mr. isakson: the senatothe prese senator from georgia. mr. isakson: mr. president, today when the chaplain opened the senate, he prayed for divine guidance to end the paralysis of analysis in congress. i thought it was an excellent point, and when i heard the two leaders speak today, i realized where that paralysis really was. we are paralyzed by analyzing our differences and failing to look at what we've reached common ground on already. i have been worried about a default on our debt for some time but right now i'm worried about congress defaulting on our country. failure should not be an option for us in this case and it's time we started finding common ground. so for the purpose of discussi discussion, i really want to put forward some thoughts about where we agree, some identification of where we don't but where we could be. we've already agreed in one form or another, whether it was the vice president's group or the speaker's group or whoever, that we ought to have a trillion-dollar down payment in initial cuts to bring about deficit reduction. and

mr. isakson: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. mr. akson: i rise this morning to talk about the meeting tomorrow the president has called at the white house, a summit as which it has been referred to. i hope it will be a summit where both sides leave their weapons at the door, sit across the table from one another and begin talking about a comprehensive solution to a comprehensive problem. the solution to that problem, though, does not lie in creating villains and enemies. in the last two weeks, we have heard a lot of rhetoric coming from the white house demonizing people who have corporate jets or demonizing people who make over $1 million. i was reminded in this debate about millionaires of the debate in 1969 in america. it was one of my first debates that i ever watched. i had returned home from the service. i had begun my business. and a report came out in the newspaper that 155 americans who made over $1 million paid zero taxes. i personally was astounded. everybody else was astounded. and congress went to work to close the loopho

mr. isakson: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. mr. isakson: i rise this morning to talk about the meeting tomorrow the president has called at the white house, a summit as which it has been referred to. i hope it will be a summit where both sides leave their weapons at the door, sit across the table from one another and begin talking about a comprehensive talking about a comprehensive and began talking about a comprehensive solution to a comprehensive problem. the solution to the problemem ds not create feelings of enemies.e in the last two weeks come we've heard rhetoric coming from the white house, demonizing people who have corporate chess were r demonizing people who make over a millionem dollars.illion i was reminded in this debate about millionaires with a debatt in 1969 in america was one of my rvice. first dates and a return to when the service, become t a business in report came out of the newspaper that 155 americans paid $0.stou i personally was astounded. everybody else was astounded.g congressman to work to close a methin

mr. isakson: mr. president, i rise today in support of house resolution 2560, cut, cap and balance. i've been watching the debate on my tv back in the office this afternoon, listening to the arguments made pro and con and thinking to myself that back home in georgia, there are a lot of folks that i live around my house that are scratching their head if they're watching this debate. they're wondering why cut, cap and balance is such a bad idea, because, mr. president, they've had to cut, they've had to cap, they've had to balance. the caller i left before i came to speak on this floor was from a minister and his wife that i know. they're both retired. both of their daughters are married and live away from georgia. boat of them have been in financial difficulty. both of them are on the brink of losing their homes. but through the counseling of the minister and their support, they counseled and showed them where to cap, where to cut and where to balance so they could make their mortgage payments and not lose their homes. americans all over the county are having to do that. they've had

mr. isakson: madam president, i associate myself with the remarks of the senator from south dakota. before coming to the floor this morning, i returned two phone calls that i got yesterday out of 2,000 phone calls that came to the office. i picked those two because they remember both people that i have known for a long time but haven't talked to in a long time and have never called me in my capacity as a senator. both of them are business people. both of them are neighbors. and both of them had the same message. the uncertainty that congress and this administration are now causing in terms of our inability to meet the day of reckoning next tuesday when we must do something is beginning to impact their business, their philosophy, their investment and their country. what we are doing as we dillydally around almost, putting off a final decision, agreeing not to agree on anything is we're making things worse. and i think the reports in a couple months will show economic activity in july will show you america is slowing down. economic activity is slowing down, and it's because congress a

mr. isakson: mr. president, i commend the budget chairman on his contribution to this debate and his contribution to our country. i enjoyed listening to his remarks and appreciate many of the remarks he has offered today. i rise to talk about an anniversary today. not my anniversary or his, but the anniversary of dodd-frank which passed a year ago today. this morning at a press conference, barney frank, the part of dodd-frank, held a speech before the national press club. in it, he made some comments that are very important, and i wanted to share my agreement and support for some of the things chairman frank said. i did not vote for dodd-frank when it passed a year ago, but i did along with senator hagan and senator landrieu offer an amendment which was adopted by the senate and ultimately agreed to by the conference committee. it was an amendment known as q.r.m., qualifying residential mortgage. an amendment to carve out an exemption from risk retention for a well-underwritten mortgage loan. the dodd

