“But Republicans chose to hew to the pledge they made to Grover Norquist instead of listening to the vast majority of Americans – Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike – who support this plan. Republicans are out of touch with even the majority of Republican voters, who support asking millionaires to pay their fair share.

“For the good of our nation, I hope Republicans stop rooting for failure and start working with Democrats to put Americans back to work.”

Senate Democrats urge Republicans to join them in supporting putting Americans back to work.:

America agrees: the only way out of tough economic times is to invest in what makes this country great — its workers.

Seventy-two percent of Americans, including 54 percent of Republicans, support the bill. And 76 percent of them, including 56 percent of Republicans, agree with Democrats that it should be paid for by asking the nation’s wealthiest citizens to contribute their fair share.

Here’s a look at the key reasons to support it, according to Democratic senators:

#1 The Bill Creates Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs

Senator Coons (DE): “More than two million Americans who worked in construction have lost their jobs since this tragic recession hit. Including 8,000 in my home state of Delaware alone.”

Senator Merkley (OR): “More than 40,000 construction jobs have been lost in Oregon since 2007, all of which only thrive when we’re building homes in America.”

Senator Bingaman (NM): “Passage of this legislation would mean at least $284 million in my home state of New Mexico in immediate infrastructure investments. And that investment of $284 million would support a minimum of 3,700 local jobs.”

Senator Begich (A.K.): “This [bill] could put Alaskans to work on important projects: Bridge repairs outside the Denali National Park, a critical route between Alaska’s two population centers and a heavily traveled route for our tour operators and shippers.”

Senator Levin (MI): “In my home state of Michigan this legislation would result in more than $900 million going to infrastructure projects, it would create about 12,000 jobs.”

Senator Feinstein (CA): “The Federal Highway Administration estimates that for every billion dollars of federal transportation spending, 27,822 jobs are produced. It is one of the biggest bang for the buck programs I know of.”

#2 It Would Repair and Rebuild Important Infrastructure

Senator Bingaman (NM): “The Federal Highway Administration estimates that about 22% of New Mexico’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition. Nineteen percent of our bridges are structurally deficient, or functionally obsolete, according to the Federal Highway Administration.”

Senator Begich (AK):  “We see it in the potholes in our streets, in the congested highways and public transit that lack the capacity to safely and efficiently get Americans where they need to go.”

Senator Feinstein (CA): In my state, 66% of our major roads are in poor condition, 68% of our urban interstates are congestion — congested, vehicle travel increased by 27% from 1990 to 2007, and 30% of our bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete…..”

Senator Klobuchar (MN): “The cracks in this system became abundantly clear to all of our country, and in fact the entire world, when on the afternoon of August 1, 2011, the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed into the middle of the Mississippi river, taking the lives of 13 Minnesotans and injuring so many more.”

Senator Wyden (OR): “You cannot have big league economic growth in America with little league transportation systems. It’s just not possible.

#3 It’s Entirely Paid For

Senator Reid (NV): “Republicans say they oppose this plan to hire hundreds of thousands of construction workers and rebuild our nation’s collapsing infrastructure because they believe the wealthiest Americans can’t afford to pay a few pennies more. Even a majority of the people who would pay this tax say this isn’t true. They support our plan.”

Senator Bingaman (NM): “The legislation would impose a .7% surtax on income exceeding a million dollars.”

Senator Levin (MI): “Every member of this body, Democrat and Republican, fights for adequate infrastructure spending for their state. If Republicans reject this legislation because of the funding mechanism, they are voting directly in opposition to the will of the American people.”

Senator Schumer (NY): “This money will not be wasted; it will go directly to infrastructure. We’re all worried that China will get ahead of us economically, well, right now, China is spending four times as much on infrastructure than we are.”

Tomorrow the Senate will vote on the Rebuild America Jobs Act, a plan to put hundreds of thousands of Americans back to work constructing thousands of miles of roads and bridges, runways and train tracks.

The plan is paid for with a small tax — less than a penny — on every dollar a person earns in excess of $1 million a year. The legislation asks millionaires and billionaires to contribute just a little bit more than they do today, knowing there is a price tag associated with getting our economy back on track.

My Republican colleagues say they oppose this plan to hire hundreds of thousands of construction workers and rebuild our nation’s collapsing infrastructure because they believe the wealthiest Americans can’t afford to pay a few pennies more.

But even the majority of the people who would pay this tax say that simply isn’t true. They support our plan.

This tiny fraction of American taxpayers who would pay a tiny fraction more each year are among the one percent of Americans who have done better and better with each passing decade.

Between 1979 and 2007, the annual, after-tax income of the top one percent of American wage earners has increased by 275 percent. That same one percent now makes more than the other 99 percent of Americans combined.

