Senate Proceeding on Feb 13th, 2009 :: 1:57:55 to 2:08:00
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1:57:55 to 2:08:00( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Chuck Grassley
Bill: H.R. 1: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

1:57:57 to 1:58:18( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: quorum call: a senator: mr. the presiding officer: the senator from mr. grassley: i calling of the quorum be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: on friday the 13th

1:58:19 to 1:58:41( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: says we shouldn't be walking under ladders, avoid black cats crossing your path, and certainly wouldn't purposely break mirrors, would you? but since this is the first significant piece in this congress and under our new president, we ought to take

1:58:42 to 1:59:05( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: a look in this legislative mirror and take a look at w we're doing when we vote here today. if you look at the developments of this legislation, you'll see some patterns. one, house democrats put together their priorities and drive their priorities through the house of representatives.

1:59:06 to 1:59:26( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: they didn't pretend to take any republican out 11 of their own members in the house of representatives from the 11 democrats who voted against it. in the senate republicans consuld, that's a very

1:59:27 to 1:59:49( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: positive thin thing, but we were never invited to the negotiating table. we saw this pattern repeat itself at committee levels, on the floor here and, of course, the most oious one at the conference stage. when republicans offered ideas generally they were rejected.

1:59:50 to 2:00:10( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: now there were a few the chart behind me will show that -- that there few exceptions were. the chart here deals with one improvement, the alternative minimum t

2:00:11 to 2:00:25( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: it's 2006 return data, so it might understate its impact. but you can see there stat where -- i think these would add up

2:00:26 to 2:00:46( Edit History Discussion )

million for ifhe 2008 tax weren't passed, it would million, 4 -- 23 million, 24 million middle-class americans that would be hit do anything on the -- on the alternative minimum tax. and each one of us can look at

2:00:47 to 2:01:07( Edit History Discussion )

our own individual state, but you can percentages of people that would be hit by the alternative minimum tax, and that needs to be done. i heard detracting remarks on whether we ought to do that in a stimulative package.

2:01:08 to 2:01:28( Edit History Discussion )

it's not as stimulative as parts of it. i think -- from the other side that it might be two cents on -- or opposed to other with food stamps you might get or return on t

2:01:29 to 2:01:51( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: investment from a stimulative. but it needs to be there for the simple reason that each of the last two years we've waited a long period of time to do it, and it's created pro you do it in n alternative minimum tax. for the i.r.s. to do their form work.

2:01:52 to 2:02:13( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: i pushed this amendment, an extension of the alternative minimum tax i thank the conferees for retaing it in conference. many in the democratic leadership, most particularly the senior senator from illinois,rgued that i should support the package based upon that amendment alone. well, i'd agree with my friend

2:02:14 to 2:02:37( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: from was improved with that amendment. i'd also point out that all of the families in his state -- and you can look where there's just a fabulous number of middle-income taxpayers -- 909,000 right now before this bill is signed by

2:02:38 to 2:03:00( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: to pay that tax. in my state of iowa, it's large but we need to point out that all the and families get a tax cut averaging ,300

2:03:01 to 2:03:21( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: due to the amendment. we, on this so, i don't get what the senior senator from illinois was saying -- night because i was on the floor at that particular time. it doesn't

2:03:22 to 2:03:42( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: improvements based on merit alone and whether or not it has anything to do with who supports this bill or who doesn't. why he feels the need to continue to criticize me by name r improving the bill is beyond my comprehension. now, instead of criticizing by name, i'd hope that the senior senator from illinois would listen to what i've got to say and reflect on

2:03:43 to 2:04:03( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: it. we don't need to be partisan, cut-out cartoon characters here. we can actually engage in some real debate n that vein, many on my side could probably support the conference agreement b us thene the senator -- senior senator from illinois is criticized -- has criticized me

2:04:04 to 2:04:25( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: for offering, the alternative minimum tax. president obama could get the 80 votes he wanted and still have a stimulus bill. but on this side, we'll supply those additional votes, maybe pushing the total to 80 only if we believe the bill, as a whole, would improve the economy.

2:04:26 to 2:04:46( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: to that end, house and senate republicans offered amendments in committee and on the floor to improve this bill the following ways: and i have about four examples. to tie the spending of this bill to the period in which the economy is sagging. that was senator mccain's if senator mccain had

2:04:47 to 2:05:08( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: prevailed, taxpayers would know that their tax dollars would be protected once the economy recovered and it was a good fiscally responsible idea. it was rejected largely along party-line votes. number two example to ensure that the huge amount of state

2:05:09 to 2:05:30( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: for medicaid alone -- was used by the states to prevent tax increases or cuts in important services, we had amendments to do that. the amendments required states to maintain their efforts on keeping taxes low and not cutting services, and that was rejected lines. another example to build on the

2:05:31 to 2:05:52( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: individual tax relief in the package on this side, we offered amendments to in amount and by taxpayers, and those amendments were largely rejected along party lines. and last example: we tried to divert some of the over trillion in this bill --

2:05:53 to 2:06:13( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: and that's trillion when interest on this debt is included -- to home mortgages and housing some -- we offered amendments to do that. senator isakson prevailed with his amendment to provide a robust tax credit for home purchases, and how was that amendment received in the

2:06:14 to 2:06:35( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: conference committee? new social priority of a lost house democrats, was added back. now, these are just a few examples. in many cases that i'd like to remind my colleagues that we would cut back the cost of the bill. just ask senator mccain.

2:06:36 to 2:06:57( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: i'll sure that he'll explain in that could be saved. so the true test is in press reports. they note the conference report isn't too far off from the basic plans laid out by the democratic leadership. the bottom line is, the basic outlines of the plan didn't move

2:06:58 to 2:07:18( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: all that much between what was originally passed in the house, originally passed in the senate, and what comes out of conference. it goes back to be bipartisan, you've got to have a real offer to negotia, and a sincere objective to entertain each other points of view.

2:07:19 to 2:07:43( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: there is no better evidence of that record that senator baucus and i have established in the committee -- finance committee during the years that i chaired the commi years that he has chaired the committe i yield the floor. i suggest

2:07:44 to 2:07:58( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: absence of a quorum. mr. president, i ask that the time be the presiding officer: without objection, the clerk will call the roll.