mr. isakson: while my friend is on the floor, i share with the chairman, as he knows, because we talked inthe well last night about our desire for an extension of a reauthorization of f.a.a. and how important that is to our economy. but the difficulty between the house and the senate in part has been over the house version as as -- versus the senate's unwillingness to establish any negotiation with the n.m.b. i have the negotiator or runner or whatever you want to call it between the two bodies, mr. mika and mr. rockefeller. as the chairman knows, about a month ago i delivered though leader reid a comprehensive list of requests that the house had asked for in the reauthorization. senator reid and his staff, after pondering it for a few days, responded that they would not agree to any of the changes that were requested. i then went back and said, well, let me see what i can do to try and find some common ground and came back with a recommendation that i gave to chairman rockefeller that said just give judicial review to the airlines, which the unions already have, to have a balanced treatme

mr. durbin: madam president, i meant what i said about senator isakson of georgia. he's a republican and i'm a democrat, and he's my friend, and i like him. and we don't agree on everything. our voting records are much different. but what he had to say this morning was the right thing. and what he had to say this morning i think should open the eyes of america about where we need to go. yesterday the president sat down and said we need to be serious about deficit reduction. we don't need a mini deal. we need something that speaks authoritatively to the world that the united states understands its deficit challenge and is prepared to make the hard choices to address it. i think the president is right. i was interviewed this morning by a quincy illinois radio station. they said why wouldn't you take a mini deal and just get it over with? well, if you think you'll take a mini deal, you'll probably be offered a minimini deal and at the end of the day little or nothing will happen. here's the problem we face and it's a real problem. for every dollar we spend in washingto

well, senator isakson, then udall. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i'll be brief. my impression when i was in khartoum as far as their view of the -- of darfur was they were pretty much content to fight a surrogate war in darfur, because it was far enough removed from khartoum, they didn't feel any real pressure to do so. you made an interesting comment. the j.e.m. and sla are watching and what's happening there. because of it's proximity geographically, if the north continues the alleged or apparent atrocities that we've had some evidence of from satellites and others, that changes that paradigm a lot and runs a greater risk of a new war in the north, does it not? >> that's exactly the risk. and it's exactly the one that the government needs to avoid. they don't want a war in the north. they complain about what they think is an attempt to create an new, as they say a new cpa between the southern part of sudan and the rest of it. but the fact is if they don't address those basic political issues in southern kordofan and blue nile and darfur, et cetera, they will ha

mr. chairman, for calling the hearing. >> thanks a lot, senator lugar. normally, we just have the openings of both the chair and ranking member, but today we're going to make an exception to that rule. senator isakson has taken a great interest in this area, this region as well as in this issue and he has taken the time to travel there. and, therefore, it's my pleasure to recognize senator isakson for an opening. >> i think that year. i want to do two things in particular. first i want to thank princeton lyman for his dedication to this area, this caused. and acknowledged in the last 10 years between the bush administration and the obama administration there have been five special envoys, beginning with mr. danforth, and their work has brought about the comprehensive peace agreement culminate in a peaceful election that took place to great independent nation of the south sudan. and i thank you very much for your commitment to the. second thing want to do is really acknowledged with the chairman said in his remarks with regard to the admonition, to the north regarding the removal of state-sponsored terrorism. that is predicated on good behavior. and it is predicated on us being sure that there is no

isakson-shaheen effort on the two-year budget. that is the kind of attitude we need in the next couple of weeks. so, mr.a good way to meet our two urgent goals. take a significant step to reduce our debt and do it in a way that honors our financial obligations. we are perfectly capable as a country of fiscally disciplining ourselves. we are capable of reducing our debt, of stopping spending money that we don't have, and at the same time avoiding turning the most creditworthy nation in the world into a country that pays its bills out of a cigar box. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from new york is recognized. mr. schumer: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. schumer: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senior senator from new york is recognized. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. schumer: mr. president, i have 12 unanimous consent requests for committees to meet during today's session of the sena

mr. chairman for calling a hearing. >> bandsaw, senator lugar. normally we just have to openings about the chair and ranking member, but today were going to make an exception to that rule. senator isakson has taken a great interest in this area, this region as well as in this issue and is taking the time to travel there and therefore it's my pleasure to recognize senator isakson for an opening. >> i want to do two things in particular. first try to think my name for his service and acknowledge in the last 10 years between the bush administration an obama administration, there've been five special on by his beginning with mr. danforth americus brought aboard the peace agreements, culminating to create a south sudan. the site admin at what to do is relate knowledge with the chairman said in his remarks with regard to the admonition to the north regarding the removal of state-sponsored terrorism status. that is the process predicated of good behavior and is predicated on a speed sure there is no more violence and the atrocities taking place in that world. that's an important component part of the overall deal we need to bring about a peaceful election which took place. i thank the chair.