“Today’s numbers show that our economy is growing, and is poised to grow even faster in the months to come. There is still much work to be done to bring unemployment down in Nevada and across the nation. The first step is to replace the sequester with a balanced combination of smart spending cuts and policies that close wasteful tax loopholes and ask millionaires to pay their fair share. But this can only be done with cooperation from my Republican colleagues.

“The American people expect solutions from their elected officials. It is up to Congress to provide them with the solutions they deserve.”

“Our nation’s economy continues to recover, but there is still work to be done. To give our economy the running room it needs to get up to speed, we should replace cuts that hurt the middle class with a balanced approach that combines smart cuts with revenue measures that close tax loopholes and ask the wealthy to contribute their fair share. For too many Nevadans and Americans throughout our nation, the recovery isn’t a reality until they can rely on a steady paycheck. We will not rest until we make that future a reality.”

“Democrats will hold fast to the guiding principle that a strong middle class – and an opportunity for every American to enter that middle class – is the key to this nation’s success.”

“But not a single piece of important legislation can pass the Senate or become law without the votes of both Democrats and Republicans. So we will also be willing to compromise and to work with our colleagues across the aisle.”

Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spoke on the Senate floor today regarding compromise and Democrats’ legislative priorities for the 113th congress. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

Today – with the inspiration of the second inauguration of President Barack Obama fresh in our minds – we renew our effort to fulfill the promise of prosperity for every American. The theme of yesterday’s inauguration was “faith in America’s future.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – whose birth and life we also celebrated Monday – once said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” I have faith that the members of the 113th Congress will bring this nation closer to realizing that promise of prosperity.

The last Congress was too often characterized by sharp political divides – divides that hampered efforts to foster success for all Americans. I am hopeful – cautiously optimistic – that the 113th Congress will be characterized not by our divisions, but by our renewed commitment to cooperation and compromise. I urge every woman and every man fortunate enough to serve in this Chamber to remember: It is possible to hold fast to your principles while making the compromises necessary to move our country forward.

Democrats will hold fast to the guiding principle that a strong middle class – and an opportunity for every American to enter that middle class – is the key to this nation’s success. Democrats will stand strong – strong for the standard of balance. And we will remain resolute – resolute in the pursuit of fairness for all Americans, regardless of where they were born or the color of their skin, regardless of the size of their bank accounts, regardless of their religion or their sexual orientation.

Those principles will direct our course as we introduce our first ten bills today – a tradition in the United States Senate – and as we mend our broken immigration system, strengthen our schools and rebuild our roads and bridges. Those principles will be foremost in our minds as we balance the right to bear arms with the right of every child to grow up safe from gun violence. Those principles will be our North Star as we work to end wasteful tax loopholes and balance thoughtful spending reductions with revenue from the wealthiest among us. And those principles will point the way as we work to ensure this country’s uniformed service members never struggle to find employment when their military duties end. Through every struggle and every triumph, those principles must be our guide.

But not a single piece of important legislation can pass the Senate or become law without the votes of both Democrats and Republicans. So we will also be willing to compromise and to work with our colleagues across the aisle.

Unfortunately, a number of bipartisan bills passed by the Senate during the last Congress were never acted upon by the House of Representatives. So this year the Senate will also revisit some of the legislative priorities of the 112th Congress. We will take up the Violence Against Women Act, the farm bill, historic reforms to save the United States Postal Service and legislation to make whole the victims of Hurricane Sandy. Each of these initiatives passed the Senate on a bipartisan basis after deliberation and debate during the 112th Congress, but was left to languish by the House of Representatives.

The Senate will continue to help our fellow Americans recover from Hurricane Sandy before another, similar disaster strikes. Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed in New York, New Jersey and New England, and tens of thousands of Americans were left homeless by this destructive storm. We have a responsibility to aid our countrymen as they rebuild and their lives and their communities – as we have after terrible floods, fires and storms in other parts of our nation. Once we complete that vital legislation, the Senate will take action to make this institution that we all love work more effectively. We will consider changes to the United States Senate rules.

Because this matter warrants additional debate, today we will follow the precedents set in 2005 and again in 2011. We will reserve the right of all Senators to propose changes to the Senate rules. And we will explicitly not acquiesce in the carrying over of all the rules from the last Congress. It is my intention that the Senate will recess today, rather than adjourn, to continue the same legislative day, and allow this important rules discussion to continue. I am hopeful the Republican leader and I will reach an agreement that allows the Senate to operate more effectively.

“Our economy continues to grow and create jobs, but for those still unemployed in Nevada and throughout the nation, the recovery will not be a reality until they start earning a paycheck once again.

“To keep our recovery going, we need to avoid another knock-down, drag-out fight over whether to default, or to pay our nation’s existing bills. Republicans are threatening to once again hold the full faith and credit of the United States hostage in order to force cuts to Social Security and Medicare. If our recovery is to take off, we must forego this kind of reckless, partisan brinksmanship, and work together to find solutions that work for the middle class.”

“While too many Americans in Nevada and across the country continue to struggle, there is no doubt our economy is moving in the right direction. The only question is whether Republicans will jeopardize the progress made so far by forcing a $2,200 tax hike on middle class families, or initiating another destructive fight over the debt ceiling.

“The steps we need to take to keep our economy moving in the right direction are simple. Speaker Boehner should pass the Senate’s middle-class tax cut bill immediately, and Senator McConnell should allow an up-or-down vote on his own proposal to give the President the authority to avoid default by raising the debt ceiling.

“If Republicans refuse to take these simple steps, their focus will be clear:  they are more interested in appeasing the Tea Party than protecting the middle class.”

“Today’s job numbers make one thing clear: President Obama’s policies are moving our economy forward, creating more jobs than expected in October and more than 5 million over the past 32 months.

“We have a great deal more to do and too many Nevadans are still out of work. But this recovery would be even stronger if Republicans had decided to work with Democrats, instead of obstructing at every turn. As we look to the challenges facing us in the coming months, I hope that my Republican colleagues will re-evaluate their strategy, stop trying to appease the Tea Party, and instead choose to help all Americans by reaching across the aisle to get things done. The American people expect us to put politics aside and do the right thing for middle-class families, and they deserve nothing less from their elected leaders.”

“We still have a lot of work to do, but with unemployment dropping below 8 percent to the lowest level in four years, our economy is on the right track. The unemployment rate fell even after more than four hundred thousand people entered the workforce. There are still far too many people looking for work in Nevada and across the nation, but today’s report shows that the balanced policies advanced by President Obama and Democrats in the House and Senate are working to move our economy forward.

“We could be moving even faster if Republicans would drop their knee-jerk obstruction and work with Democrats. My counterpart, Senator McConnell, said that his ‘single most important’ goal was defeating President Obama, not working to create jobs or grow the middle class. It’s time for Republicans to put politics aside, and put the middle class first.”

“The least we can do for veterans, after they fought for this country abroad, is to ensure they never have to fight for a job when they come home to Nevada, or any other state. Yet, Republicans stalled and eventually blocked the Veterans Jobs Corps Act with one procedural excuse after another. My colleagues have played politics with all types of common sense measures, just because those measures are supported by President Obama. But blocking a veterans’ jobs bill is a new low, and truly disappointing to me and to tens of thousands of service members.

“Each year 200,000 brave members of our Armed Forces reenter the civilian workforce. This bill would have eased their transition to civilian life with job training programs and priority hiring for first responder jobs as police officers, fire fighters or rescue workers. Once, a proposal like this would have sailed through the Senate with bipartisan support. But today my Republican colleagues put election-year partisanship ahead of the men and women who risked their lives to protect our freedoms.”

AP – Republican objections to spending in veterans jobs bill blocks election-year legislation -The Senate blocked legislation Wednesday that would have established a $1 billion jobs program putting veterans back to work tending to the country’s federal lands and bolstering local police and fire departments. Republicans said the spending authorized in the bill violated limits that Congress agreed to last year. Democrats fell two votes shy of the 60-vote majority needed to waive the objection, forcing the legislation back to committee. LINK

Roll Call – Senate GOP Blocks Veterans Jobs Bill - Senate Republicans today defeated Democratic legislation designed to help veterans get jobs, complaining that the measure violates budget rules and is meant to score political points rather than help veterans. “Americans don’t trust us,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee. “And why should Americans trust us when we keep using gimmicks and budget sleight of hand to hide more spending and drive the country further into debt.” LINK

National Journal – Senate Republicans Stop Vote On Vet Jobs Bill - Senate Republicans effectively killed a measure to find jobs for unemployed veterans on a procedural vote Wednesday, after several attempts by Democrats to keep the bill on the table failed.  Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., raised a point of order against the bill on Wednesday, citing alleged violations of Senate budget rules. Since three-fifths of the chamber did not vote to waive the rules, the legislation cannot move forward.LINK

Washington Post – Bill to create Veterans Job Corps fails to advance - Legislation to create a Veterans Job Corps suffered a major defeat Wednesday afternoon after Republicans successfully blocked the bill’s advance with a budgetary point of order. The Senate voted 58 to 43 largely on party lines in favor of waiving the procedural objection, short of the three-fifths majority needed. Republicans said the bill was in violation of the Budget Control Act, prohibiting new programs that would add to the deficit. LINK

The Guardian – Veterans’ bill voted down by GOP as Senate Democrats proclaim ‘new low’ -Republicans have voted down legislation that would have established a $1bn jobs programme to put unemployed veterans back to work as firefighters, police officers and in public work projects. They objected to the cost of the bill, which they said violates spending limits agreed to last year in Congress. Democrats and veterans groups say its cost are fully offset. The bill, which had bipartisan support in the Senate and would have given priority to post-9/11 veterans whose employment prospects are three points below the national average, fell two votes short of the majority of 60 needed to waive Republican objections. LINK

It’s Thursday, which means Republicans have once against forced the Senate to waste the better part of a week jumping through procedural hoops.

This week the Senate waited out yet another filibuster – the 380th filibuster in my six years as Majority Leader.

But this time Republicans aren’t just obstructing a measure that would create jobs.

They’re obstructing a measure that would create jobs for the men and women who have risked their lives over the last 11 years to protect our freedoms.

Each year 200,000 service members reenter the civilian workforce.

The Veterans Jobs Corps Act would invest in those returning veterans – easing the transition back to civilian life with job training programs and priority hiring for first responder positions.

If young veterans want to continue their service to country and community by becoming police officers, fire fighters or rescue workers, we should help them achieve that goal.

And this legislation would also create jobs for veterans restoring forests, parks, coasts and public lands.

The least we can do for those who have fought for this country abroad is to ensure they never have to fight for a job when they come home.

This is the kind of proposal that should sail through the Senate with bipartisan support.

Instead, it has met one Republican stall tactic after another.

Not only has this bill faced a string of procedural hurdles, Republicans have larded it up with unrelated, ideological amendments.

And while some of those amendments are certainly important, they don’t belong on any jobs measure, let alone a jobs measure that would assist returning veterans.

Unfortunately, I’m not surprised to see the GOP blocking a jobs bill.

After all, that’s been their tactic all year. In fact, it’s been their tactic for nearly four years.

The Republican Leader, Mitch McConnell, said so himself.

During the darkest days of the Great Recession, he said his number one goal was to defeat President Obama – not to create jobs or boost the economy.

And that’s still true today.

But I am dismayed to see them blocking a jobs bill aimed at protecting those who protect this nation.

This is a new low for Republicans.

At a time when 175,000 post-9/11 veterans are out of work, we can’t afford to waste time with election-year politics.

Less than three weeks before his death, John F. Kennedy wrote that, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

It is time for the Senate to show its gratitude to a new generation of veterans with deeds.

And so I hope my Republican colleagues will find it in themselves to put America’s veterans first and their political aspirations second.

“The unemployment rate is falling as we saw the thirtieth straight month of private sector job growth, with the economy adding nearly one hundred thousand new jobs. While our recovery is still moving too slowly for many Americans, job growth would likely have been even stronger if Republicans had not blocked Democratic efforts to hire more teachers, firefighters and police officers.

“At the end of the day, too many people in Nevada and across America are still struggling to get by. The best way to speed up our recovery is for Republicans to stop their knee-jerk obstruction of every effort Democrats put forward, and start working across the aisle to find common ground. Next week, the Senate will vote to give employers incentives to hire veterans, so our heroes are not left out in the cold when they return home. This is a common-sense jobs bill, and I hope Republicans will join Democrats in supporting it.

“The Republican leader said his single most important goal was defeating President Obama. To speed up our recovery, it’s time for Republicans to put politics aside, and join Democrats to make the middle class their top priority.”

“As we pause on Labor Day to celebrate our hard-working middle class, we know that too many working men and women in Nevada and across the country are still struggling to regain their footing. Our economic recovery will not be complete until everyone who wants a job can find one.

“It is not enough to simply pay lip service to our nation’s workforce. Americans are looking to their elected leaders for action that will grow the middle class. Republicans will have another chance to join Democrats on common-sense, job-creating legislation when the Senate votes to give businesses incentives to hire veterans, and ensure that our nation’s heroes are not left out in the cold when they return home. And if Republicans would drop their obstruction, we could take action immediately to protect the middle class from the fiscal cliff by cutting taxes for 98 percent of Americans, and asking millionaires to pay their fair share towards deficit reduction.

“Unfortunately, Republicans have made it clear that their single most important goal is defeating President Obama, not growing the middle class. American workers and their families need Republicans in Congress to put politics aside, and make putting Americans back to work their top priority.”

“In Nevada and across America there are still far too many Americans looking for work. But we have now seen 27 straight months of private sector job growth, along with encouraging progress in critical sectors such as manufacturing. Our economy is recovering, but recovering slowly.

“The main obstacle standing in the way of a stronger economic recovery is the unprecedented, politically-motivated obstruction from Republicans in Congress. My counterpart, Senator McConnell, announced that his ‘single most important’ goal was defeating President Obama. Republicans have followed his lead, blocking bill after bill that would create jobs and help middle-class families, often without even bothering to pretend they disagree with the bipartisan, common-sense policies they are obstructing.

“The best thing we can do to spur on our recovery is to protect middle-class families from the fiscal cliff. Last week, the Senate passed a bill that would prevent middle-class families’ taxes from rising on January 1. Sadly, House Republicans are holding these middle-class tax cuts hostage, demanding additional tax cuts for the top two percent of taxpayers.

“Instead of spending all of their energy trying to defeat President Obama, I hope my Republican colleagues will listen to their constituents, drop their obstruction, and start working with Democrats. Middle-class Americans expect us to put politics aside and do the right thing for our economy, and they deserve nothing less.”

I was pleased to hear Speaker Boehner say last week that he will bring the Senate-passed middle class tax cut to the House floor for a vote.

The nation is one vote away from avoiding the fiscal cliff for middle class families.

Every member of the House of Representatives should have the opportunity to show where they stand: with millionaires or with the middle class.

Members can support Democrats’ plan to cut taxes for 98 percent of Americans while reducing the deficit by almost $1 trillion.

Or they can support the Republican plan to hand out more tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires while increasing taxes for 25 million families struggling to put kids through college and food on the table.

The two approaches demonstrate a glaring difference in priorities.

But there’s another difference between the two plans: Democrats’ proposal is the only one with a chance of actually becoming law.

President Obama has said he would sign it tomorrow. What he won’t do is sign into law any more wasteful giveaways to the wealthiest two percent.

And the Senate has already defeated the Republican proposal in a bipartisan vote, so it’s simply a waste of time for House Republicans to continue to pursue their middle-class tax hike.

House Republicans should stop holding the middle class hostage to extract more tax cuts for the richest of the rich. They should pass our middle class tax cut now.

American families can’t afford to wait until the last moment to find out what their bottom line will look like come January 1.

They’re sitting around the kitchen table today figuring out whether they can afford to buy their first house, send their kids to college or retire.

Republicans shouldn’t force 114 million families to guess whether they’ll have $1,600 less to spend or save next year.

They need certainty now. And one simple vote can give them that certainty.

Today the Senate also continues work to address a problem national security experts call the most urgent threat to our country: weaknesses in our defenses again cyber attack.

Cyber terrorism could cripple the computer networks that control our electrical grid, water supplies and sewers, nuclear plants, energy pipelines, transportation networks, communications equipment and financial systems.

General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said “a cyber attack could stop this society in its tracks.”

But cyber espionage doesn’t just threaten our national security – it threatens our economic security.

Hackers have already attacked most major corporations and the NASDAQ stock exchange.

Attacks like these cost our economy billions of dollars a year and thousands of jobs.

General James Clapper, director of National Intelligence, said Chinese cyber theft of American intellectual property is “the greatest pillaging of wealth in history.”

“That’s our future disappearing in front of us,” added General Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Administration.

In a report released last year, the Chamber of Commerce said government and the private sector should work together to develop incentives for businesses to voluntarily act to protect our nation’s critical infrastructure.

This legislation will do exactly that – establish a public-private partnership to make our nation safer and protect American jobs.

I hope that the Chamber will join the effort to pass this important legislation.

While I personally believe this bill could go further to address threats to critical infrastructure – the networks that operate our electric grid, our water supply and other life-sustaining systems – it is a tremendous first step.

I applaud Senator Lieberman, Senator Collins, Senator Feinstein and Senator Rockefeller for their work on this legislation.

The bill managers are compiling a list of relevant amendments for consideration. I hope we can cooperate to work through that list and pass this legislation by the end of the week.

We can’t afford to fail to address what experts call the greatest security challenge since the dawn of the nuclear age.

Today the Senate will vote on whether to end a filibuster of Judge Robert Bacharach, a nominee from Oklahoma to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

By any measure, Bacherach is the type of non-controversial nominee the Senate would routinely confirm with broad, bipartisan support.

He was reported out of the Judiciary Committee by voice vote.

And he has the support of the two Republican Senators from his home state of Oklahoma.

Senator Coburn, the Junior Senator from Oklahoma, said Friday, Bacherach is “just a stellar candidate, and he ought to get through.”

Yet Republicans have signaled they may block his confirmation.

If they hold up this consensus candidate, it will be the first time an appeals court nominee with bipartisan committee support has ever been successfully filibustered on the floor.

If Senator Coburn and Senator Inhofe withdraw their support for this qualified nominee, blatant partisanship will be to blame.

But don’t take my word for it. Senator Coburn said Bacherach is “an awfully good candidate caught in election-year politics.”

“In the past decade, American companies outsourced almost 2.5 million jobs. Right now, more than 130,000 workers in Nevada are at risk of seeing their jobs sent overseas. But today, Republicans blocked the Senate from debating a common-sense bill that would provide a new tax incentive to create more jobs here at home, and eliminate subsidies for companies that are shipping American jobs overseas.

“Republicans’ presidential candidate, Governor Mitt Romney, made a fortune by encouraging companies to ship American jobs overseas, so it’s little wonder that Senate Republicans are afraid to defend their support for outsourcing.

“Senator McConnell said that his ‘single most important’ goal is defeating President Obama, and in the past week he has made that abundantly clear. It is a shame that middle class families must suffer for Republicans to achieve their political aims.”

Over the last decade American companies outsourced almost 2.5 million jobs, often to countries where they can hire workers for half the price.

And 21 million Americans – including nearly 7 million manufacturing workers – live with the fear that their jobs could be shipped overseas tomorrow.

More than 130,000 of those at-risk workers live in Nevada.

In the presiding officer’s home state of New Mexico, more than 100,000 jobs in manufacturing, sales, management, the financial sector and other industries are in jeopardy.

And more than 300,000 jobs in the state of Kentucky are also at risk.

So I was surprised yesterday when the Minority Leader dismissed efforts to end taxpayer incentives for companies that outsource jobs as unserious.

“Why aren’t we doing anything?” the Minority Leader asked. “It’s time to bring up serious legislation that affects the future of the country.”

At a time when millions of Americans are looking for work, I’m not sure what could be more serious than protecting good-paying, middle-class jobs.

The Bring Jobs Home Act – the measure before this body – would end tax incentives for corporations to ship jobs overseas.

Every time an American company closes a factory or a call center in America and moves operations to another country, taxpayers pick up part of the moving bill.

This legislation would end senseless tax breaks for outsourcers.

And it would offer a 20% tax credit to help with the costs of moving production back to the United States.

In the last few years, major manufacturers like Ford and Caterpillar have brought jobs back to the U.S. from Japan, Mexico and China.

And smaller manufacturers like Master Lock have moved facilities home as well.

Congress must to do everything in its power to encourage this trend.

But let me remind you, the Senate must break a Republican filibuster before it can even begin debating the Bring Jobs Home Act.

This obstruction tactic is unfortunate, but it’s not surprising.

After all, Republicans’ nominee for president made a fortune working for a company that shipped jobs overseas.

Yesterday Senator McConnell said he wants to debate serious legislation.

If that’s the case, he should urge his Republican colleagues to drop their filibuster.

The Bring Jobs Home Act is a common-sense strategy to protect American workers.

To 21 million Americans whose jobs could be the next ones sent to China or India, it’s a very serious proposal.

And to the 2.5 million Americans who jobs have already been offshored, it doesn’t get any more serious than this.

The only ones who aren’t taking this legislation seriously are Republicans in Congress.

If you own a business in this country, your goal is to make a profit.

There’s nothing wrong with that. Millions of hard-working America entrepreneurs are the backbone of our economy.

And if your company boosts profits by sending jobs overseas, that’s your right as a business owner.

But American taxpayers shouldn’t subsidize your business decision to outsource jobs, especially when there are millions of people in this country looking for work.

Over the last 10 years, 2.4 million jobs in call centers and sales centers, in financial firm and factories were shipped overseas.

And American taxpayers helped foot the bill.

Every time U.S. companies ship jobs or facilities overseas, taxpayers help cover their moving costs.

The Bring Jobs Home Act would end these disgraceful subsidies for outsourcing. And it would give a 20% tax credit for the costs of moving production back to the United States.

But Republicans are filibustering this common-sense legislation.

It’s no surprise Republicans are on the side of corporations making big bucks sending American jobs to China and India.

After all, their presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, made a fortune outsourcing jobs, too.

So Republicans are once again putting tax breaks for big corporations and multi-millionaires ahead of the needs of ordinary Americans.

And what most Americans need is a good job here at home and the assurance their taxes won’t go up on January 1.

Yet Republicans in Congress are filibustering legislation to bring jobs home to America.

And they’ve twice blocked a vote on legislation to keep taxes low for 98 percent of American families.

It was Republicans who asked for a vote on their plan to raise taxes for 25 million families and a vote on our plan to keep taxes low for 135 million American taxpayers.

So we offered them what they wanted. We offered them up-or-down votes on both proposals.

No procedural hoops. No delay tactics. Just simple, majority votes on our plan and on theirs.

They refused.

Maybe they refused because they don’t have the votes for their plan to raise taxes on 25 million American families.

Or maybe they refused it because a majority of Americans support our plan to keep taxes low for 98 percent of families, while asking the top 2 percent to contribute a little bit more to reduce the deficit.

Even a majority of Republicans in America support our plan.

Yet still Republicans in Congress are holding hostage tax cuts for nearly every family in America to extort more budget-busting giveaways to millionaires and billionaires.

For a year, the budget deficit was all Republicans talked about.

They were willing to end Medicare as we know it, slash nursing home benefits for seniors, cut investments in education and raise taxes on the middle class – all in the name of deficit reduction.

But now that Democrats have a plan to reduce the deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars simply by ending wasteful tax breaks, Republicans have given up on fiscal responsibility.
So I say this to my Republican friends: you can’t have it both ways.

You can’t call yourself a deficit hawk, then fight for more tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires.

And you can’t call yourself a fiscal conservative, then fight to protect tax breaks for companies that outsource jobs to India or China.

