isn't about casting blame. the study will appry to trade agreements whether negotiated by a republican or democratic president. it's not about the fact. congress deserves better information about the impact when we delay these trade agreements th-fplt doesn't affect -- this doesn't affect t.a.a., the underlying bill. passage in the house. it is a commonsense amendment

and i hope my colleagues will support it. mr. wyden: mr. president? sproeup the senator from oregon. -- the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. wyden: mr. president, i rise in opposition. our exporters face major challenges in global markets. we're faced with surging imports from china. china has a regime in place that is cheating american innovators and forcing them to share their intellectual property. instead of dedicating the scarce resources of the international trade commission to look into these issues and identify other foreign trade barriers that impede our exporters, we would essentially pass the international trade commission to tell us what we already know. for example, we know that in the case of the pending agreements, we had an opportunity to get a better deal for our companies that export automobiles and to promote human rights in colombia by reducing violence.

we're on the precipice of considering these agreements. let's not turn back the clock. instead of using scarce resources to have an armchair debate about what we already know, let's dedicate the resources to help workers and business. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator's time has expired. mr. thune: mr. president, i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? it appears there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: are there any senators wishing to vote or to change his or her vote?

there being none, on this vote, the yeas are 44, the nays are 52. under the previous order requiring 60 votes for the adoption of this amendment, the amendment is not agreed to. there are now -- there are now ten minutes of debate prior to a vote in relation to amendment number 634 offered by the senator from texas, mr. cornyn. mr. cornyn: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i'd like to offer a bipartisan proposition to my colleagues here on -- in the nature of this amendment. the reason that i say that it enjoys -- that this idea enjoys bipartisan support, 47 senators, democrats and republicans, have joined together in a letter to the administration asking that the administration grant a sale of f-16 c and d models to our

ally taiwan. this amendment would compel that sale because unfortunately the administration has declined to make that sale yesterday, notwithstanding the fact that the taiwan relations act, signed by jimmy carter, passed by a bipartisan congress, requires the united states to provide taiwan with defense articles necessary to enable taiwan to maintain sufficient self-defense capabilities. they have lost that capability, as demonstrated by this chart taken from defense department records. currently, the people's republic of china has about 2,300 operational combat aircraft to taiwan's 490. the presiding officer: senators, please, if you must talk, please take it into the cloakroom or outside. otherwise, please give your full attention to the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: taiwan, by comparison, has 490 operational

aircraft, of which about 100 need to be retired, french mirage aircraft, f-5 aircraft, about 100 of them need to be retired because they are literally obsolete. what this amendment would do would be to compel the sale of 66 f-16 c and d models to our friends in taiwan. why is this important? well, the department of defense reports that china's military power is in an increasingly precarious situation for the region and that china seeks the capability both to deter taiwan independence and influence taiwan to settle the dispute between them on china's terms. this amendment would compel that sale. my colleague from massachusetts argued earlier that the retrofit for 145 of f-16 a and b models which taiwan has which the united states sold is an

adequate substitute. it is not. all that will do is help upgrade 145 of these aircraft that i identified earlier. it won't meet the need created by the trairmt of the obsolete french mirages and the f-5. mr. president, i would reserve the remainder of my time. mr. kerry: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from massachusetts. mr. kerry: mr. president, i think all of us agree with the intent and direction that the senator from texas wants to go here with respect to our friendship and our support of taiwan. in the 26 years i have been here, i have never not supported doing what's necessary to live up to the taiwan relations act. but the senator is reaching way beyond what we have ever done in the united states senate.

a senator: could we have order? mr. kerry: which is to compel a single weapons system sale by the president with respect to a complex relationship like china, taiwan and the entire presence of the united states in the area of the straits and in that region. we have never done that. moreover, the president of taiwan has said that it is entirely adequate. he feels that they will have the defensive capacity necessary under the t.r.a. in order to be able to defend themselves at the current level with the upgrade that we're providing. now, let me point out, under president bush, over eight years, we provided $12 billion to taiwan, over eight years. in three years of the obama administration, he has provided about $12 billion.

three years. so it was $15 billion for bush over eight years, $12 billion by obama over three years, and the upgrade that is being provided, six billion dollars worth of upgrade of sales and weapons includes state-of-the-art avionics and weaponry, including the electronically scanned resource, targeting systems, air-to-air missiles and precision-guided munitions. those airplanes, those 145 f-16's will have state-of-the-art capacity at the highest level of any f-16 that we're allowed to sell to any country in the world. moreover, the administration has made it absolutely clear this does not preclude the sale of f-16's maybe in the next months, maybe in the next year, but that ought to be done by any administration, republican or democrat, in an orderly way as a matter of good arms policy and

as a matter of good foreign policy. so i would respectfully submit to my colleagues -- in addition to that, the administration is unalterably opposed to this. so here we are working hard under a fairly careful script to get t.a.a. out of here so we can move to free trade agreements that a lot of us want to move and pass, which means jobs for america. they have been long overdue. we pass this amendment, we lose that opportunity. it's that simple. so these are all troughs, but this is a -- these are all tradeoffs, but this is a tradeoff measured against a need or urgency of defense policy to do this. so i say to my colleagues, why for the first time without that showing of urgency and need, particularly given the president of taiwan's own statements are we going to for the first time compel a president to do something that he doesn't think he wants to do in the context of the relationship both with china and taiwan, and i reserve the balance of my time.

mr. cornyn: mr. president, how much time do i have remaining? the presiding officer: two minutes and 30 seconds. mr. cornyn: as my colleagues know, congress is given the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations. that's why this amendment is relevant to this trade bill that we're getting ready to pass because it's important that products manufactured in the united states, produce grown here, that we sell it to markets abroad because it creates jobs here at home in addition to fulfilling our legal obligation under the taiwan relations act. i must say i disagree with my colleague from massachusetts. the upgrade on 145 aircraft does nothing to substitute for the retiring of the french mirage aircraft and the f-5's given the huge disparity in air power between the people's republic of china and taiwan. and because we're all concerned about jobs, let me just remind

my colleagues that 30 different states will receive benefits by way of jobs as a result of these sales. this isn't the primary reason why this is important. this is about american prestige, keeping our promises, and not letting the bullies of the world, including china, intimidate the united states of america from keeping our solemn commitments to our allies. i ask my colleagues to vote yes on the cornyn amendment and i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: the senator from -- is there -- is there a sufficient second? yes, there is. mr. kerry: mr. president, how much time do i have? the presiding officer: the senator has one minute and 24 seconds. mr. kerry: i won't use all of it. let me just say very, very quickly, the sale of weapons measured against the policy decisions in a relationship, a

set of relationships that are critical to a balance of power and to threat and to danger and so forth has never been translated into a jobs program. and if you want it to be, $6 billion spent on these upgrades, northrop grumman, lockheed martin, a host of companies are going to benefit from that $6 billion and may benefit from the sale of weapons down the road. this is a policy issue. and the policy question is whether or not the president of taiwan can speak for taiwan or the senator from texas speaks for taiwan. the policy issue is whether or not we are going to be adequately meeting the needs of the t.r.a. and meeting the foreign policy priorities of an administration that it seems to me given the statement of the president of taiwan not only don't violate it but sustain the relationship of the t.r.a. i proudly voted for taiwan and supported taiwan every year i've been here for 26 years.