And not all of that one percent of wealthy Americans would even qualify to pay this tax to fund billions in road construction and create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

So, tomorrow my Republican colleagues will face a choice. The choice is not whether to invest in roads or bridges, or whether the richest of the rich can spare a few dollars for the sake of our economy. The choice is about priorities.

Who will Republicans put first — the millions of ordinary Americans struggling to find work and put food on the table? Or the millionaires and billionaires whose biggest problem is that they may have to pay an additional $7,000 on the second million they make each year?

We ought to be able to agree that making enough money to pay even a dollar more under our plan is a wonderful problem to have.

But so far, Republicans have been pretty clear what their priorities are.

They unanimously voted against the American Jobs Act. That legislation would have put 2 million people back to work and cut taxes for middle-class families and small businesses.

Then they unanimously voted against Democrats’ plan to put 400,000 teachers and tens of thousands of police officers and firefighters back to work.

Republicans have cost this country millions of jobs in just the last few weeks alone.

And they’ll have another opportunity tomorrow to show America whose side they’re on — millionaires or the middle class.

Seventy-two percent of Americans, including 54 percent of Republicans, want us to pass this plan. And 76 percent of them, including 56 percent of Republicans, want us to pay for it by asking the nation’s wealthiest citizens to contribute their fair share.

Americans know the only way out of the worst recession since the Great Depression is to invest in what makes this country great — its workers. And they believe it is fair to ask those who have profited the most from this country’s successes to help shoulder the burden.

Yet Republicans have obstructed and opposed every Democratic effort to create jobs this year.

Why would they do that? Fear.

Because those job-creation efforts would have cost millionaires and billionaires even one dollar more. And the truth is, they are terrified to violate the infamous Grover Norquist tax pledge, even though they know it’s the right thing to do.

They are in thrall to a man whose singular focus is keeping taxes low for the very wealthy, no matter what the effect on this nation. They fear his political retribution.

But I hope my Republican colleagues will heed this message sent yesterday by former Republican Senator Alan Simpson regarding Grover Norquist and his pledge: The only power Norquist wields is the power you give him.

“He can’t murder you; he can’t burn your house. The only thing he can do is defeat you for re-election, and if that means more to you than your country, you really shouldn’t be in Congress,” Simpson said.

I believe most Senators — and certainly most Americans — know that legislating isn’t as simple as a mindless pledge. But those Senators must also have the courage to act on their convictions.

As British historian Thomas Fuller once said, “Better break your word than do worse in keeping it.”

Senators Amy Klobuchar (MN), Joe Manchin (WV), Barbara Boxer (CA), Chris Coons (DE), Bill Nelson (FL), Richard Blumenthal (CN), Diane Feinstein (CA), Carl Levin (MI), Robert Menendez (NJ) and Sherrod Brown (OH) are all co-sponsors.

Called the Rebuild America Jobs Act, the bill is based on President Obama’s jobs plan, and would invest $50 billion in roads, rails, and runways across the country.

Additionally, the bill would invest $10 billion to establish a National Infrastructure Bank that would mix private and public sector money to support construction projects across the country — without adding a penny to the deficit.

The legislation would be paid for by asking millionaires and billionaires to pay a small 0.7 percent surtax on their income.  This would affect less than one percent of Americans.

Everyone who has traveled past his or her front door knows our infrastructure needs work. There are 150,000 miles of roadway, 4,000 miles of train tracks, and 150 miles of airport runways in need of upgrades and maintenance nationwide. The American Society of Civil Engineers gives America’s infrastructure a “D.”

We need a top-notch infrastructure to compete in the global economy, and this bill would put Americans back to work building it.

Seventy-two percent of Americans and 54 percent of Republicans agree it’s time to upgrade the nation’s infrastructure. Even Senate Republicans have supported government investments in infrastructure in the past.

That is why Senator Reid has said it is time for Republicans “to put their political motivations aside and work with us on this common sense bill to create jobs.”

This week Democrats introduced legislation that would put Americans back to work rebuilding this nation’s crumbling infrastructure.

It will hire hundreds of thousands of people to upgrade 150,000 miles of roadways, improve thousands of miles of train tracks and modernize our nation’s runways and air-traffic control systems.

The Rebuild America Jobs Act will invest $50 billion to ensure our world-class economy has world-class infrastructure and get this country working again.

This common-sense plan has enjoyed broad, bipartisan support in the past. Many of my Republican colleagues in the Senate have spoken glowingly about what infrastructure investments could do to put people back to work and improve the economy in their home states.

Yet this week, Republicans have raised a hew and cry against our plan because it asks millionaires and billionaires to contribute their fair share to the effort to right our listing economy.

The plan would require the richest of the rich in America to contribute a tiny fraction of their income to that effort. They would pay a 0.7 percent surtax on income in excess of $1 million a year.

So someone making $1.1 million a year would pay an additional $700.

