Senate Proceeding 07-30-09 on Jul 30th, 2009 :: 0:37:25 to 0:45:30
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0:37:19 to 0:37:42( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: on mrs. boxer: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from california. mr. president. i note, i would ask that quorum be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection, so orded. mrs. boxer: mr. president, we're going to vote on a series

0:37:25 to 0:45:30( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Barbara Boxer

0:37:43 to 0:38:05( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: of house bill that has come over from the house of representatives that funds the highway trust fund until september 30th; that funds unemployment insurance; and that helps us with the housing crisis

0:38:06 to 0:38:28( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: and mortgages to the qualified families of america. i think it's important to note that house package that we are really playing russian roulette with

0:38:29 to 0:38:49( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: the highway trust fund. and as the chairman of environment and public works committee who would bees very harwoul robust infrastructure program in this count

0:38:50 to 0:39:11( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: clear here, if we don't pass this house bill then we are u against the wl. we send a very bad signal, i think, to the people who are counting on the contracts that go out for the highway program and the work that follows. we have many working people who

0:39:12 to 0:39:33( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: count on these look, i support one of these amendments. really, i do, the bond amendment makes imminent sense. i just take issue with the timing because we have been told by our house friends this is all they're going to do and if we amend thi stuck. so it's one of those awkward and

0:39:34 to 0:39:55( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: difficult be told t are working hard are not to moment. although i have supported the

0:39:56 to 0:40:16( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: bond amendment and i will be supporting him when we reauthorize this bill september 30, we will take care of this problem, this rescission. we don't have to take care now. what we must take care of today is the highway because it is running out of

0:40:17 to 0:40:38( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: funds and we have to act and i hope we can do it across party lines. the other thing i support is an 18-month extension of the highway programs. that's again something i've done with my republic colleagues. and we passed out of the environment and public works

0:40:39 to 0:41:00( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: committe 18-month extension and senator balk over at finance was able to come intergovernmental transf that does not add to the deficit of $27 billion to forward for 18 months while we sit down across part lines and

0:41:01 to 0:41:22( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: figure out the long-term answer to funding our highway and transportation needs over the next five years. there is a split between the senate approach and the house approach. the house approach which i don't agree with is to just keep, you know, making these short-term extensions as a way to force us

0:41:23 to 0:41:43( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: to all know that we have to figure out a funding source here that will take us through the next five or six years. and it's going to take time. we need to do it right. i belie have a pay-go system. i'm not willing, as the chairman

0:41:44 to 0:42:05( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: of the happened off a huge finance committee without any recommendations. so it's going to take us a little while so we have a difference between the house approach and the senate approach approach. but here's the point and why i thought it was important to

0:42:06 to 0:42:26( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: heard before we vote. the house has a very short-term extension. that's what they have given us. they have told take this we are not going to be able to ensure that highway trust fund is solvent.

0:42:27 to 0:42:49( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: i, for one, am not will to play games with this. it is too serious even though i don't agree with the house approach. we have the case. the other point i want to make and i think it's very important is that the to this today is the 18-month extension which i fully support

0:42:50 to 0:43:10( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: and the way they pay for it is right now take money out of the stimulus program, the economic stimulus program that has just begun to take hold in this country. the republics didn't vote for it, most of but the others didn't and they want to stop it. now, i want to say

0:43:11 to 0:43:31( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: counterproductive at a time of recession to stop a jobs program right in the middle. these are jobs for highways, for transportation, for clean superfund sites and dealing with education.

0:43:32 to 0:43:54( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: mr. president, of all the times to come up here and recommend that we stop this jobs program now -- this is wrong. now, i am totally willing to work with my colleagues at the end of the stimulus bill, at the end of that time, which

0:43:55 to 0:44:17( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: is in about 18 months, if we haven't spent some of those funds, i think we should take a hard look at putting those funds into the treasury, to reduce the deficit. perhaps we need at that point to use some of it trust fund. but today is not the so if i could just

0:44:18 to 0:44:38( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: summarize where i see things today, we have a series of republican amendments that this, we should take funds out of this stimulus package now in order to pay for unemployment insurance, in order to pay for

0:44:39 to 0:44:59( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: the highway trust fund, in order to help people with their mortgages. and it on the one hand they're doing something to help the economy by helping our people with mortgages, by insuring that there -- ensuring there is unempl ensuring there is

0:45:00 to 0:45:22( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: highway trust fund. on the other hand, they're stopping jobs to do it and it isn't necessary. the house bill, although i don't appreciate the fact it is a short-term highway trust fund is deficit neutral. c.b.o. has so scored it. so we don't have to do this and we shouldn't do this. and as i understand it,

0:45:23 to 0:45:30( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Boxer: time now to have that series of votes. i make a parliamentary inquiry as to what time we're having those votes?