i believe i'm voting for them today even as i oppose this amendment but support the administration's $6 billion program for upgrade, those 145 f-16's and maybe we'll sell them some others. the presiding officer: the senator's time has alapsed. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: just briefly, once the production line is shut down for f-16's, it cannot be easily reconstituted. the 2,300 people currently working in the f-16 line will be reassigned or fired. so this is important. this isn't something we can take up just willy-nilly later on because we've gotten around to it. it's timely, it needs to be done now to keep our commitments to our allies and show the chinese what they really need to see from america and that is strength, not weakness. i yield back. the presiding officer: the yeas and nays have been ordered. the clerk will call the roll.

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote? there being none, on this vote, the yeas are 48, the nays are 48. under the previous order requiring 60 votes for the adoption of this amendment, the amendment is not agreed to. there are now two minutes of debate equally divided in relation to amendment 6 -- number 633 offered by the

senator from nevada, mr. reid, on behalf of mr. casey. mr. casey: mr. president? the presiding officer: order, please. mr. casey -- the senator from pennsylvania. mr. casey: mr. president, i'd ask an affirmative vote on this amendment of basically, what we're talking about here -- the presiding officer: please, order. and if you have a conversation that you really need to make, do it in the cloakroom or outside. otherwise, please give your attention to the senator from pennsylvania. mr. casey: mr. president, trade adjustment assistance is very simple. we've got a job crisis in the country. this program for decades now has helped people get through that crisis and very importantly has allude them to be trained and retrained for the jobs of the future. we need this program. our workers need it and our economy needs it. i want to commend the work of chairman baucus and my colleague from ohio, senator brown.

i ask for ran affirmative vote on this. mr. brown: thanks to senator baucus and senator casey for her leadership on this. this is about helping people who have lost their jobs not only through no fault of their own but because of actions taken by this body and by the house. i met a woman in youngstown the other day lost her job in manufacturing and went back to school. she and her daughter are both in nursing school training for nurses. that's what t.a.a. is about. vote for the casey-baucus-brown amendment. mr. hatch: mr. president, that is costly program, a cause stick program, of dubious value. in our hearings, the administration couldn't come up with one job that would be lost as a result of these free trade agreements. a no evidence that -- there is a no evidence that t.a.a. really works. and, you know, in all honesty, there's no commitment from the president we're going to have

the three trade agreements come up anyway. and i just have to say that even though we haven't done a trade agreement in years, t.a.a. continues to grow and t.a.a. is on top of unemployment insurance we're paying anyway, and it just isn't justified. all i can say is that literally -- literally -- this program should not be adopted at this particular point. and if it is adopted, it ought to be adopted based upon reason and so forth. the presiding officer: the question occurs on amendment number 633. a senator: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll.

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. on this vote the yeas are 69. the nays are 28. under the previous order requiring 60 votes for the adoption of this amendment, the amendment is agreed to. under the previous order, the clerk will read the bill for a third time. the clerk: calendar number

166, h.r. 2832, an act to extend the generalized system of preferences and for other purposes. the presiding officer: the senator from montana. there are now ten minutes of debate equally divided prior to a vote on passage of the measure. the senator from montana. mr. baucus: madam president, the senate is not in order. the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. mr. baucus: madam president, this bill addresses our country's most urgent priority: jobs. it helps american workers acquire the skills they need to compete and win in a global economy. it gives american businesses better access to materials they need to make world class products, and that's just the beginning. it also opens the door to an ambitious trade agenda, an agenda that will increase u.s. exports, grow our economy and create jobs.

that agenda includes our pending free trade agreements with colombia, panama and south korea. the first step is to renew trade adjustment assistance. trade adjustment assistance has been an essential part of u.s. trade policy for nearly 50 years. when we negotiate trade agreements, we create new economic opportunity and spur growth. we also increase competition. t.a.a. helps american workers and businesses meet that competition with job training, income support, health coverage and technical assistance. over the years we have reformed t.a.a. to keep pace with the changing global economy. in 2009 we extended t.a.a. to cover service industry workers and workers with jobs shifted overseas to any country. and we increase funding for job training and health care. but the 2009 reforms expired, expired last february.

congress never approved one free trade agreement, much less three, when t.a.a. expired. this year must be no exception. this legislation will restore the 2009 t.a.a. reforms, program cuts to achieve necessary cost savings. this legislation will clear the path to consider and approve our free trade agreements with colombia, panama and south korea. if we do not approve this legislation, we will impose a roadblock that could derail our three free trade agreements. we cannot afford to fail. we could the demands at home threaten to stall recovery. we need these agreements to increase sales of farm products and manufactured goods and services abroad. the international trade commission estimates that these agreements will boost u.s. exports by $13 billion. most importantly, these additional exports will increase

economic growth and support tens of thousands of american jobs. we cannot delay. this summer, for example, trade agreements between the european union and korea, between canada and colombia entered into force. u.s. exporters are losing sales to their european and canadian competitors. american jobs are at risk. so let us restore trade adjustment assistance for american workers, let's expand trade preferences for the benefit of american manufacturers, and let us move quickly to consider and approve our pending free trade agreements with colombia, panama and south korea. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation. the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. hatch: madam president, i rise in opposition to this bill before us. it extends the generalized system of preferences program for two years as amended, and as amended expands the trade adjustment assistance program. i want to be clear. i support the underlying bill passed by the house that extends

the g.s.p. program. g.s.p. helps american companies compete in the global marketplace while helping developing countries grow their economies and achieves sustainable economic growth to lift their people out of poverty. but as i have made clear over the past few days, i have serious concerns with expanding the trade adjustment assistance program as it has been amended by this bill. we can no longer afford to increase domestic spending on programs that have dubious value and unproven results, but that's what this bill will do. i cannot condone this spending, so i'm going to vote no. i offered an amendment that would have ended the mystery surrounding the sequencing of t.a.a. and the three pending free trade agreements that has been the subject of much intrigue and speculation. my amendment would have held off the expansion of t.a.a. until our free trade agreements with colombia, panama and south korea were enacted. everything would move together. isn't that what this whole bargain is supposed to be about? well, that amendment did not pass and the white house still