“The legislation Republicans blocked was a common-sense proposal that provided small businesses with two tax cuts designed to create jobs. Under our proposal, small businesses would have received a 10 percent tax cut on the amount by which they increase their payrolls this calendar year. And to help them expand, small businesses would have been allowed to write off 100 percent of the cost of any major equipment or software they purchase.

“Unfortunately, Republicans played their usual games of obstruction and opposition. There was simply no reason to oppose this bill on the merits, so Republicans manufactured reasons to kill it out of thin air. Republicans claimed they wanted amendment votes, but refused to take ‘yes’ for an answer when I offered them votes on those very amendments.

“Senator McConnell made it clear that his ‘single most important’ goal is defeating President Obama. It’s sad that the middle class has to suffer for Republicans to achieve their political aims.”

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid spoke on the Senate floor today regarding Senator Orrin Hatch’s amendment to the Small Business Jobs and Tax Relief Act, which would raise taxes on 25 million American families. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

Right now the Senate is considering a small business tax cut – proposed by President Obama – that will create 1 million jobs.

This legislation would give tax credits to businesses that grow and hire.

Yet Republicans are looking for any excuse to vote down the proposal for two reasons:

• It has the support of President Obama and Democrats in Congress.
• And it would strengthen the economy, which would help the President.

We know Republicans won’t do anything that helps President Obama – even if it’s good for the economy – because their number one goal is to defeat the President. Mitch McConnell has said so.

So Republicans are hiding behind a procedural trick: filibustering with unrelated amendments.

If there is any doubt about Republicans’ motivation – to kill this legislation – just look at the amendment proposed today by Senator Hatch of Utah.

The first thing Senator Hatch’s amendment would do is eliminate all the tax cuts in the bill.

The amendment would literally eliminate every provision in the bill designed to create jobs.

Senator Hatch’s amendment eliminates the 10% credit for employers that hire additional workers or increase their payroll – a provision that would create half a million jobs.

And it strikes deductions for businesses that invest in machinery and equipment – which would create another half a million jobs.

But the Republican amendment doesn’t stop there.

It goes on to increase taxes for 25 million American families.

Senator Hatch’s amendment would extend tax breaks for the top two percent of Americans. But it fails to extend a number of tax cuts that help middle-class families get by in a tough economy.

Senator Hatch’s amendment will increase taxes by $1,100 for 11 million families trying to pay for college.

Senator Hatch’s amendment would make it harder for 6 million large families to put food on the table. It would increase taxes by $800 for families with at least three children.

And Senator Hatch’s amendment fails to extend the full Child Tax Credit for 12 million families, increasing their taxes by $500.

No one is fooled by this amendment.

We see it for what it is: more Republican obstruction that comes with the added bonus of sticking it to the middle-class.

If that wasn’t enough political theater for one day, my Republican colleagues also claim they’re anxious to vote on President Obama’s plan to cut taxes for 98 percent of American families.

Once again, no one is fooled.

Republicans know very well the Senate will vote on the President’s proposal to give middle-class families certainty they won’t face a tax increase.

We’ll vote on it this work period, as I have already said. They say they want to vote sooner.

So let’s lock in an agreement to vote on:

• The President’s plan to give 98 percent of Americans certainty their taxes won’t go up,
• And the Republican plan to raise taxes on 25 million families.

Democrats are ready to have these votes right away at a simple majority threshold.

Then we can get back to the task at hand – cutting taxes for millions of small businesses that want to expand and put Americans back to work.

Take a look at the map below for a glimpse of how many jobs could be created by state, or click here for a larger view.

Manufacturing, Construction Among Industries That Would Get Biggest Boost

Study Adds Fresh Momentum to Tax Cut Proposal Ahead of Key Test Vote in Senate Later Today

WASHINGTON, DC—The small business tax cut proposal under consideration this week in the Senate would add nearly 1 million new jobs to the U.S. economy, according to a new, independent report released by Senate Democrats on Tuesday.

Nearly two-thirds of the net job creation—about 631,000 of the total 990,592 jobs added—would come from small businesses, according to the nonpartisan estimate. The projection adds fresh momentum to the tax cut measure ahead of a key test vote in the Senate later today.

“Creating close to one million jobs would put a meaningful dent in the unemployment problem,” said Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), who chairs the Senate Democratic Policy and Communications Center. “This tax cut is not a cure-all, but it could be a difference-maker for small firms on the fence about adding payroll. After last month’s sluggish jobs numbers, we may be on the verge of a rare moment of agreement on how to help the economy.”

“This report is further evidence that a new tax cut for small businesses to hire and increase wages will provide a significant boost to the economy. Small businesses are the drivers of economic growth in Pennsylvania and across the country, and passing this tax credit will help them create good-paying, family-sustaining jobs, said Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), the Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee and a co-sponsor of the proposal.

The analysis was performed by Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI), an independent, Massachusetts-based firm that conducts economic modeling on behalf of public- and private-sector clients.

“Since businesses that qualify are in each state, we find job impacts in all parts of the country,” said Frederick Treyz, CEO of REMI. “Most job impacts are in services, yet all sectors are affected by the tax changes. Specifically, we see large impacts in construction as some of the provisions target capital costs and because this industry is very responsive to overall economic conditions.”

The Senate Democrats’ tax cut proposal was first proposed by President Barack Obama last year. It would give a 10-percent tax credit to businesses that add payroll in 2012, either by hiring new workers or giving raises to existing employees. Companies would be eligible for the tax break on the first $5 million of new payroll, for a maximum credit of $500,000.

A second element of the proposal would allow businesses to write off 100 percent of the value of new capital investments they make in 2012. Current law only allows businesses to write off 50 percent of these costs.

The report estimated that the proposal’s two main components would have a nearly equal job-boosting effect. The tax credit for firms that add payroll would spur 483,786 new jobs, according to the report. The bonus depreciation provision would be responsible for the addition of 497,554 jobs.

The report concludes that the proposal’s impact would be felt across a range of industries. It estimated that 93,231 new jobs would be added to the construction industry and 60,620 would be added in manufacturing.

A copy of the report—complete with a state-by-state breakdown of the jobs impact of the tax cut—is attached.

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid spoke on the Senate floor today regarding the Small Business Jobs and Tax Relief Act. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

My Republican colleagues talk a good game on taxes.

But Democrats’ record of cutting taxes for small businesses speaks louder than Republican rhetoric.

Since President Obama took office, Democrats have cut taxes for small businesses 18 times.

And today we’ll advance a plan to cut taxes for small firms for the 19th time in just three and a half years.

The Small Business Jobs and Tax Relief Act would put money back in the coffers of true job creators.

Under our plan, business owners who hire new workers or give raises to current employees would get a 10 percent tax credit.

Our legislation would also cut taxes for firms that invest in new equipment, allowing more than 2 million businesses to grow faster.

These two proposals will create almost a million new jobs.

And economists from across the political spectrum agree this is the most efficient way to give the economy a badly-needed boost.

So if my Republican colleagues want their records to match their rhetoric, they’ll end their filibuster of this worthy measure.

And they’ll vote to support the real job creators – businesses that grow and hire.

Unfortunately, while Republicans agree we should cut taxes, their approach is completely different.

Congressional Republicans want to lavish huge, across-the-board tax breaks on billionaire hedge fund managers and mega-rich celebrities like Donald Trump.

Unlike our proposal, the Republican plan, which passed the House, wouldn’t do a thing to encourage hiring.

More than 99 percent of businesses in America would qualify for this extravagant tax break – even if they didn’t create a single new job or raise wages for one solitary employee.

In fact, fabulously rich so-called “small business owners” like Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton could qualify for these wasteful giveaways.

Even though three-quarters of Americans oppose more tax breaks for wealthiest few, nearly half the benefits of this $46 billion Republican proposal would go to millionaires and billionaires.

Democrats want to cut taxes for small businesses – but the Republican alternative is simply the wrong way to do it.

“Today’s report is further evidence that Congress should be focusing on creating jobs and helping the middle class, not re-fighting old battles for political gain. Unfortunately, my Republican colleagues have decided they would rather focus their energy on political grandstanding and empty, partisan exercises that will not create a single job. As this report clearly shows, it’s time to move on and focus on jobs.

“To help spark the growth we need, the Senate will move next week to vote on a series of common-sense jobs bills, starting with a tax cut for small businesses that is designed to reward hiring and provide incentives for payroll growth. Unless Republicans are truly rooting for our economy to fail, there is simply no reason for them to oppose such common-sense jobs measures. With Americans in Nevada and around the country looking to their elected officials for results, putting Americans back to work should be our top priority, not Tea Party politics or partisan maneuvering.”

Last week, in a moment of candor, House Republicans admitted they’ve given up on legislating until after the election.

Although there’s plenty more work to be done – especially building on 27 straight months of private-sector job growth – Republicans are lurching from one recess to another.

Last week’s unscripted moment was a window into today’s Republican Party – a party that cares more about winning elections than creating jobs.

Then this week we got another frank assessment of the Republican agenda from inside looking out.

Former Governor Jeb Bush admitted Monday that his father, George H. W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan would have had a hard time fitting in with today’s Republican Party.

He said today’s GOP is defined by “an orthodoxy that doesn’t allow for disagreement.”

Governor Bush is right. The Republican Party no longer has room for moderates – or anyone unwilling to march in lock step with the radical Tea Party.

That’s apparent every day on Capitol Hill.

It was obvious from the first weeks of this Congress that the House had been taken over by extremists with no desire work together for the sake of the economy and no concept of the meaning of compromise.

But over the last year and a half it has become clear that Republicans in the Senate are also in thrall to the Tea Party.

We see that extremism in this Chamber – where Republicans have blocked or stalled every job creation measure Democrats have brought to the Senate floor.

And we see it on the campaign trail – where Mitt Romney told a crowd he opposes hiring more teachers, firefighters and police officers.

Putting more teachers in the classroom used to be a goal Democrats and Republicans could agree on.

Sending more cops out on patrol used to be a goal Democrats and Republicans could agree on.

Hiring more brave men and women to fight fires and save lives used to be a goal Democrats and Republicans could agree on.

But today’s radical Republicans have another agenda: drag down the economy because it’s good for Republican politics.

Yesterday, Governor Bush said his father and President Reagan – neither of whom could win a Republican primary today – both “sacrificed political points for good public policy.” He’s right.

Ronald Reagan would not have put up with what’s going on in the Republican Party today. For him, country came first, not elections.

George H. W. Bush would not have put up with what’s going on in the Republican Party today. He was a pragmatist, not an ideologue. And while he was a conservative Republican, you could work with him.

But today’s Republicans aren’t interested in passing good policy.

And they aren’t interested in creating jobs.

They’re too obsessed with defeating President Obama.

That’s their number one goal. But don’t take my word for it. The Minority Leader said so himself.

This is what he said: “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term President.”

America is battling its way back from the greatest recession since the Great Depression.

And although we have created 4.3 million private sector jobs, there’s more work to do.

But Republicans aren’t focused on jobs – they’ve been too busy checking the political scoreboard.

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid spoke on the Senate floor today regarding Republican obstructionism and Majority Leader Cantor’s admission that Republicans are done legislating this Congress. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

Last Congress was one of the most productive – if not the most productive – in the history of the country.

But with a new Republican majority in the House, this Congress has been altogether different.

Consistently, this Congress has taken weeks or months to pass even simple, common-sense proposals – proposals that would previously have passed in minutes.

The Senate has wasted literally months considering bipartisan bills, only to have those bills smothered to death under piles of non-relevant, Republican amendments.

And Congressional Republicans have held even the most important jobs measures hostage to extract votes on unrelated, ideological amendments – despite the Minority Leader’s own call “to stop all the show votes.” Those were his words.

Democrats – and the American people – have endured this blatant obstruction all year.

And yesterday we read that we will have to endure it every day for the rest of the year – every day for the rest of this Congress.

House Republican Leaders admit they have given up on actually running the country.

Despite the work that remains to keep our economy on the right track and continue 27 months of private sector job growth, they say they’re done legislating for the year.

Listen to this report from the political publication Politico yesterday: “Serious legislating is all but done until after the election… The rest of the year, Cantor said, will likely be about sending ‘signals…’”

So, rather than work with Democrats to strengthen our economy or create jobs, Congressional Republicans will put on a show designed to demonstrate the extreme, ideological direction in which they would lead the country.

Majority Leader Cantor’s candor is frightening.

He said out loud what practically every Republican on Capitol Hill has been thinking all along: they care more about winning elections than creating jobs.

But you don’t usually hear them say so in public, where reporters are listening.

Instead, one short month ago, Speaker Boehner urged Congress to “roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

To a conservatives audience, the Speaker said “we can’t wait” until after the election to legislate.

Less than a week later, Leader McConnell urged us to “stop the show votes that are designed to fail. Let’s stop with the blame games. Let’s come together and do what the American people expect us to do.”

Speaker Boehner and Leader McConnell’s statements are Orwellian – they do exactly the opposite of what they say.

Even Republican Senator Olympia Snowe – by all accounts a moderate, who is retiring amid frustration over increasing partisanship in Washington – wrote to me in April to urge quick Senate action on many of the challenging issues facing us.

Her letter cried out for help – not from Democrats, but from Republicans.

Leader Cantor’s remarks provide a window into the true Republican agenda.

It seems when Congressional Republicans forget the world is watching, they say what they really mean – they’re more interested in putting on a partisan sideshow than in solving the very real problems facing this nation.

In truth, this comes as no surprise. It’s just more of the same.

Republicans have launched a series of attacks on women’s access to health care and contraception, and filibustered legislation to ensure American women equal pay for equal work.

They’ve put women’s lives at risk by holding the Violence Against Women Act in limbo.

They opposed our efforts to restore fairness to the tax code and to ensure billionaires don’t pay lower tax rates than middle-class families.

They blocked a bill to hire more teachers, cops, firefighters and first responders.

And they stalled important jobs measures like the aviation jobs bill and the transportation jobs bill for months to pursue ideological battles.

For months Congressional Republicans have actively worked against any piece of legislation that might create jobs or spur economic growth.

Don’t take my word for it – just look at their record.

Democrats have known all along that Congressional Republicans’ number one goal isn’t to improve the economy or create jobs – it’s to defeat President Obama.

The Minority Leader, said so plainly, in another moment of candor.

“The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term President.”

Senator McConnell said that in October, 2010 – at a time when this nation faced monumental challenges.

We were fighting our way back from the greatest recession since the Great Depression.

Yet Republicans’ top priority wasn’t to create jobs.

Their top priority wasn’t to help business grow and hire.

It wasn’t to train the next generation of skilled employees, hire more cops and firefighters or put construction crews back to work building roads and bridges.

It was to drag down the economy in the hopes of defeating President Obama.

And thanks to Leader Cantor’s words, today we know Republicans’ priorities haven’t changed one bit.

It’s almost universally acknowledged that Republican obstructionism has reached new heights in the Senate.

Democrats would have to break a filibuster to declare the sky blue or the Earth round.

And passing even the most common-sense, consensus legislation can take weeks or months. So, with a mile-long to-do list, we can’t afford to waste time.

Yet today Republicans will force the Senate to waste a day on a series of political show votes.

We’ll spend hours debating and voting on a handful of non-binding budget resolutions – even though we already have a legally-binding budget.

The Senate could spend the day passing tax cuts for small businesses that grow and hire or legislation to keep the FDA running.

We could be considering the Paycheck Fairness Act – ensuring American women receive equal pay for equal work.

We could be debating cyber security legislation, working on a farm bill or protecting 7 million students from rate hikes on their federal loans.

We could even move a series of appropriations bills to implement the budget we’ve already enacted.

Instead we’ll debate and vote on a series of stunt budgets.

Republicans aren’t interested in getting anything done this year – they’re more interested in trying to defeat President Obama. So they don’t mind wasting a day of the Senate’s time on useless political show votes.

Republicans will say over and over they’re only forcing votes on four budgets today because Democrats failed to pass our own budget. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

In August, Congress passed and President Obama signed a budget that reduces the deficit by more than $2 trillion – the Budget Control Act.

Twenty-eight Senate Republicans – including my friend, the Minority Leader – voted for that legally-binding budget.

But since August those Republicans have developed a case of amnesia. Why else would they walk around Washington claiming we don’t have a budget?

And unlike the hollow Republican budget resolutions the Senate will waste the day debating, the Budget Control Act actually has the force of law.

If Republicans were serious about reducing the deficit, they wouldn’t be working so hard to undo that August law, which cuts more than $2 trillion from the deficit.

Democrats agree the across-the-board cuts to domestic spending and defense programs – agreed to in the Budget Control Act – aren’t the ideal way to solve our nation’s fiscal problems.

But the cuts were designed to be tough so lawmakers were forced to reach to a balanced deal.

Unfortunately, Republicans refused to be reasonable. They refused to raise even a penny of new revenue, or ask millionaires to contribute their fair share to help reduce our deficit.

And Democrats won’t agree to a one-sided solution that lets the super-wealthy off the hook while forcing the middle class to bear all the hardship.

These four stunt budgets all take that one-sided approach, which protects wealthy special interests at the expense of ordinary Americans.

And they clearly illuminate Republicans’ priorities – to shower the wealthy with tax breaks paid for by the middle class.

All four of the Republican plans cut investments that help middle class families get back on their feet in order to increase tax breaks for businesses that ship jobs overseas.

All four plans would double the student loan interest rate – putting college out of reach for many students – in order to protect tax loopholes for special interests.

All four plans end Medicare as we know it, gutting seniors’ health benefits to lavish more tax breaks on millionaires and billionaires.

Yesterday the Senate showed it’s possible to advance policies that improve our economy and put Americans back to work – as long as Democrats and Republicans work together.

On an overwhelming, bipartisan vote, we passed an Export-Import Bank reauthorization that will support hundreds of thousands of jobs and help American companies sell their products overseas.

But every moment we waste refighting old battles or revisiting Republicans’ failed economic policies is time that could be better spent creating jobs.

The time for show votes is over. Now it’s time for the Senate to get back to work putting Americans back to work.

I am pleased Democrats and Republicans reached an agreement to move forward with reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank.

The Bank helps American companies sell their products overseas and hire workers here at home.

It helped private companies add almost 300,000 jobs in more than 2,000 American communities last year.

That’s why labor groups, manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have urged the Senate to move quickly to reauthorize the Bank, which expires at the end of the month.

The second ranking officer at the Chamber of Commerce wrote this to Senators yesterday:

“Failure to enact this legislation would put at risk… American jobs at 3,600 companies that depend on Ex-Im to compete in global markets… Because other countries are providing their own exporters with an estimated $1 trillion in export finance – often on terms more generous than Ex-Im can provide – failure to reauthorize Ex-Im would amount to unilateral disarmament and cost tens of thousands of American jobs. China, for instance, has three export credit agencies that last year provided $300 billion in export finance to its exporters – 10 times more than Ex-Im provided. This bill would help level the financial playing field in export markets and ensure transparency in Ex-Im’s operations.”

This legislation helps American businesses export their products instead of exporting jobs.

Reauthorizing of the Export-Import Bank is the kind of consensus proposal that shouldn’t result in a partisan fight.

And I am hopeful the Senate will pass it overwhelmingly – signaling to American businesses that Congress will do what it takes to help them compete in a global market.

But while Republicans say publicly that they support this important measure, they have insisted on votes on a number of amendments that would gut or even kill the bill.

The Chamber of Commerce will consider votes on this measure – and on any amendments that would weaken the Bank – to be keys to determining whether Senators are business-friendly.

The extreme amendments offered by my Republican colleagues would certainly weaken the Bank. One would eliminate it altogether.

The Chamber was clear these kinds of amendments are unacceptable to the business community.

The National Association of Manufacturers issued a similar warning Monday.

Democrats agree. We cannot afford to give an inch to our global competitors.

Canada, France and India already provide seven times the assistance to their exporters that America does. China and Brazil provide ten times the support.

So Senate Republicans are faced with a choice.

They can continue to support extreme amendments that would effectively kill the Export-Import Bank, and risk the wrath of the American business community.

Or they can work with Democrats to reauthorize the Bank – without adding amendments that would undermine its ability to help businesses grow.

I’m optimistic my Republican colleagues will make the right choice.

On a strong, bipartisan vote yesterday, the House passed a piece of common-sense, job-creation legislation – the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank.

For years the Export-Import Bank has helped American companies grow and sell their products overseas.

And for years, the Bank has enjoyed broad, bipartisan support – often passing unanimously or by voice vote.

This is a perfect example of the kind of smart investments Congress should be making to spur job growth.

I hope the Senate will be able to quickly approve the House-passed measure today by unanimous consent.

I am optimistic the 330 to 93 vote in the House yesterday will be enough to convince Senate Republicans they shouldn’t hold up this legislation any longer.

The process of reauthorizing the Export-Import bank has already taken too long. I hope I don’t have to file cloture on this matter, but I will if I must.

Let me remind you, the Senate considered reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank in March – nearly two months ago.

Senate Republicans had an opportunity to support this measure then. Instead, all but three Republicans opposed it, and the measure failed.
American exporters have already waited in limbo for two months to see whether Republicans would come around to backing this business-friendly, job-creating policy.

Businesses shouldn’t have to wait any longer.

We can’t afford more of the partisan obstruction we saw in March.

To get to the President’s desk this Congress, every piece of legislation needs Democratic and Republican votes.

That’s just reality. And it means we absolutely must work together if we want to get anything done.

One man who has always been willing to extend a hand to colleagues across the aisle is the Senior Senator from Indiana, Senator Richard Lugar.

His first priority has always been getting things done for the American people – whether that means keeping the world safe from nuclear war or looking out for Hoosiers back home.

Senator Lugar has been a great advocate for the people of Indiana as well as a dedicated student of international affairs.

He’s never missed a meeting with a foreign head of state as long as I have served with him in the Senate.

Senator Lugar has always put the American people first and political party second.

I was elected to the Senate to serve each and every Nevadan – not only the Democrats, although I am proud to be one.

Senator Lugar was elected to serve every Hoosier – regardless of political affiliation – and he has done so well and wisely in the Senate for more than three decades.

Throughout the history of this country – even in the most trying of times, times of great social and political unrest – our elected representatives have worked together despite their differences to do what is right for all Americans.

So I worry when I see dedicated patriots like Senator Lugar drummed out by Tea Party zealots for being too willing to cooperate.

I worry when I hear a candidate for U.S. Senate campaigning against bipartisanship and compromise between our two parties.

And I worry when a candidate for U.S. Senate says so clear that he will put political party and partisanship before country and compromise.

That’s nothing to be proud of. That kind of attitude is why long-time political observers Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein described today’s GOP as “ideologically extreme” and “scornful of compromise.”

And it’s why my friend, Senator Lugar, said this in his concession speech last night:

“Bipartisanship is not the opposite of principle. One can be very conservative or very liberal and still have a bipartisan mindset. Such a mindset acknowledges that the other party is also patriotic and may have some good ideas.”

We should all remember – regardless of our party – that compromise has been the hallmark of this country for more than 200 years.

“The priorities President Obama outlined today would strengthen our economic recovery and create jobs. Senate Democrats will act on these common-sense, job-creating proposals, and I hope Republicans will join us instead of continuing to obstruct every solution proposed by the President.

“One of the items the President advanced is a tax cut to spur small business hiring that I introduced with Senators Casey, Landrieu and others. I will move to consider this proposal in the coming days. The legislation provides tax credits to small businesses that increase their payrolls and faster write-offs for those that invest in new equipment. It is difficult to see why anyone who wants to see job creation accelerate would oppose this proposal.

“Since President Obama was sworn in, Republicans have done nothing but block our economic recovery, protect wealthy, special interests and make life harder for the middle class. The proposals President Obama outlined today provide Republicans with an opportunity to change course, and put our economy ahead of partisan politics.”

“Today’s figures show that while the unemployment rate continues to fall, too many Americans in Nevada and throughout our nation are still struggling to find work. Creating jobs must remain Congress’ top priority.