Yet my Republican colleagues adamantly oppose this fair and balanced approach because it would require Americans who have done better and better each year for decades to contribute a tiny fraction more than they do now.

They are the top two-tenths of one percent of American taxpayers.

Yet Republicans have put the interests of these millionaires and billionaires ahead of those of the rest of Americans, and it has cost this nation literally millions of jobs.

So I think it’s important that we be clear who these lucky few, these millionaires and billionaires who enjoy the protection of the Senate GOP, actually are.

They are the same millionaires and billionaires whose annual, after-tax income has increased by 275 percent over the last three decades. I repeat, 275 percent. That’s according to a study released last week by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

Between 1979 and 2007, the bottom 20 percent of wage earners saw their wages creep up slowly – 18 percent in all. Meanwhile, the top 1 percent saw theirs double again and again.

In fact, their share of the nation’s income is higher than at any time since 1928 – just before the stock market crashed, plunging this nation into the Great Depression.

Their share of the national income has doubled since 1979.

And now they now take home more than half of all the money earned each year in this nation, even after taxes.

That means one percent of American workers now makes more than the other 99 percent combined.

That’s not to say that they don’t deserve their prosperity. No doubt many of them have worked incredibly hard to achieve such great success.

But their tremendous fortune – including their tremendous fortunes – means they can afford to contribute a tiny fraction more to shore up the economic future of this great nation.

As John D. Rockefeller, Jr. said, “Every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty.”

Seventy-two percent of Americans, including 54 percent of Republicans, support Democrats’ plan to pull this nation out of the worst recession it’s seen since the Great Depression by investing in new roadways, runways and railways.

And 76 percent of Americans, including 56 percent of Republicans, agree the nation’s most privileged citizens should contribute a little more to help pay for it.

They believe in the initiatives Democrats have proposed to jumpstart our economy, but they know the money will have to come from somewhere. They know tough choices must be made.

Asking someone making $1.1 million to contribute a few hundred bucks more every year shouldn’t be one of the tough choices. That’s a no-brainer.

Yet while Democrats fight for the middle class, it seems Republicans will fight for the one percent of Americans who have every resource available to fight for themselves.

• Immediately Invests in Our Roads, Rails and Airports ($50 Billion):  The Senate bill provides $50 billion in immediate investments for highways, transit, rail and aviation, helping to modernize an infrastructure that now receives a grade of “D” from the American Society of Civil Engineers and putting hundreds of thousands of construction workers back on the job.  This investment will put people to work upgrading 150,000 miles of road, laying/maintaining 4,000 miles of train tracks, restoring 150 miles of runways, and putting in place a next-generation air-traffic control system that will reduce travel time and delays. The plan includes $27 billion to rebuild roads and bridges, $9 billion to repair transit systems, $5 billion for projects selected through a competitive grant program, $4 billion for construction of the high-speed rail network, $2 billion to improve airport facilities and $1 billion for a NextGen air traffic control system.  The call for greater infrastructure investment has been joined by leaders from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka to U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue.
• Establishes a National Infrastructure Bank ($10 Billion):  The Senate bill establishes a National Infrastructure Bank capitalized with $10 billion that will leverage private and public capital to help fund a broad range of infrastructure projects. The Bank would be based on the model Senators Kerry and Hutchison have championed, which has been endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce while building on legislation by Senators Rockefeller and Lautenberg and the work of long-time infrastructure bank champions like Rosa DeLauro and the input of the President’s Jobs Council.
• Asks Millionaires to Pay Their Fair Share Without Adding a Dime to the Deficit. In order to create or save hundreds of thousands of construction jobs, the Senate bill imposes a 0.7% surtax on modified adjusted gross income in excess of $1 million for both single filers and married couples filing jointly.  The surtax is effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012.

AMERICANS OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORT MODERNIZING OUR NATION’S INFRASTRUCTURE

CNN/ORC Poll: 72% of Americans, 54% of Republicans Support Rebuilding Our Infrastructure. According to a recent CNN/ORC Poll, 72% of Americans support “increasing federal spending to build and repair roads, bridges and schools,” while only 28% oppose. This is up from 64% from September of this year. 70% of Independents and 54% of Republicans support funding our infrastructure. [CNN/ORC Poll, 10/17/11]

Rockefeller Foundation: 72% of Americans Support Infrastructure Bank. The Rockefeller Foundation infrastructure survey, conducted in February 2011, found that 72% of Americans support “Creating a National Infrastructure Bank that helps finance transportation projects that are important to the whole nation or large regions and that funds projects based on merit, not politics.” [Rockefeller Foundation, 2/14/11]