refuses to say when they will send up their f.t.a.'s for a vote. now, that doesn't seem right or fair to me. t.a.a. is proven, costly and counterproductive program. so i urge my colleagues to also oppose this bill, but should it pass, i hope the president finally matches actions with words and sends the f.t.a.'s up for a vote. i am convinced all three will receive strong bipartisan votes. american businesses, farmers and workers and our friends and allies in colombia, panama and south korea cannot afford any delay. mr. mcconnell: madam president. the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: is the time expired? the presiding officer: three minutes remain. mr. mcconnell: after today's vote, the white house has no more excuses. the time has come to send the three pending trade agreements to congress. we waited for the chance to pass these trade agreements that our economy desperately needs, and that even the white house admits

will create tens of thousands of jobs. now, the white house asked us for a path forward on trade adjustment assistance in exchange for sending these deals up to congress, and we gave it to them. i can't say i'm happy about that. this is a program that i and many republican members have very serious questions about, but thanks to the leadership of two of our members, senators blunt and portman, we are where we are today. the senate will soon pass t.a.a. without amendment. both parties of the senate have acted in good faith to move this process forward. now it's the president's turn. no more moving the goal posts, no more excuses. it's time for the administration to demonstrate something that seems to be in short supply on the other end of pennsylvania avenue, and that's trust. the senate today will have acted on trust in passing t.a.a. even before we have received the agreements, but the white house has refused to show the same

trust in congressional republicans who have assured them that t.a.a. will move along with the free trade agreements. i kept my promise that i would allow t.a.a. to move forward in the senate as long as republicans had a chance to amend it. it is time for the administration to deliver theirs. it's time for the president to send up these long pending free trade agreements without further delay. i yield the floor. mr. reid: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: for the benefit of the senators, so we can look at the schedule a little bit this evening, first of all, i appreciate the support for this trade adjustment assistance from my republican colleagues. that's an important piece of legislation. i'm glad we were able to complete it, at least in the senate. as i've said many, many times, we have to make sure that the house also passes this.

i have been told by the speaker and others in the republican leadership in the house that they will do that, and i'm hopeful and confident they will. once that's done -- and they have ways of making sure through a rule that they could issue that it wouldn't be sent to the president. they don't have to enroll it until the trade bill is passed. once the trade bill is passed, of course they would send that trade adjustment assistance to the white house. so the first step of this agreement -- i don't need to tell everyone here. i have spoken to the republican leader many times. i don't support any of those trade agreements, but i am going to live up to what i said i would do and do what i can to move those through the senate as quickly as possible so that there are fair votes on all of them. but we're waiting for the house to take action also. so finally, without belaboring the point on trade adjustment assistance, i repeat what i said

earlier. i appreciate very much the support of the republicans in getting us the votes necessary to pass this. it was a nice vote, and i appreciate it very much. as far as the rest of the evening, i just talked with the house democratic leadership, some of them, and right now the republicans are still trying to get enough votes to pass something over there. right now, they haven't been able to do that, so they haven't even asked for the rule to be issued. so we're waiting to see what they do. some of the reports out of the house are really troubling, to say the least. one of the latest proposals we have heard -- remember, one reason this went so bad is that 53 house republicans wrote a letter to the republican leadership in the house and said unless you cut back the c.r. -- remember, that's the agreement we worked on for three months to get an agreement so we took care of the 301-a's and b's for the

rest of the year, they said unless you cut that by $28 billion, we're not going to vote for it. $28 billion. the latest we've heard from the house, in an effort to satisfy the $28 billion that they -- the 53 republicans want, they have said they're going to cut renewable energy products by another $110 million. so if that goes through, then the 53 republicans, instead of settling for $28 billion are going to settle for $110 million. in las vegas, those aren't very good odds in a card game. i hope that we do something that is fair and realistic. i hope they send us a c.r. i hope they send us a reasonably important number on fema. we know what's needed. the secretary of homeland security was in joplin, missouri, today, looking at the

devastation there and the work that has stopped in that town that was struck by winds of 300 miles an hour. so, madam president, we're -- we're here. i have to say -- we're going to have a caulk in just a few minutes, in 20 minutes, but -- have a caucus in 20 minutes, but i can't see us doing anything tonight. the last i heard from -- mr. mcconnell: could i speak to that point? mr. reid: sure. mr. mcconnell: i think i could probably speak for everybody on this side that if we had a choice between wrapping all of this up sometime tonight as opposed to coming back tomorrow, i think i'm pretty safe in saying we would prefer, if it's possible, to complete the job tonight, knowing full well that we're scheduled not to be here next week and presumably if we finish the job in a way that's satisfactory to both the house and the senate, i think our

preference would be to grind through and try to get to the end tonight. mr. reid: i understand what my friend is saying, and i'm sure that if we took a vote, everyone would agree on that, but if we don't get that bill until after midnight tonight, there comes a limit as to what we can do. so it may be necessary that we come back sometime tomorrow morning. i have a number of us here who have really important things to do, not only legislatively but some with their own personal business. so i understand if we have to come back tomorrow, we'll try to do it as early as possible, but we do have some very serious things to do here. we have millions of people who are struggling because this disaster relief -- and you know we talk about disaster relief as if it's some number up in the air, but these are jobs we're talking about. these millions of dollars that we're talking about providing more renovation, repair and all the other things that need to be done for these disaster areas,

these are jobs, people are waiting to do that work, and of course the c.r. is very important. so i would hope the house would send us something that is fair and reasonable because if they -- if it's just more of the same as yesterday, i don't think they are going to get democratic votes in the house and i don't think they will get any over here. so this is not a high school game of i gotcha. we're all willing to be reasonable but we're not willing to vote unreasonably. thank you, madam president. the presiding officer: the question occurs on passage of h.r. 2832 as amended. a senator: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll.

vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or wishing to change their vote? hearing none, on this vote the yeas are 70. the nays are 27. the bill as amended is passed. mr. leahy: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: madam president, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to a period of morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: with senator moran to be recognized for ten minutes. following his remarks the senate resets subject to the call of the chair. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: madam president, i was about to ask for a quorum

call but i see the distinguished senator on the floor so i yield to him. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. moran: this is a historically significant week for the united states and all those who care about peace and stability in the middle east. it is a region already roiled by protests and war and faces the prospect now of even more tension, more uncertainty and potentially more violence. we know this to be the case if the preupb's president abbas goes forward with his plan to seek recognition of palestine statehood at the united nations in new york. we've known for some time this was coming and thankfully the united states government -- and the administration plans a veto of the measure. i'm afraid that we have not done

enough to convince the palestinians that there will be consequences for their actions. by pursuing recognition of a state at the u.n., president abbas is choosing confrontation rather than negotiations with israel. in doing so, he is violating the oslo peace agreements signed 18 years ago which state the conflict between israel and the palestinians must be solved through direct negotiations between the two parties. direct negotiations are not just the best way to achieve peace, they are the only way to achieve lasting peace. direct negotiations are meant to bring the two sides to the finish line, where all of the final status issues, including borders, can be resolved. by rejecting negotiations with israel and appealing to the u.n., the palestinians are trying to make the previous agreed-upon finish line the new start line. if president abbas pursues statehood this week at the u.n., the palestinians will find it

more difficult to compromise in the future, given the terms of the state they are seeking recognition for. israel will also find it more difficult to enter into future talks when the starting point is already an unacceptable result. years of american efforts to foster peace will be setback and threats to security will increase once the palestinians discover that votes in favor of their statehood have not changed any of the circumstances of their daily lives. the palestinian statehood bid will do nothing to bring palestinians or israel peace, for peace cannot be made by votes in the security council or the general assembly. all parties involved stand to lose if president abbas pursues statehood at the united nations. madam president, it's important that the truth be told. israel is not what stands in the way of a palestinian state. neither is the united states standing in the way of a palestinian state, for both the united states and israel have

endorsed the creation of that future state. what prevents the state's creation is the palestinian refusal to recognize israel as a jewish state with historical rights going back thousands of years to the land and to jerusalem. the palestinians must recognize israel's right to exist as a jewish state and must return to the negotiating table. rejecting these terms and instead going to the united nations will result in widespread repercussions. the palestinian authority and the palestinian people rely heavily upon international donors and support. chief among those benefactors are the american taxpayer. last year americans sent about $550 million to the palestinians. in june, this senate unanimously passed a resolution cosponsored by 90 senators, including me. that resolution stated that the senate's intent to consider reductions and restrictions on aid to palestinian authority,

should it continue its efforts to circumvent direct negotiations by turning to united nations. my request this evening of my colleagues is that we should abide by this resolution. there must be consequences. lasting peace requires it. madam president, i would note the -- i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate stands in recess subject to the call of the chair.

which starts october 1. the original version failed yesterday. the measure would fund government operations through november 18 #th. work is possible this weekend in the u.s. senate. live coverage of the senate when members return here on c-span2.

>> with booktv and american history tv. throughout the weekend, the history and literary life from the site of the 2012 democratic national convention. on booktv on c-span2, charlotte's banking industry, and karen cox on dreaming of dixie, how the south was created in american popular culture. also a visit to park row books to learn -- and on american history tv on c-span3, a discussion with charlotte civil rights leader charles jones on his experiences during the 1960s lunch counter sit-ins. and visit the reid gold mine. booktv and american history tv

in charlotte, north carolina, this weekend on c-span2 and 3. >> you're watching c-span2, weekdays featuring live coverage of the u.s. senate. on weeknights watch key public policy events and every weekend the latest nonfiction authors and books on booktv. you can see past programs and get our schedules at our web site, and you can join in the conversation on social media sites. >> wednesday in the house members rejected a temporary short-term spending bill for fiscal year 2012. democrats pulled their support for the measure when republicans offset $1 billion in fiscal 2011 disaster aid by removing the funds from a federal fuel efficiency program. next, we hear from senator frank lautenberg of new jersey discussing the need for disaster relief funding. this is 15 minutes. objection.

mr. lautenberg: thank you. we find ourselves in a peculiar condition. we must have the people across this country scratching their heads and wondering what are those guys doing? we know that they don't think much of us as it is, and they're going to think less of us now when they see what's happening. we have a tradition in our country. when disaster strikes, we respond. americans pull together and help each other. it's what we see happening in the aftermath of hurricane irene, devastated new jersey and other states along the east coast, and other natural disasters hitting our country across its breadth.

fires in one state. we see water shortages in another. problems yet in another. there isn't a state in this country that hasn't felt the wrath of a storm or the difficulty that nature presents. but the one thing that we don't see here is the spirit of cooperation. it doesn't extend to some of our colleagues. i look at the house disaster relief proposal. one thing is for sure, it's totally inadequate. madam president, this is an emergency, and it's just plain heartless for our colleagues to turn their backs on families who are struggling to rebuild their shattered lives. i don't know what they're thinking, because we know that difficulties have struck all 50 of our states at one time or

another, a lot fairly recently. and these people who are saying, no, we're not going to give you enough money to deal with the emergencies that we have, and i hope that the people who are in their districts or in their states look at their representatives and say, hey, representatives and say, hey, we've gote've problems here, and these people who aren't so negatively disposed are raising havoc with their families within their own states or their own districts, just turning their backs on them. the early estimates suggest that hurricane irene could become one ofof the ten costliest storms in american history, with damages that could exceed $10 billion. this violent storm produced some of the worst flooding in a century destroying homes and

displacing countless families.in in my state alone, new jersey, f 11 lives were lost. people were turned out of theiro houses. in many cases, as i saw them, as president obama saw them when he came to my state, they can't go back in those houses.se and they certainly, for the most part, those who had to evacuate their homesth put their furnitue out on the front lawn. their turn churn's unusable -- furniture's unusable even if they can get in the house, so p lifeic has a grim picture forsey these people. the president came to new jersey to see for himself the destruction that hurricane irene caused. i joined him on a tour of the city of patterson, new jersey. it's my hometown, i was born there. it was one of the city's one hardest hit by flooding. and we have a picture here. it has lots of pretty colors, but it has a disastrous

portrayal. water all over the place. bridge just about underwater. ao we witnessed unforgettable images, streets and sidewalks covered in mud, and in some houses the second floors were covered in mud as well. patterson's not alone. picture shows the damage in another city in new jersey. jer here we see, again, flooded roadways. and by the way, this is in my state of new jersey. new jersey happens to be the most densely populated state in the country. we have nine million people in aon very small area, and so when something like this hits, its, hits a lot of people in a hurry. cranford new jersey, we see here material. now, this you would call trash. but the people who live hereu didn't call it trash. these were their possessions.