“Unfortunately, Republicans are currently obstructing a number of common-sense, bipartisan policies that would create and protect millions of American jobs. The House is sitting on bipartisan bills to save three million transportation jobs, and modernize the postal industry. There is no reason why we should not pass these common-sense jobs bills without delay – no reason except for Republican obstruction.”

“Senate Democrats stood up for the right of working men and women to organize and negotiate their terms of employment through an enforceable contract. This rule gives workers the same rights that CEOs already enjoy – nothing more and nothing less.

“Republicans continue to push measures that squeeze the middle class while protecting the wealthiest Americans. Had Republicans succeeded in their effort today, executives could have continued using lawsuits and intimidation to thwart their employees’ ability to bargain. Democrats will continue to fight for American workers. I hope that my Republican colleagues finally start putting the middle class ahead of the interests of millionaires.”

For more than 200 years, America’s postal system thrived and grew in spite of rapidly-changing technology.

The Postal Service survived the invention of the telegraph and the telephone. It expanded despite radio and television. It grew regardless of the fax machine.

The post office was created in the days of quill and ink, and mail bags slung across horses.

But it grew through the days of horse and buggy, steamboat and railroad into the age of airplanes.

It adjusted to the expansion of the suburbs, to the growth of cities and to the explosion of our population.

And it adapted from hand sorting and conveyor belts with the invention of zip codes and optical sorting machines.

The post office has always found creative, cutting-edge ways to move more mail more quickly.

In fact, for two centuries, the Postal Service actually relied on technology to cope with constant growth – growth in the volume of mail it delivered and the number of homes and businesses to whom it delivered.

And for 200 years the Postal Service has kept up with the flood of packages and letters, mail-order and online purchases, catalogues and fliers, live-saving medications and absentee ballots, bulk mail and overnight delivery.

Today the Postal Service handles nearly half the world’s mail – 554 million pieces every day. That’s 6,400 pieces each second.

The feat would be impossible without modern technology, and world class workers and facilities.

But now technology is both a solution and a problem.

In the last 5 years, the Postal Service has seen mail volume drop by 21 percent. That trend is expected to continue.

Email and online bill payments has significantly contributed to this crisis.

Today letters, orders and payments cross the world with the click of a mouse.

And the challenge facing the Postal Service is how to adapt to decreasing volume of mail rather than how to deal with increasing demand.

The bipartisan compromise before the Senate today will help the system do just that. It will build a leaner, smarter post office that offers new products and services while protecting its mission – delivering the mail six days a week to every corner of this country.

The postal reform legislation before this body will sensibly restructure the system while preserving overnight and Saturday delivery.

And the legislation will save the Postal Service from insolvency.

It will responsibly reduce the Postal Service workforce and the number of facilities it maintains.

But it will also protect postal employees – including 130,000 veterans of the Armed Forces. It will also safeguard the than 8 million jobs that depend on a vibrant postal system.

And, most importantly, it will look out for the needs of millions of seniors, people with disabilities, small business owners and rural Americans for whom the U.S. Mail is an important lifeline to the outside world.

Unlike the unacceptable bill Congressman Issa is pursuing in the House, this bill preserves the Postal Service we know and rely on.

The House bill, by contrast, would immediately eliminate Saturday delivery.

And it would set up commissions to unilaterally cut costs by closing post offices and processing plants, voiding union contracts and laying off tens of thousands of workers when our economy can least afford it.

That may be why Congressman Issa’s bill hasn’t come to the House floor. Even the Tea Party is having trouble supporting such reckless ideas.

The Senate bill we’re considering today is not perfect.

It won’t save every post office, every job or distribution center. It won’t please every Senator, every postal worker or every customer.

But unlike the House legislation, it is a strong, bipartisan bill that will modernize an institution enshrined in the Constitution without gutting its mission.

I hope we can work together to pass this worthy legislation quickly.

Will Boehner Continue To Block Consideration of Bill That Got 74 Votes In Senate?

“An increasing Number of House Republicans are beginning to say the House should take up the Senate bill…”

Just Today, GOP Rep. King Spokesman Said He Would Vote For Senate Transportation Bill If It Came to House Floor.  Politico Pro transportation reporter Burgess Everett tweeted, “Spokesman for Peter King (R) tells me he would vote for the Senate transportation bill IF it got to the House floor (unlikely, I know).”  [Politico Tweet, 3/28/12]

“the latest embarrassment for Boehner on an issue that he said … would be the centerpiece of House Republicans’ job creation agenda…”

Earlier this Week, GOP Reps. Dold, Bass, and Biggert Called on Boehner to Bring up the Senate Transportation Bill. In a Letter to Speaker Boehner, GOP Congressmen Bass, Biggert and Dold, wrote, “With no indication that an alternate longer-term bill will be brought to the House floor by March 31, 2012, we urge the House to reconcile any potential blue slip procedural issues and take up the House-version of S. 1813, the Mobility, Access and Progress for the 21^st century. Transportation is a priority for all Americans. Our constituents deserve to see Congress act swiftly and in a bipartisan way on this important issue.” [Letter to Speaker Boehner, 3/26/12]

“Situation is looking earily similar to previous struggles, when Congress tried to pass … the payroll tax holiday”

22 Senate Republicans Voted For Senate Bill, But Boehner Still Refuses to Bring It Up In House. On March 14, twenty-two Senate Republicans voted for final passage of the Senate’s two year highway reauthorization bill.  The Senators crossing the aisle were: Alexander (R-TN), Blunt (R-MO), Boozman (R-AR), Brown (R-MA), Chambliss (R-GA), Cochran (R-MS), Collins (R-ME), Grassley (R-IA), Heller (R-NV), Hoeven (R-ND), Hutchison (R-TX), Inhofe (R-OK), Isakson (R-GA), Moran (R-KS), Murkowski (R-AK), Roberts (R-KS), Sessions (R-AL), Shelby (R-AL), Snowe (R-ME), Thune (R-SD), Vitter (R-LA), and Wicker (R-MS).  [Vote 48, 3/14/12]

Tens of thousands of bridges and millions of miles of roadways across the country are in a state of disrepair.

But, rather than putting Americans to work fixing those roads and bridges – and repairing crumbling train tracks, highways and sidewalks across the nation – House Republican leaders are pandering to the Tea Party.

As if putting the Tea Party ahead of efforts to repair our nation’s crumbling infrastructure wasn’t bad enough, House Republicans are risking 2.8 million jobs in the process.

I was disappointed to hear last week that House Republican leaders will pursue a three-month extension of the Highway Bill. They should be voting on the two-year transportation bill passed on an overwhelming, bipartisan vote by the Senate.

Their short-term Band-Aid bill is no solution. Communities and contractors need certainty – especially going into the summer construction season – that their projects won’t grind to a halt in three months because the House once again refuses to act.

The American people will know who to blame if chaos in the House Republican caucus costs us almost 3 million jobs. One week remains until thousands of projects around the country lock their gates and lay off their workers.

It is time for House Republican leaders to do the responsible thing: take up the Senate-passed transportation bill, which is strongly supported by Senate Republicans.

The American people are watching, and time is wasting.

While House Republicans are squandering precious time and risking American jobs, the Senate will move forward with a bill to repeal billions in subsidies to big oil companies.

Last year, Big Oil raked in $137 billion in profits – more than ever before – but still received billions in taxpayers-funded giveaways.

Even with domestic oil production at its highest level in almost a decade, prices at the pump are rising.

Oil companies are making money hand over fist. When the price of a gallon of gas goes up by a single penny, quarterly profits for the five major oil companies go up by $200 million.

Yet this country continues to give taxpayer dollars to some of the most profitable corporations in the world – corporations that don’t need our help. It’s time to end this careless corporate welfare.

The only real way to bring down prices at the pump is to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. That will take additional responsible, domestic oil exploration anhgd smart investments in clean energy technology.

The Senate will vote this evening to advance the Repeal Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act.

This legislation ends more than $2 billion a year in tax breaks for Big Oil. And it invests the savings in the clean energy industry, where it will grow our economy and create jobs.

Repealing wasteful subsidies won’t cause oil and gas prices to rise. But reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil will cause prices to fall.

I hope my Republican colleagues will join Senate Democrats and repeal subsidies for Big Oil. It is time we worked together to move this nation toward its clean energy future.

But if Republicans continue to stand up for oil companies making record profits, one thing will be obvious: Republicans care less about bringing down gas prices than about helping big oil companies that don’t need the help.

Congress should pass this legislation quickly, before another taxpayer dollar is spent on wasteful handouts to Big Oil.

The Senate must also move quickly to reform our postal system. And in the coming weeks the Senate must reauthorize of the Violence Against Women Act, pass additional job creation measures and take up a crucial cybersecurity bill.

The Pentagon says passing cybersecurity legislation is the single most important action Congress can take to improve national security. That’s why I will bring a bill to the floor very soon.

Bipartisan efforts to craft comprehensive cybersecurity legislation have been ongoing for several years, but the time to act is now.

It is time for Republican colleagues who have been involved in this effort from the start to sit down at the negotiating table and help us settle on a final approach. The next few weeks will set the path ahead.

Both parties agree this legislation is a priority. And Senators interested in getting involved should act now, before time runs out.

As always, I hope Democrats and Republicans will be able to work together to forge a path forward.

Summary of the Small Business Jobs and Tax Relief Act

1.     Creates an Incentive For Small Businesses to Add New Jobs This Year.  Although the economy is recovering from a severe economic recession, a tax credit designed to stimulate job creation and wage increases could help put more Americans back to work and provide tax relief targeted at America’s small businesses. This proposal would provide a 10 percent income tax credit on new payroll—through either hiring or increased wages—added in 2012. With a maximum increase in eligible wages of $5 million per employer and the amount of the credit capped at $500,000, the benefits of this tax credit will be targeted on America’s small businesses.

• CBO Deems It Effective Way to Spur Growth and Increase Hiring. The Congressional Budget Office has determined that proposals like this, which would reduce the cost to businesses of adding employees or increasing payroll, “would have the largest effects on output and employment per dollar…” compared to those that “affect businesses’ cash flow but would have little impact on their marginal incentives to hire…” [CBO, 11/15/2011]
• Leading Economists Support Tax Relief for New Payroll. Former Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Alan Blinder has endorsed the idea as a job creator, proposing that “the basic idea is to offer firms that boost their payrolls a tax break. As one concrete example, companies might be offered a tax credit equal to 10% of the increase in their wage bills (over 2011 levels, say). No increase, no reward.” Other prominent economists who have endorsed the concept of increased payroll incentives include Paul Krugman and Mark Zandi. [Wall Street Journal, 7/12/2011; New York Times, 1/20/10; Moody’s, 9/9/2011]

2.     Extends 100-Percent Depreciation Deduction For Certain Property. Typically, businesses expenditures are tax deductible in the year in which they are made, except for major purchases (such as large equipment or buildings), which must be written off over many years. One hundred percent depreciation allows businesses to write off the entire cost of major purchases in the year they are made rather than depreciate those expenses over many years. By accelerating in time the recovery of investment costs through “bonus depreciation,” additional first-year deductions for new investment lower the after-tax costs of plants and equipment. This encourages new investment and promotes economic recovery. Senate Democrats propose extending 100 percent first-year depreciation for one year, effective for qualified property acquired and placed in service before January 1, 2013 (or January 1, 2014 for certain longer-lived and transportation property).

• Bonus Depreciation is a Bipartisan Approach to Growing the Economy. Bonus depreciation has traditionally garnered bipartisan support:
• The Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002 was introduced by House Republicans and passed the Senate by a vote of 85 – 9.  [Vote 44, 3/8/02]
• The Tax Relief, Unemployment Compensation Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 expanded bonus depreciation to 100 percent. The bill was passed in the Senate by a vote of 81 – 19. [Vote 276, 12/15/10]
• Last December, the House Republicans overwhelmingly voted for an extension of 100 percent bonus depreciation in H.R.3630. [Vote 923, 12/13/11]
• Bonus Depreciation is a Proven Way to Help Small Businesses Invest and Grow. According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Tax Policy, extending bonus depreciation will provide a tax cut to over 2 million businesses. In addition, the analysis estimates that 100 percent expensing reduces small businesses average cost of capital across all investment by more than 75 percent. [U.S. Treasury Office of Tax Policy, 11/2010]
• Economists Consider Bonus Depreciation One of the Most Productive Ways to Boost GDP. There is substantial empirical evidence that accelerated depreciation boosts business investment. For example, an analysis by the Institute for Policy Innovation estimated that every $1 of tax cuts devoted to accelerated depreciation generates about $9 of GDP growth. [Institute for Policy Innovation, 10/10/2001]
• Businesses Add Jobs When They Make Capital Investments. Studies by economists across the political spectrum have found that earlier, less generous versions of bonus depreciation have created 2 to 3 hundred thousand jobs. [American Economic Review, 7/2008]

“Passing this small business bill is a small step towards creating jobs, but now it’s time for House Republicans to take the much more important step of passing the Senate’s bipartisan transportation jobs bill, which nearly three million hard-working Americans rely on for their paychecks. This is not hard – there is a bipartisan bill on the table, all House Republican leaders have to do is bring it to the floor and let it pass with bipartisan support, instead of letting the Tea Party force yet another fight where there does not have to be one.”

There is broad, bipartisan, bicameral support for the legislation the Senate is considering today, H.R.3606 – the IPO bill.

This bill passed the House on an overwhelming, bipartisan vote. President Obama supports it. And both Democrats and Republicans in this Chamber are eager to pass it.

It is a good piece of legislation that will improve innovators’ access to capital and give startups the flexibility they need to hire and grow.

But it isn’t a perfect bill. As with any other piece of legislation, there are ways we could strengthen and improve it.

To that end, the Senate will consider two germane amendments to the IPO bill that will protect investors and prevent fraud.

The first amendment – sponsored by the Senator from Oregon, Senator Merkley and others – deals with companies that raise capital online from small investors.

This bipartisan amendment will ensure watchdogs are in place to protect those small investors and their money from fraudulent companies and abuse of the system.

The second amendment – sponsored by Senator Reed of Rhode Island – will ensure fair and honest disclosure by companies raising capital.

It will stop businesses from gaming the system and avoiding oversight by hiding thousands – or tens of thousands – of investors.

Democrats and Republicans agree we need to pass the IPO bill and make it easier for American companies to raise capital, grow their operations and hire new workers.

But we must do so in a way that balances the needs and rights of investors, and prevents fraud and abuse.

These two amendments will go toward accomplish that. They won’t make the bill perfect, but they’ll make it better.

There is no reason Republicans should not join with Democrats to pass this strengthened bill, and send it back to the House as quickly as possible. I hope they will do so.

While the IPO measure before the Senate today is an important piece of legislation, experts agree its impact on job creation will be limited.

The legislation Senate Republicans blocked yesterday, on the other hand, supported 300,000 jobs last year.

My friend, the Republican Leader, has been talking non-stop about how important it is for Congress to continue to create jobs.

So I am disappointed that yesterday Senate Republicans – led by Senator McConnell – rejected this opportunity to help American exporters grow and hire.

The Ex-Im Bank helps American exporters compete in a global economy, and has always enjoyed broad, bipartisan support – until yesterday.

It is backed by the National Association of Manufacturers, the Business Round Table and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

It will reduce the deficit by $1 billion.

It has Republican cosponsors. And in years past it has passed the Senate by unanimous consent.

In fact, my Republican colleagues – including many who voted against this amendment yesterday – admit they support this Export-Import Bank proposal.

The Republican Leader urged his caucus to vote down this worthy proposal – supposedly because he wants to pass it separately.

But that offer is hollow. Republicans want to appear to support the Ex-Im Bank.

But Democrats actually do support the Ex-Im Bank. We want it to become law.

House Republicans have shown no desire to even consider this important jobs measure – let alone pass it.

The only way to ensure the Ex-Im Bank can continue to help American companies grow and create jobs is for the Senate to attach it to the IPO bill.

Yesterday, Senate Republicans had an opportunity to join with Democrats to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in this country. They passed up that opportunity.

Once again, they chose to pick an unnecessary fight instead.

Democrats’ number one priority is to create jobs. I hope Senate Republicans get their own priorities straight, and decide to join us.

“Today, Republicans voted against an overwhelmingly bipartisan measure that would have supported more than 300,000 American jobs simply to provide cover for Tea Party extremists in the House. Once again, Republicans are manufacturing a fight instead of working with Democrats on bipartisan solutions to create jobs. Reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank is something that has always been done on a broad, bipartisan basis. Yet like so many other common-sense measures that used to pass without a fight, Republicans have turned this bipartisan bill into a partisan political battle.

“Republicans must now explain to the American people why they decided that the marching orders they received from their extremist Tea Party allies are more important than the jobs of hard-working Americans across the country.”

For years the Export-Import Bank has helped American companies grow and sell their products overseas. And for years, the Ex-Im Bank has enjoyed broad, bipartisan support.

When it was last authorized in 2006, the Ex-Im bank passed the House by voice vote and the Senate by unanimous consent.

So when Senate Democrats brought a reauthorization of the Ex-Im Bank to the floor last week, we hoped the legislation would receive bipartisan, bicameral support – as it did in 2006.

After all, the measure will support about 300,000 jobs and help American exporters continue to compete in a global economy.

It passed the Banking Committee unanimously.

It has three Republican co-sponsors.

It’s backed by the National Association of Manufacturers, the Business Round Table and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

And it will actually reduce the deficit by about $1 billion.

The Ex-Im Bank is one of those proposals we shouldn’t have to argue over.

But true to form, Republicans in the House are once again spoiling for a fight where there shouldn’t be one.

Yesterday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor called our bill to reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank a “partisan amendment.”

And he claimed this non-controversial, common-sense measure is derailing efforts to pass an IPO bill that would expand innovators’ access to capital. That’s just not true.

Leader Cantor should check in with his Senate colleagues.

Many of them understand American exporters need access to federal financing to stay on a level playing field with global competitors.

Just yesterday, the Senior Senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, said without the Ex-Im Bank “our ability to grow in South Carolina is non-existent.”

In 2011, South Carolina exporters sold more than $130 million worth of goods abroad thanks to Ex-Im Bank financing.

And South Carolina isn’t the only state relying on the Bank to keep businesses thriving.

Nevada companies exported $33 million worth of their products last year thanks to financing from the Export-Import Bank.

In 2011, in the Presiding Officer’s home state of Delaware, the Ex-Im Bank made it possible for private firms to sell more than $39 million worth of goods overseas.

Last year, the Ex-Im Bank supported almost 300,000 jobs across 49 states.

China already provides more investment capital to its exporters than the United States, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom combined, as Senator Graham said yesterday during a conference call in support of this legislation.

We cannot allow that gulf to widen.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says, “Failure to reauthorize Ex-Im would amount to America’s unilateral disarmament in the face of other nations’ aggressive trade finance programs.”

American companies have no choice but to go head-to-head with these Chinese exporters.

But in this Chamber we do have a choice: we can compete, or we can cooperate.

We can engage in yet another unnecessary, unproductive battle. Or we can work together to help American businesses grow and hire. The choice shouldn’t be difficult.

The Senate will vote on this reasonable proposal today.

Almost 300,000 Americans had jobs last year because of the Export-Import Bank. I hope those workers come first as Republican colleagues cast their votes this afternoon.

This week the Senate resumes debate of a measure to improve innovators’ access to capital.

This bill passed the House on a bipartisan vote, and has President Obama’s support.

We could make this legislation even better by passing the modest consumer protections included in the substitute amendment we’ll consider tomorrow.

But member of both parties agree we should pass it quickly. We will finish work on this legislation this week.

It’s nice to see Democrats and Republicans standing on common ground for a change.

But while this IPO proposal will be good for businesses – helping give startups the flexibility they need to hire and grow – experts agree that its impact on job creation will be limited.

So it’s important Congress also reauthorize the Export-Import Bank – or Ex-Im Bank – right away.

Reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank will help American exporters compete in a global economy and sell more of their products overseas.

Last year, Ex-Im Bank financing helped 3,600 private companies add almost 300,000 jobs in more than 2,000 communities.

That’s why the Ex-Im Bank has always enjoyed broad, bipartisan support.

The last time the Senate considered Export-Import Bank legislation, it was offered by a Republican Senator and passed by unanimous consent.

The reauthorization legislation we’ll vote on tomorrow is also bipartisan. It passed the Banking Committee unanimously.

It has three Republican co-sponsors and the strong backing of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Yet I have read that some of my Republican colleagues don’t want to advance this bipartisan measure.

Instead they want to start yet another drawn-out fight over a proposal that passed unanimously last time the Senate considered it.

So let’s review what’s at stake. Unless Congress acts, the Ex-Im Bank may hit its lending limit this month.

American exporters could no longer rely on an even playing field with global competitors.

The Ex-Im Bank loans money to American outfits when private lending is not available. Its investments made $41 billion in U.S. exports possible last year alone.

That’s why Ex-Im Bank Chairman Fred Hochberg [Haak-berg] says our competitors abroad “are licking their chops” at the idea that America would stop backing businesses that sell their products overseas.

Many of the companies that are growing and hiring because of Export-Import Bank financing are small businesses. But the CEOs of large outfits such as Boeing, American Express, Johnson and Johnson, Caterpillar, GE and Motorola are also on record supporting the Em-Im Bank.

American entrepreneurs can’t afford for Congress to give up on them now. China already provides three to four times as much financing as we do to help to their exporters.

We must continue to give American businesses a fair shot to compete in a global market.

Since the Ex-Im Bank doesn’t add a penny to the deficit, there is no excuse for Republicans not to support it.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says this common-sense legislation would actually reduce the deficit by almost $1 billion.

It’s critical we pass the IPO bill to help businesses access capital. But it’s even more important we reauthorize the job-creating Export-Import Bank, which helps those companies compete abroad.

The Ex-Im Bank proposal will support hundreds of thousands more jobs than the small business capital bill.

Democrats brought this measure to the floor in an effort to find more common ground.

And passing it together would be another accomplishment both parties could be proud of.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter sent today to House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD), Chairman of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, called for the immediate passage of the bipartisan Senate transportation bill that saves or creates 2.9 million jobs and is fully paid for.  In the letter, Senators Boxer and Johnson cited the urgency of acting prior to March 31^st, when the authority for funding America’s surface transportation systems expires.

Senators Boxer and Johnson copied the letter to all Members of the House of Representatives including a state-by-state chart showing the number of jobs at stake.

The letter states:

March 15, 2012

Dear Speaker Boehner and Leader Cantor:

Enclosed is a chart that clearly shows the number of jobs in every state that will be saved or created by the bipartisan Senate surface transportation bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century (MAP-21).

This legislation passed the Senate yesterday by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 74-22.  There is an urgent need to get this bill to the President’s desk, because nearly three million jobs are at stake if Congress does not act by March 31^st, when the current surface transportation extension expires.

Nationwide, MAP-21 sustains almost 1.9 million jobs, including over 55,000 jobs in Ohio and almost 40,000 jobs in Virginia.  MAP-21 also creates up to one million additional jobs through the expansion of the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program, which leverages local funds to accelerate transportation infrastructure projects.

We ask you to immediately take up and pass the Senate’s bipartisan transportation bill.  The reforms included in MAP-21 improve surface transportation programs by maintaining current funding levels for highways and public transportation, consolidating over two-thirds of all highway programs, eliminating earmarks, establishing a national freight program, improving safety oversight of public transportation, and instituting performance measures and accountability for transportation infrastructure investments. This bill is also fully paid for.

