Senate Proceeding on Apr 29th, 2009 :: 0:17:19 to 0:37:19
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0:17:10 to 0:22:45( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Mitch McConnell

0:17:11 to 0:17:32( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: health care they already receive. health care is an area where americans expect the president and congress to work together to divid-- to work together. the divide-and-conquer approach didn't work before. it won't work now. the republicans will continue to offer commonsense solutions. last year even before gas prices hit the roof we proposed a

0:17:33 to 0:17:55( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: sensible approach of finng more and using less. republicans will also proposing a dramatic expansion power. this would for energy in the world's largest economy with a growing public desire for cleaner, more efficient energy sources. health care and energy are just two of the areas where republicans will continue to

0:17:56 to 0:18:17( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: offer better ideas in the coming months. and we hope our friends on the other side are of these ideas than they have been of our proposals on the economy. on this point, it's interesting to know that just a few weeks ago democrats showed strong support on the senate floor for republican proposals to protect small businesses and middle-class taxpayers as well as a proposal to keep the

0:18:18 to 0:18:38( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: nation's debt at a manage. they also expressed strong support for a republican proposal that climate change legislation not lead to higher gas and electricity bills. yet these republican proposals which drew such widespread support on the senate floor just a few weeks ago were for some reason t product that came out of the

0:18:39 to 0:19:00( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: closed conference. democrats can't have it both ways. americans are suffering. they're losing homes. they're the republicans have offered and will continue to offer proposals that put the concerns of these ordinary americans first. democrats offer spending, taxes, and debt. massive spending and debt is not

0:19:01 to 0:19:26( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: the answer to a recession. a one-party solution with no checks and balances is not the answer for health care. opposing clean nuclear power and the expanded use of other domestic energy sources is not th answer for our e voti for tax relief before voting against it is not the way to show the american people you have the best -- their best

0:19:29 to 0:19:51( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: economic interests in mind. republicans have not been hesitant to offer o public sport for the new administration and again i commend the president on his approach to afghanistan and iraq. but we have not been hesitant to state our differences clearly. that's been the s first 100 days for senate republicans, and that will continue to be the story for

0:19:52 to 0:20:12( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: senate republicans. principled support, principled opposition, and pragmatic, creative solutions to meet the challenges of the because my state and our country have lost one of our last links

0:20:13 to 0:20:34( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: to a bygone era. on tuesday, april rex passed away a few days shy of his 108th birthday. he will forever be rembered as ken's last world war i era veteran. 90 years ago a teenage rob lee

0:20:35 to 0:20:55( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: rex landed in france carrying a rifle and w uniform. avenues long way -- he was a long way from christian county, kentucky, where he was born 1901 and raised. wanting to see the world and fight noirs country, enlisted in the 5th and later the

0:20:56 to 0:21:17( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: was deployed to europe. after leaving the army in 1922, he returned to kentucky and settled in louisville where he came a postal worker ordained methodist minister. rob lee was not only the blu bluegrass state's preeminent veteran, he was also its preeminent volunteer on behalf veterans.

0:21:18 to 0:21:39( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: decades after his own act active service ended, he continued to serve his soldiers by volunteering at the veterans affairs medical center right up until the last years of hi the veterans of foreign wars honored him for over 14,000 hours of service in 22 years. i was proud to call rob lee a friend ofine.

0:21:40 to 0:22:00( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: our lives intersected a number of times over years. a few weeks ago whe louisville, i had the pleasure to read a wonderful article about rob lee in "the southeast ouook." the article mentioned out rob lee was looking forward to his impending birthday. i know a lot of the rest of us were, too. his friends were planning a

0:22:01 to 0:22:22( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: special birthday celebration at the louisville v.a. hospital next month. instead, it will be an opportunity to rember how much rob lee meant to all of us. and as much as we will all miss him, i take comfort in knowing that rob lee is reunited with his beloved wiferacie who ssed away in 1992 after more

0:22:23 to 0:22:44( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: than 60 years of marriage. because i want to share with my colleagues this article on lee rex, i ask unanimous conse in the record. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. mcconnell: i know all of my colleagues join me in honoring the life of this great patriot and soldier. rob lee rex proved his faith and devotion to his country. now his country will be -- will

0:22:45 to 0:22:46( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: forever be faithful a

0:22:47 to 0:23:08( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: to him. i yield the floor. mr. kyl: mr. presi the presiding officer: the senator f recognized. mr. kyl: i ask unanimo consenthat there be a full hour of morning business equally divided as under the previous order. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. kyl: thank you, mr. president. president obama's first 100 days in office make for a

0:22:50 to 0:31:25( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Jon Kyl

0:23:09 to 0:23:29( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: news stories. but what we should really focus on is how the first 1 days will affect us in our future. this will go down in history as the most expensive 100 days for the american people. since his inauguration, president obama has signed into law spending. that's $11.9 billion of spending

