Senate Proceeding on Jul 16th, 2009 :: 5:30:45 to 5:42:20
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5:30:42 to 5:31:02( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: and i thank you, mr. presi and i yield . vitter: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. vitter: thank you, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered.

5:30:45 to 5:42:20( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: David Vitter

5:31:03 to 5:31:24( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: mr. vitter: thk you, mr. president. mr. president, in september of this year, just a couple months away, the highway bill, the program under which we build bridges and roads and highways around the country, is set to expire. even more worrisome, in august

5:31:25 to 5:31:46( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: of this year, next month, the highway trust fund which funds all scheduled to run out of money. and so, mr. president, i t i hope there is a broad consensus here that we need to act to continu the ongoing highway program. to not act, to allow the highway

5:31:47 to 5:32:07( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: trust fund to run out of money, to allow the highway program just to end would be an enormous antistimulus for the economy. because a lot of significant productive infrastructure spending and activity would just stop overnight. and so, mr. president, we must

5:32:08 to 5:32:28( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: act, and i believe everyone acknowledges that. what i'm concerned about, mr. president, is that we're going to go right up to the 11th hour, to the and then we're going to be given one choice and one choice only here on the floor of the senate rather than have a reasoned debate abouthe best

5:32:29 to 5:32:50( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: way to act and the best pay for that. and so, mr. president, i strongly urge the senate to take up ts matter sooner rather than later and of the reasonable and all of the available options. mr. president, as i understand it, the obama administration

5:32:51 to 5:33:11( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: will propose an 18-month extension of the current highway program, and i have absolutely no problem with to support the key issue in my mind, that extension, how we replenish

5:33:12 to 5:33:32( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: the trust furntiond a trust fund, at least for the next 18 months. we faced this shortfall late last year, and unfortunately there was no good idea, no option presented excep more money, borrowed money, increase the debt to keep that trust fund going.

5:33:33 to 5:33:58( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: i sugge with debt rising so dramatically with all of the actions this congress has taken -- the stimulus, the budget that doubles the debt in five years and triples it in ten -- we need a better solution than merely to print more money or borrow more money from the chinese. that's why, mr. president, i have introduced my proposal,

5:33:59 to 5:34:19( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: senate bill 1344 specifically is called "the highway investment protection act." it would extend and reauthorize the highway program for an initial 18 months and fund that out of existing stimulus dollars which have already been appropriated. now, mr. president, what ishe

5:34:20 to 5:34:40( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: point of that? the point is real simple. if we use exist already-appropriated stimulus dollars, we're more money, we're not printing more money, we're not borrowing more money from the chinese. so we're increasing the deficit and

5:34:41 to 5:35:02( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: increasing the debt. that very important. we're also not increasing taxes, which is a horrible thing to do, particularly in the middle of a very one of the clear lessons from the great depression is of the things you don't do that unfortunately leaders back then

5:35:03 to 5:35:23( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: di one was to increase taxes, which made the depression far worse and far longer in duration than it oth so this program doesn't print more money, doesn't borrow yet more from the chinese, doesn't raise taxes, and that's the

5:35:24 to 5:35:46( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: great advantage of it. in addition, specifically strtured to give maximum flexibility to administration in terms of where to find those stimulus dollars. so we don't say specifically take it from this, which they may favor, take it from that account, which they may prefer.

5:35:47 to 5:36:08( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: we give the obama administration maximum flexility. now, mr. president, i think virtually everyone acknowledges that at the end of the day, when the entire $800 stimulus program is worked through, there will be over this amount of money that remains unspent and unobligated.

5:36:09 to 5:36:30( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: there will be more than what is required for the next 18 months for the highway trust fund, about $20 billion, which department be spent out of the stimulus anyway. and so this is simply capturing that money and using it to extend this vital highway program, this important infrastructure spending. now, mr. president, several

5:36:31 to 5:36:52( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: months ago when we debated the stimulus here on the floor of the senate, there were many of us, democrats and republicans alike, who wanted more infrastructure spending, mor highway spending in the stimulus. it's very clear from every poll that was published that the

5:36:53 to 5:37:14( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: american people felt that way. and then one of the absolute top categories of stimulus spending money the american people supported was highway construction: roads, bridges, highways. and so this with the idea of a consensus broad-based stimulus program and

5:37:15 to 5:37:35( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: not inconsistent with that at all. again, mr. president, the alternativ money from the general that means we're money from the chinese, or whomever, in a sense printing more money, or there may be a

5:37:36 to 5:37:57( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: proposal to increase taxes to pay for it, which i believe no matter what the source, is a very bad idea in the middle of a serious recession, very antigrowth. again, mr. president, my fear is that given our very constricted busy schedule between now and the august recess, this matter

5:37:58 to 5:38:19( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: is going to be pushed to the very end right before we're set to leave for the august recess. and one alternative and one alternative only, just print more money, just borrow more from the chinese is going to be attempted to be rushed through the senate. i do

5:38:20 to 5:38:40( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: get the best result and the most consensual result on this imrtant issue. i propose we think about this now, sooner rather than later. i propose we discuss all the reasonable alternatives and certainly look at the very commonsense alternative of using already appropriated stimulus

5:38:41 to 5:39:01( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: dollars. again, no new dead death, n debt, no new spending, use what's already been appropriated in the stimulus, give the administration maximum flexibility in terms of how to do that. finally, mr. president, i would also point out that the bill is

5:39:02 to 5:39:23( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: drafted very carefully so that within these 18 months off if th highway reauthorization program, a new milt year program, this extension dissolve and go away. and this money from the stimulus would automatic whatever the provisions of that

5:39:24 to 5:39:45( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: new multiyear highway bill would be would come into full force and effect. i urge all of my colleagues, democrats and republicans, to consider this commonsense approach. and in that vain, mr. president, i would like to propound a unanimous consent. i ask unanimous consent that the

5:39:46 to 5:40:07( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: senate proceed to the immediate consideration of s. 1344, a bill to use stimulus funds to protect the solvency of the highway trust fund. i ask unanimous consent that the technical amendment at the desk be agreed to and the bill as amended be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon

5:40:08 to 5:40:28( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: any statements relating to the bill appear at this point in the re the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. levin: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. vitter: well, mr. president, in light of the would ask the distinguished senator from michigan, would the senator at least agree to a unanimous consent agreement to

5:40:29 to 5:40:49( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: allow this bill to be the next order of business after the current defense authorization bill is fully dealt with? that would provide time agreements and relevant, germane amendments. mr. levin: i object. the presiding officer: objecon is heard. mr. vitter: well, mr. president,

5:40:50 to 5:41:10( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: in closing, let me say i think it's unfortunate we don't take up t after the defense authorization bill, and we don't take it up in plenty of time to look at the reasonable alternatives. i hope when we finally take it up it isn't in a mad dash to the

5:41:11 to 5:41:32( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: august recess, it isn't under all of the normal artificial pressure must act in the new few hours and you have one choice and one choice we've heard all that before. we've heard it before we were forced into quick consideration

5:41:33 to 5:41:54( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: of the bailouts. we've heard it about the stimulus. now we're hearing it about health care. let's try to do some things right and not just quick. this has to be done befor august recess because the ghway trust fund will run out of money during the august recess, so let's take this up sooner rather than later.

5:41:55 to 5:42:18( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: let's take this up right after the current defense authorization bill on the floor is dealt with and look at all the available alternatives, including using stimulus funds already appropriated so we don't raise taxes in the middle of a recession, so we don't increase debt, so we don't borrow more

5:42:19 to 5:42:20( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: money from the chinese and print more dollar bills.