THERE IS BROAD BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT

U.S. Chamber of Commerce: President “Was Right to Call For” Transportation Infrastructure Investments. Thomas J. Donohue, President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said after President Obama’s September jobs speech that the President “was right to call for… smart investments in our transportation infrastructure. The administration and Congress must now act on these priorities without further delay in order to save and create hundreds of thousands of American jobs.” [U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 9/8/11]

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials: $50 Billion For Infrastructure Projects Could Create or Protect Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs. “John Horsely, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, said at its peak a year ago, the Recovery Act helped employ 64,000 workers on highway projects. He says a concentrated infusion of $50 billion now could lead to the employment of hundreds of thousands more. ‘The president wants to jump-start the economy and create jobs, and so if he could manage to get the authority to spend $50 billion all in one year, you would probably have a much higher number of jobs created, if it all happened in one year,’ Horsely said.” [ABC News, 9/8/11]

President of GOP Mayors and Local Officials Coalition: Infrastructure Spending “Puts People to Work,” Needs to Be “Higher Priority” for Congressional Republicans. “Mick Cornett, the GOP mayor of Oklahoma City, welcomes the infrastructure spending that Obama has proposed in his jobs bill, explaining that mayors witness the impact of such investments on the ground level. ‘Mayors see up close the deferred maintenance that’s going on in nation’s cities…it’s just a ticking time bomb. We also know that it puts people to work,’ says Cornett, president of the Republican Mayors and Local Officials coalition within the U.S. Conference. Obama’s jobs plan proposes new infrastructure spending on everything from rebuilding schools to an infrastructure finance bank–all of which Cornett supports… Cornett says that, by contrast, Congressional Republicans have not put forward any substantial plans to revitalize the country’s infrastructure.”  [Washington Post, 9/20/11]

Associated General Contractors: “Should Congress Fail To Enact” President’s Infrastructure Plan, “Too Many Construction Workers Will Remain Unemployed, The Private Sector Will Suffer, And Taxpayers Will End Up Paying More.” Stephen E. Sandherr, CEO of the Associated General Contractors of America, said, “Should Congress fail to enact the desperately needed infrastructure investments the President proposes, too many construction workers will remain unemployed, the private sector will suffer, and taxpayers will end up paying more, later, for infrastructure. Infrastructure projects don’t just create construction jobs… Investing in infrastructure is the most effective way to create good jobs, deliver great roads, build a strong economy and protect taxpayers. That is why the Associated General Contractors of America stands with the president and everyone else who is willing to make the investments needed to revive our industry and rebuild our economy.” [Associated General Contractors, 9/9/11]

American Society of Civil Engineers: Current, Insufficient Funding for Infrastructure Will Cost America More Than 870,000 Jobs and $900 Billion By 2020. Patrick J. Natale of the American Society of Civil Engineers wrote, “Obama’s call for infrastructure investment was not only about jobs but about our competitiveness in global markets. Both the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation and the Building America’s Future Educational Fund have released reports showing how we are rapidly falling behind our global competitors such as China, Japan, and South Korea when it comes to investing and modernizing our transportation systems… A recent economic study from ASCE found that even current investment levels in transportation infrastructure will cost the American economy more than 870,000 jobs and suppress the growth of the country’s Gross Domestic Product by almost $900 billion by the year 2020.” [National Journal, 9/12/11]

President Reagan Said Infrastructure Investment Was Common Sense. “Common sense tells us that it will cost a lot less to keep the system we have in good repair than to let it disintegrate and have to start over from scratch. Clearly this program is an investment in tomorrow that we must make today. It will allow us to complete the interstate system, make most — the interstate repairs and strengthen and improve our bridges, make all of us safer, and help our cities meet their public transit needs.” [Remarks, 1/6/83]

THERE IS BROAD BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE BANK

Earlier This Year, Two Republican Senators Co-Sponsored an Infrastructure Bank. According to the Washington Post, “Earlier this year, in fact, two Senate Republicans — Kay Bailey Hutchison (Tex.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.) — had co-sponsored Massachusetts Democrat John Kerry’s infrastructure bank bill, which bears close resemblance to the proposal in Obama’s failed jobs bill.” [Washington Post, 10/13/11]

• Sen. Hutchison: “A National Infrastructure Bank is an Innovative Way” to Address the Nation’s Water, Transportation, and Energy Infrastructure Needs. “The idea of a national infrastructure bank is an innovative way to leverage private-public partnerships and maximize private funding to address our water, transportation, and energy infrastructure needs. In our current fiscal situation, we must be creative in meeting the needs of our country and spurring economic development and job growth, while protecting taxpayers from new federal spending as much as possible.” [Hutchison Blog, 9/7/11]