The surface transportation authorization bill is by far the biggest jobs legislation the Congress will take up this year.  It is imperative that Congress pass and the President sign into law this bill by March 31^st, because the failure to act means that the nation’s surface transportation programs will be shut down.  The nation simply cannot afford these devastating job losses.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.  We stand ready to help.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer                                                 Tim Johnson

Chairman                                                         Chairman

Committee on Environment                         Committee on Banking, Housing

and Public Works                                             and Urban Affairs

cc: All Members of the U.S. House of Representatives

“Senate Republicans have been using amendments to delay this bipartisan highway bill until Speaker Boehner could figure out a path for dealing with it in the House. Now that the Speaker has publicly signaled he is willing to buck his conservative bloc and give the Senate bill a vote, momentum is on our side. Senate Republicans have no reason to drag this out any longer.”

Fifty-six years ago, it took President Eisenhower a year to convince Congress – and the country – to make an unprecedented investment in America’s highway system.

After all, building 47,000 miles of interstate highways across the nation would require an unparalleled effort and an unprecedented investment.

The project required enough concrete to build six sidewalks to the moon. And it cost $50 billion – or the equivalent of almost half a trillion dollars today.

The project was hugely successful.

It created jobs. It connected farms and factories, tiny town and towering cities. And it allowed manufacturers and merchants to ship goods across the country for the first time in our nation’s history.

Looking back on his great effort to pass the first highway bill, President Eisenhower considered it a crowning accomplishment of his presidency.

“More than any single action by the government since the end of the war, this one would change the face of America,” he wrote in his memoir. “Its impact on the American economy – the jobs it would produce in manufacturing and construction, the rural areas it would open up – was beyond calculation.”

Fifty-six years later, Congress is once again considering transportation legislation, and an investment in this country’s crumbling roads, bridges and train tracks.

But we have the benefit of history on our side.

We know from 56 years of experience that investing in America’s roadways and railways will create and sustain jobs.

And we have no doubt that building a world-class transportation system will help us rebuild our world-class economy.

That is why one of the most conservative members of the Senate, the Senior Senator from Oklahoma, and one of the most liberal members of the Senate, the Junior Senator from California, have joined hands to advance the bipartisan transportation bill before this body.

The bill is comprised of four measures reported out of the Environment and Public Works, Banking, Commerce and Finance committees with bipartisan support. And both sides have agreed to a package of 37 amendments to this legislation.

But in today’s political climate, bipartisan support isn’t enough to keep good legislation alive.

In today’s political climate, 85 votes to begin debate on a measure aren’t enough to guarantee that measure will become law.

The transportation legislation under consideration is truly bipartisan. It will create or sustain 3 million badly needed construction jobs.

Yet, Republican leaders have wasted almost a month of the Senate’s time obstructing this valuable measure for political reasons.

Unfortunately, Democrats cannot keep construction crews working to repair 70,000 collapsing bridges across the country without Republican cooperation.

Without Republican cooperation, we cannot expand the nation’s mass transit system to accommodate tens of thousands of new riders every year.

And without Republican cooperation we cannot create and save 3 million jobs repairing crumbling pavement and building safer sidewalks.

It will take a bipartisan effort to advance this bipartisan legislation.

Frank Turner, a former Federal Highway Administrator, said work on this country’s transportation system “will never be finished because America will never be finished.”

Although the work is never finished, it is up to Congress to sustain the effort.

And unless Congress acts this month, work on highways and bridges and train tracks across the country will grind to a halt.

Unless Congress acts, the American economy will pay the price for partisan bickering.

So I am hopeful my Republican colleagues will join Democrats to put American jobs ahead of procedural games, and help us advance this vital transportation legislation.

Last night a bipartisan group of senators, led by Senator Pryor and Senator Alexander, talked about the need to bring appropriations bills to the floor.

I am a long-time member of the appropriations committee, as is the Republican Leader, and we understand the importance of working on these bills.

In recent years we have done omnibus and minibus spending bills instead of individual appropriations bills. We have to get away from that.

For the integrity of the Senate, Democrats and Republicans must agree to cooperate to get this important work done.

I commend Senator Warner, Senator Hagan, Senator Isakson, Senator Boozman and Senator Graham, who joined Senator Pryor and Senator Alexander on the floor for last night’s colloquy.

I applaud their work, and look forward to working with my Republican colleagues to bring appropriations bills to the floor in regular order.

When President Obama took office three years ago, the auto industry was on life support. And Republicans wanted to pull the plug.

One man seeking the Republican nomination for president said we should “kiss the American automotive industry goodbye.”

He called the death of American auto manufacturers “virtually guaranteed.”

And he argued we should let Detroit go bankrupt.

He wasn’t alone. Some Republicans in this Chamber agreed.

But Democrats weren’t willing to give up on American manufacturing.

Because saving the auto industry wasn’t about saving corporations. It was about saving millions of Americans who work for those corporations.

It wasn’t about saving the people who own race cars. It was about saving the people who work on assembly lines making parts to keep those race cars running.

There was no way Democrats would walk away from millions of Americans whose jobs were on the line – Americans who work in dealerships and distribution centers and manufacturing plants across the country.

So we didn’t give up the fight to save the auto industry. We didn’t give up even when one Senate Republican called our efforts “a road to nowhere.”

The verdict is in – we were right to fight.

The American auto industry has added 160,000 jobs over the last two years.

Last year General Motors reported record profits and sold more vehicles than any other car company in the world.

Chrysler is profitable again, and growing faster in the U.S. than any other major automaker.

So when a Republican presidential frontrunner said we should “kiss the American automotive industry goodbye,” he couldn’t have been more wrong.

We all get one wrong occasionally. The test of character is admitting when we make a mistake.

And it’s time for Republicans to recognize that saving American auto manufacturers – and millions of middle-class jobs – was the right thing to do.

Good news from the auto industry and 23 months of private sector job growth are evidence our economy is headed in the right direction.

But too many Americans are still hurting financially or struggling to find work. And it is crucial Congress continue efforts to create jobs and rebuild our economy.

So Democrats are moving forward with a bipartisan package of jobs bills that will spur small businesses growth.

These measures will improve innovators’ access to capital. And they will streamline how companies sell stock through initial public offerings or IPOs.

These pieces of legislation will also protect the rights of investors.

Next week Chairman Johnson, the Senior Senator from South Dakota, will hold a Banking Committee hearing on this issue. It will be the third hearing on these measures since December.

Senate Democrats have been working on these measures for months.

I am glad to see House Republicans joining Democrats to move this legislation. Common-sense issues like these should not have to turn into knock-down, drag-out fights.

I look forward to moving these measures and our economy forward with the help of my Republican colleagues.

A few potholes on the drive to work may be an inconvenience.

But for companies that ship $10 trillion worth of goods across the country each year, disintegrating roads are more than a nuisance.

A crowded train ride to the office or a broken escalator at the station may be a hassle.

But for 51 million Americans with disabilities – many of whom rely on public transportation to get around – outdated stations and overcrowded trains are more than a minor annoyance.

This country’s crumbling highways, roadways, railways and bridges are more than an inconvenience. They’re a drain on our economy.

Twenty percent of American roads don’t meet safety standards.

More than 70,000 bridges in this country need to be replaced or overhauled.

And our public transportation system can’t keep up with the pace of growing ridership.

Nine out of 10 Americans say rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges is important.

Democrats in the Senate agree. Modernizing our transit systems and rebuilding the roads American families and businesses depend on will help fuel our economic recovery.

This legislation is too important to be bogged down with unrelated, ideological amendments. Senate Republicans should not commandeer a transportation bill to try to take away women’s access to health services such as contraception, mammograms and other cancer screenings.

The Surface Transportation jobs bill the Senate is considering will create or save 2 million American jobs. And it has broad, bipartisan support.

I respect and appreciate the work done by Senator Boxer and Senator Inhofe on this legislation.

Unfortunately, our House Republican colleagues have gone in the opposite direction. Their bill is a love note to the Tea Party.

The House bill didn’t get a single Democratic vote in committee. The Senate bill, on the other hand, passed out of committee unanimously.

Even some Republicans don’t even support the way the House bill is paid for – by drilling for oil in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

And Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a Republican, said the House legislation is the worst transportation bill he has seen in 35 years of public service.

There are plenty of reasons, but here are a few:

• The House legislation would gut public health and environmental protections.
• It would ax funding for pedestrian safety, even though a pedestrian is injured or killed by a car in this country every seven minutes.
• And it would starve our nation’s public transportation systems.

The House bill reverses 30 years of good policy of dedicating funding each year for mass transit. That policy was enacted in 1982 by President Reagan.

Many House Republicans don’t support the plan to shortchange millions of Americans – especially seniors and people with disabilities – who count on public transportation.

And everyone from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to AARP has come out against the drastic approach taken by the House bill.

On the other hand, the U.S. Chamber and hundreds of other national organizations support of the Senate bill.

I am disappointed that House Republicans have once again chosen the partisan path.

Rebuilding a transportation system our economy can rely on shouldn’t be divisive.

Given a choice between working with Democrats to create good-paying jobs for American workers and playing politics, House Republicans chose politics once again.

This legislation would put 2 million hard-working Americans back on the job while at the same time investing in repairing our infrastructure.

With this bill, Republicans have an opportunity to show they can focus on job creation, and we hope they’ll seize it.  Unrelated legislation that would limit women’s access to health care has no place in a transportation bill.

Americans, especially the struggling middle class, have no appetite for political games.

As Nevada Senator Harry Reid said earlier today, “I would like to believe they [Republicans] share our goal, as Eisenhower and Reagan did, of rebuilding a world-class transportation system to support a world-class economy.”

Watch the video clip below to learn more about the bill, and how it would restore critical jobs.

In the 1950’s, America embarked on the largest public works project in its history: a new web of interstate highways.

This unprecedented 47,000 miles of highways would, for the first time, connect businesses and communities from sea to shining sea.

President Eisenhower, a Republican, said the investment would pave the way for a new era of American growth.

“[America] will be a nation of great prosperity, but will be more than that: it will be a nation that is going ahead every day… The expanding horizon is one that staggers the imagination.”

As a young Major in the Army, President Eisenhower had been assigned to bring a caravan of vehicles across the country over rutted and dilapidated roads. It was a terrible experience, and something he never forgot.

President Eisenhower said a new highway system was essential to our economy, our safety and our progress as a nation. That’s just as true today as it was in 1954.

Today America depends on more than four million miles of roadways to keep our economy humming.

We use those roads to take the kids across town to school and to take products across the nation to market.

But the system of highways, roadways, railways and bridges upon which the American economy depends – and in which we invested great resources during the last century – has fallen into disrepair.

More than 70,000 bridges in this country are “structurally deficient.” They need major repairs or to be replaced completely.

Every month in America, enough pedestrians are killed to fill a jumbo jet. Many of those deaths could have been prevented by proper sidewalks and crosswalks.

Bus and train ridership grows every year, while public transportation dollars shrink.

And one of every five miles of American roads is not up to safety standards.

Crumbling infrastructure is a terrible drag on our economy. But this crisis is also an opportunity.

By rebuilding our transportation system, we can put 2 million Americans back to work and boost our economy right away.

The Surface Transportation jobs bill on the floor this week is one of the most important pieces of legislation we’ll consider this year.

It will help modernize our transit systems, rebuild America’s roads and bridges and create or save millions of middle-class jobs. And it will do it in a fiscally responsible way.

Democrats and Republicans agree that making America’s transportation system great again will bolster our economy.

President Reagan called a world-class transportation system “an investment in tomorrow that we must make today.”

So it’s no wonder this strong, bipartisan Surface Transportation legislation passed out of committee unanimously.

I am cautiously optimistic that spirit of cooperation will hold this week.

And I hope the Junior Senator from South Carolina did not speak for the majority of Republicans last week when he said this: “We don’t have shared goals with the Democrats.”

I would like to believe Republicans share our goal of strengthening the economy and creating millions of jobs for Americans workers.

I would like to believe they share our goal, as Eisenhower and Reagan did, of rebuilding a world-class transportation system to support a world-class economy.

This week, Republicans have an opportunity to prove they share those goals.

The Surface Transportation jobs bill is too important to get bogged down with ideological amendments. Unrelated legislation that would limit women’s access to health care has no place on a transportation bill.

Let’s stay laser focused on our most important task: putting 2 million Americans back to work rebuilding our roadways and railways.

Together we can keep this nation, as Eisenhower said, moving ahead every day.

“Clean energy jobs are critical to rebuilding our economy and powering America’s future growth opportunities. I am encouraged that this independent evaluation shows that the Obama administration’s investments are helping the private sector create thousands of good paying, clean energy jobs in Nevada and across the country. This should be an area where Democrats and Republicans can agree, and I hope Republicans will work with us to help create more clean energy jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and make our country stronger and more competitive.”

“This bipartisan agreement will create or save more than 280,000 jobs while bringing our nation’s air-travel infrastructure into the 21st century. This measure is a compromise: no one got everything they wanted. But after 23 short-term extensions of the FAA dating back to 2007, this four-year agreement protects American jobs and the rights of workers, while avoiding another shutdown. This bill will also modernize our air traffic control system by finally transitioning many airports from World War II-era technology to cutting-edge, GPS navigation. For states like Nevada, which depend on tourism, this bill is vital. Altogether, this legislation protects passengers by reducing delays, making our skies safer and making airlines more fuel-efficient, while saving hundreds of thousands of jobs, including thousands of construction workers.

“I applaud Senator Rockefeller and Representative John Mica for their willingness to compromise and put the national interest ahead of partisan politics. This is what the American people expect their elected officials to do, and I hope we can continue to move forward in this spirit of bipartisanship.”

“While I continue to be encouraged by the improving jobs numbers, millions of families continue to struggle in Nevada and around the country. Creating jobs is Congress’s top priority and we must keep moving to pass common-sense solutions that put Americans back to work.

“Next week the Senate will pass a long-term reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, an aviation jobs bill, which will create or save 280,000 American jobs. We also must act quickly to extend the middle tax class payroll tax cut through the end of the year. If Republicans continue to drag their feet on extending this tax cut, Democrats will move forward with this legislation to ensure that middle class families don’t get hit with a tax increase at the end of the month and we don’t jeopardize the economic gains we’ve seen over the past few months.

“I hope my Republican colleagues will work with Democrats on passing these common sense measures. The American people expect us to put politics aside and put the interests of the middle class families first.”

For generations, this was the American promise: if you worked hard and played by the rules, success would be in reach.

We called that success the American Dream – to earn a decent wage, buy a home, put your children through school and retire comfortably.

But for many people in this country that dream has drifted further and further from reality.

The recession cost many Americans their jobs, homes, savings and basic economic security. Many are still struggling.

And although the economy has made slow progress toward recovery, there is still much more work to be done before every American who wants to work can find a job.

But the terrible recession is only part of the problem. The same Wall Street greed that caused the financial collapse is fueling the greatest income disparity since the Great Depression.

In the last few decades, the average CEO’s income has multiplied 250 times. Meanwhile, that CEO’s employees have watched their incomes barely creep up.

This country is at a crossroads.

As President Johnson said in 1965, it is time to ask, “not only how to create wealth but how to use it; not only how fast we are going, but where we are headed.”

And the path we choose will determine what kind of country we will be.

We can choose to be the kind of nation where hard work of many pays off only for the richest few.

Or we can be the kind of nation where every man and woman shoulders a fair share of the burden and reaps a fair share of the reward.

We can be the kind of country where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Or we can be the kind of country where middle-class families share in the prosperity.

President Obama has called this choice a “make or break moment” for the middle class.

And tonight he will lay out a roadmap that sets us on the path to fairness instead of inequality. I look forward to hearing President Obama’s vision.

It begins with an economy that works for every American – regardless of the size of his or her checkbook.

I expect the President to lay out common-sense ideas to spur American manufacturing, create jobs and help small business compete and grow.

His vision is fueled by home-grown, renewable energy. It’s time to stop spending American dollars on foreign oil. It’s time to hire American workers to build wind turbines and next-generation vehicles.

The President will propose a new plan to make sure today’s students are ready for tomorrow’s jobs – and that today’s workers remain competitive in a global economy.

I expect the President’s vision to include ideas from Democrats and Republicans.

For three years the President has reached out to Republicans. Now is the time to work with him on common ideas to produce legislation – not stalemate.

I ask my Republican colleagues to give his bipartisan vision the consideration it deserves.

In 1947, President Truman delivered the first televised State of the Union.

Truman was the 20th president to govern alongside a Congress controlled by the opposing party. (The first was George Washington.)

He said Democrats in the executive branch and Republicans in the legislative branch could and should work hand in hand to shape the nation.

This is what he said: “There are ways of disagreeing; men who differ can still work together sincerely for the common good.”

I hope Republicans in Congress will keep those words in mind tonight. Despite all our differences, together we can build an economy that works for the common good of all Americans.

I was saddened to hear that Senator Mark Kirk suffered a stroke over the weekend. He had surgery this morning, and doctors say he will recover.

Senator Kirk is only 52 years old, and doctors say his young age and good health are on his side.

I wish Senator Kirk a full and speedy recovery. I look forward to seeing him return to his work in the Senate soon.

Winston Churchill once said “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

I know each one of my colleagues in the Senate – regardless of political party – has the courage to stand up and speak in defense of his or her principles.

This year I hope we each find the courage and faith to listen and cooperate as well.

The founders, in their wisdom, created a divided government. They envisioned a robust debate on important issues.

I don’t believe they envisioned the obstructionism and gridlock that ground the work of Congress to a halt last year.

Influenced by Tea Party voices, Republicans forced us to waste months on routine legislation. They nearly shut down our government. And they held hostage the full faith and credit of the United States.

So I remind my Republican colleagues that not every discussion should collapse into a fight. Every piece of legislation we consider should not result in a political battle.

When we work together, we achieve greater results for the American people.

That is why this year Democrats and Republicans must seek common ground.

We should all be able to agree on this: Congress must do whatever it takes to create jobs and strengthen our economy.

Democrats believe it will take common-sense policies that protect the middle class and smart investments that rebuild our roads, bridges and schools.

We must combat income inequality now, or the rich will keep getting richer and the poor getting poorer while the middle class disappears. That’s not fiction. It’s fact.

Democrats will continue to defend working Americans. We hope Republicans will join us.

But if they again allow the Tea Party to turn every issue into an all-or-nothing battle, we will not back down. We will side with the middle class every time.

We saw the results of Republican brinksmanship in December.

Democrats refused give up on tax cuts for hard-working families. And Republicans finally listened to the American people, who couldn’t afford a $1,000 tax hike.

Putting money back in the pockets of 160 million American workers shouldn’t have been so difficult. It shouldn’t have been a fight in the first place.

I hope we all learned a lesson.

It is time for reasonable Republicans to stop following the Tea Party off a cliff, and join Democrats to create jobs and safeguard the middle class instead.

There will be times in the coming year when we will need the courage to stand and fight.

This year it will be just as important that we summon the courage to sit down and listen.

“Creating jobs must continue to be Congress’ top priority. While the economy has shown signs of improvement, that is no consolation for the millions of Americans who are out of a job and struggling to make ends meet in Nevada and across the country.

“The first thing the Senate must do to strengthen our economy is extend the payroll tax cut for the remainder of this year. This middle class tax cut is vital for 160 million American workers who count on this money to help them put food on the table and heat their homes this winter.

“I hope my Republican colleagues have learned from their recent mistakes, and will begin the New Year focused on working with Democrats to create jobs, instead of scoring political points against President Obama.”

“This news is a reminder that we must continue using every tool at our disposal to get our economy growing and get Americans back to work. Too many families in Nevada and across America are struggling. One of the most effective things we can do for them is to put  more money in their pockets. Unfortunately, Republicans last night blocked a $1,500 tax cut for the middle class that would have spurred job creation. Republicans proved once again that the only tax cuts they will fight for are giveaways for millionaires and billionaires.

“Democrats will continue our focus on creating jobs. I hope Republicans will put politics aside and join us in fighting for the middle class.”

Democrats’ Legislation Would Extend Tax Break For Workers, and Also Expand It To Include Employers; Vote Expected Later This Week

Leading GOP Lawmakers, After Demanding Massive Tax Cuts For Wealthy in Debt Reduction Talks, Are Suddenly Cool To Renewing Tax Cuts That Help Middle Class

Washington, DC—Today, U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) announced that the Senate is expected to vote this week on legislation sponsored by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) to stop a huge tax hike from hitting middle-class families.

Unless Congress acts, a two-percent payroll tax break will expire at the end of this month. Casey’s legislation would continue payroll tax cut for employees into next year, and boost it to a 3.1 percent break. The legislation would also cut in half (from 6.2 percent to 3.1 percent) the employer-side Social Security payroll taxes.

The bill was expected to be formally filed later today. It should receive a vote in the Senate later this week.

Economists of all political stripes have called the continuation of tax cut critical for America’s economic growth. They have warned that letting it lapse could push the country back into a recession. But a number of leading GOP lawmakers, after fighting for massive tax cuts for the wealthy in the recent deficit reduction talks, are suddenly cool to renewing a tax cut aimed at middle-class Americans.  On Monday, Senate Democrats urged their GOP colleagues to extend and expand the tax cut, which would put $1,500 into the pockets of the average American family next year.

Key Provisions Of The Middle Class Tax Cut Act Of 2011:

• Provides Tax Cut to 160 Million Workers. The bill cuts in half (from 6.2% to 3.1%) the Social Security payroll tax paid by employees and the self-employed on their wages and salaries for 2012.  Approximately 160 million workers will benefit from this tax cut, with the average family seeing nearly $1,500 in additional take-home pay.
• Cuts the Payroll Tax in Half for 98% of U.S. Businesses. The Senate bill cuts in half (from 6.2% to 3.1%) the Social Security payroll tax paid by employers on the first $5 million of taxable payroll for 2012. This will benefit all businesses, but 98% of businesses will see their portion of the Social Security payroll tax cut in half.
• Gives an Added Incentive for Businesses to Hire New Workers. The bill completely eliminates (from 6.2% to 0%) the Social Security payroll tax paid by employers on the first $12.5 million of an employer’s increased taxable payroll for the 4^th quarter of 2011 and $50 million in increased payroll for 2012.
• Asks Millionaires to Pay Their Fair Share Without Adding a Dime to the Deficit. In order to create or save hundreds of thousands of jobs and prevent a tax hike that would impact 160 million American workers, the Senate bill imposes a 3.25% 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.
• Protects Social Security. The legislation would not affect the Social Security Trust Fund by one penny, because it requires that the Social Security Trust Fund be made whole through transfers from the General Fund.