these were the things that theie kids slept on night after night or a tables they ate from every day. trash.y. and that's what these people are costing the capitol. people on the other side in the house of representatives, they say, oh, too bad. first of all, we'll have to go l find the money if we're going to do anything here, and secondly, we're just not going to giveg enough money to deal with thehe problem. we have a city pro called boont, new jersey. people are unable to get what they needed. thereey was a bridge there befo. it's gone. how do you get across town? well, maybe you just don't. d with hurricane irene, we witnessed nature's power to destroy, and now it's time to see the federal government steps up, get in there to repair, rebuild, restore, give people encouragement. i saw with the president of the

unitednt. states when the presie stood there, people wept when they held his hand. they wept not because it was a sad picture for the president, but it was a sad picture for their lives. they're thinking about their own kids, they're thinking about their own lives. and the president was a sign ofs relief.n the president of the unitedelie states is here, he's going to get help in a hel hurry. but our republican friends on the other side, they say, noe, hurry, no hurry.y, i hope that the people in thesee states, the people in these districts will record these moments, will see them.ment we'll remind them about it.d t even before this hurricane struck fema's primary source of funding for cleanup and recovery, the disaster relief fund was already on life d support.ave they didn't have enough money to do their job. the fund was depleted by recent

to wass, tornadoes, flooding that wreakes havoc across the midwest and the south and wildfires that raged in the south and the west. so here in the senate we passeds a bill, and it wasn't easy, and a lot of our colleagues stood up to the, to the assignment and said, okay, i don't necessarily agree, but i o agree conceptualy and, therefore, i'm going to agree to put $7 billion in funding available to help victims of hurricane irene as wellp as recent tornadoes and t wildfires. our bill provides funding to get us through the end of the month because there's our fiscal year ends at the end of september, just a few days away. and to get, to support emergency needs when the next fiscal year begins in october. last week ten republicans had the guts to stand up and say i don't care about whether it's

the democrats who are proposing this. i care about the people it'sis. going to serve, and they stood up, and they voted with us.. took courage. a they stood up for theirit constituents, people across thep country are trying to rebuildle their lives.try this was a courageous vote for them. and be it shows that -- and it shows that there is partisan support for the senate disaster leaf bill.rt reliefis bill. in contrast, the houseill. republicans couldn't even get enough support from their own party to pass their measly proposal. last night. it's time for them to embrace fr the senate plan on disaster relief and stop using disaster victims as political pawns. who are they going to get? going to hurt obama? going to hurt democrats who are in office? no. the pain goes to ordinary people

who work for their lives and take care of their families ande are proud of america and serve in be our military. -- serve ine our military. those are the people they're saying no to. it's too bad, it's too bad., a lot of these people are veterans and have come back from dangerous duty. they go home, their unemployment rate is high, and very often they're rebuilding their lives,s and if they have a home, a domicile in these areas, can't help them. the house republicans have offered an approach that offers a little more than $3.5 billion in disaster relief. sounds like a lot of money, but that's not even close to being enough. b it's going to leave our residents, our states, our cities and towns out in the cold at a time when they desperately need help.

inin addition to shortchanging fema, the house provides zero funding for many other programs that are needed to help us recover. our senate bill includes funding for community development block grants, a very importantrtan program. it gives communities money and latitude with an ability to deay with the problems that facewi them. to provide our communities with long-term support, economic development administration grants topm help businesses grow again, hire people. produce product. it also includes funding for the department of agriculture to help farmers and residents in rural areas to recover. it's the kind of help that we offered in 2008 and 2010 when hurricanes and heavy rains h caused destruction in states like texas and kentucky, tennessee and indiana.

and it's what we have to do again. the house republicans failed tod provide funding. farmers, economic development, long-term support for local communities to rebuild. that's what you do when you havo a crisis or an accident. and there can't be any debate about the help that's required in many all 50 states.up it requires bipartisan support because you can't get it doneth with only one party.. every state has experienced the disaster in recent years, and this year alone federal disasters have been declared in 48 states. fema's working in every one of those states to help communities rebuild and recover.and if they have the resources. if they don't, they won't be on the job. and people will continue tothe suffer.eopl so if house republicans get t

their way, every state is on the verge of disaster. incredibly, the house proposale pays for disaster relief by taking money from advanced technological development that'll help our automobile industry, for instance, and create jobs. job here in the senate we've got to reject this misguided approach., we've got to say, no way, we're not going to rob peter to pay wy paul. they simply want to rob peter and paul, that's what they want to we should ask why it was acceptable to provide more than 800 billion dollars to invade and then rebuild iraq withoutld paying for it, no questions asked. ask the families that made sacrifices in that war how theyh felt about it. but we turned our back on 'em, that's what we've done. w when the time comes to rebuild america, some republins want to hd money hostage until

painful spending cuts are inflicted elsewhere. they're gunning for the president of the united states. they think that they're going to be able to smash president obama's accomplishments, gettinp people, a couple million people to work, the packages that got america, thatot got the decline stopped where it was and started a turn around. got to remember something, i wat the senior member, democrat member on the budget committee when these reckless tax cuts c came up for the wealthy. cost $700 billion over ten years. they were approved without being paid for. it's pretty clear, when it comes to giving big tax breaks to

millionaires, billionaires, the wealthy among us, and, madamchai chairman, i say this without t meaning to boast. i ran a very good company, a, a company that i helped start with two other fellows, now employees 45,000 people. there were three of us, and i with my education being paid for by the government because i served in the army for three years, and i got the g.i. bill. so i'll tell you this, and i'lli tell this to all of my colleagues, and i hope they hear me. i think it's time for people like me who have made money to pay something back to give strength to our country and not argue about whether or not they should be able to -- that they pay enough tax. they don't pay enough tax. warren buffett says they don't

pay, they listen to him that they don't pay enough tax. d it doesn't hurt those of us who have been successful the least o bit to pay a few more percent in ayxes. and you can feel good about it. look in the mirror after you've put something into the value that your country needs, that strengthens the working class oh people and tells them, listen,tm we've gotten our share, and nowo it's our responsibility to give back some part of that share. it's pretty clear. when it comes to giving big tax breaks to millionaires or billionaires, republicans don'ts give a second thought as to how much they cost.ho but tow our country's disaster go to thehe have to back of the line and wait their turn. when disaster strikes, victims don't want us to reach for the r budget axe, they want us to extend that helping hand to get

their lives back started again. the fact is that disaster victims have enough to worry about. in many years people's lives have seen moments of jeopardy and difficulty, and they fully gave what they had to to help their country. feeling all the time that the government is going to stand them. that's always, that's, that's what this country of ours is about, this democracy. the constitution demands that we give, that we improve the lives of our citizens, that that's our -- we give them rights, we e give them support, we give them a view of life. house republicans want to turn their backs on storm victims. a lot of them are new here.

