brownback: okay. madam president, i'm happy to go back and forth if that was the agreed-upon order of things. that would be certainly acceptable to me. i just wanted to make sure what time we had on our side. the presiding officer: without objection. the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: thank you, madam president. madam president, in a little while, we are going to be casting votes on an issue of enormous consequence and that is whether we reappoint ben bernanke as chairman of the fed. and i'm here to argue that that would be a very bad decision, that we should reject this nomination, that we need in this country a new wall street which understands that its function is not simply to make as much money as it can for extraordinarily wealthy people on the street but begin to integrate the functions of wall street into our productive economy, make credit available to small- and medium-sized businesses so we can break out of this horrendous recession which is causing so much pain from one end of this cou

senator brownback, for example, like senator coburn, has talked about trying to end duplicate programs where departments or agencies or programs or commissions whose job has -- has -- is finished and we don't need them anymore, for exam. those are the kind of things that i think we need to look at and we can save big money if we do. madam president, the final point i want to make sheer is some -- here is some say, well, isn't this a little bit like the health care commission that would reduce medicare spending? and the answer is that there is a similarity at fleece concept. the idea in the health care commission, though, is to reduce spending primarily by reducing what we pay doctors and hospitals and other health care providers. that's a tough way to reduce medicare spending and still provide the services that our senior citizens deserve. the way it should be done is to find the so-called waste, fraud, and abuse. and that's easier said than done. no one denies that it's there. but we've had decades to get to the problem. if we could, we'd be doing it right now i have no doubt that if

and i want to say, this has been a bipartisan effort -- when i was in the senate, working with sam brownback; my vice president, joe biden -- passing a second chance act that helps to fund programs that help the reintegration of ex-felons. it's smart for us to do. you know, sometimes people say, well, that's just coddling people. no; you reduce the recidivism rate, they pay taxes, it ends up being smart for taxpayers to do. i don't know, jerome, what particular programs may exist in this county, but i promise you i'll find out. and we'll see if we can get you hooked up with one of them. all right? okay, right here. yes. no, no, no. right here. yes. go ahead. >> mr. president, i started a great lakes truck driving school in 2008 in lorain county. >> i'm sorry, what kind of school? >> great lakes truck driving school. >> cross driving school? oh, truck driving school, i'm sorry. >> great lakes truck driving school. started in 2008. our first year we trained 287 people and we placed over 70 percent of those people into jobs. at that time there was enough money, through the workforce investment

brownback: i ask further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brownback: i rise to speak on the budget deficit and a mechanism that this body has embraced in two prior budget agreements that i think is time to put into place now. it's called the karfa -- carfa mechanism. it is a brac process on spending. and we passed it in a budget resolution twice with votes on both sides of the aisle for it. and what it does is it basically says we've got to look at all federal government, places that aren't working we need to eliminate. and the rest then we can use to pay down on our debt and deficit. if ever there was a time to do this, this is the time. i've argued for a decade we needed to do this, and i've put this bill forward for a decade. and this is my last year in the senate, and i hope we can get it done this year. it is -- it has received bipartisan votes, as i mentioned two times before in the budget. it's a simple mechanism. it has an eight-member commission, four appointed by each side of the house

one of the things that we've done is actually vice president biden, myself, some republicans, sam brownbackve worked together to promote what we call the second chance act, which links ex-offenders with programs that can provide them with skills, that can provide them with opportunities to get some work experience and then can essentially certify that they are ready for the workplace and then try to encourage private sector companies to hire some of these ex-offenders. the program is not as well-funded as i would like. we'd like to see if we could do more with it. it has to be done in a partnership with state and local communities, but i do think it is something that ends up being actually wise for taxpayers because every prisoner is costing us about 16,000, 18,000, $20,000, and everyone of us are paying for it. so if we can find programs that work, breaking that cycle ultimately that can be a good investment for taxpayers all across the country. [applause] all right. if a man's turn. i'm going to call on not a guy right there with the little hair. [laughter] since the microphone is right n

also, i am told here as well are senator brownback and rep sanchez, many representatives of the diplomaticnal visitor a leadership program on internet freedom from china, colombia, iran, lebanon, and cordoba. i also want to acknowledge the president of the aspen institute. he was recently named to our broadcasting board of governors and instrumental in supporting the work on internet freedom that the aspen institute has been doing. this is an important speech on a very important subject. before i begin, i want to speak briefly about haiti. during the last eight days, the people of haiti and the people of the world have joined together to deal with a tragedy of staggering proportions. our hemisphere has seen its share of hardships. but there are few precedents to the situation we're facing in port-au-prince. communication networks have played a critical role in our response. they were decimated and in many places totally destroyed. in the hours after the earthquake, we worked with partners in the private sector to first set up the text haiti campaign so that mobile phone users in the united

of the things we have done is actually, vice president joe biden, myself, some republicans, sam brownback, for example of kansas, have worked together to promote what we call the second chance act which links x 0 vendors with -- x of vendors with skills and opportunities to get some work experience and then essentially certified that they are ready for the workplace and then try to encourage private-sector companies to hire some of these ex-zero vendors. the program is not as well founded as i would like. we would like to see if we could do more with it. it has begun a partnership with state and local communities. but i do think it is something that ends up being wise for taxpayers because every prisoner is costing us about $20,000 and everyone of us are paying for it. if we can print programs to work, breaking that cycle, ultimately, that will be a good investment for taxpayers across the country. all right, it is a man's turn. i will call in that big guy right there with very little air. [laughter] -- very littlehair. >> i am from clear water and i have a small manufacturing cream compa