Supported By Economists From Across The Political Spectrum:

• Zandi: “We’ll Likely Go Into Recession” If the Payroll Tax Cut Expires. In October, Mark Zandi of Moody’s Analytics said of the 2010 payroll tax cut that is set to expire in December, “We`d be in recession right now without it. So I think if they don`t do that, at the very minimum, we`ll likely go into recession.” Zandi wrote, “It is critical (and assumed in our baseline outlook) that lawmakers agree at least to extend and increase the payroll tax holiday for workers through 2012 as proposed by President Obama. This would reduce next year’s fiscal drag to less than 1 percentage point—still a heavy lift for the economy, but doable.” [MSNBC, 10/7/11; AP, 9/9/11; Moody’s Analytics, 10/10/11]
• Zandi: Payroll Tax Cut Would Create 750,000 Jobs. [McClatchy, 10/4/11]

Payroll Tax Cuts Could Create More Than 50,000 Jobs A Month. “Preliminary analyses of the White House plan estimate that the tax cuts could create more than 50,000 jobs a month, a significant boost considering that employment climbed by 35,000 jobs, on average, in each of the last three months… Joel Prakken, senior managing director at Macroeconomic Advisers, a forecasting firm, said that the benefits of creating more than half a million jobs next year should not be minimized. ‘It’s going to make the unemployment rate lower than it otherwise would be,’ he said.” [New York Times, 9/9/11]

• Macroeconomic Advisers: “Meaningful Drag” on the Economy if Payroll Tax Cut Expires. Discussing the possibility that congress would allow the payroll tax cut to expire, Joel Prakken, chairman of Macroeconomic Advisers in St. Louis, said, “And it occurs quite quickly at the beginning of the year… It’s a meaningful drag.” Macroeconomic Advisers estimates that it would reduce GDP growth by 0.5 percent and cost the economy 400,000 jobs by the fourth quarter.  Joel Prakken at Macroeconomic Advisers said the benefits of the payroll tax were somewhat muted earlier this year because of a spike in gas prices. He added that an extension next year could produce greater benefits. [USA Today, 11/15/11; Washington Post, 11/22/11]

Ameriprise Financial Economist: Payroll Tax Cut Could Add More Than 1 Million Jobs. “This additional spending capacity in the hands of consumers should continue to foster improvements in aggregate domestic demand. And ultimately, it is demand and demand alone that will lead to more business hiring,” said Russell Price, senior economist for Ameriprise Financial Services. “Price estimates the increased payroll tax holiday for workers by itself is likely to add between 750,000 to 1 million jobs, and that the new break on payroll taxes for employers could add an additional 100,000 to 200,000 jobs. He added that gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the nation’s economic activity, could get a 1.5 percentage point boost as well.” [CNNMoney, 9/9/11]

JPMorgan: Allowing Unemployment Benefits and Payroll Tax Cut to Expire Could Slow Growth By Up to 2%.  “What’s more important for the economy in 2012 though is the fate of a number of stimulus measures, including a 2 percent cut in employee payroll taxes and extended unemployment benefits, that are due to expire at the end of the year, JPMorgan economist Feroli said. If Congress doesn’t continue them, ‘the drag from tightening fiscal policy could subtract 1.5 to 2 percentage points from GDP growth next year,’ the former Fed economist added in a Nov. 10 note to clients.” [Bloomberg News, 11/19/11]

•  JPMorgan: Current Payroll Tax Cut Boosted Consumer Spending. Discussing the payroll tax cut in a September note, JPMorgan wrote, “Although real consumer spending was subdued in the first quarter, when the tax cut kicked in, nominal consumer spending grew at a 6.1% annual rate, the fastest pace so far in the current expansion.” [JPMorgan, Economic Research Note, 9/9/11]

Barclays Capital: Allowing Unemployment Benefits And Payroll Tax Cut To Expire “Would Shave About 1.5pp Off Of Consumption Growth.” Barclays Capital wrote, “Given the political climate, finding $160bn of deficit savings needed to extend the payroll tax cut and the extended unemployment benefits at their current levels could be a high bar. The end of these stimulus measures would pose a noticeable headwind to disposable personal income growth early next year. We estimate if both stimulus measures expire, then the drag would shave about 1.5pp off of consumption growth (1pp off headline) on a q/q (saar) basis in Q1 of 2012.” [Barclays Capital, 11/22/11]

Goldman Sachs: Allowing Payroll Tax Cut to Expire Could Cut Growth By Two Thirds of a Percent in Early 2012. “Goldman Sachs economic forecaster Alec Phillips estimated that allowing the payroll tax cut to expire would reduce growth by as much as two-thirds of a percentage point in early 2012.” [Washington Post, 11/22/11]

RBC Capital Markets: Failure to Extend Payroll Tax Cut Would Cut GDP By 1% in 2012. “RBC Capital Markets estimated that allowing the payroll tax cut to expire at year-end would reduce U.S. gross domestic product growth by 1 percentage point in 2012.” [Christian Science Monitor, 11/21/11]

University of Chicago Economist: “Employment Could Be Roughly Three Million Greater During The Period Of The Tax Cut Than It Would Otherwise.”  Casey B. Mulligan, an economics professor at the University of Chicago, wrote, “the 3.1-percentage-point part of the president’s proposal could raise employment by at least a million, albeit the duration of job creation is related to how long the tax cut lasts. I expect that every percentage-point reduction in employers’ costs raises employment by about a percentage point and real gross domestic product by about 0.7 percentage point. That means employment could be roughly three million greater during the period of the tax cut than it would otherwise… The tax cut is proposed to last a year, and some of the estimated three million incremental job-years — a job that lasts a year, or 12 jobs that last a month — could be spread over time. So we might see only two million in the first year of the cut, with another one million after the cut expires. But still that’s a lot of jobs.” [New York Times, 9/14/11]

CBO: Every Dollar of Employer-Side Payroll Tax Cuts Could Generate Up to $1.20 in Economic Activity. The CBO reported that every dollar in reduced taxes on employers would generate up to $1.20 in economic activity, while every dollar in reduced taxes on workers would generate up to 90 cents because workers tend to save a portion of their additional income. Moody’s Analytics estimates that every $1 reduction in federal tax revenue resulting from an employee-side payroll tax cut expands the economy by $1.27. [New York Times, 9/9/11; CBO, 2/23/10; CBPP, 9/7/11; Moody’s Analytics, 8/26/11]

EPI: Failure to Extend Payroll Tax Cut Would Cost Nearly 1 Million Jobs. According to the Economic Policy Institute, failure to extend the payroll tax holiday would cost 972,000 American jobs in 2012. [EPI, 8/4/11]

Moody’s: Letting Payroll Tax Cut Expire Would Shave .5% from GDP. Letting the payroll tax cut for employees expire would shave a half-percentage point from economic growth in 2012, Moody’s Analytics has reported. [New York Times, 9/7/11; Moody’s Analytics, 8/26/11]

Nomura: Extending Payroll Tax Cut Alone Would Raise 2012 GDP By .5%.Nomura wrote, “The passage of measures within The American Jobs Act has the potential to alter our baseline forecast for US economic growth. For example, extending the 2% social security tax cut for employees would raise growth in Q1 2012 real GDP by as much as 1.0 percentage point, and by 0.5 percentage points in 2012 overall.” [Business Insider, 9/9/11]

Payroll Tax Cut Will Benefit 160 Million American Workers. The Democratic plan would provide a tax cut for 160 million workers by expanding the payroll tax cut from 2 percent this year to 3.1 percent in 2012. For a typical family earning $50,000 a year, this cut would translate to an extra $1500 a year in their pockets. That’s more than $125 a month for households to pay for gas, food, and other expenses. On the other hand, if Republicans block passage of the President’s payroll tax cut, the typical family making $50,000 a year would see their taxes rise by $1,000 next year. [White House, 11/22/11]

I trust you had a safe and happy holiday. And I hope everyone is well rested, because we have a difficult work period ahead of us.

We have much to do over the next few weeks, and Hanukah and the Christmas holiday are looming ahead of us.

This week we need to finish work on the Department of Defense authorization and more.

This month we must also handle a number of nominations and extend unemployment insurance for Americans still struggling to find work during these difficult times. And we have more appropriations work to do. The continuing resolution to fund the government expires on December 16.

And we must not neglect the responsibility to continue our work to put Americans back to work. So we will take up additional pieces of President Obama’s American Jobs Act.

This week we will introduce legislation that would give the economy a boost by putting money back in the pockets of middle-class workers and small businesses by extending and expanding a popular payroll tax cut.

More than 120 million families took home an extra $120 billion this year thanks to payroll tax cuts Democrats championed.

The average family held onto $935 more of their heard-earned dollars this year. We need to assure those families that they can rely on that tax cut next year as well.

But this legislation does more than just protect the tax cuts Americans already count on. It deepens and expands that tax relief as well.

Next year, 120 million families will keep an average $1,500 because of this legislation. That means they’ll have more money to spend on necessities like gas and food, and will help spur economic growth in their communities.

Business will also benefit from this tax cut. Ninety-eight percent of American business will see their payroll taxes cut in half on the first $5 million in wages they pay out. And firms that add workers will benefit from a full payroll tax holiday on their increase in wages.

In Nevada, 50,000 businesses will benefit from this tax cut. And many businesses will save tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

So this legislation will help families and business while spurring hiring and giving the economy a boost. And it will be fully paid for with a small, 3.25 percent surtax on income over $1 million.

A person who makes $1 million a year won’t pay an extra penny. Someone who makes $1.1 million – an extra $100,000 – will pay only $3,250 more.

At a time when many working families are still struggling, we can’t afford not to extend and expand this important payroll tax cut.

So I was disappointed to hear that some of my Republican colleagues, including the Junior Senator from Arizona, have already come out in opposition to this tax cut.

These are the same Republicans who loudly claim to care about keeping taxes low. But too often it seems they only care about keeping taxes low for the richest of the rich.

The same Republicans who today oppose a payroll tax cut for hundreds of millions of businesses and families last week jettisoned the hopes of a large-scale deficit reduction deal from the Supercommittee because they insisted on massive, permanent tax giveaways for the very rich.

Cutting taxes for middle-class families and business should be an area where Republicans and Democrats can find common ground, as we have in the past.

This Republican opposition smacks of partisanship. Because this tax cut has President Obama’s fingerprints, Republicans won’t support it even though they know it is good policy for American families and businesses.

Let’s examine the effects of their purely political opposition to a common-sense tax cut. If Republicans block passage of this legislation, they will be taking money out of the pockets of American families.

For a family making $50,000 a year, our proposal would not only preserve an existing $935 tax break, it would put an additional $565 a year in the family coffers. If Republicans get their way, that family will actually see its taxes increase by nearly $1,000.

If Republicans block this legislation, 120 million American families and 98 percent of American businesses will not get a tax cut next year. Instead, 120 million families and millions of businesses will be socked with a tax increase.

Those numbers are shocking. But the potential impact on the larger economy is downright scary.

Economist Mark Zandi of Moody’s said the economy will likely plunge back into a full-blown recession – erasing the economic progress we’ve made – if we do not extend this tax cut.

It is clear neither our fragile middle class nor our fragile economic recovery can afford the kind of setback a failure to extend and expand these tax cuts would bring.

Republicans say we cannot afford to raise taxes. If they choose to oppose this payroll tax cut, we’ll know what they meant to say was, “We cannot afford to raise taxes on the rich – but we are happy to raise taxes on the middle class.”

WATCH THE NEW VIDEO:
Grover Norquist, The Man Who Really Runs the GOP HERE

DECLARING VICTORY: WITH THE SUPER COMMITTEE DECLARING AN IMPASSE, NORQUIST IS TOUTING HIS TREMENDOUS POWER OVER REPUBLICANS ON TAXES

November 20: As The Super Committee Nears Impasse, Norquist Is Bragging About His Influence Over The Republican Stance On Taxes. “Grover Norquist has collected pledges from many Republicans that they will not vote for a hike of any kind. In an interview that aired Sunday on CBS’s ‘60 Minutes,’ the head of the Americans for Tax Reform makes it clear he’s proud of his role firing up anti-tax fervor in Washington. ‘The Republicans won’t raise your taxes. We haven’t had a Republican vote for an income tax increase since 1990,’ he told Steve Kroft. When asked by Kroft if that were his doing, Norquist said, ‘I helped. Yeah’ … Norquist reiterated that he wants to starve the beast, reducing tax revenue so that the size of the federal government shrinks. ‘I intend to win. I intend to be part of the whole effort to crush the other team,’ Norquist said.” [Politico, 11/21/11]

Wall Street Journal: “Thank You, Grover Norquist.” [11/22/11]

WHEN SUPER COMMITTEE MEMBER JON KYL LOOKED LIKE HE MIGHT BE OPEN TO DEFYING THE PLEDGE AND INCLUDING SOME REVENUES, NORQUIST “YANKED” THE “WANDERING LEADER BACK INTO LINE.”

November 11: Politico: Norquist “Yanked” Senator Kyl “Back Into Line” When It Looked Like He Might Go Against His Pledge. “Sometimes, he said, he has to yank a wandering leader back into line, as he said he did with Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) in May. Kyl publicly ruled out raising tax rates to bring in revenue, which was interpreted by some observers as leaving the door open to a variety of tax increases that wouldn’t involve rate changes.  ‘So, I call Kyl. ‘What did you say? What did you mean? How can we work together on this?’ Norquist said, adopting the tone of a teacher scolding a second grader as he recalled the conversation.  ‘Yes, I said rates,’ Kyl said, as Norquist recalled.  ‘And then,’ Norquist said, ‘he went down on the floor, and he gave a colloquy about how we’re against any tax increases of any sort. Boom!’” [Politico, 11/9/11]

WHEN REPUBLICANS ON THE SUPER COMMITTEE PRETENDED TO PUT REVNUES ON THE TABLE, NORQUIST MADE SURE EVERYONE KNEW IT WAS JUST “A UNICORN,” “NOT WRITTEN DOWN,” “A NEGOTIATING POSITION” – AND THAT HE WOULD NEVER LET IT ACTUALLY GO ANYWHERE

November 15: Norquist Said Republican Revenue Offer Was Just “A Negotiating Position … They’re Not Going To Be Passing Any Tax Increases” “It’s not written down. It’s a negotiating position. It won’t pass the House or the Senate. I’ve talked to the House leadership and the Senate leadership. They’re not going to be passing any tax increases.” [The Hill, 11/15/11]

November 16: Norquist Made It Clear That If Democrats DID Accept Toomey’s Phony Offer, He’d Pressure Them To Renege. “In an interview, Norquist said that Republicans have no intention of raising taxes, and that their decision to show ‘a little ankle’ on taxes in their latest offer was merely a ploy to prove that Democrats would not endorse structural changes to Medicare and Medicaid. Norquist acknowledged that the GOP tax plan is ‘problematic,’ however, and said he would have pushed Republicans to rescind the offer if Democrats had accepted it.” [Washington Post, 11/16/11 (emphasis added)]

November 18: Norquist Absolved Toomey For Including Otherwise “Poisonous” Revenue Increases In His Phony Proposal; “As A Negotiating Position … It Was Not Treason.” “Norquist’s group, Americans for Tax Reform, is responsible for the anti-tax pledge signed by nearly every Republican in Congress. But while he panned the tax hikes in the Toomey plan, Norquist viewed the blueprint merely as a ‘negotiating position’ to lure Democrats closer to real tax reform. ‘If it was the final bill, it would be poison for taxpayers, tea party supporters and Republicans,’ Norquist said in an email. ‘As a negotiating position to bring Democrats toward tax reform, it was not treason.’”  [Politico, 11/18/11]

NOT CONTENT TO SIMPLY DECLARE VICTORY, NORQUIST WAS SURE TO REMIND REPUBLICANS WHY THEY’RE ALL TOO SCARED TO DEFY HIM

November 20: Norquist Said He Works To Encourage Republicans Who Vote For Tax Increases “To Go Into Another Line of Work,” Called Them “Rat Heads In A Coke Bottle.”

NORQUIST: Republicans who vote for a tax increase are rat heads in a Coke bottle. They damage the brand for everyone else […]

KROFT: You make it pretty clear. If someone breaks the pledge, you’re gonna do everything you can to get rid of them.

NORQUIST: To educate the voters that they raise taxes. And again, we educate people–

KROFT: To get rid of them.

NORQUIST: To encourage them to go into another line of work, like shoplifting or bank robbing, where they have to do their own stealing. [CBS, 11/20/11]

November 21: Norquist Reiterated His Threat To “Go After” Republicans Who Broke His Pledge.

QUESTION: “But you go after these elected officials with all the money because there is a lot of very powerful people who donate to your cause. You go after these elected officials and you make sure they are not elected again. You do.”

NORQUIST: “Well, If somebody takes the pledge not to raise taxes and were to break it, we would certainly inform voters what they have done.” [CNN, 11/21/11]

IN THE END, IT’S CLEAR THE FIX WAS IN FROM THE BEGINNING, SINCE ALL 6 GOP MEMBERS SIGNED HIS PLEDGE

August 11: Norquist Blessed GOP Appointees To Super Committee, Saying They Were All “Taxpayer Friendly” And Had Signed His Pledge. “All the Republican appointees are ‘taxpayer friendly,’ said anti-tax activist Grover Norquist. They’ve all signed his pledge not to raise taxes — which was a key obstacle in the various failed plans to raise the debt ceiling.” [USA Today, 8/11/11]

This week the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office confirmed what Democrats have been saying for months: the so-called “Republican jobs plan” isn’t much of a plan and it wouldn’t create any jobs.

The CBO’s report analyzed different approaches to spurring economic growth and creating jobs proposed by both parties.

Among the top job creators were Democratic proposals to extend unemployment benefits and cut middle-class taxes.

But when the CBO looked at the GOP plan to eliminate safeguards that protect lives, save money and shield the environment, it concluded the idea was a flop.

The study showed that the effects of the changes Republicans propose would be negligible at best, and at worst could actually lower economic growth and slow hiring.

Although their plan would have no positive effect on our economy, Republicans want to gut the safeguards that saved hundreds of thousands of lives last year alone.

And although their plan could potentially slow economic growth, they want to gut the safeguards that save American companies and consumers $1.3 trillion a year by increasing productivity and reducing medical bills.

Non-partisan experts agree this is not the road to recovery.

They also agree with Democrats that putting money back in the pockets of middle-class families and small-business through tax credits and refunds, and by extending unemployment benefits, is the most efficient way to get Americans working again and turn our economy around.

Families that have more money to spend will pump it back into the economy. Businesses that have more money to spend will hire new workers.

And at a time when we need to conserve every dollar and get the most bang for the buck, these proposals do more with less.

As we continue to discuss ways to combat high unemployment in coming months, it would behoove my Republican colleagues to remember that not all proposals are created equal.

When we consider our next jobs bill in December, my Republican friends will once again face a choice: they can cling to ideological proposals we know won’t work, or they can join forces with Democrats to pass proposals we know will create jobs.

I hope Republicans prove to be more interested in getting results than in getting their way.

Grover Norquist let slip what everyone already suspected: the Toomey offer to the Super Committee was “merely a ploy,” and Republicans really aren’t serious about including revenues in any agreement.

The Washington Post reported: 

“In an interview, Norquist said that Republicans have no intention of raising taxes, and that their decision to show ‘a little ankle’ on taxes in their latest offer was merely a ploy to prove that Democrats would not endorse structural changes to Medicare and Medicaid. Norquist acknowledged that the GOP tax plan is ‘problematic,’ however, and said he would have pushed Republicans to rescind the offer if Democrats had accepted it.”  [Washington Post, 11/16/11]

The CBO also evaluated GOP claims that reducing regulation would create jobs and concludes that “the economic effects of those specific changes would probably be too small or would occur too slowly to significantly affect overall output or employment in the next two years.”  The CBO even concluded that some of the policies that the GOP is advocating would lower economic growth and cost jobs.

Democrats and Republicans don’t agree on much these days. But we do agree that Congress must do something about this nation’s unemployment crisis.

With 14 million Americans out of work, there is no more pressing issue facing Congress or the country.

Democrats’ plan to address this problem has been straightforward. We have advocated for policies that will create jobs by investing in what makes this country great – our infrastructure, our education system and our innovative workforce.

Despite Republican obstructionism, we have continued to fight for middle-class jobs, bringing to the Senate floor bill after bill designed to put Americans back to work.

Republicans have taken a different approach. They have advocated a wholesale repeal of so-called “job-killing regulations.”

They say rolling back everything from limits on air pollution to rules that keep our worksites safe will create jobs and revive our economy. The problem is, that’s just not true.

Business leaders and economists of every political stripe agree this GOP mantra is an utter falsehood.

A respected economic advisor to two Republican presidents called this myth – spread by Republicans to cover up their woeful lack of a plan to create jobs – “nonsense” and “made up.”

In fact, evidence show that government safeguards have little impact on employment.

A Bureau of Labor Statistics study found that last year only three tenths of one percent of layoffs was caused by regulation. That’s according to the executives who ordered those layoffs.

Nearly 85 times as many jobs were lost last year because of a slow economy.

But rather than work with us to turn that weak economy around, Republicans have spent 11 months fighting Democratic policies that would have created millions of jobs.

Meanwhile, they’ve spent those 11 months focused on killing safety protections that cost a few thousand jobs a year while saving literally hundreds of thousands of lives.

For example, Republicans want to halt updates to the Clear Air Act. Since its passage 40 years ago, this law has reduced emission of key pollutants by 70 percent while the economy has grown by 200 percent.

Long-planned updates to the law would reduce emissions of mercury, acid gases and other life-threatening pollutants into the air, saving lives.

Last year alone, the Clear Air Act saved the lives of more than 160,000 Americans. It prevented 86,000 emergency room visits and 13 million lost work days.

The Clear Air Act has prevented hundreds of thousands of cases of heart disease, chronic bronchitis and asthma.

And last year alone it saved American companies and consumers $1.3 trillion by reducing medical costs and increasing productivity.

Of course, all these benefits come with a price tag. But for every dollar spent complying with the Clean Air Act, this nation saves $30 in emergency room bills, lost work days and environmental cleanup.

And repealing this law wouldn’t make the costs go away – instead it would shift them from corporations to consumers.

Complying with environmental safeguards is one of the costs of doing business in the United States. It’s part of being a good corporate citizen.

That’s why two-thirds of voters say scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency – not politicians in Congress – should set pollution standards.

Seventy-one percent of voters, including a majority of Republicans, support the stronger environmental protections under attack by Congressional Republicans.

Eighty percent of voters believe those safeguards will improve public health and air quality.

There’s plenty of evidence that smart, fair regulations save lives and save consumers money.

There’s plenty more evidence that stronger watchdogs could have prevented disasters like the 2008 financial crisis or the West Virginia mining accident that killed 29 people last year.

Simply repeating the fiction that regulations kill jobs doesn’t make it fact.

But even if there was an ounce of truth in the fable, there are many ways to steer our economy out of the ditch and create jobs that don’t risk American lives.

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid made the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the Republican-propagated myth of “job-killing regulations.” Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

It’s impossible to open a newspaper or watch cable news these days without hearing my Republican colleagues talk about the evils of “job-killing regulations.”

Each day they arrive on the Senate floor to rail against the safeguards that keep our water clean, our air fresh and our mines safe.

According to the GOP, those safeguards are actually the source of all this nation’s economic woes – these horrible, time consuming government regulations that hinder the economic progress of America.

The Republicans would have you believe that the common-sense rules that check the greed of Wall Street banks, keep huge corporations honest and stop Big Oil’s unnecessary risk taking are also causing small businesses great harm.

Indeed, that would be a terrible thing – that is, if it were true.

While it’s proper to guard against and remove onerous regulations, my Republican friends have yet to produce a single shred of evidence that the regulations they hate so much do the broad economic harms they claim. That’s because there is none.

Conversely, there’s plenty of evidence to prove those regulations save lives, prevent asthma attacks and ensure Mom and Pops face a fair fight against multinational corporations and moneyed interest groups.

And there’s plenty of evidence to prove that disasters like the BP oil spill and the financial crisis of 2008 could have been prevented by stronger government watchdogs.

But Republicans aren’t relying on evidence as they propagate the myth of the job-killing regulation. They’re relying on repetition.

Bruce Bartlett, an advisor to President Ronald Reagan and a Treasury official under President George H.W. Bush, is a trusted, conservative voice on economics. He offered these strong words  on the regulation monster under Big Business’ bed:

“No hard evidence is offered for this claim; it is simply asserted as self-evident and repeated endlessly throughout the conservative echo chamber… In my opinion, regulatory uncertainty is a canard invented by Republicans that allows them to use current economic problems to pursue an agenda supported by the business community year in and year out. In other words, it is a simple case of political opportunism, not a serious effort to deal with high unemployment.”

But why use regulations proven to protect the health of every man, woman and child in this nation as a scapegoat? What are the origins of the myth?

I believe – as Bartlett does – that Republicans are attacking regulation because they don’t have a plan to create jobs and turn our economy around.

While Democrats have been pushing time-tested remedies for a flagging economy, such as infrastructure investments or middle-class tax cuts, our Republican colleagues have been peddling a cure-all tonic of deregulation.