Bipartisan BUILD Act Is Endorsed By Chamber of Commerce & AFL-CIO. “Amid growing concerns that the nation’s infrastructure is deteriorating, a group of Democrats, Republicans, and labor and business leaders called Tuesday for the creation of a national infrastructure bank to help finance the construction of things like roads, bridges, water systems and power grids. The proposal — sponsored by Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Republican of Texas — would establish an independent bank to provide loans and loan guarantees for projects of regional or national significance. The idea is to attract more infrastructure investment from the private sector: by creating an infrastructure bank with $10 billion now, they say, they could spur up to $640 billion worth of infrastructure spending over the next decade… To underscore the need for better infrastructure, two frequent rivals were on hand at the news conference: Richard Trumka, the president of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., and Thomas J. Donohue, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the main business lobby. With a nod to the strange-bedfellows experience of having a labor leader as an ally, Mr. Donohue said, ”He and I are going to take our show on the road as the new ‘Odd Couple.’” [New York Times, 3/16/11]

Alliance for American Manufacturing Said Infrastructure Bank Would Create Jobs.  Scott Paul, Executive Director of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, provided a list of recommendations that would create more manufacturing jobs, including, “we need to invest in infrastructure and establish a national infrastructure bank”  [Testimony before the Joint Economic Committee, 6/22/11; The Hill, 8/15/11]

Mark Zandi: Infrastructure Bank Would Boost Manufacturing. Mark Zandi of Moody’s Analytics testified, “To lower the cost of transportation, telecommunications and energy, policymakers could provide consistent support to public investment in transportation networks, the internet backbone, and the electric grid. As a potential example of this support, Build America bonds issued as part of the recent fiscal stimulus efforts have been very successful. A national infrastructure bank, which could marry private capital with financial support from the government, would provide a substantial boost to this effort.” [Testimony before the Joint Economic Committee, 6/22/11]

Private Infrastructure Investment Could Create 1.9 Million Jobs. Sphere Consulting LLC reported, “Over $250 billion of private equity capital is currently available, and some additional legislative and administrative changes could accelerate infrastructure projects and enhance funding.” The firm found that private investment in infrastructure could generate 1.9 million U.S. jobs. They suggested that the U.S. “Create a National Infrastructure Bank (NIB) that is authorized to lend at favorable terms to both the public and private sectors for qualified infrastructure projects.” [Sphere Consulting, July 2011]

SENATE REPUBLICANS HAVE HISTORICALLY SUPPORTED INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS

Sen. Inhofe Said Conservatives Need To Recognize Transportation is a Place We Need to Be Spending More Money. “I think a lot of the people who are my good friends, and primarily over in the House, who came under the banner of the tea parties and all that, they recognize, yes, they can be a conservative. But when they got home, they said: Wait a minute. We want to not be spending on these big things, but we weren’t talking about transportation. So we have to single out transportation for my friends to recognize there is a place we need be spending more money, not less money.” [Floor Remarks, 10/20/11]

Sen. Johanns Said He “Can’t Imagine” Why Anyone Would “Stand in The Way” of States Working to Rebuild Infrastructure. “I can’t imagine why this body would stand in the way of states trying to rebuild their roads and bridges.” [Senate Floor Speech, 10/19/11]

Sen. Graham: Infrastructure Investments Translates to Job Creation. “So if you’re a Republican and you want to create jobs, then you need to invest in infrastructure that will allow us to create jobs.” [GOP Press Conference, 4/13/11]

Sen. Sessions on the Importance to Invest in Infrastructure: “Jobs Are Created As It’s Being Constructed and You Have a Permanent Improvement to Society That May Be There for a Hundred Years.” Sessions said,“Jobs are created as it’s being constructed and, second, you have a permanent improvement to society that may be there for a hundred years.” [Washington Post, 10/13/11]

Sen. Thune Called Transportation Infrastructure “Critical to Our Nation’s Commerce” “This is a critically important subject for the entire country. Maintaining a transportation infrastructure is just critical to our nation’s commerce. We’ve got a $2.2 trillion backlog out there of infrastructure projects, a $12 billion projected shortfall in gas tax revenues versus current spending levels over the next two years.” [Senate Commerce Committee Hearing, 7/20/11]

Sen. Collins Called Transportation Infrastructure “Essential to Economic Recovery” “One of my highest priorities is to help ensure that our nation’s transportation infrastructure does not fall into disrepair. Safe and efficient transportation is essential to economic recovery and cannot be left solely to state governments, which are struggling with budget shortfalls.” [Press Release, 5/11/11]

Sen. Lugar Said Addressing The Aging Infrastructure Is “Critical To Our Nation’s Economic Viability” “Addressing the aging infrastructure of our roads, bridges and railways is critical to our nation’s economic viability. Indiana has developed a sophisticated rail network that is central to our state’s agricultural and manufacturing economy. It is important to enhance the existing railways in Perry County to provide a vital link and spur economic growth.” [Press Release, 9/10/08]

Sen. Rubio Called Infrastructure Investment “The Proper Role of Government” “And it is the proper role of government to invest in infrastructure. Yes, government should build roads and bridges, but it should do so as part of economic development as part of infrastructure.” [Speech, 8/24/11]

Sen. Shelby Called Infrastructure Spending “Essential” For Our Economy “Infrastructure spending is essential to our long term economic stability and growth.” [Remarks, 5/19/11]

“Republicans unanimously blocked a bill that would have kept 400,000 teachers in the classroom and first responders on the job because they refuse to ask millionaires to pay their fair share. By asking millionaires to pay an extra half a penny on the dollar, this bill would have created jobs by keeping our communities safe and ensuring that our children continue to have access to a high-quality education.