they may, they ought to enjoy these terms because they may not have another one when the public finds out what they're doing. turn their backs on stormoing victims, local communities, regional economies and farmers. their proposal will cost us jobs, and i hope their jobs will be included in it when it comes time next year to vote. i appeal to my republican colleagues, stand up, stand upp, for those who live in your states including your neighbors, including the states' children, including the states' families. remember this, republican republican house members, that you represent people across political lines,pp across religious lines, acrosssr all different lines. and your obligation is to take t care of those peopleak when thee need help, to give them some,

support, to give them some hopet to give them some vision. that's what we're supposed to be doing here. we're supposed to be encouraging our citizens, our constituents,, and not simply turning our back. what we ought to have is a we camera in here that shows upra i every time people vote no oneopl issues and make sure that it's clearly understood when peoplee turn their back on their fellow citizens. we face serious fiscalio challenges in be our country -- in our country, but we cannotumn put a price on human life and nothing, nothing is more keeping ouran communities, our families andour our economy safe. with that, i yield the floor an, note the absence of a quorum. >> friday the palestinian authority will apply for statehood with the united nations. president obama has said that

he'll vote against that application. starting at 11:45 a.m. eastern, palestinian authority mahmoud abbas will address the united nations followed later by israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu at 12:30 p.m. eastern. we'll have that live for you on c-span.org. next, we hear from senators on the issue of the palestinian application to the united nations and efforts towards the middle east peace process. >> mr. president, i rise today to address the palestinian efforts to gain statehood at the united nations, all of that occurring this week. as most of us are aware, palestinian authority president abbas has signaled that hele intendsd to ask the united nations for acceptance as a full member state. several of my colleagues, and i might add from both sides of the

aisle, have expressed grave concern over this palestinian initiative. president obama has indicated that if this initiative is brought to a vote before the security council, the united states plans to veto it. v i support that. however, even if veto occurs, president abbas may then choose to ask the general assembly to upgrade palestinian status to that of a non-voting observer state. if allowed to become a non-voting observer state, palestinians could then participate onul u.n. committees and bring allegations, bring allegations against israel to the international criminal court and international court of justice. recognizing a palestinian statei in this manner could also lead to further isolation of israel

within the middle east. and these are outcomes that we simply can't tolerate. israel beyond any shadow of a a doubt is a stalwart friend and ally of the united states. they share our core values as a nation. they are ana thriving democracyn a part of the world wherere democracies are very hard to find. and importantly, they stand strong with us in the battle against international terrorism. thus, it is imperative, it is absolutely imperative that we stand with israel and do everything we can to send a very clear and straightforward message. that message is this: the united states stands with our friends,

and we will not allow annter international organization to undermine this important andued valued friend. congress has been very clear ony this imperative. our strong bipartisan commitmenp was reinforced earlier this summer when both the senate and the house of representatives overwhelmingly passedtion resolutions reaffirming the united states' commitment to direct negotiations between the israelis and the palestinians the resolutions included opposition to this palestinian bid for u.n. statehood in a.n. palestinian government thatle includes hamas. in light of this unwavering, bipartisan support from congress, this is crucial -- itr is crucial that our president continue to make it absolutely

clear that the united states stands firm in our opposition to this effort. we have an opportunity, and wewe must signal to the rest of the world that a lasting peace -- p which we all want to achieve -- will only result from direct d negotiations between theatio israelis and the palestinians,ei not through parliamentaryamen procedure at some international organization. while the united states supports a two-state solution, we willtae not tolerate actions by a international organizations to drive a wedge into the israeli/palestinian peacee process. although abbas claims thisful initiative is a peacefulch t approach to resolving the conflict, the palestinianales authority has refused time and

time again to come to the negotiating table and to deal directly with israel. setting up road block after road block after road block, president abbas has demand canned preconditions -- demanded preconditions that had not applied to previous negotiations. this bid for u.n. statehood also violates the 1993 oslo peaceeace agreements, signed by the palestinian authority whichn a required the peace process to continue through direct negotiations. the u.n. statehood bid is counterproductive to a two-state solution. as it will further damage israel's confidence in the palestinian authority as a legitimate negotiating partner. but unfortunately, president abbas' intention to form a unity government with hamas does not

signal support or pursuit of a lasting peace. h hamas has made its intentions clear that they have no intention of ending attacks on palestinians or israelis working toward a two-state solution. let me be very clear, if palestinian authority continues to associate with hamas and refuses to negotiate directlyota with israel, of course there's consequences. i can assure you that the senate and the house of representatives will stand together to make our disapproval known. u.s. aid to the palestinianales authority is not on cruise control. congress will not walk away from supporting an appropriate way forward in the peace process

that respects the equal and inalienable rights of all people. we will not, we cannot stand idly by while others attempt the use the united nations not the bring about peace, but to undermine our close ally and friend -- our closest ally and friend. as president obama and hisffor administration continue efforts to resolve this issue before it is brought up to the securityec council, i ask them to do all they can to relay the disapproval of congress this what president abbas is trying ton do and to stand without equivocation shoulder tocati shoulder with our friend, the state of israel. it is our best chance of bringing peace to the region. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor, i note the absence of a quorum.th

>> i rise today to restate at a this historic and crucial juncture in world history my unwavering commitment stated soo eloquently by many in this body over the years to the united states/israel relationship and d america's unshakable commitment to israel's security. i want to thank the president of the united states for his address to the united nations which very powerfully and courageously stated that commitment.ted the president's strong message shows again that our shared s interests, as well as our friendship with israel, are deep and enduring. as my colleagues know all too k well, the israelis and palestinians must reach agreement through negotiations on the issues that divide them,t not through the united nations. israel has repeatedly endorsed a two-state solution that will sustain it as a jewish and

democratic homeland to be achievable any lasting peace and any plan for peace must acknowledge the real security concerns that israel faces day in and day out and has faced throughout its history. the president's powerful remarks at the united nations were des repeatedly hijacked by dictators and despots for the purpose ofad delegitimizing israel and fomenting anti-semitism. the palestinian authority's bid for united nations recognition is a kiss traction --, t distraction. rea the really hard work need today achieve -- needed to achieve peace and find an equitableut solution. t as the president said, and i'm quoting, the fact is peace is

hard. i to succeed -- again quoting -- peace depends upon compromiseto among people who must live together long after our speeches are over, end of quote. tough compromises will have to be made by both the israelis and the palestinians.s the united states is ready to assist both peoples in taking necessary risks for peace, and israel's willing to sit down and commence those talks immediately with the pal palestinians. the bid for united states recognition is also a distraction from the deteriorating situation in the middleon i east where governmeng theov region, both old and new, seem all too willing to use israel as a target and as a scapegoat rather than face the legitimate needs of their own people. in turkey, for example, thevern