0:23:30 to 0:23:52( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: for each day that he's been in office. and those figures don't include the $3.7 trillion budget for next yr, a measure now awaiting final action on the senate floor. the congressional budget off estimates that if this budget is passed and signed into law, by 2019 the public debt will reach 82.4% of our gross dom product. that means more new debt will be

0:23:53 to 0:24:13( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: created than all of the combined debt created by all of the previous 43 presidents, all the way back to president george washington. that the budget will put pus on an unsustainable it prose a sweeping change of course for the u.s. economy that will shift the balance of power away from the private sector

0:24:14 to 0:24:34( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: toward the federal government. it's not just the uncharted levels of spending and debt. this budget leaves higher taxes on every household in the form of a national energy tax that puts taxpayers on the hook to pay for a larger and more intrusive federal government. in other words, this budget spends too much, taxes too much, and borrows too much.

0:24:35 to 0:24:55( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: on spending, president obama has made his proposed new spending sound describing it as an investment that will pay off by saving us money down the road. most of the new spending, however, is for services and programs whose long-term value continues to be debated. nor is there any intention of

0:24:56 to 0:25:19( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: this budget does not propose one-time investments followed by years of reduced speing. instead, billions of new outlays will continue indefinitely meaning the permanent aaccruement of power in washington. it could prove a sis feeian

0:25:20 to 0:25:41( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: challe we need to recognize that we make sacrifices in our own budget. shouldn't washington do the same in this budget makes no hard choices about how to rein in out-of-control government spending. the budget is so big that according to the heritage foundation, a quarter of million new federal bureaucrats may be required just to spend it all.

0:25:42 to 0:26:05( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: federal government employees represent the largest group of new jobs created under this bill. in response to concerns about spending, president obama has instructed his cabinet to cut $100 million from the budget in the next 90 days. ow!

0:26:06 to 0:26:27( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: it's hard to imagine an arizona family using the same math to trim its budget. a $47,215 per year. say they would like a budget like the president's. that means their budget would be $7 they have to cut

0:26:28 to 0:26:48( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: that's $2.05. so they still have a debt of $24,631 to put on the family credit card. unsustainable. no family would decide to do this. it wouldn't put them on a course for future prosperity. so we need to cut a lot more than

0:26:49 to 0:27:09( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: be fiscally sustainable. on the matter of taxes, the president has said he will cut taxes for 95% of americans, but his budget would raise taxes by $1.4 trillion over t years. it would implement a new $646 billion energy tax that will affect every ame regardless of income. and it's estimated to increase

0:27:10 to 0:27:30( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: energy costs for every family by as much as $3,168 annually. and it's described as a down payment, meaning more to come. this tax is touted as a way to curb greenhouse gas emugses but it will unavoidably tax virtually every economic activity, since almost every aspect of our daily requires energy from fossil

0:27:31 to 0:27:51( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: fuels. i recall the president telling the sa "san francisco chronicle," "under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket." end of quote. mr. president, how much tim have i consumed, if i may ask? the presiding officer: five minutes. mr. kyl: all

0:27:52 to 0:28:12( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: let me move ton to another part of my -- let me move on to another part of my remarks here and i ask that my entire remarks be put in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. kyl: the budget also let some of the existing tax rates expire by also hurts our economy. we need to keep in mind that our economy is a complex and dynamic force. it is made up of individuals and

0:28:13 to 0:28:33( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: small busin deciding on how much they want to s investment, whether or not to create new jobs or open businesses. usually it resists policy-makers' attempts manipulate and control it. its a not a ball of clay that washington can mold any way it wants to.

0:28:34 to 0:28:55( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: there are negative consequences to what we do. and i guess i would conclude this point by saying obviously straying too far from the principle that the purpose of taxes is to pay for the cost of government that does the least damage to the economy. now we're using the tax policy to redistribute wealth. how many activies or services

0:28:56 to 0:29:17( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: can we now think of that the government does not tax or is not aiming to tax? finally, mr. president, there's the matter of borrowing too much. the debt in fiv years double the public debt. in ten years it will triple the public debt. that's why we can say that just

0:29:18 to 0:29:38( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: this debt than any every president of the united statesombined previous to now. the congressional budget office projects the president's budget will accumulate $9.2 trillion in deficits raising the

0:29:39 to 0:29:59( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: to 82.4% of g.d.p. in the year 2019. my told us during the campaign that spending and deficits are two sides of the same coin. president obama spending promises would raise gives to unsustainable level and huge tax hikes and not just for wealthy would be required to pay for it. now even the president's office of management and budget

0:30:00 to 0:30:24( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: director, peter orszag, has confirmed what senator said all spending and deficits will not be sustainable. let me quote here in conclusion, an editorial commend washington post" recently: president obama's budget plan, it says "wou government spending more than

0:30:28 to 0:30:48( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: 23% of g.d.p. g.d.p second hard of the decade." is this a legacy we want to lebanese -- unpress denned debt? on this side of answer is no and that is why we are concerned about the of the past 10 100 daze on our future. we need a budget that meets the

0:30:49 to 0:31:12( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: test this budget does not. moreover, it contradicts the for a net spending reduction and no tax increases for 95% of americans. and the unprecedented amounts of spending, taxing and borrowing are sure to hinder an economic recovery.

