“The few reasonable Republicans left in Congress agree we need to give certainty to middle-class families now.”

“I still believe there are 26 reasonable Republicans willing to put their promise to serve constituents ahead of their pledge to Grover Norquist.”

Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spoke on the Senate floor today regarding the failure of the disabilities treaty and ongoing tax and budget negotiations. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

Across the country, Americans are lamenting the lack of progress in negotiations to avoid a massive tax increase on middle-class families. I share their frustration.

But for insight into why negotiations have been difficult, consider yesterday’s failure of the Disabilities Convention at the hands of the Tea Party.

This shouldn’t have been a battle. But extreme elements of the Republican Party picked a fight where there was none.

Thirty-eight Republicans voted against the Convention, including several who were on the record supporting it.

This treaty, already ratified by 125 countries, would hold foreign nations to the same high standard of treatment the U.S. already maintains for people with disabilities.

And it would safeguard American citizens traveling, working and serving abroad.

The treaty has the support of veterans groups and disability groups from around the country.

It wouldn’t cost taxpayers a penny. It wouldn’t require any changes to existing U.S. law. And the issue is as bipartisan as they come. This is what one Senator said about the treaty:

“Protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, ANY person, is not a political issue. It is a human issue, regardless of where in the world a disabled person strives to live a normal, independent life where basic rights and accessibilities are available. Disability rights and protections have always been a bipartisan issue and ratifying this treaty should be no different.”

That wasn’t some ultra-liberal. That was Senator John McCain, a veteran, who broke with the extremists and Tea Partiers in his party and voted to ratify the treaty.

The Convention also had strong support from a number of other leading Republicans, including President George H.W. Bush and former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole.

Senator Dole, a disabled veteran of World War II who led the fight to pass the treaty, was here yesterday urging Republicans to support it.

One by one, those Republicans greeted the 89-year-old war hero and patriot, who just last week was in Walter Reed hospital.

And then, one by one, all but a handful of them voted against the treaty – ensuring its failure.

But their professed reasons for opposing it had no basis in fact. Even many Republicans acknowledge that.

There is no justification for sending a message / that every individual around the world / who strives to lead a full and productive life / in spite of a disability / does not deserve the same just treatment.

There is no justification for telling disabled Americans – especially those who have sacrificed their very bodies for our freedom – that they do not deserve the same protections abroad / that they do at home.

Yet that is the message 38 of my Republican colleagues sent yesterday.

And these are the same Republicans with whom Democrats are supposed to reach an agreement to protect middle-class families from a tax increase.

It’s difficult to engage in rational negotiation when one side holds well-known facts and proven truths in such low esteem.

That doesn’t mean compromise is out of reach.

But as negotiations continue, I hope my Republican colleagues will keep in mind the oft-repeated words of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan:

“You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.”

The stakes are high. The days run short. But there is still a quick, easy way out of this predicament.

The House must take up the Senate-passed, middle-class tax cut. The few reasonable Republicans left in Congress agree we need to give certainty to middle-class families now.

Yesterday, Senator Olympia Snowe, the Senior Senator from Maine, who is retiring, said Congress should fight about tax rates for the top 2 percent after we’ve reassured the middle class.

Americans, “should not even be questioning that we will ultimately raise taxes on low- to middle-income people.”

If House Republican leaders allow a vote on our legislation, it will pass. Every Democrat will vote for it.

It will only take 26 Republican votes to push the legislation across the finish line.

And I still believe there are 26 reasonable Republicans willing to put their promise to serve constituents ahead of their pledge to Grover Norquist.

“It is a sad day when we cannot pass a treaty that simply brings the world up to the American standard for protecting people with disabilities because the Republican party is in thrall to extremists and ideologues. The United States is seen as a leader around the world. Today, we had a chance to lead, and we failed because a small group of Republican senators fear the Tea Party more than they care about equality for people with disabilities.

“Today’s vote wasn’t about Republicans or Democrats. It was about standing up for our heroes – men and women who risked their lives on the battlefield for the United States of America. This treaty was about 57 million Americans who live with a disability. Republicans such as former President George H.W. Bush, Senator McCain and former Senator Bob Dole called on their Republican colleagues to support these Americans. I am saddened those Senators did not listen. Their arguments against the treaty had no basis in fact – the treaty does not change United States law. That is why I plan to bring this treaty up for a vote again in the next Congress. Our wounded veterans and millions more around the world deserve better.”

On April 14, 1945, a young Robert Dole lay gravely wounded in the mud of a war-torn Italian hillside, after shrapnel tore through his shoulder and spine.

Twenty-four years later, after years spent rebuilding his body and building a political career, the future Senate Majority Leader gave his maiden speech on the Senate floor.

Senator Bob Dole’s first floor speech was about the challenges faced each day – even in this, the richest of nations – by people just like him – people with disabilities.

He described the discrimination Americans with disabilities faced as, “Maybe not exclusion from the front of the bus, but perhaps from even climbing aboard it.”

And for the next 27 years of his Senate career – including 11 years as Majority Leader – and throughout his years in the private sector, Bob Dole would remain a vocal advocate for Americans with disabilities.

Since Senator Dole fought for passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, barriers have lifted, helping people with disabilities in this country live the full and productive lives they want and deserve.

There is no finer example of the extraordinary things ordinary Americans can achieve in spite of their disabilities than Bob Dole’s inspiring career.

The United States has been a leader in expanding disability rights across the globe. And U.S. law has been the gold standard for the rest of world.

But the United States must continue to lead by example. And we must do more to protect American citizens traveling, working and serving abroad.

The Disabilities Convention before the Senate today, a treaty already ratified by 125 nations, would advance those goals.

This convention would give us an opportunity to strengthen our leadership on disability rights around the world.

And it is another step towards ensuring all people with a disability – in any country – are treated with dignity and given the right to achieve their full potential.

Ratification of this treaty won’t cost taxpayers a dime.

It won’t require any changes to existing U.S. law.

It has the support of veterans groups and disability groups from around the country.

It has the strong backing of a bipartisan group of Senators and leading Republicans such as President George H.W. Bush, as well as Senator Dole.

And like passing the Americans with Disabilities Act, ratifying the treaty is the right thing to do.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “If you would lift me up you must be on higher ground.”

If the United States wishes to be a global example of the huge strides people with disabilities can make when barriers to success are removed, we must take the high ground.

I thank Senators Kerry, McCain, Durbin, Lugar, Barrasso, Coons, Tom Udall and Harkin for leading the way on this issue. With their help, I hope we will quickly ratify this treaty.

“For the last 21 years, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has brought greater equality to countless Nevadans and Americans across the country.  Through this landmark civil rights measure, we’ve removed barriers to employment, transportation, public services, telecommunications and public accommodations for individuals with disabilities. Not a single Nevadan nor American should be restricted from fully participating as members of their community, and the ADA gives individuals with disabilities greater opportunities, freedoms and access to perform basic tasks that many of us take for granted.

“While we’ve made great strides to ensure that the civil rights of all Americans are protected, there is still work to be done, and I remain steadfast in my commitment to further increasing access and preventing all forms of discrimination.”