government has stretched to seek a confrontation with israel rather than address the humanitarian disaster on its doorstep in be -- in syria. the government honored t those who attacked the israeli embassy in cairo rather than release from detention the egyptians -- their own citizens -- arrested for advocating for democratic reforms and freedom. and most disconcerting of all, most concerning to many in thisn chamber, iran's government has doggedly produced and pursued nuclear weapons, threatening to destabilize the entire region. nobody is fooled about theno military dimensions of iran's nuclear program. we don't know on this day how

the palestinian authority's bid for statehood recognition at the united nations will be resolved, but i do know that my colleagues here on both sides of the aisle will not be sidetracked from advocating for the hard work toward peace by encouraging the palestinian authority to return to the negotiating table which they have refused to do and by continuing strong united states-israel defense cooperation, our nation will deter those who would seek to achieve victory over i foreve victory over i those who would seek to achieve a treaty or israel. either you think the force of ud our manipulating international institutions, such as the unitee nations by sending the iran and north korea and syria sanctions consolidation act of 2011 to ths president for his signature. we can do our part to do our det

attention to iran's use of denial and defeat to it and it nuclear program. bypassing a foreign operations appropriation forap fiscal yearh 2012, that outlines our assistance with their international commitments, including $3 billion to israel.n this body will again demonstrate its leadership in striving for peace. finally, i would be remiss if i did nottion to the call attentie fact that while each of us is free to speak your and each of h us was free to hear the president's remarks, yesterdayee and today were another day that's allowed shelley shah r visioning of hamas, as a nation

founded on the right to liberty, we must repudiate and recheck those who forge a nation by colt continuing to collaborate with his captors. i urged his release. i look forward to working with f my colleague and the presidentty on all of these efforts. they are truly bipartisan. they unite us as a body and they unite the american people and i thank you and yield the floor. >> today in the senate, members completed work on a bill to assist american workers hurt by foreign trade. the legislation as part of an agreement to the country deals with colombia, panama and south korea. the bill passed by a vote of 72 mike 27. the senate stands in recess as they await house action on a new version has a temporary spending bill for the government's new fiscal bill, which starts

october 1st. >> today, president obama called non-john boehner and mitch mcconnell two passes american jobs act to aid u.s. infrastructure projects. the president spoke from the train to preach, which he referenced his joint address to congress outlining his jobs and peered bridge has been deemed functionally obsolete is located in the congressional district of house beaker upon her. the president's remarks are 25 minutes. >> that some folks i just want to make sure our technology day. first of all, secretary of transportation, ray lahood is in the house. get him a round of applause. [cheers and applause] we've got to merit the great

city of cincinnati, mark mallory is here. [cheers and applause] we've got the mayor of covington, mayor danny bogdan. senator randy paul is here. [cheers and applause] rand is going to be supporting bridges. and we've got congressman john youngest in the house. now, it is good to be back. it now, i was just in columbus a little while ago and i figured i couldn't get away with not giving cincinnati a little bit of love. [cheers and applause] i want to thank the good folks at hilltop for having us here

today. i especially want to thank ron for his introduction. you know, companies like hilltop, construction companies have been hit harder by this economic crisis than almost any other state in america. there's many construction workers that they're still looking for a job. they are ready to work. but things have been a little tough. that doesn't mean that there is not plenty of construction waiting to get done in this country. behind us and the brent spence bridge, located on one of the busiest trucking routes in north america. it seats about 150,000 vehicles every single day. and it's in such poor condition that it has been labeled functionally obsolete. think about that. functionally obsolete.

that doesn't sound good, does it? [inaudible] it's safe to drive on, but it was not designed to accommodate today's traffic, which can stretch out for a mile. shipping companies try to have their trucks avoid the bridge. of course that only ends up costing them more money as well. the thing is there are bridges and roads and highways like that throughout the region. a major bridge may connect connect the in indiana, just close down for safety reasons. another aging bridge that crosses over the ohio river could be replaced right now. the rail stations in cleveland and toledo in desperate need of repair. in this same is true in cities all across america. and makes her commute longer.

it costs our businesses billions of dollars. you know, they could be moving products faster if they have better transportation routes. and in some cases, it's not safe. now, we used to have the best infrastructure in the world here in america. we're the country that built the intercontinental railroad. the international highway system. we built the hoover dam endocrine central space on train station. so how can we now sit back and let china build the best rows in light euros built the best highways and on singapore build a nicer airports at a time and we've got billions of unemployed construction workers out there just waiting to get on the job, ready to do the work of rebuilding america. [cheers and applause] [applause]

cincinnati, we are better than that. we are smarter than that. and that is why it has sent congress the american jobs act 10 days ago. [cheers and applause] this bill is not that complicated. it is a bill that would put people back to work rebuilding america, repairing our roads, bridges, repairing schools. it would lead to jobs for concrete workers like the ones here at hilltop, jobs for construction workers and maintenance, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, architects, engineers, ironworkers. [cheers and applause] put focus back to work. there is work to be done in their workers ready to do it. so let's tell congress to pass this jobs bill right away. [cheers and applause]

pass this bill! pass this bill! >> pass this bill! >> pass this bill! >> pass the bill. tell them to pass a jobs bill and not only will we start rebuilding america, but we can also put thousands of teachers back to work. [cheers and applause] you know, i was at the president of south korea. but as with united nations doing a bunch of stuff. you know, he is told in the past. i asked him, what is your biggest challenge? he said education. i said well, what we are dealing with? he said you know what, we are hiring so many teachers, we can barely keep up because we know if we are going to compete in the future, we've got to have the best teachers.

and we've got to have our kids in school longer and we've got to make sure we are learning math and science. while they are hiring teachers, what are we doing? we are laying off teachers. it makes no sense in this new global economy, where our young people's success will depend on the kind of education that excess. so for us to be laying off teachers doesn't make sense for kids. it doesn't make sense for us. it doesn't make sense for our economy. pass this jobs bill and the teachers back in the classroom where they belong. [cheers and applause] >> pass this bill! pass this bill! pass this bill! pass this bill! >> they need to go in passé. tell congress to pass this jobs bill and companies will get tax credit for hiring american

veterans. [cheers and applause] we've been through a decade of war now. almost 2 million people have served and think about it. they are suspending their careers. they are leaving their families, putting themselves in harms way, all to protect us. the last thing they should have to do is fight for a job when they, home. and if we pass this jobs bill, it makes it easier for employers to hire those veterans. that's why we need to tell congress to do what? to pass the bill. >> pass this bill! pass this bill! pass this bill! >> the american jobs act will cut taxes for the typical working family by $1500 next year. it will cut taxes for every small business in america.