Bartlett says, “People are increasingly concerned about unemployment, but Republicans have nothing to offer them.”

They’ve offered up the specter of overreaching government regulation to distract from the fact that they haven’t offered a single idea for how to put America back to work.

And they use the argument to justify rolling back everything from clear air and water safeguards to Wall Street and health insurance industry reforms.

What’s more, they’ve spread the tall tale that removing these regulations and letting Big Business do exactly as it pleases will not only prevent job losses, but actually create new jobs.

Bartlett called that logical leap “nonsense.”

“It’s just made up,” he said. So, let’s talk fact, not fiction.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which asks executives why they downsized, only a tiny fraction of layoffs have anything at all to do with tighter regulation.

Last year, only three tenths of one percent of people who lost their jobs were let go principally because of government regulation or intervention. On the other hand, a quarter of them were laid off because of lack of business.

And in a recent survey by the Small Business Majority, only 13% of small business owners cited regulation as their biggest concern. Half said economic uncertainty was their greatest challenge.

That’s why Democrats have been offering real solutions to our jobs crisis and policies that help small firms hire, grow and thrive again.

The truth is we have enough to worry about in these tough economic times.

We can’t allow the myth to distract us from the very real crisis of high unemployment facing this nation.

“This Veterans Day Congress pays tribute to those who have put their lives on the line to defend our country with deeds as well as words. I am glad Senate Republicans joined us to pass legislation that will help spur hiring among the nearly 900,000 out-of-work veterans in this country and in Nevada. This includes a quarter of a million young veterans of the global fight against terrorism. The best way for the House to honor our troops on Veterans Day would be to pass this bill tomorrow. Our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines fighting overseas should be focused on the job at hand, not how they’ll find a job when they come home.

“While we need to do more to maintain our commitment to our nation’s heroes, today’s vote was an important step in the right direction. Now that we have begun the important task of putting veterans back to work, I hope Republicans will cooperate with us as we focus on putting the rest of America back to work as well.”

Gus Faucher, the director of macroeconomics at Moody’s Analytics On The GOP Jobs Bill: “But in the short term, demand is weak, businesses aren’t hiring, and consumers aren’t spending. That’s the cause of the current weakness — and Republican Senate proposals aren’t going to address that in the short term.  In fact, they could be harmful in the short run, if the focus is on cutting spending.”  [Washington Post, 10/17/11]

Yesterday my friend, the Republican Leader, ticked off a list of bills he believes Democrats and Republicans can agree on.

I couldn’t help but notice that VOW to Hire Heroes legislation that would give tax cuts to companies that hire out-of-work and disabled veterans wasn’t on that list.

This bill ought to be free of even the whiff of controversy.

House Republicans already voted for a major component of the bill — a plan to give older veterans access to job training so they can keep up with a rapidly-changing workplace and help young veterans transition from active duty service to the civilian workplace.

The bill wouldn’t add a dime to the deficit, so there should be no objection there. It’s paid for with the non-controversial extension of an existing fee on VA-backed mortgages. It’s a version of the same pay-for House Republicans already voted for.

Republicans have supported tax credits for companies that hire out-of-work and disabled veterans in the past, so that can’t be the holdup.

And we’ll pass this important legislation as an amendment to a bill, sent over from the House, to repeal a 3 percent withholding from government contractors. Republicans have been champing at the bit to pass this measure, so the House vehicle for VOW to Hire Heroes is not the source of their radio silence.

There are no procedural or philosophical hurdles to passing this bill. But don’t take my word for it.

This is what Jeff Miller, the Republican Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs said about our bipartisan legislation yesterday:

“Today, we are putting aside politics and putting America’s veterans first. This is the how the process should work… The VOW Act, which passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support, provides the framework for this legislation and gets to the root of many of the employment problems our veterans face.”

And with nearly a quarter of a million Iraq and Afghanistan veterans unemployed, this legislation can’t come a moment too soon.

Yet Senate Republicans have remained curiously silent on this bill.

It is inconceivable that my Republican colleagues believe this legislation to be unnecessary. But it also seemed unthinkable that Republicans would unanimously oppose legislation to create hundreds of thousands of jobs for teachers, police officers, fire fighters and construction workers.

So let me be clear what is at stake here.

The number of unemployed, post-9/11 veterans has gone up by 30,000 in the last year alone. Nearly 250,000 men and woman who volunteered to fight overseas for the flag — and the freedoms and privileges it represents — can’t find a job here at home.

And that number will only grow as two wars draw to a close.

One in five young veterans — veterans under the age of 25 — is unemployed.

On any given night, 76,000 veterans, including 2,500 in Nevada, sleep on the streets.

Over the course of a year, that number doubles. Nearly 145,000 veterans spend at least one night a year in shelters or other temporary housing.

We should all be able to agree that even one night is too many for our nation’s heroes to pass without a roof over their heads.

And young veterans are more than twice as likely as their peers to be homeless, and four times as likely to live in poverty.

During tough economic times when some young people join the military for a way to escape the cycle of poverty, this statistic is shocking and disheartening.

So I call on the Minority Leader and the rest of my Republican colleagues to break the silence. Where do they stand on the VOW to Hire Heroes Act?

I ask my Republican colleagues, do you believe we should lend a helping hand to those who defend our freedom? Or do you think this nation’s responsibility to its veterans ends the day they take off the uniform?

Andrew Carnegie once said that the older he got, the less mind he paid to what men say. “I just watch what they do,” Carnegie said.

I remind my Republican friends, the men and women of the United States Armed Forces — those who wear the uniform today and those who wore it once — are watching what you do today.

Every man or woman who puts on the uniform of the United States Armed Forces takes a solemn oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies.

With that oath comes an obligation: to defend the freedoms for which this noble nation stands and upon which it was founded, without regard to the personal price.

And for this service, the United States makes a promise to our soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen in return.

That promise isn’t about flag waving or yellow ribbons. And it lasts long after the parades and holidays are over, through every day of every year of their lives.

It is a guarantee that the American Dream for which every service member fights — and for which many of their comrades have died — will be waiting for them when they come home.

But since September 11, 2001, this country has allowed that promise to lapse. Today, there are 240,000 unemployed veterans of the fight against global terrorism.

Among veterans who served since September 11, unemployment is 12.1 percent — more than three percentage points higher than among the general population. Among the youngest veterans, those under 25, the unemployment rate was nearly 22 percent last year.

These young men and women volunteered to fight terrorism abroad, but their struggles didn’t end when they came home. Despite their service and experience, a quarter of a million post-9/11 veterans can’t find jobs in today’s dismal economy and rapidly-changing workforce.

It is time for this country to make good on its promise. As we pay tribute this week to the millions of Americans veterans who have faithfully served our flag, Democrats will introduce legislation to put those men and women back to work.

VOW to Hire Heroes will offer tax credits to companies who hire unemployed veterans or veterans who were discharged in the last five years. The legislation will give an additional tax credit to firms that hire unemployed veterans with service-related disabilities.

Disabled veterans will also be eligible for an additional year of vocational rehabilitation and employment benefits under the legislation.

The plan makes transition assistance — including resume writing workshops and career counseling — mandatory for all service members being discharged. Although our veterans are coming home with greater technical and leadership skills than ever before, those skills don’t always translate to a civilian resume. This program will bridge that gap.

Many federal agencies — such as the VA and Homeland Security — badly need employees with the unique skill veterans possess. This legislation will also make it possible for service members to apply for those jobs before they leave the military.

This will allow soldiers to transition from serving their country in uniform to serving in the civilian world without a gap in employment.

And to keep our promise to older veterans, the legislation will expand education and training opportunities at community colleges and technical schools for 100,000 unemployed veterans who served before September 11.

Democrats believe we owe it to the men and women who have fought for us abroad to fight for them at home.

VOW to Hire Heroes is our fourth attempt to pass common-sense legislation that puts Americans back to work and jump-starts our economy.

Senate Republicans unanimously opposed our last three jobs bills, although those bills had the support of a vast majority of Americans — Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike. Meanwhile, Republicans have yet to propose a single idea of their own to create jobs.

Their obstruction has cost hundreds of thousands of teacher and first responder jobs. It has cost hundreds of thousands of construction jobs, and put reconstruction of our nation’s crumbling roads, bridges and runways on hold.

Now we will see whether Senate Republicans are willing to put jobs for veterans at risk as well. I certainly hope they are not.

I hope they will join us this week in supporting legislation that uses ideas originally proposed by Republicans and Democrats to put this nation’s veterans back to work without adding a penny to the deficit.

I believe every man and woman serving in the Senate today is a patriot. I know each and every one of us supports the members of the U.S. Armed Forces and is grateful to every veteran who has served.

This week we have the opportunity to express our gratitude and our patriotism with action.

So far, Republicans have stood firm against even the most reasonable plans to create millions of jobs for the sake of politics. But it is only a matter of time before they break and join Democrats in our efforts to create jobs and get the economy back on track.

As Veterans’ Day approaches, I urge my Republican colleagues to abandon partisanship and help us honor a commitment to this country’s heroes.

With Unemployment Rate Among Iraq and Afghanistan Vets Rising to 12.1%, Senators Say Now Is Time To Act To Put Vets Back to Work

Fully Paid-For Legislation Contains Bipartisan Vets Training Initiative—Bill Will Receive Vote in Senate Next Week

Washington, DC— Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Jon Tester (D-MT) and Max Baucus (D-MT) unveiled the “VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011,” which combines a key component of President Obama’s jobs bill with a related, bipartisan initiative to boost employment opportunities for veterans.

After serving our country honorably, all veterans deserve the chance to earn a paycheck and support their families.  Unfortunately, the unemployment rate for veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan remains stubbornly high.  Borrowing from the American Jobs Act proposed by the President, the bill unveiled Friday would offer a tax credit for companies that hire unemployed veterans, and will increase existing tax credits for companies that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities. In addition, following negotiations with House Republicans, the legislation contains bipartisan provisions to ensure that all service members transitioning to civilian life receive the job training skills they need to find a job.

Cost estimates for the fully paid-for legislation were expected to be available Monday after the bill is filed. It is expected to be offered as an amendment to separate legislation that eliminates a withholding requirement for government contractors.

“The bill we are introducing is a bipartisan and comprehensive approach to getting our nation’s veterans back to work,” said Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “It includes Republican and Democratic ideas because getting our veterans the financial security and dignity a job provides should never be partisan. For too long in this country we have patted our veterans on the back for their service and then pushed them out into the job market alone. With this bill we are giving our veterans the job skills to get their foot in the door and incentivizing employers to make sure that door is open to them.”

“No veteran should stand at the back of any unemployment line,” Senator Debbie Stabenow said.  “When we say ‘support our troops’ that can’t just be lip-service, we must support them through action.  Congress shouldn’t just pass a resolution honoring Veterans Day next week, it needs to take real action to help America’s one million unemployed veterans get back to work.”

“Our commitment to our service members shouldn’t end when they return home as skilled, experienced civilians. Today, the unemployment rate for young veterans is 27 percent—which is simply unacceptable. That means more than one in four of these young veterans can’t find a job to support their family or to ease the transition to civilian life,” Senator Sherrod Brown said. “Our veterans’ service to our country does not stop when they leave the military. From leadership experience to technical and scientific skills, veterans are key to our nation’s economic competitiveness.”

“It’s unacceptable that veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have a higher unemployment rate than the rest of America, and we owe them better than that,” Senator Jon Tester said.  “We have a responsibility to empower all veterans with the tools they need to find good-paying jobs.  And this plan incorporates bipartisan ideas to ease the transition between military service and the civilian workforce.”

“The unemployment level we are seeing among our veterans is a disgrace, and hits home especially hard in Montana, because we have more vets per capita than almost anywhere else.  That’s why it’s so important we pass this legislation to give tax credits to businesses that hire veterans and make it easier for veterans to translate the valuable skills they learn in combat to civilian employment.  I’m also committed to continue working to cut down on red tape and make it even easier for businesses to take advantage of this tax credit.  Creating jobs is our number one priority, and there is no better place to start than with our veterans – especially right now with thousands of troops set to return home from Iraq by the end of the year,” said Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus.

KEY PROVISIONS:

• Tax credit of up to $5,600 for hiring veterans who have been looking for a job for more than six months, as well as a $2,400 credit for veterans who are unemployed for more than 4 weeks, but less than 6 months.
• Tax credit of up to $9,600 for hiring veterans with service-connected disabilities who have been looking for a job for more than six months.
• Makes the Transition Assistance Program (TAP)—an interagency workshop coordinated by Departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs—mandatory for service members moving on to civilian life to help them secure 21st Century jobs through resume writing workshops and career counseling.
• Expands education and training opportunities for older veterans by providing 100,000 unemployed veterans of past eras and wars with up to 1-year of additional Montgomery GI benefits to go towards education or training programs at community colleges or technical schools.
•  Provides disabled veterans up to 1-year of additional Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Benefits.
•  Allows service members to begin the federal employment process prior to separation in order to facilitate a truly seamless transition from the military to jobs at VA, Homeland Security, or the many other federal agencies in need of our veterans.

KEY STATS ON VETERANS:

Veterans Account For Approximately 9.5% Of The Adult U.S. Population.  According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), in 2010, 20.2 million men and 1.8 million women in the civilian population were veterans.  Of them, 2.2 million were veterans who served in the Gulf War-ear II, which is any time after September 2001, and approximately two-thirds of these recent veterans are under 35 years old.  Women account for 17% of Gulf War-era II veterans.  Furthermore, according to BLS, about 25% (530,000) of Gulf War-era II veterans reported having a service connected disability, whereas only 13% of all veterans have reported a service-connected disability. [BLS Employment Situation of Veterans, 10/20/11.]

• You can access state-by-state veterans statistics for 2010 HERE.
• You can access county-by-county veterans statistics for 2010 HERE.

Although The Overall Unemployment Rate For Veterans Is Lower Than The National Figure, The Unemployment Rate Among Veterans Returning From Iraq and Afghanistan Has Risen to 12.1%. The national unemployment rate for October was 9.0%, while the overall veterans’ unemployment rate was 7.7%.  However, the joblessness rate for Gulf War-era II veterans, of which two thirds are younger than 35 years old, is 12.1%, up from 10.6% at this time last year. Within this group of returning veterans, 240,000 are now unemployed, up nearly 30,000 in the last year.  The youngest veterans are the ones having the hardest time finding work. According to BLS, “Young male veterans (those ages 18-24) who served during Gulf War-era II had an unemployment rate of 21.9% in 2010.” [BLS Employment Situation, 11/4/11; BLS Employment Situation of Veterans, 10/20/11; BLS Veterans Employment Figures, 11/4/11.]

Although We Are Making Progress, Veterans Are Over Represented in the Homeless Population, Accounting for 11.5% of All Homeless Adults. During a one year period, an estimated 144,842 veterans spent at least one night in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program, according to a recent report released by the Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Veterans Affairs (VA).  While that figure is down 3% from last year, it is still an unacceptably high number.  Veterans comprise roughly 9.5% of the total U.S. population, but account for approximately 11.5% of all homeless adults in America.  In 2010, 1 in 150 veterans were homeless, and 1 in 16 veterans had an income below the poverty line.  On a given night in 2010, over 76,000 veterans were homeless.  Furthermore, in line with the high unemployment rate for younger veterans, “Young veterans are more than twice as likely to be homeless as their non-veteran counterpart, and young veterans in poverty are almost four times more likely to be homeless than their non-veteran counterparts in poverty.”  [HUD’s 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR), 10/28/11.]

• You can access state-by-state statistics on veterans’ homelessness from 2010 HERE.

GOP SENATORS SUPPORT VETERANS HIRING INCENTIVES:

Sen. Murkowski Said She Was “Proud” To Add Her Name To A Bill That Gives Veterans The Skills They Need To Compete For Jobs “It is tragic our men and women in uniform come back from combat and find that some federal and private sector employers do not appreciate, or question, how veterans’ skill-sets and commitment translate to the workplace. I am proud to add my name to a bill that gives veterans the skills they need to compete for jobs, an opportunity for a non-competitive appointment to the federal civil service, and enhanced vocational rehabilitation if they need it.  Actions speak louder than words, and I hope this bill empowers our men and women of action with the skills and the support to hear the words: ‘You’re hired.’” [Press Release, 5/11/11]

Sen. Hutchison Said She Could Support Preferring Veterans for Jobs “Preferring veterans for job creation; we’re for that.”[WSJ Opinion Journal, 9/15/11]

Sen. Enzi Supported Veterans Hiring Programs. “Helping our veterans turn the skills they learned in the military into a rewarding job not only honors our promise to take care of those who served their country, it helps guarantee all of our cities, towns and counties have the highest quality emergency medical personnel available.” [Press Release, 9/13/11]

 Sen. Johanns Supported Help For Unemployed Veterans. “The unemployment rate of our returning service members is a concerning sign that we are not doing enough to help them assimilate into their communities once they have completed their tours of duty They are more than deserving of our greater efforts to get them back on an even playing field in the job market.” [Press Release, 11/12/09]

Sen. Grassley Supported “Financial Incentives” For Veterans Hiring. “These men and women are extremely capable. They have a lot of skills to offer in the workplace. This legislation will clear some bureaucratic hurdles and add a financial incentive to encourage employers to seek out veterans. These steps are a logical follow-up to my effort to increase the IRS’ hiring of veterans. The IRS saw the value of this pool of potential workers and followed through on increased hiring of veterans. Other employers, including small businesses, should have similar opportunities.” [Press Release, 1/26/11]

Sen. Boozman Supported Funding to Help Homeless Veterans Get Back Into Society and Into Jobs. “While the VA data shows that we are making progress in reducing the number of homeless veterans, there is still a need to get our veterans off the streets and into jobs.  … To be successful in returning veterans to full members of society, it is vital that homeless veterans programs offer more than just shelter and meals. Services such as substance abuse treatment, mental health services are needed to lay the foundation for a return to work whenever possible. It is the ability to make one’s way in the world – to contribute rather than just take – that gives a sense of self-worth and pride.” [House Floor Speech, 3/30/09]

“Americans are still hurting and Congress needs to remain focused on creating jobs. Unfortunately, just yesterday Senate Republicans voted unanimously to block a bill that would have put hundreds of thousands of Americans back to work –including 3,300 Nevadans– rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges and modernizing our air traffic control systems. This proposal was supported by the vast majority of Americans; unfortunately none of them are Senate Republicans.

“Democrats will continue working to create jobs and get our economy back on track. I hope that today’s news will remind Republicans that the good of our economy and job security for the middle class are more important than protecting millionaires and Wall Street Banks.”

“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 my Republican colleagues have railed against the Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act, Democrats’ latest proposal to create hundreds of thousands of American jobs.

They point to a similar program with a proven track record of keeping 422,000 teachers in the classroom for a year as evidence this legislation will be “a failure.” But that’s because they’re using a different benchmark for success than we are.

Democrats’ number one priority is to create jobs. So to us, putting hundreds of thousands of people back to work teaching children, patrolling our streets and fighting fires constitutes a success.

But Republicans’ number one priority is to defeat President Obama, and their strategy is to keep the economy weak as long as possible. So they oppose legislation we know beyond a shadow of a doubt will support 400,000 American jobs without adding a penny to the deficit.

Never mind that Republicans have yet to propose a single idea of their own to get 14 million people working again. Never mind that in the past they have supported every one of the job creation measures that we’ve proposed.

Republicans get up every day and come to work to oppose the policies that will turn our economy around for one reason and one reason only: politics.

To me – and to most Americans – putting politics ahead of this country’s economic future is so far outside the mainstream it’s barely on the map.

But Republicans have been very candid about their goal this Congress. My friend, the Minority Leader, said this: “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”

Defeating job-creating legislation, defeating the economy and defeating the President – that’s how Republicans measure success. But Americans don’t share those values.

Like Democrats, they believe there are some things more important than politics, even in an election year. Creating jobs is one of those things.

To Democrats – and to the vast majority of Americans – there is no goal more important than getting our economy humming once more.

That’s why Americans overwhelmingly support our plan to retain or rehire 400,000 teachers and put more cops on the beat nationwide.

In Nevada, this legislation will provide an additional $260 million to keep teachers in the classroom and maintain class sizes. It will support 3,600 education jobs in the state, and pump much-needed money back into the economy.

Seventy-five percent of Americans believe we should help state and local governments put teachers, police and firefighters back to work. And 76 percent of Americans agree the wealthiest people in this country should help get our economy back on track.

I repeat: three out of four Americans – including two-thirds of Republicans – support the Democrats’ Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act.

Republicans in Congress aren’t just out of touch with America – they’re out of touch with other Republicans.

Fifty-four percent of Republicans support Democrats’ plan to create jobs building modern roads, bridges and schools.

Fifty-eight percent of Republicans support our plan to extend the payroll tax for American workers and businesses.

Sixty-three percent of Republicans support our plan to put teachers in the classroom and police officers on the beat.

And 56 percent of Republicans even support our proposal to ask millionaires and billionaires to contribute their fair share to pull our nation out of this terrible recession.

The trend is clear: Americans overwhelmingly support Democrats’ plan to create jobs, with even Republicans supporting our ideas by a wide margin.

And yet my friend, the Republican leader, said this yesterday on the Senate floor: “There’s a growing bipartisan opposition to trying the same failed policies again. And there’s bipartisan opposition to raising taxes especially at a time when 14 million Americans are out of work.”

Well, I say to my friend, the Republican Leader, as the saying goes, you are entitled to your own opinion but not to your own facts.

There is not bipartisan opposition to legislation that will create and save jobs for teachers and first responders. On the contrary, there is bipartisan support for the legislation.

Republicans, like the rest of Americans, do not oppose our proposal to ask millionaires to contribute their fair share. On the contrary, they support the proposal.

It is only here in Congress that Republicans oppose job-creating legislation and fair tax policy for the sake of politics.

In the rest of the country Republicans – like other Americans – are focused on where their next paycheck will come from and how they’ll make the mortgage.

And, like Democrats, they’re tired of Republicans in Congress rooting for the economy to fail instead of working with us to secure our economic future.

America’s education system is under siege. The terrible recession that has put millions of families in our country in a desperate economic situation has also put our schools at risk.

Since 2008, this country has lost 300,000 education jobs, including nearly 200,000 in the last year alone. And without talented, dedicated teachers and support staff, our schools cannot provide the world-class education students need to succeed in today’s difficult economic climate.

As state and local governments are forced to slash education funding again and again, it jeopardizes the futures of millions of children – regardless of where they live or how much money their parents make.

Nevada is facing a $1.2 billion budget shortfall in 2013, practically ensuring further cuts to state and local education. But Nevada can ill afford to lose more teachers, police and first responders.

The state has already slashed state education funding below pre-recession levels.  And additional cuts will place thousands of Nevada teacher jobs at risk.

School districts in Nevada have already made difficult cuts – laying off teachers, eliminating programs and reducing the number of hours children spend in school.

The state has delayed expansion of all-day kindergarten, eliminated resources for gifted and talented programs and cut a magnet program for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Further cuts will affect the basic pillars of American education.

Already the school board in Lyon County, a rural part of Nevada, has considered moving to a four-day school week.

Students in the United States already spend much less time in school than students in other countries, including those with whom we compete for jobs. Most American pupils spend a month less in the classroom than those in South Korea and Japan, whose students are among the highest performing in the world.

At a time when Nevadans are competing for jobs with graduates from countries around the world as well as those in neighboring states, school districts shouldn’t be forced to make decisions like the one facing Lyon County.

The Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act, filed last night and led by Senator Menendez, will ensure the Lyon County School District won’t have to choose between laying teachers off and reducing the school year.

And it will protect gains made by school districts like the one in Washoe County, which increased its graduation rate from 55 percent to nearly 70 percent.

Budget cuts would threaten that progress. The district can’t expect to improve on these gains if it has to jam more students in every class and lay off literacy and math specialists.