“Unfortunately, protecting millionaires and defeating President Obama are more important to my Republican colleagues than creating jobs and getting our economy back on track. Democrats agree with the overwhelming majority of Americans that teachers and first responder jobs are worth defending, while lower taxes for millionaires and billionaires are not.”

The Senate is expected to vote on the bill, which stems from President Obama’s jobs plan, before the end of the week.

With 14 million Americans out of work, Senate Democrats are committed to making sure teachers and those who protect our communities stay on the job. Watch video of yesterday’s rally here:

The bill would be paid for by a 0.5 percent surtax on millionaires and billionaires, who make up the top 1 percent of earners in America.

More than 300,000 teaching jobs have been lost since the start of the recession and schools across the country have had to slash their budgets to make ends meet.

The Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act would invest $30 billion in educator jobs, so that schools can put an end to layoffs and rehire teachers. An additional $5 billion would go towards protecting the jobs of police officers and firefighters.

As Nevada Senator Harry Reid puts it, “Teachers are out of work through no fault of their own and students who desperately need a good education are relying on us to act.”

First responders and teachers who visited Capitol Hill yesterday made it clear: without action from Congress, more jobs across the country will be on the line, putting our nation’s workforce will be at even greater risk.

And Senate Democrats held a rally yesterday to assure the first responders and teachers they will do everything they can to support job growth.

But as Democrats pointed out at the rally, Republicans need to start prioritizing jobs, too. To date, Republicans have chose to put politics ahead of putting Americans back to work.

This week Republicans proved once again that the only jobs they care about are their own.

They voted against a plan to create 2 million American jobs because they believed it was good Republican politics.

Meanwhile, 14 million unemployed Americans are worried about how they are going to make the rent, put food on the table and fill the gas tank to get to job interviews.

Those 14 million Americans couldn’t care less who proposed the plan or who gets the credit. The only thing they care about is that Congress gets to work putting them back to work.

Asked whether they supported a plan that asks millionaires to contribute their fair share to pay for tax cuts for middle-class families and small businesses, construction of roads and schools and an extension of unemployment benefits, Americans overwhelmingly said yes, they did support it.

They support it because a quarter of U.S. millionaires pay lower tax rates than many middle-class families.

Sixty-three percent supported the proposals contained in the American Jobs Act, according to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released yesterday.

Even more – 64 percent – agreed it is a “good idea” to pay for these job-creating programs by asking people who make more than $1 million a year to contribute a little more to our economic recovery.

I repeat: two-thirds of Americans support both the plan Republicans blocked this week, and the way it’s paid for.

Yet still, Republicans unanimously voted against tax cuts, infrastructure investments and jobs for teachers, cops and veterans.

They voted against 2 million jobs for American workers.

My Republican colleagues certainly pay lip service to the unemployment crisis in this country, but in the end actions speak louder than words.

As Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, the first African-American woman to be elected to Congress from the Deep South, once said: “The citizens of America expect more. They deserve and they want more than a recital of problems.”

They demand action. And they deserve it.

Democrats will not let them down.

We will not stop working to pass the proposals contained in the American Jobs Act just because Republicans use every obstructionist trick in the book.

We will continue to ask the richest Americans to share the burden of getting our economy back on track.

And we will never give up the fight to create jobs for the 14 million people in this country who are out of work.

Republican obstructionism has once against cost this nation millions of jobs.

Last night, Republicans blocked the American Jobs Act, President Obama’s plan to create 2 million jobs by giving tax cuts to business and middle-class families and investing in modern roads, bridges and schools.

It’s not the first jobs bill Republicans have blocked this Congress, although I hope it will be the last.

But it seems as if Republicans don’t really want to put Americans back to work. They believe a weak economy means a weak President.

So, even though they have supported each piece of the American Jobs Act in the past, they blocked this job-creating legislation in the hopes of doing political damage to the president.

But Democrats have not given up on creating jobs in America.

And we will not let Republican political games stand between Congress and its most important duty: to put 14 million people back to work.