0:31:13 to 0:31:25( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: as proceeding said president reagan said, facts are stubborn things. increasing taxes and increasing economic growth during a recession. why is right now, mr. president, we should be working on growing our

0:31:26 to 0:31:47( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: economy, not growing the federal government. mr. alexander: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. alexander: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, if the early 19 hundred's a perspective young

0:31:30 to 0:39:40( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Lamar Alexander

0:31:48 to 0:32:09( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: french man came tocqueville, and he marveled our new democracy. he wrote and he warned more than anything about something he called "the tyranny of the majority," his worry about the american democracy. we now have finished 100 days for a popular he's presented a blueprint for

0:32:10 to 0:32:31( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: our country that is dramatically different than what we've had before. yesterday, a member of our republican side moved his desk to the other side potentially giving that side of the aisle 60 votes and raising the prospect that we balance on one party rule.

0:32:32 to 0:32:52( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: the genuine risk tocqueville called "tyranny of the majority." so the question arises, what is the blueprint for this popular new president? and is it the kind of change we really want? all of us can point to something, as the republican leader did, to afghanistan and iraq of which we approved. i could point to secretary

0:32:53 to 0:33:13( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: duncan of education and his focus on paying good teachers schools, something that i greatly support. but both the senator from arizona and the senator from the blueprint presented by our new president has too much spending, too much taxing and

0:33:14 to 0:33:34( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: too much debt especially striking to me we would have in the 10th year of the president's own budget proposal $800 billion in interest to pay. $800 billion if interest to pay which is more than we would be spending on defense that year. which i eight times as much as the federal government would spend on education that year and

0:33:35 to 0:33:57( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: eight times as much as it would spend on housing -- $800 billion of interest to pay just on the debt. yet there's another part of this blueprint that worries me: too much government. we read now that our government, taxpayers, own half of our largest automobile company.

0:33:58 to 0:34:18( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: in an interview last night i heard the environmental protection agency administrator say the lawmakers are thinking of climate change and they are waiting for the government to tell them what kind of car they ought to build. already, the president has fired the president of our largest auto company, our government is telling the company who should be on the boards.

0:34:19 to 0:34:40( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: i suppose it will be saying, also, what plants should be kept open or closed, what people should b bit of government. or banks. instead of asking the congress at the beginning of january for $1 trillion line of credit to get the toxic assets out of the banks and get credit flowing agai and housing prices would

0:34:41 to 0:35:03( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: stabilize, this new administration spent $1 trillion, a breathtaking unimaginable amount of money. adding it to the desk. what about the banks? well, we're going to own the banks or at lst be the majority shareholder in many of the biggest banks in the world. again, that means politicians and regulators in washington

0:35:04 to 0:35:24( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: bank president be? who will the boards be? who gets the loans, perhaps? what purpose could the loans be for? isn't that the kind of thing that got us first place, politicians in washington, telling us to loan money to those that could n afford to pay back? and this too much government in

0:35:25 to 0:35:45( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: the first 100 days is not the result of the depression or the recession in which we find ourselves. this is not a crowd that believes if you can find it in the yellow pages the government shouldn't be doing it. this is a deliberate choice of more government as in the case of student loans. the first proposal from the prosecute was to take the amoun

0:35:46 to 0:36:06( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: of pell grants and add that to the automatic spending in the budget adding another $100 billion to the automatic spending that will bankrupt our country if it's not changed. that didn't fly but the proposal is still out there to take the entire student loan program and cancel the choices that students

0:36:07 to 0:36:27( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: have, create a big new bank, half a trillion bank, and have the department of education make all the loans. that is a massive takeover by the government. 12 milli to get loans from private lenders. there are 2,000 of those loaning money to students who choe to attend nashville auto zeal college or harvard or pri

0:36:28 to 0:36:49( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: where the senator from missouri was an outstanding student. there are 4,400 campuses that have a choice from private helpedders that they have chosen. so the proposal would be to create a bank that would take all that

0:36:50 to 0:37:11( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: over and make $75 billion of loans in a year. it would make the promising new education secretary a candidate for banker of the year instead of secretary of the year and cause andrew jackson who fought against the national bank in his day rollover in his grave with what his party is doing. and it would playing a trick on students because the end result would be

0:37:12 to 0:37:32( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: saying, we're going to borrow the money -- we, depament of administration at a quarter of a percent and loan it to you at 6.75% and give scholarships to the other people that you students are paying for and we congressman will take the credit. i don't think students are going to like that.