brownback: thank you y much, mr. president. i think this is a really healthy discussion we're having. we don't usually discuss much, the fed chairman, the appointment or nomination of the fed chairman. yet monetary policy affects all of us in a huge way and it dramatically affects the world. this is, to me the sort of debate we ought to be having. i'm glad we've got some differences of opinion. it seemed as if everybody treated monetary policy as something in the theoretical world of economists and mathematicians and central bankers and they're the only ones that understands the language and the only ones affected by it and the only ones who discuss it. i'm not at all -- we ought to discuss the people an principles involved and the people we appoint to these government positions and this government position, which is so critical and so important to all of us in this country and around the world. so i'm delighted we're having a discussion about -- about the fed chairman and appointment of the fed chairman in this particular case

also, i'm told here as well are senator sam brownback, senator ted coffman, representative loretta sanchezgest, participants in our international visitor leadership program on internet freedom from china, colombia, iran, and lebanon and mol doveo. and i also want to acknowledge walter yikesson president of the institute recently named to our broadcasting board of governors and instrument cral on supporting the work on internet freedom that the aspen ibstute has been doing. this is an important speech on a very important subject. but before i begin, i want to just speak briefly about haiti because during the last eight days the people of haiti and the people of the world have joined together to deal with a tragedy of staggering proportions. our hems atmosphere has seen its share of hardship but there are few precedents for the situation we're facing in port ah prince. communication networks have played a critical role in our response. they were, of course, decimated and in many places totally destroyed. and in the hours after the quake, we worked with partners in the private sector, first t

also, i'm told here as well are senator sam brownback, senator ted kaufman, representative loretta sanchezomatic corps, ambassadors, chargÉs, participants in our international visitor leadership program on internet freedom from china, colombia, iran, and lebanon, and moldova. and i also want to acknowledge walter isaacson, president of the aspen institute, recently named to our broadcasting board of governors and, of course, instrumental in supporting the work on internet freedom that the aspen institute has been doing. this is an important speech on a very important subject. but before i begin, i want to just speak briefly about haiti, because during the last eight days, the people of haiti and the people of the world have joined together to deal with a tragedy of staggering proportions. our hemisphere has seen its share of hardship, but there are few precedents for the situation we're facing in port- au-prince. communication networks have played a critical role in our response. they were, of course, decimated and in many places totally destroyed. and in the hours after the quake, we work

we're delighted to introduce, from the senate, senator sam brownback of kansas. thanks, nelly. do you realize now for the first time since the polling has been done, you now live in a majority pro-life country? and you're the reason for it. you have change hearts and minds. you did it by persuading people and living for a culture of life. keep it up. we have a lot of members of congress, and we have just won a health care cause, there will be no abortion in the health- care bill. because of your interest here. i am more convinced than ever that we are going to win the cause of life. we have to win it. the movement alive will not be silenced and it will not be still. you are winning the hearts and minds. we are going to win this fight. keep it up. it got bless you all. -- god bless you all. >> look at this wonderful group of members of congress that we have with us today. to lead this delegation to us is the hon. mike pence of indiana. he is the conference committee chairman. >> thank you, now late. on behalf of my fellow marchers, audrey pence, age 15, charlotte

and i want to say, this has been a bipartisan effort, when i was in the senate, working with sam brownback, my vice president joe biden, passing a second chance act that helps fund programs that help the reintegration of ex-felons. sometimes people say that that is just coddling people. no, you reduce the recidivism rate, they paid taxes, it ends up being smart for taxpayers to do i don't know what particular program there is in this county, but i promise you i will find that and we will see if we can get you hooked up with one of them. all right? ok. [applause] right here. no, no, right here. go ahead. >> mr. president, my name is doris, and i started a school -- >> what kind of school? >> truck driving school. >> cross driving school? >> truck driving school. at that time, there was enough money to train these people. in the past few months, we have had a number of people on a daily basis coming into our school unemployed. there are no training funds for truck driver training. i want to know why that has changed. >> well, the recovery act but a huge amount of money into retraining. we ar

these are our legislators and we are delighted to introduce, the senate senator sam brownback of kansas. [cheers and applause] >> thanks, nellie do you realize now for the first times is a plan has been done, the gallup poll, that you now live in a majority pro-life country? [cheers and applause] and you are the reason for it. you have changed hearts and minds. and you have done it by persuading people and living for a culture of life. keep it up. we've got a lot of members of congress here. we have just one debate on health care in that they are not going to have abortion funding in this health care bill. [cheering] because of your interest in it. this is my last year in the united states senate. i am more convinced than ever that we are going to win the cause of life. we have to win. the movement for life will not be silenced and will not be still. you are winning the hearts and minds. we are going to win this fight. keep it up. god bless you all. steve >> will get this wonderful group of members of congress we have with us today. 21. and to leave this delegation to us is the honorabl

brownback: thank you very much. i thank my colleague from north dakota n. dakota. i'll miss his voice. he and i are leaving this body at the end of this year. i enjoyed working with him and on many different issues of concern to this country. he has a strong voice and did an excellent job of representing his constituency and his point of view. i'll miss serving with him. mr. president, right now that the very minute hundreds of thousands of people are amassing in this town for the 37th annual right to life march. it will be a crowd where 80% is under the age of 25. it's a young movement. it is a movement that believes that human dignity and life begins at conception and goes to natural death. they're energized and motivated and here. they plan to speak for the voiceless. to stand for a cause that they believe in. that they believe in is right and i believe that they are right and i believe they are wing this cause. 1973, the supreme court banned most impediments to having an abortion in the united states and since that tragic decision many experts estimate that bet