The Teachers and First Responders legislation will stem the loss of education jobs and help districts like Washoe continue to improve.

This legislation will provide Nevada with an additional $260 million to keep teachers in the classroom and maintain class sizes. It will support 3,600 education jobs in the state and give the economy a jolt.

And it won’t add a dime to the deficit. Instead, it asks millionaires and billionaires to contribute a tiny fraction more – one half of one percent more – to help turn our economy around. That’s an idea two-thirds of Americans and a majority of Republicans support.

This nation’s schools have already been hit hard by state and local budget cuts. We cannot afford to lose more teachers, or to lay off more police or first responders.

In Nevada, local governments have already made the difficult choice to cut 8,800 jobs. These unprecedented layoffs have extended the recession and slowed the recovery in Nevada.

And further budget shortfalls threaten thousands more jobs. Nationwide, state and local budget cuts could cost as many as 280,000 teacher jobs next year unless we act.

This Teachers and First Responders legislation will invest $30 billion to create or save nearly 400,000 teacher jobs. That money will help states and school districts stop more layoffs, and rehire tens of thousands of teachers laid off since this severe recession began.

It will also invest $5 billion to retain and rehire the police, firefighters and first responders who have protected our communities throughout tough economic times.

That is why it is so important that the Senate move quickly to this legislation.

I hope that we will be able to work together to finish the three appropriations bills before the Senate this week without the kind of obstructionism we have seen over the last 10 months.

Teachers out of work through no fault of their own and students who desperately need a good education are relying on us to act.

KEY PROVISIONS:

• $30 Billion To Create or Protect Nearly 400,000 Education Jobs. Nearly 300,000 education jobs have been lost since 2008, and state and local budget crisis will put as many as 280,000 teacher jobs at risk next year. The Senate bill will more than offset projected layoffs, providing support for nearly 400,000 education jobs.
• $5 Billion to Keep Thousands of Police and Firefighters on the Job. State and local budget cuts have forced thousands of cops and firefighters off the beat. The Senate bill will create or save thousands of first responder jobs across the nation through competitive grants to states and localities.
• Asking Millionaires to Pay Their Fair Share Without Adding a Dime to the Deficit. In order to create or save hundreds of thousands of teacher and first responder jobs, the Senate bill imposes a 0.5% 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 Funding Teacher and First Responder Jobs.  According to a Gallup Poll from last month 75 percent of Americans support “providing additional funds to hire teachers, police officers and firefighters.”

This Legislation Is Based on Jobs Programs That Republicans Have Supported:

2007: 16 Republicans Voted To Fully Fund The COPS Program. In March 2007, 16 Republican Senators – including Senators Burr, Collins, Corker, Grassley, Hatch, Hutchison, McConnell, Murkowski, Roberts, Snowe, Thune and Vitter – joined Democrats in voting for an amendment that fully funded the COPS program by moving $598 million from another Justice Department function. [Vote 110, 3/23/07]

2006: 28 Republicans Voted For Increased Education Funding. In March 2006, 28 Republicans – including Senators Alexander, Cochran, Collins, Grassley, Hatch, Hutchison, Lugar, Murkowski, Roberts, Snowe and Thune – joined Democrats in voting to increase health, education and training, and low-income programs by $7 billion. [Vote 58, 3/16/06]

2005: 18 Republicans Voted Increase Education Funding By $500 Million. In March 2005, 18 Republicans – including Senators Collins, Crapo, Hatch, Hutchison, Lugar, Shelby, Snowe and Thune – joined Democrats in voting to add $500 million in education funding by diverting it from other programs. [Vote 56, 3/16/05]

2004: 49 Republicans Voted To Help States By Implementing Mandatory IDEA Funding Increases. In May 2004, 49 Republican Senators joined Democrats in voting for an amendment that required IDEA funding to increase by $2.3 billion each year for the next 7 years. [Vote 92, 5/12/04]

2001: 29 Republicans Voted To Fully Fund Grants To Local School Districts Under No Child Left Behind. In May 2001, 20 Republicans – including Senators Cochran, Collins, Crapo, Grassley, Hatch, Hutchison, Lugar, McCain, McConnell, Roberts, Sessions, Shelby and Snowe – joined Democrats in voting for an amendment to authorize full funding of grants to local school districts under Title 1 for ten years. [Vote 91, 5/3/01]

Sen. McConnell Said He Was “Proud to Have Played A Part In Securing Funds” For Emergency Responders. In a press release, Sen. McConnell said “This grant will support the efforts of the Lawrenceburg firefighters who risk their lives in service to others. I am proud to have played a part in securing funds for this vehicle to help ensure that the firefighters are adequately prepared to respond to emergencies.” [Press Release, 5/10/10]

Sen. Alexander Said Federal Funds Gave Firefighters The Resources They Needed to Save Lives. In a press release, Sen. Alexander said “This grant will help give the firefighters in Pikeville the vital resources they need to save lives. I appreciate the Department of Homeland Security’s investment in emergency preparedness, and I will continue to work to ensure that fire departments in Tennessee are ready and able to keep our citizens safe.” [Press Release, 7/30/09]

Sen. Barrasso Called Firefighters “Instrumental to Keeping Our Communities Safe and Secure.” In a press release, Sen. Barrasso said “Firefighters are instrumental to keeping our communities safe and secure.” [Press Release, 7/7/08]

Sen. Blunt Pledged to Fight For Funding For Kansas City Fire Fighters. “Sen. Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, said the decision would ‘greatly disadvantage’ Kansas City. ‘We will continue working to call attention to this problem in order to ensure Kansas City receives the funding it needs,’ Blunt said.” [Kansas City Star, 5/21/11]

Sen. Boozman Said Federal Funding Gives Firefighters “The Tools They Need” In a press release, Sen. Boozman said “With the economic constraints many of our communities are experiencing, grants like this provide additional resources to protect Arkansans. This grant will help provide our firefighters the tools they need to stay safe while serving the community.” [Press Release, 7/29/10]

Sen. Scott Brown Said We Owe It To Firefighters “To Provide The Financial Resources To Keep Them Safe” In a press release, Sen. Brown said “Every day, our hardworking firefighters risk their lives to keep our families and communities safe, and we owe it to them to provide the financial resources to keep them safe in their incredibly dangerous jobs.” [Press Release, 5/8/10]

Sen. Burr Said Money To Hire More Firefighters Would Improve Safety, Response Times. “Firefighters risk their lives every day to help others. This grant will allow the Chapel Hill Fire Department to hire additional personnel which will improve firefighter safety and enhance emergency response times.” [Press Release, 10/19/06]

Sen. Cochran Was “Pleased” Federal Emergency Funding Went to Emergency Responders. In a Press Release, Sen. Cochran said “Municipal and volunteer fire departments apply for this federal assistance to improve their capacity to protect the public.  I am pleased that these resources will be used to enhance fire protection in our state.” [Press Release, 4/19/10]

Sen. Collins Said “In Every Case” Federal Firefighter Funding Eases Local Financial Burdens While Advancing The National Interest. In a column, Sen. Collins said “In many cases, these federal dollars enable a community’s department to obtain equipment it simply couldn’t afford on its own. And in every case, the federal grants ease local financial burdens while advancing the national interest in having first responders as prepared as possible for all disasters, whether natural or man-made.” [Press Release, 8/19/11]

Sen. Corker Said He Knows How Important It is That Firefighters Have the Best Possible Resources. In a press release, Sen. Corker said “Firefighters perform a tremendous public service, and as a former mayor I know firsthand how important it is that they have the best possible resources.” [Press Release, 7/30/09]

Sens. Cornyn and Hutchison Said It Is Vital That First Responders Have the Financial Support They Need Without Delay. In a letter to President Obama, Sens. Cornyn and Hutchison said “It is vital that first responders have the financial resources to support emergency protective measures to save lives, protect property and maintain the public’s health and safety. We ask that this be done now without delay.” [Press Release, 9/16/11]

Sen. Murkowski Took Credit for COPS and Law Enforcement Grants. “Through a funding measure signed into law July 29, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski was able to add provisions to the Tribal Law and Order Act that allows villages the same access to funding that cities and towns have long known. On Thursday, President Barack Obama signed a measure into law that now allows the State of Alaska, tribes and tribal organizations to fund VPSO positions with two different grants: Community Oriented Policing, or COPS grants, and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grants. Currently, VPSO positions are funded by the Alaska Department of Public Safety or through congressional earmarks. ‘The VPSOs are the police department, the fire department, the EMS and search and rescue all rolled into one,’ Murkowski said. ‘It is only fair that rural Alaska Native communities have the same access to public safety funds that communities and cities across America have.’” [Homer Tribune, 11/4/10]

Sen. Wicker Said Federal Emergency Funding Ensured Firefighters Had the Resources to Do Their Jobs. In a press release, Sen. Wicker said “Mississippi’s firefighters – many of them volunteers – are on the front lines when it comes to keeping people safe.  This important grant program ensures our firefighters have the resources to continue doing their jobs and protecting the public in emergency situations.” [Press Release, 4/19/10]

Sen. Kirk Said It Was “Imperative” That Emergency Responders “Are Always Properly Equipped and Staffed” In a press release, Sen. Kirk said “Like cities across America, the City of Waukegan has been grappling with serious financial issues in the wake of the Great Recession. It is imperative that our emergency responders are always properly equipped and staffed to keep our communities safe. I know Waukegan city officials–as well as the city’s residents–are grateful the Department of Homeland Security selected the City of Waukegan to receive these funds.” [Press Release, 6/1/11]

Sen. DeMint Was “Pleased” With Grants To Help South Carolina Hire More Fire Fighters. In a press release, Sen. DeMint said “South Carolina’s firefighters risk their lives to protect our families every day. I’m pleased they have been awarded these competitive grants that will assist in hiring more firefighters.” [Press Release, 12/28/06]

Sen. Enzi Said Local Firefighters Deserve Federal Funding For Best Resources Possible. In a press release, Sen. Enzi said “Local firefighters put their lives on the line to protect those they serve, and they should have access to the best resources possible. I am pleased that Campbell County Fire Department will be receiving this money to purchase the equipment they need to keep themselves and our communities safe.” [Press Release, 11/20/08]

Sen. Graham Said Federal Funds Will Help Local Fire Departments. “‘Firefighters and emergency service personnel dedicate themselves to protecting the health and safety of South Carolinians,’ said U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, grants. ‘These grants will help our local fire departments and rescue squads by providing them the means to obtain the best equipment and training available.’” [Anderson Independent-Mail, 2/13/10]

Sen. Grassley Said It Was Important For First Responders To Be Adequately Staffed. In a press release, Sen. Grassley said “As the community’s first responders, it’s important that the Urbandale Fire Department be properly trained and adequately staffed. This funding will be used to recruit and retain firefighters to help keep Urbandale secure.” [Press Release, 3/29/10]

Sen. Heller Said Providing First Responders With Necessary Resources is “Vital” In a press release, Heller said “Fire Departments are often the first to arrive in crisis situations. Providing them with the resources necessary for training is vital when every second counts. First responders are critical to the safety of every community and I am pleased this funding has been made available to the Reno Fire Department” [Press Release, 11/1/07]

Sen. Inhofe Said Federal Funding Helped Provide Necessary Resources for First Responders. In a press release, Sen. Inhofe said “These grants help provide the tools and resources necessary to protect the health and safety of Oklahoma firefighters and the Oklahomans they serve and protect. These awards will be used to increase the firefighting operations, fund fire fighter health and safety programs, acquire new fire apparatus, enhance EMS programs, and conduct fire prevention and safety programs.” [Press Release, 10/30/03]

Sen. Isakson Called Federal Funding “Welcome News” For Emergency Personnel. In a press release, Sen. Isakson said “I am grateful for the heroic efforts of the emergency personnel and the firefighters who battled this unwieldy and fast-spreading fire and protected our citizens. This funding is welcome news.” [Press Release, 12/3/07]

Sen. Lugar Called First Responders “The Backbone of Our Communities” In a press release, Sen. Lugar said “First responders are the backbone of our communities and it is vital to ensure they have the proper equipment and training.” [Press Release, 2/11/10]

Bart Giamatti, the kind of well-rounded man qualified to serve both as President of Yale and commissioner of Major League Baseball, once called education the “heart of a civil society.”

But he also said the heart of education “is the act of teaching.”

The commitment to educate the children of this nation is our greatest investment in our collective future.

It is the key to keeping the American Dream alive, and crucial to staying competitive in a global economy.

Teachers are the stewards of that investment. But the terrible recession that has rocked our national economy has threatened their ability to give our children the education they deserve.

Since 2008, state and local budget cuts have cost this country 300,000 education jobs. Nearly 200,000 of those jobs were lost in the last year alone.

Schools are feeling the pinch of larger class sizes, especially at the elementary and middle-school levels. The number of children in elementary school classrooms has a direct correlation to student achievement, and even to college graduation rates.

Districts have also shortened school days and school years, and eliminated summer school programs that help underprivileged children compete.

And they’ve cut art and music classes and after school activities that keep students engaged and prevent everything from high school dropouts to juvenile delinquency to teen pregnancy.

But while these cuts have been difficult, things could be much worse.

The Recovery Act and the Education Jobs Fund provided money to keep 422,000 teachers in the classroom for a year.

School districts across the country used that federal funding to keep class sizes small and ensure students are getting the world-class education they deserve. They used the funding to ensure America’s children are trained for the jobs of today and prepared for the challenges of tomorrow.

Still, as the economy continues to struggle, so do state and local budgets. And that means schools that are already doing more with less will continue to be at risk.

Although Democrats have saved hundreds of thousands of teacher jobs already, schools have still lost 300,000 educators since this recession began.

And the brain drain could get even worse.

State and local budget cuts could cost as many as 280,000 teacher jobs next year alone unless we do more.

That’s why President Obama proposed we invest $30 billion as part of the American Jobs Act to keep our schools well-staffed and ensure our children are well-educated.

Republicans blocked that job-creating legislation, which would have put 2 million people back to work in classrooms and construction sites across the country.

But Democrats haven’t given up on keeping our schools fully staffed. Nearly 300,000 teacher jobs are at risk, and so is the quality of our education system.

Unless local school districts get a helping hand, many will be forced to make more difficult choices between laying educators off or going without schoolbooks, paper and other supplies.

Democrats will pursue the President’s plan to keep nearly 400,000 teachers and support staff where they belong – in the classroom. A $30 billion investment will help local school districts not only avoid layoffs, but also rehire tens of thousands of teachers who have already lost their jobs because of budget cuts.

We will also commit $5 billion to retaining the police, firefighters and first responders who work so hard to keep our communities safe, and to rehiring those who have been laid off during these tough economic times.

Our economy cannot afford to lose any more jobs.

Our communities cannot afford to lose the men and women who keep us safe and secure.

And our nation cannot afford to lose the competitive edge a world-class education system gives us in a constantly changing world.

Democrats are committed to protecting the heart of education Bart Giamatti spoke of – the talented teachers who will shape our civil society.

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.”

“For too long China has been using underhanded tactics to manipulate its currency at the expense of American workers and businesses. They deserve a level playing field. This bipartisan bill levels that playing field, and could support up to 1.6 million American jobs.

“I commend my Republican colleagues who joined with Democrats to pass this important bill. I join my colleague, Senator Graham, in calling on the House to take up this bill and pass it quickly.”

The legislation, called the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Act, provides tools to impose consequences on countries that manipulate their currency and consequently, cost us jobs.

Our nation simply can’t afford to have American jobs shipped overseas because some countries impose unfair trade practices. By making its goods artificially less expensive than they really are, countries manipulating their currency gain an unfair advantage in the global marketplace.

China’s currency manipulation, for example, has already cost three million American jobs — two million of which came from our manufacturing sector.
The bill that passed tonight could create 1.6 million American jobs.
As Nevada Senator Harry Reid put it: “American businesses don’t need special advantages to compete. They just need an even playing field.”

Currency manipulation not only costs jobs, it can lead to unsustainable trade deficits. Our trade deficit with China has jumped from $10 billion in 1990 to $273 billion today.

We hope this common-sense, bipartisan bill will pass in the House. It’s time to put an end to this unfair trade practice, and put Americans back to work.

“The jobs growth reported today is stronger than expected but not nearly good enough when millions of Americans remain unemployed, and millions more are struggling to make ends meet. Our job will not be complete until all Americans who want to work are able to find jobs and support their families.

“On Tuesday, we will vote on President Obama’s jobs bill, which cuts taxes for the middle class and puts Americans back to work building roads, bridges and schools – and pays for these job-creating programs by asking millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share. Economist Mark Zandi said today that failing to pass the bill’s tax cut for the middle class could lead to a double-dip recession. I hope Republicans will listen, and do the right thing for our economy by working with Democrats to create jobs.”

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.

#1 The bill will save jobs

Senator Richard Blumenthal (Conn.): “China has been manipulate its currency, flagrantly and blatantly, at the expense of our businesses around the country, and most blatantly and flagrantly at the expense of American workers. This measure is necessary to protect American jobs and American workers.”

Senator Sherrod Brown (Ohio): China “devalues their currency, they underappreciate it, meaning they in a sense get a bonus.  When they sell anything to the U.S., anything, they get a 25% discount. They undercut American manufacturers that could be even more efficient than they are.”

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.): “The consequences of currency manipulation are deeply felt… by families who for generations have contributed to our growth as a nation by going to work every day and building things from cars and boats to toys and electronics.”

Senator Jack Reed (R.I.): “Unemployment throughout my home state of Rhode Island and the nation has been persistently high and is caused in part by the effects of currency manipulation, particularly Chinese devaluation of the yuan”

Senator Hagan (N.C.): It’s “The time for playing games with American jobs is over… the effects of China’s currency manipulation are damaging to our economy.”

Senator Harry Reid (Nev.) : “This is important jobs legislation.. The Senate is demanding justice for American companies”

#2 It’s a step toward economic recovery

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.): “A Rhode Island textile manufacturer CEO told me, ‘Addressing china’s manipulation of its currency would be a good first step to bringing our trade policy to where it needs to be, to help get American manufacturers moving in the right direction again.’”

Senator Jack Reed (R.I.): “The effects of unfair currency manipulation has resulted in distorted trade balances that have hurt U.S. workers and our nation’s economy as a whole.”

#3  Our trade deficit’s only getting worse

Senator Schumer (N.Y.): “The Chinese only understand one thing. Being tough, telling them if they don’t discontinue these actions, we are going to take action unilaterally on our own.. China’s policies get worse and worse and worse.”

Senator Levin (Mich.): “This is an unfair trade practice that contributes to large U.S. trade deficits”

Senator Cardin (Md.): “The legislation provides necessary mechanisms to help halt currency manipulation committed by any country.”

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid made the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the American Jobs Act. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

Franklin Roosevelt said that no man can truly be free without economic security.

With 14 million people out of work in America, there are far too many people living in the richest nation in the world yet unable to enjoy the full freedom and independence for which America stands.

So this Congress has no greater challenge – and no more important responsibility – than to enact the policies that help American businesses flourish and grow, put American citizens to work and get our struggling economy back on the track to prosperity.

So I was disappointed yesterday when Republicans chose to play political games with not one but two pieces of important job-creating legislation.

The bill before the Senate would even the odds for American workers and manufacturers in the global marketplace by stopping unfair currency manipulation by the Chinese government.

Reagan Administration Trade Official: “China Engages In Currency Manipulation.” Robert E. Lighthizer, who served as a deputy U.S. Trade Representative in the Reagan administration, testified, “China engages in currency manipulation – a major form of trade protectionism not explicitly prohibited under the WTO agreements… the U.S. government should treat currency manipulation as a subsidy for purposes of our CVD law.  In addition, the United States should officially designate China as a currency manipulator, challenge China’s currency manipulation at the International Monetary Fund (“IMF”),and bring a WTO case on the grounds that currency manipulation is a prohibited export subsidy.” [U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, 6/9/10]

• Reagan Administration Trade Official Criticized Conservatives Who Consider Cracking Down on China a “Liberal” Idea. After some conservatives questioned Republicans who wanted to “get tough on China” in 2011, former Reagan administration trade official Robert Lighthizer wrote, “can anyone really think that getting tough with China is a ‘liberal’ idea? Do you think that any of the conservatives and Republicans listed above would allow a foreign adversary to use currency manipulation, subsidies, theft of intellectual property and dozens of other forms of state-sponsored, government-organized unfair trade to run up a more than $270 billion trade surplus with us and to take U.S. jobs?” [Washington Times, 5/9/11]

Former Treasury Official: Value of Renminbi is 20%-30% Less Than What It Should Be. Former Assistant Treasury Secretary C. Fred Bergsten wrote, “The artificially low value of the renminbi — it is 20 to 30 percent less than what it should be — amounts to a subsidy on Chinese exports and a tariff on imports from the United States and other countries… If we want to avoid bankruptcy and raise growth, we have got to attack the trade deficit.” [New York Times, 9/28/11]

• Bergsten: “I Regard China’s Currency Policy As The Most Protectionist Measure Taken By Any Major Country Since World War II.” “I regard China’s currency policy as the most protectionist measure taken by any major country since World War II,” said C. Fred Bergsten, head of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. “Its currency manipulation by our estimates has it undervalued by 20 percent to 30 percent. That’s equivalent to a 20 to 30 percent subsidy on all exports and a tariff on all imports by the largest trading country in the world.” [Washington Post, 10/4/11]

Economists: Any Benefits of China Trade Have Been “Wiped Out” By Increased U.S. Government Costs, Including Unemployment Benefits and Food Stamps. In a newly released study, a team of three economists “rated every U.S. county for its manufacturers’ exposure to competition from China, and found that regions most exposed to China tended not only to lose more manufacturing jobs, but also to see overall employment decline. Areas with higher exposure also had larger increases in workers receiving unemployment insurance, food stamps and disability payments. The authors calculate that the cost to the economy from the increased government payments amounts to one- to two-thirds of the gains from trade with China. In other words, a big portion of the ways trade with China has helped the U.S.—such as by providing inexpensive Chinese goods to consumers—has been wiped out. And that estimate doesn’t include any economic losses experienced by people who lost their jobs. “ [Wall Street Journal, 9/27/11]

Krugman: China Currency Policy “Damages the Rest of the World.” Paul Krugman wrote in 2010, “China’s policy of keeping its currency, the renminbi, undervalued has become a significant drag on global economic recovery. Something must be done… it’s a policy that seriously damages the rest of the world. Most of the world’s large economies are stuck in a liquidity trap — deeply depressed, but unable to generate a recovery by cutting interest rates because the relevant rates are already near zero. China, by engineering an unwarranted trade surplus, is in effect imposing an anti-stimulus on these economies, which they can’t offset.” [New York Times, 3/14/10]

• Krugman: Taking Action on China Currency Can Help Alleviate National Jobs Crisis. Paul Krugman wrote, “The dire state of the world economy reflects destructive actions on the part of many players. Still, the fact that so many have behaved badly shouldn’t stop us from holding individual bad actors to account.  And that’s what Senate leaders will be doing this week, as they take up legislation that would threaten sanctions against China and other currency manipulators… Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, said it clearly last week: unemployment is a ‘national crisis,’ with so many workers now among the long-term unemployed that the economy is at risk of suffering long-run as well as short-run damage. And we can’t afford to neglect any important means of alleviating that national crisis. Holding China accountable won’t solve our economic problems on its own, but it can contribute to a solution — and it’s an action that’s long overdue.” [New York Times, 10/3/11]

Zandi: Currency Manipulation Creates a “Significant Competitive Disadvantage for All Manufacturers.” Mark Zandi of Moody’s Analytics explained, “Nothing is more important from a macroeconomic perspective for manufacturing, then to get these currencies better aligned. They are not aligned and that’s a significant competitive disadvantage for all manufacturers, increasingly other businesses as well.” [JEC Hearing, 6/22/11]

Samuelson: China’s Currency Policies Contributed to the U.S. Financial Crisis.  Columnist Robert J. Samuelson wrote, “China and others are implicated in the dollar system’s failings. By keeping their currencies artificially depressed—a way to aid exports—they abetted the very imbalances that they now criticize… It’s not just that exchange rates were (and are) misaligned. American economists have argued that a flood tide of Chinese money, earned from those bulging trade surpluses, depressed interest rates on U.S. Treasury securities and sent investors searching for higher yields elsewhere. That expanded the demand for riskier securities, including subprime mortgages, and pumped up the real-estate bubble. So China’s policies contributed to the original financial crisis (though they were not the only cause) as well as to Americans’ excess spending.” [Newsweek, 4/3/09]

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid made the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding bipartisan legislation to end Chinese currency manipulation. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

Last night the Senate held an overwhelming, bipartisan vote to move forward with legislation preventing continued currency manipulation by the Chinese government.