Passing the American Jobs Act would have been a step in the right direction. Economists of every stripe agree it would have impacted the economy immediately and put 2 million people back to work.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics and economic advisor to Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign, said this: “Given the high odds of another recession in the next few months, it is vital for Congress and the administration to provide some near-term support to the economy.”

Zandi says the American Jobs Act could shave a percentage point off the unemployment rate. Conversely, he warned that without immediate action the likelihood was high of a double-dip recession.

So, the last thing we should be doing right now is wasting time, but that’s what Republicans are forcing the Senate to do.

Last night, a majority of the Senate voted to take up this bill. But Republicans won’t put politics aside for a moment, even when the price of their stubbornness is struggling families and failing businesses.

But I’ll say it again: Democrats will not give up on creating jobs in America.

We will introduce the American Jobs Act piece by piece.

Many of the ideas we will advance will be proposals Republicans have supported in the past.

Republicans will have to explain to the American people – at a time of record unemployment – why they continue to oppose job-creating tax cuts for small businesses and the middle class, and other proposals they have supported in the past.

And at the end of the day, their motive will be crystal clear: politics.

I hope Republicans will be able to see past partisan posturing to support their own past proposals when we consider them individually next month.

Take the payroll tax cut, for example. My friend, the Republican leader, has supported payroll tax cuts in that past. Most Republicans have.

This is what he said about the same tax cut in 2009: “It would put a lot of money back in the hands of businesses and in the hands of individuals… Republicans, generally speaking, from Maine to Mississippi, like tax relief.”

Yet he voted against that tax cut last night. It was part of the American Jobs Act.

Another Republican Senator sponsored a bill to give tax credits to businesses that hire out-of-work veterans.

Yet that Senator voted against the same proposal last night. It was also part of American Jobs Act.

Republicans have supported these proposals in the past. They should have supported them yesterday.

But Democrats care so much about creating jobs that we’ll give our Republicans colleagues another opportunity to do the right thing – one more chance to prove they are more interested in putting Americans to work and getting our economy back on track than in playing politics.

And if they don’t support these job-creating proposals the next time around, it won’t be Senate Democrats to whom they’ll answer. Republicans will have to explain it to the America people.

“Republicans unanimously voted against our nation’s economic health to advance their narrow political interests. Republicans blocked a bill that would put nearly two million Americans back to work. And they voted against this job-creating bill despite previously supporting many of the ideas it contains, such as tax cuts for the middle class and small businesses.

“This balanced bill would have asked millionaires to pay their fair share to help get our economy get back on track. Americans want us to create jobs by cutting middle-class taxes, hiring veterans, and putting Americans back to work building roads, bridges and schools.

“Democrats will continue to advance these job-creating policies, and Republicans will have to explain to the American people why they oppose common-sense, bipartisan solutions for putting Americans back to work. With millions of Americans unemployed, and millions more struggling to make ends meet, we need to act now. I hope Republicans start listening to the American people.”

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming a special guest from Nevada, the Reverend D. Edward Chaney, who just delivered an eloquent invocation.

Pastor Chaney is originally from South Carolina, but for the past two years he has led the flock of the Second Baptist Church in Las Vegas, Nevada.

He is also very involved with the Las Vegas community, serving on the board of the local chapters of the Urban League and the NAACP.

In addition to his tremendous service to the Southern Nevada community, he also served in the Navy for four years, and recently retired as Chaplain of the U.S. Air Force Reserve at Nellis Air Force Base.

I welcome Pastor Chaney and his wife, Avis, to Washington. Thank you, Pastor Chaney, for the inspiring invocation, which I hope it will guide the Senate’s actions today.

This morning the Senate will hold a vote to advance legislation to end the underhanded practice of currency manipulation by the Chinese government.

This practice – which gives Chinese exports an unfair advantage on the global market – hurts American manufacturers and cheats American workers out of jobs.

And it has helped balloon America’s trade deficit with China from $10 billion to $273 billion in the last 20 years, costing 3 million American jobs.

Two million of those lost jobs came from the manufacturing sector, which can’t compete as long as the Chinese government gives its exporters special advantages.

This legislation is a chance to even a tilted playing field, pump $300 billion into our economy in two years and support 1.6 million American jobs.

That’s why it has the support of labor unions and business groups. That’s why it advanced with an overwhelming, bipartisan vote on Monday.

I would remind my Republican colleagues that, since the Senate began debate of this bill, China has made no move to correct the value of its currency. It is clear that merely considering Congressional action will not solve this problem.

Democrats have offered to work with Republicans on agreement to consider several germane amendments, and we stand by that offer.

Thirty-one Republicans voted to advance this legislation earlier this week.

I am hopeful my colleagues on the other side will continue to work with us in a bipartisan fashion to advance this important, job-creating legislation today.

House GOP Aide On President’s Jobs Package: ‘Why Hand Him A Win?’