it will give an extra tax cut to every small business owner who either hires more workers or raises those workers wages. how many people here would like to raise? [cheers and applause] and we now to post our businesses are the creator of new jobs. you know, we've got a lot of folks in congress who love to say how they are behind america's jobs creators. if that's the case, then you should be passing this bill because that is what this bill is all about, helping small businesses all across america. you know, everything in this jobs bill has been supported in the past by republican and democrat. everything in this jobs bill is paid for. the idea for a big boost in construction is supported by the afl-cio, but also supported

either chamber of of commerce. those two don't get along on much, but they agree we should rebuild america. [cheers and applause] and by the way, thanks to the reforms we put into place, when we start rebuilding america, we are going to change our businesses. no more earmarks, no more boondoggles, no more bridges to nowhere. we are going to cut the red tape that prevents some of these construction projects from getting started as quickly as possible and will set up an independent fund to collect private dollars based on two criteria. how badly is a construction project needed? and how much good will it do for the community? these are the only things we should be thinking about. not politics. and by the way, that's an idea supported by a massachusetts democrat and a texas republican. it's a good idea. so my question is, what is

congress waiting for? why is it taking so long? now, the bridge behind as just happens to connect this state that is home to the speaker of the house. [booing] with -- with the home state of the republican leader in the senate. [booing] now, that's just a coincidence. purely accidental that that happened. part of the reason i came here is because mr. boehner and mrs. mcconnell are the two most powerful republicans in government. they can either kill this jobs bill or they can help pass this jobs bill. [applause]

and i know these men care about states. they care about businesses. they care about workers here. i can't imagine that the speaker wants to represent a state where nearly one in four bridges are classified as substandard. one in four. i know that when senator mcconnell visited the closed bridge in kentucky, he said the roads and bridges are not partisan in washington. that's great. i know that paul ryan, the republican in charge of the budget process recently said that you cannot deny that infrastructure does create jobs. that's what he said. well, if that's the case, there is no reason for republicans in congress to stand in the weight of more construction projects. there is no reason to stand in the way of more jobs. mr. boehner, mr. o'connell, help us rebuild this bridge. help us rebuild america. [cheers and applause] help us put construction workers back to work. pass this bill!

[cheers and applause] pass this bill! 79 >> was pass the bill. >> now, some folks in congress say we don't like how it's paid for. while it's paid for his part in a larger plan to pay down the debt. and that is why i need some additional cuts in spending. we are geeks had a chilling dollars in spending. this makes an additional hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts in spending, but it also adds the wealthiest americans and the biggest corporations to pay their fair share. [cheers and applause] now, that should not be too much tax. and by the way, you wouldn't kick in until 2013.

when you hear folks say we shouldn't raise tax rate now, were talking about cutting taxes right now. but it does mean there is a long-term plan and part of it involves everybody doing their fair share. now, this isn't to punish success. what is great about this country is our belief that anybody can make it. if you're willing to put in a sweat, if you're willing to others say is come if you're willing to work hard and you've got a good idea, you're out there taking a risk, god bless you. you can make billions of dollars in america. this is the land of opportunity. that's right. all i am saying is, if you have done well, i've done well, then you should do a little something to get something that. you should want to succeed the contrary that provided you with this opportunity to be successful and provide opportunity for the young people coming up behind you.

[cheers and applause] mln saying is that everything should be fair. he now, you learn the ikea of fairness when you're two, three years old, right? you are in the sandbox. you don't want to let somebody play with your tracks. your mama or your daddy go up and say no, it's not fair. you have to share. isn't that what they say? things have to be fair. so while i am saying is that warren but it's secretary should not be paying a lower tax rate on her income then worn basket. -- warren buffett. that doesn't make any sense. a construction worker making 50 or 60 grandi or shouldn't be paying higher tax rates than the guy who's making $50 million a year. [cheers and applause] and that is how it is working

right now. because think about these loopholes and tax breaks that you don't care. so for me to say, let's close those loopholes, look for him those tax breaks that must make sure that everybody is paying their fair share, there is nothing wrong with that. [cheers and applause] now, this is about priorities. it's about making choices. if we just add all kind of money in everybody's working and the financial crisis since the great depression, maybe we wouldn't have to make choices. right now we've got to make some choices. we've got to decide what our priorities are. if you want to pay for this jobs plan to close the deficit and invest in our infrastructure and make sure we've got the best education system in the world, the money has got to come from someplace. would you rather that the oil companies get to keep their tax

loopholes? original rather make sure that we are hiring thousands of construction workers to rebuild america? would you rather keep in place special tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires are we to say let's get teachers back in the classroom so are children can learn? [cheers and applause] now, the republicans, you know, when i talked about this story earlier in the week on monday said this is class warfare. you know what, if asking a billionaire to pay their fair share of taxes, to pay the same tax rate as a plumber or a teacher, it is class warfare, then you know what? i'm a warrior for the middle class. i'm happy to fight for the middle class. i'm happy to fight for working

people. because the only warfare i've seen is the battle against the middle class over the last 10, 15 years. we've got to build an economy that creates good, middle-class jobs in this country. time to build an economy that honors the value of hard work and responsibility. it's time to build an economy that lasts. in cincinnati, that starts right now. that starts with your help. maybe some of the people in congress would rather settle their differences at the ballot box that work together right now. in fact, while back senator mcconnell said that his top priority, number one priority was to defeat the president. that was his top priority. [booing] .jobs, not putting people back to work, not rebuilding america.

well, i've got news for them. and every other member of congress who feels the same way. the next election is 14 months away. and i'll be happy to t-tango sometime down the road. but the american people right now don't have the luxury of waiting to solve their problems for them and other documents. people are living paycheck to paycheck. they need us to get to work right now. any guest to pass pass this bill. [cheers and applause] so i'm asking all of you. i need everybody here to lift your voice says. not just in cincinnati, but anybody who's watching tv or anybody who is within the range of my voice.

i want everybody to lift up their voice. i want you to call. our et e-mail. i want you to tweet. what should the facts, that's it. if you want, write a letter. it's been a while. i want you to tell your congressperson that the time for gridlock and game playing is over. tell them you want to create jobs, so pass this bill. if you are construction workers rebuilding america, pass this bill. if you want teachers back in the classroom, pass this bill. if you want to cut taxes for middle-class families come to pass this bill. if you want to pass small businesses, what to do? >> pass this bill! spinnaker veterans to share and opportunities in this country, pass this bill. now is the time to act because we are not people who sit back and wait for things to happen.

we go and make things happen. we are tougher than "the times" we live in. we are bigger than the politics we've been seeing these last few months. let's meet this moment. let's get back to work. much of the world once again why america is the greatest nation on nurse. god bless you and god bless the united states of america. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