This unfair practice – which gives Chinese exports an unmerited advantage in the global marketplace –injures the American economy. It hurts American manufacturers. And it costs American jobs.

In 1990, America’s trade deficit with China was $10 billion. Twenty years later, thanks to currency manipulation that gives an edge to Chinese exporters, that trade deficit had soared to $273 billion.

That trade deficit has fueled the loss of nearly 3 million American jobs, including 2 million manufacturing jobs, in the last decade alone.

My home state of Nevada has lost more than 14,000 jobs to China trade and currency manipulation.

The eight hardest-hit states have lost 1.4 million positions total. And 17 states have lost more than 2 percent of their jobs.

Manufacturers simply can’t compete when the Chinese government gives its exporters advantages companies in other countries don’t get.

American workers and manufacturers are second to none.

They don’t need special advantages to succeed – they just need a fair shot. This important jobs legislation will give them one.

Putting an end to China’s deliberate actions to undervalue its currency will even the playing field. It will also support 1.6 million American jobs.

Demanding a fair playing field would pump $300 billion into our economy in two short years.

But don’t take my word for it. Just ask American manufacturers.

The Alliance for American Manufacturers called this jobs bill the “deficit-reducing, job-creating, no-cost stimulus that is desperately needed.”

Business groups have lined up to testify to the adverse impacts of currency manipulation on U.S. corporate interests.

The American Iron and Steel Institute, the National Association of Manufacturers and even the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have said the problem pits American and Chinese manufacturers against one another in an unfair fight.

But this issue has also forged some strange alliances.

The AFL-CIO has also called for swift action to level the playing field.

This is what they said: “The single most important job-supporting trade measure that the Congress… can take is to address the Chinese government`s manipulation of its currency.”

Business and labor groups agree that American workers and manufacturers aren’t getting a fair shake, and they agree on what action Congress should take action to give them one. We all know that doesn’t happen very often.

Here in the Senate we have heard the message loud and clear. We can’t ignore blatant, unfair trade practices that put American workers at a disadvantage.

Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once said, “Fairness is what justice really is.”

This week the Senate is demanding justice for American companies and their employees.

I know that a few of my Democratic colleagues don’t support this legislation. There are some Republicans who oppose it as well.

But that is often the mark of a good piece of legislation – it can garner a significant number of votes from each party.

With millions of Americans’ livelihoods at stake, I am pleased to see the Senate working on a truly bipartisan jobs bill.

LOCAL NEWS IN OKLAHOMA REPORTING ON COBURN’S OBSTRUCTION—160 WORKERS IN HIS OWN STATE WOULD BE TAKEN OFF THE JOB IF COBURN FORCES FAA SHUTDOWN

Coburn Blocking FAA/Highway Bill In Order to Get Pet Provision Slipped Into the Bill.  Senator Tom Coburn is objecting to proceeding to the FAA/Highway bill, insisting on having a provision of his slipped into the bill without a vote or a hearing on the issue.  Coburn said he would use “all procedural tools at his disposal.”  [Tulsa Oklahoman, 9/15/11; Bloomberg, 9/13/11]

Coburn Twice Voted For Highway Reauthorization Bill That Contained Program He Now Insists on Cutting.  In 2005, when Republicans were in control of the Congress and the White House, Coburn twice voted for the Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill.  The bill Coburn voted for contained the provision that he is now holding the Highway/FAA bill up over. [Vote 220, 7/29/05; Vote 125, 5/17/05]

When Given an Up or Down Vote on His Amendment it Failed 39-59.  In September 2009 Coburn was given a vote on his amendment to end TE funding.  Coburn’s amendment failed 39-59. [Vote 277, 9/16/09]

COBURN FEELING THE HEAT BACK HOME:

VIDEO: Local KWTV in Oklahoma City Says Coburn’s Objection Could Put Thousands of Workers Out Of Jobs” “Well the FAA facing the threat of another partial shutdown thanks to the objections of Oklahoma US Senator Coburn. … If the measure does not pass by tomorrow the FAA’s current operating authority will expire forcing a partial shutdown, putting thousands of workers out of jobs and depriving the government of $30 million dollars a day in uncollected airline ticket taxes.” [KWTV, 9/15/11]

VIDEO: Local KOCO In Oklahoma City Says Senator Coburn’s Objections “Force Thousands Of Airport Employees To Stay Off The Job” “And Senator Tom Coburn’s objections to a bill could force thousands of airport employees to stay off the job” [KOCO, 9/15/11]

VIDEO: Local KOTV in Tulsa Says The FAA Is Facing the Threat Of Another Partial Shutdown “Due to the Objections Of Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn” “The FAA facing the threat of another partial shutdown, and that is due to the objections of Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn. Senator Coburn refuses to give his consent on the stopgap transportation bill as it is now written because he would like to change parts of it…current operating authority is going to expire, and that would force another partial shutdown, which would put thousands of workers on furlough and deprive the government of $30 million a day in uncollected airline ticket taxes” [KOTV, 9/15/11]

VIDEO: Local TV Station KJRH in Tulsa Said Coburn’s Objection Could Force Another FAA  Shutdown By Tomorrow. “An objection from Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn and a procedural tie-up could force another partial shutdown of the FAA by tomorrow.” [KJRH, 9/15/11]

The Oklahoman Said Coburn’s ‘Line In The Sand’ Could Mean Another Partial Shutdown Of The FAA” “Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn’s ‘line in the sand’ could mean another partial shutdown of the FAA if situation isn’t resolved by Friday. Coburn on Wednesday blocked fast-track consideration of a bill to keep money flowing to the FAA and the nation’s highway departments.” [The Oklahoman, 9/15/11]

AND FROM FELLOW REPUBLICANS

Republican Senator Hutchinson Criticized Coburn for Holding up FAA Bill. “I’m hoping that Sen. Coburn will understand the urgency of where we can address his concerns to let him have a vote.  I don’t think you can ever require acceptance of something in a 100-person body  I don’t think he can ask for the amendment to be accepted without a vote. I want FAA to pass without any delays. It’s too costly.”[ Politico, 9/15/11]

COBURN’S MOVE THREATENS JOBS IN HIS OWN STATE:

If Highway Bill Expires, More Than 22,000 Jobs Would Be At Risk in Oklahoma. If the Surface Transportation bill expires this month, approximately 22,454 jobs would be at risk in Oklahoma alone. Nationwide, more than 1.8 million jobs will be at risk if this bill expires. [EPW, 9/1/11]

If Federal Aviation Administration Shuts Down, 160 FAA Employees Would Be Furloughed in Oklahoma Alone, With Thousands More Construction Workers Forced Off the Job.    [Federal Aviation Administration]

Nearly 1/3 of Oklahoma’s Bridges Are In Desperate Need of Repair. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, 32% of Oklahoma’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, and 40% of Oklahoma’s major roads are rated in poor or mediocre condition. In addition, 150 of Oklahoma’s 4,427 dams are in need of rehabilitation to meet applicable state dam safety standards.  [ASCE Report Card]

Last Partial FAA Shutdown Delayed “Critical” Piece of Infrastructure, Impacting More than 13,000 Jobs. “With the partial shutdown of the FAA, the government is not collecting the excise tax on tickets, [Tulsa International Airport Director] Mulder said. ‘That hurts us long term. The runway project is a $70 million project and the lack of federal funds means it will take six years to reconstruct the runway instead of one year.’  The runway is one of the most important pieces of infrastructure in northeast Oklahoma, Mulder said. More than 13,000 jobs are directly and indirectly affected by the airport. ‘It supports all those jobs here. It is a critical piece of infrastructure,’ Mulder said.” [Journal Record, 7/27/11]

Senator Malcolm Wallop of Wyoming, died yesterday at the age of 78. I served with him in the Senate until 1995.

His roots in Wyoming stem back to pioneer ancestors in Big Horn, although he was born in New York. He served his country admirably in the Army, and then worked for many years as a cattle rancher and businessman before running for office.

Although we didn’t always agree on the issues, he was a nice man and good friends with Senator Paul Laxalt, from Nevada.

Today we honor his service to this country, both as a soldier and a senator.

In my office I have a painting of a man on horseback, dressed in frontier attire and looking over a beautiful valley in the old West.

His name was Rafael Rivera and the valley would one day come to be known as Las Vegas. Rivera was the first pioneer to enter the valley so many Nevadans today call home.

Today I join more than 50 million Hispanic Americans in the United States in marking the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month.

This celebration of history and culture lasts through October 15. I look forward to the opportunity Hispanic Heritage Month brings each year to honor the contributions of a population that is such an integral part of our national identity.

For hundreds of years, Latinos have helped shape the face of this nation. They have made contributions on the battlefield, in the classroom and in the workplace. They have spurred progress in the laboratory, on the playing field and in our halls of justice. They have shaped the way we farm and the way we do business. And they have influenced our art and literature.

At construction sites and casinos and shopping centers they contribute to the largest industries in my home state of Nevada, where they make up more than a quarter of the population.

Their language even influenced the name of the state, which means “snow covered.” It refers to the snow-capped mountain peaks of our beautiful Sierra Nevada.

Hispanic-Americans have also played an important role in this nation’s armed forces – serving in every conflict since the Revolutionary War. Nearly 30,000 of them have fought for this country in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I thank them for their brave and dedicated service.

And every year Latinos help propel our economy. More than 2.3 million Hispanic-owned businesses employ millions of Americans and provide crucial goods and services.

So today, the Senate recognizes the commitment of more than 50 million Hispanic Americans to family, community and country.

I want to say on the record how much I appreciate the support of the Republicans in allowing us to be able to get on the FEMA bill.

If we’re not able to work out an agreement on that today, we’ll have a number votes relating to that important legislation, which affects millions of Americans who have been devastated by mother nature.

I’m disappointed, however, in one of our Republican colleagues who at this stage is holding up something so vitally necessary.

The House sent us two pieces of legislation that passed overwhelmingly there. One will keep 1.8 million people working on highway construction projects for another six months.

They also sent to us a fully funded, four-month extension of the Federal Aviation Administration, also vitally important.

Unless my friend, the Junior Senator from Oklahoma, agrees to allow us to move forward on this, one senator will stop 80,000 people from working. I hope he will reconsider.

We have told my friend, the Junior Senator from Oklahoma, that we’ll have a vote on his amendment. He won’t let us have a vote on his own amendment.

We must get these two important pieces of legislation passed so that we can keep almost two million people working. There isn’t a state in the union that won’t be affected by these 80,000 people being laid off.

In Nevada we have a new tower being built at McCarran Airport. Work will stop and construction workers will be laid off if we can’t move forward with this legislation.

And that’s not fair to the Senate or to the country.

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.

“President Barack Obama laid out a set of bipartisan ideas to create jobs whose size and scope reflects the urgent need to put Americans back to work. Most of the ideas in this bill have been supported by both Democrats and Republicans. These are common-sense solutions for getting our economy moving again and spurring hiring in the private sector. This package would give tax cuts to middle-class Americans and small businesses, put Americans back to work re-building roads, bridges and schools and help ensure that the brave Americans who put their lives on the line serving their country can find a job when they get home.

“This package of common-sense, bipartisan proposals will present a litmus test to Republicans. I hope they will show the American people that they are more interested in creating jobs than defeating President Obama. Experts from the ratings agencies to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke have said that political gridlock is the main obstacle standing in the way of our economic growth. It is time to put jobs and the economy ahead of partisan politics. Americans are looking at us for leadership, and I hope Republicans join us in passing the President’s bi-partisan jobs plan as soon as possible.”

I look forward to hearing the specifics of his plan. I already know I support its goal: to create good jobs for the 14 million Americans who can’t find work during these dark economic times.

I applaud the common-sense, bipartisan approach he will unveil tonight: to invest in badly needed infrastructure, and to cut taxes for working families and small businesses to spur job creation.

These are ideas behind which members of both parties ought to rally.

Republicans have always supported tax cuts. And in the past they have agreed we must bring America’s infrastructure up to 21st century standards.

If they oppose these proposals now, the reason will be clear: partisan politics.

The other side seems convinced that a failing economy is good Republican politics. They think if they kill every jobs bill and stall every effort to revive the economy, President Obama will lose.

My friend, the Republican leader, has said so. He said the Republican Party’s number one goal this Congress is to defeat the President.

But Republicans aiming at the President have caught innocent Americans in the crossfire.

This week, Republican leaders have said they want to work with the President and Democrats in Congress on bipartisan job creation legislation. But their actions over the last 8 months speak louder than those words.

Republicans opposed reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation Research program and the Economic Development Administration. Both have proven track records of spurring innovation, encouraging entrepreneurship and creating jobs. But Republicans were willing to put hundreds of thousands of American jobs at risk rather than work with Democrats.

The Senate passed much-needed patent reform in March. Yet House Republicans stalled for months before sending us back their version of the bill, which we will vote on today.

Republicans wasted weeks threatening to shut down the government this spring. Then they held our economy hostage for months this summer over a routine vote on whether to pay the nation’s bills.

Congress took the same vote 18 times while Ronald Reagan was president and 7 times while George W. Bush was president. Never was the vote half as time consuming or contentious as this year.

And through it all, Republicans have hacked away at funding for the very programs that were helping to get this nation’s economy back on its feet.

The results of their stall tactics, obstructionism and mindless budget cuts are beginning to show. Although the private sector created jobs for the 18th month in a row, August saw no change in the national unemployment rate. Unemployment in Nevada is still the highest in the nation.

Yet Republicans refuse to focus on employment.

As Democrats introduced jobs bill after jobs bill, Republicans made it clear they were more interested in pursuing a political agenda than a jobs agenda. But we will no longer allow them to put politics ahead of the American people.

There are two things we must get done this work period that will create and save jobs immediately. We must reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration to protect both air travelers and airline workers. And we must pass a highway bill to fund transit construction projects across the nation.

Those two bills will create or save more than 2 million jobs right away, including many jobs in the struggling construction industry. But we will need Republicans’ help to past them.

This is their chance to prove they remember the meaning of the word “bipartisan.” It is time for necessity to trump ideology.

Robert Byrd once said “potholes know no parties.” The challenges that face this nation today are greater than any speed bump. But the road to recovery is the same: cooperation.

Partisanship will not solve our jobs crisis. But setting aside politics in service to our country certainly will.

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid made the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Republicans’ obstruction of job-creation efforts. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

Yesterday morning a gunman entered an IHOP restaurant in Carson City, Nevada and opened fire, killing four people and wounding several others before killing himself.

We are still learning the details of this tragedy. But we do know five of the victims were members of the Nevada National Guard.

It appears the gunman was targeting men and women in uniform, although authorities say the motive is unclear. Three Nevada National Guard members died yesterday from their wounds, as did one civilian.

Citizen soldiers willingly sacrifice time with their families and knowingly put themselves in harm’s way to protect a grateful nation. But no one expects to be in danger when they go out for pancakes in the morning.

I thank these five brave guardsmen for their commitment to Nevada and to this country. My thoughts are with them again today.

My heart also goes out to the families of the other Nevadans who were killed or wounded yesterday.

It is hard to imagine such a terrible thing taking place in the quiet town of Carson City, where I spent so much time when I was a Nevada state legislator and lieutenant governor. I wish all the citizens of Carson City well as they begin the process of healing after these shocking events.

This fall Democrats in Washington are hoping to find Republican allies willing to reach across the aisle for the sake of putting Americans back to work.

For months Republicans have wasted our time on partisan politics.

They have used unrelated amendments and procedural stall tactics to kill good pieces of legislation that have always had the support of Republicans and Democrats.

They blocked reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration, which created 314,000 jobs by spurring private investing using public grants awarded over the last five years. The EDA has worked with local businesses and universities in economically challenged areas to create jobs for 45 years.

And for nearly two months they held up efforts to pass a long-term reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation and Research Program before finally killing the bill altogether. This legislation would have helped more small technology companies – which invented everything from the electric toothbrush to armor for the Bradley tank – to innovate, grow and put Americans back to work.

The failure of these two pieces of legislation alone cost hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Republicans’ obstructionist tactics also cost time. And every moment wasted on procedural hurdles or useless amendments was a moment we weren’t creating jobs.

As Republicans held up the work of Congress for months in the hopes of defeating the President, they also held up our economic recovery.

We saw the toll in last month’s jobs report, which showed unemployment holding steady. That report should be a wakeup call to my colleagues on the other side.

It gives me hope that the Senate is now moving forward with the America Invents Act. It will reform this nation’s outdated patent system and create 270,000 jobs. And it will clear a three-year backlog of patent applications, so American inventors can take the next iPod or electric car from the drawing board to the production line.

I hope that spirit of bipartisanship continues. Because this Congress and this country cannot afford to waste any more time.

There are two things we must do this month that would create jobs right away. First, we must extend the authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, safeguarding both airline passengers and aviation jobs. This legislation will protect 280,000 workers, including tens of thousands of construction workers, from layoffs at a time when jobs are already tough to find.

Second, we must authorize federal spending for this nation’s highways. About 1.8 million construction jobs on highway and mass transit projects nationwide are at stake.

But we should also consider any bipartisan idea to get our economy humming again.

Here are two ideas that Republicans have supported in the past: payroll tax cuts and an extension of Unemployment Insurance.

Extending the payroll tax cut could save 972,000 American jobs in 2012. Extending Unemployment Insurance during these tough economic times would save 528,000 American jobs.

Speaker Boehner and Leader Cantor wrote to the President yesterday, saying “our differences [should] not preclude us from taking action in areas where there is common agreement.”

I agree. Let’s start with the four commonsense, bipartisan measures I’ve just mentioned. They would create or save more than 2 million jobs.

So I urge my Republican colleagues, and in particular to Republican leaders, to remember these words: “our differences [should] not preclude us from taking action in areas where there is common agreement.”

The Twitter Town Hall will give Americans an opportunity to send their questions about job-creation measures directly to Senator Reid. To send a question, Twitter users simply Tweet a message of fewer than 140 characters that includes the hashtag #AskReidTH. Twitter users can Tweet questions any time between now and the Town Hall.

During the town hall on September 14th, Senator Reid will answer a selection of Tweeted questions. His responses will be posted on Twitter and streamed live over the Internet.

This town hall is a continuation of Democrats’ efforts to use new media to engage Americans on the critical issues facing our country, and hear their ideas for how to move our country forward.

Democrats believe job creation should be Congress’ number one priority – and Americans agree. But this year, Republicans have distracted Congress from its most important responsibility – getting our economy back on track – time and again.

They have piled endless amendments on legislation that should enjoy bipartisan support. They have killed good bills with obstructionism and stall tactics.

They have dragged out votes to continue funding the government and to avert a default crisis – votes that have always been routine under Republican and Democratic presidents alike.

President Reagan asked Congress to prevent this country from defaulting on its debt 18 times, and Republicans never batted an eye.

Yet this year we set aside our jobs agenda for months while they held up the work of Congress and held our economy hostage.

Rather than working with Democrats to pass job-creating legislation, they insisted on reckless cuts that hurt our economic recovery and prevented us from getting Americans working again.

And they did all this for the sake of politics. They will do anything to keep President Obama from getting reelected.

But the August employment report released last week should be a wakeup call to every Republican who has wasted Congress’ time over the last eight month.

The private sector added a lackluster 17,000 jobs last month, and the unemployment rate remained flat.

Although August marked the 18th straight month of private sector job growth, a stagnant unemployment rate is simply not good enough.

Congress must act quickly to jumpstart a slowing recovery and bring the unemployment rate down.

It is time for Congress to get down to the work it should have been doing all along – work Republicans have delayed for eight months now.

That will take cooperation, something that has been in short supply in Washington this year.

But I am hopeful as we begin a new work period that our constituents’ voices will be fresh in our minds as we take on the task of passing practical, bipartisan job creation legislation.

Over the last month I had the opportunity to spend time with my constituents in Nevada. Many of them are still struggling. They are still having trouble finding steady work, making the mortgage and putting food on the table.

And they will be watching closely this fall to see whether we have heard their message to Congress to put aside partisanship for the sake of American jobs.

They will not be satisfied with the same obstructionism and gridlock they saw this spring and summer.

They know, as I do, that this nation’s economy depends on dedicated men and women from both parties working together on bipartisan bills to put Americans back to work.

The Senate will waste no time getting down to business. Today we will hold a vote on legislation to streamline the patent system, which will help entrepreneurs start new businesses.

The America Invents Act will significantly reform the patent system for the first time in 60 years. It passed the House with more than 300 votes and includes many of the same provisions adopted by the Senate in March with 95 votes.

This is exactly the kind of job-creating legislation that our country needs to get the economic recovery back in motion. It will promote innovation, create American jobs and grow our economy without adding a penny to the deficit.

Today, 700,000 patent applications – three years worth – are waiting to be reviewed. The next revolutionary device might be sitting in that pile of applications, instead of being manufactured by American workers.

The America Invents Act will give the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office the tools it needs to work through that backlog, and unlock the job-creating potential of each patent. It will also lower fees for small business applicants by up to 75 percent, helping them put more people to work at a time we need jobs the most.

It is time our patent system became a tool to spark innovation instead of something that holds companies back from creating jobs.

The America Invents Act is the kind of bipartisan effort Americans have demanded – and deserve – from Congress.

But it is only the beginning – a down payment on the aggressive jobs agenda we will pursue this fall.

We will hold a cloture vote on this legislation tonight. And I hope to vote on final passage this week. Although this is important legislation, it has seen plenty of debate in Congress. It is time to move on to other job creation measures.

This work period, we must extend the authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, safeguarding the jobs of airline safety workers. We can’t afford another FAA shutdown that would put air travelers at risk, lay off tens of thousands of construction worker and result in the lot of millions in uncollected airline ticket taxes.

Neither can we afford a disruption in collection of the federal gasoline taxes or a delay of highway and mass transit construction projects that employ 1 million Americans. So before the end of the month, we must also authorize federal spending for this nation’s highways.

Even Grover Norquist agrees advancing the highway bill is not a tax increase, and won’t oppose this crucial legislation.

Congress must also make sure that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has the resources it needs to help American families rebuild their lives after several deadly disasters.

Experts estimate Hurricane Irene to be one of the ten most costly disasters in American history. To free up money to help victims of this devastating hurricane immediately, FEMA has frozen long-term aid to tornado-ravaged Joplin, Missouri and other disaster areas.

We will provide funding for FEMA to immediately help victims of Hurricane Irene without abandoning the long-term needs of people whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed by tornados and floods in the Midwest.

I also look forward to hearing President Obama’s job-creation ideas on Thursday. It will be crucial for Congress to work together with the President to jumpstart our flagging recovery.

It won’t be easy for Congress to tackle all of these things this fall. But it has never been more important that we put our jobs agenda ahead of either party’s political agenda.

I anticipate a productive work period, during which colleagues on both sides of the aisle will work together for the good of our economy and this nation.