Sen. Cornyn Said The Economy “Is A Problem For the President and His Party.” “So it was notable to hear National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn bluntly state last week that as far as the 2012 election goes, the economy is an issue for Democrats.  ‘What we experienced in the last administration is usually most of the ire is directed at the president,’ Cornyn said. ‘And so I think actually, I am sorry our country is not doing well, [but] from a political standpoint I think it’s a problem for the president and his party.’ ‘I think the president owns the economy and I think he owns the political problems associated with it,’ Cornyn added.” [National Journal, 9/12/11]

GOP STANCE: OPPOSE ANYTHING THAT MIGHT HELP ECONOMY TO KEEP PRESIDENT ‘ON THE ROPES’  

Senior House Republican: ‘Obama Is On the Ropes, Don’t Hand Him a Win.’  According to Politico, a senior House Republican Aide said,  “Obama is on the ropes; why do we appear ready to hand him a win?”  [Politico, 9/12/11]

Sen. Inhofe Doesn’t Want Obama To Roll Back Regulations If It Would Help Obama “Be Reelected”. “Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) the ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said Tuesday that he hopes Obama will continue to pull back on other controversial rules…However, he said, ‘I wouldn’t want him to do that to the extent that he’d be reelected.’” [Politico, 9/7/11]

Sen. McConnell’s Most Important Goal is Making Obama A One-Term President. “Well that is true, [making Obama a one-term President is] my single most important political goal along with every active Republican in the country.” [Fox News, 7/10/11]

Rep. Bachmann’s “All Important Must-Have” Is Making Obama A One-Term President. At the Conservative Political Action Conference, Michele Bachmann said “The all-important must have for 2012 is making Barack Obama a one-term president.” [USA Today, 2/10/11]

Bachmann Says She Hopes Bad Jobs Situation Helps Her Win Presidency.

Host: “Does it strike you that as the unemployment rate goes up your chances of winning office also goes up?”

Bachmann: “Well that could be, again I hope so.” [CNBC, 7/8/11]

I applaud the bipartisan approach taken by the American Jobs Act President Obama described last night.

This common-sense plan will cut taxes for middle-class families and small businesses.

It will get laid-off teachers and first responders back to work. It will send construction workers to job sites around the country to build roads, bridges and schools. And it will ensure that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who have just returned from serving their country come home to good jobs.

It will also help Americans who have been unemployed for too long to keep their families afloat while they look for jobs.

Reagan Republicans would have embraced the reasonable, common-sense approach of the American Jobs Act.

All of the ideas in this legislation have been supported by both Democrats and Republicans in the past. Some of them came from Republicans in the first place.

And it won’t add a penny to the deficit. In fact, we all know reducing unemployment is the fastest way to reduce our deficit.

I urge reasonable Republicans to resist the voices of those who would oppose this legislation – and root for our economy to fail – for political reasons. They will see this proposal is made up of bipartisan ideas supported in the past by members of both parties.

They must not continue to bow to Tea Party Republicans willing to do anything to hurt the President. That is hurting our economy instead.

We cannot allow their radical political agenda to crowd out America’s jobs agenda.

The uncertainty of this summer – a fight over whether to default on our financial obligations and a shocking credit downgrade – has rocked an economy that was already shaking. But this fall – and this legislation – offers us an opportunity to set the American economy back on the right track.

I look forward to studying the President’s bill. The Senate will begin debate on this proposal as soon as possible.

I know not every part of the President’s legislation will be supported by every member of my caucus. Nor will every Republican love every idea the President described last night.

But I look forward to an open, honest and respectful debate.

I hope my Republican colleagues will contribute constructively to this process in the coming weeks, rather than resorting to the obstructionist tactics that have caused gridlock for the last eight months.

And I hope a new day of cooperation and compromise is dawning.

On the eve of Sept. 11th, I would ask that we all remember this: the challenges we face as a nation – whether threats to our national security or to our economic security – are best faced together.

This Sunday, my fellow Nevadans and I will join the rest of this great nation in remembrance of the tragic events of that fateful day 10 year ago. And we will mourn the thousands of innocent lives lost in New York, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon.

We will never forget the events of that Tuesday morning, which dawned so clear and blue, or how they changed our nation.

But we should also remember the spirit of unity and determination that blossomed amidst the darkness of that day.

In the weeks and months that followed, we were not Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, Red states and Blue states. We were Americans one and all.

Beneath the partisanship of Washington, that is as true today as it was ten years ago.

That doesn’t mean we will not disagree. In fact, the same freedom that allows us to disagree is the root of our Democracy.

But it does mean we must work together in the best interest of this great nation – and in the interests of every man or woman who calls America home – no matter how difficult.

Today, the greatest challenge facing this country is putting 14 million Americans back to work and returning our economy to prosperity. I look forward to tackling that that challenge as one nation.