Senate Proceeding on Nov 5th, 2009 :: 2:42:15 to 2:50:55
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2:42:12 to 2:42:32( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: their representation in the u.s. house of representatives. with that, yield back my senator from maryland. ms. mikulski: mr. president, i object to the senator's amendment, a i object to the arguments that he's made. first of all, number one, we do

2:42:15 to 2:50:55( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Barbara Mikulski

2:42:33 to 2:42:55( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: want cloture so that we can proceed on amendments that are germane. second, in terms of the inaccurate accusations that we are plowing ahead and forging forward, mr. president, we were on this bill for four days, over 20 hours of debate. there was plenty of time to talk

2:42:56 to 2:43:16( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: about this amendment, and i was here and ready to engage p. the second thing is there's been other time since my bill was pulled from the morning business when a senate can talk niment anytime for any length of time on any topic that they want. so, silence, silence, silence. so don't use the cloture vote as a way to say there wasn't enough

2:43:17 to 2:43:37( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: time. now, let's go to being asleep at the switch. two accusations were made -- the ballooning of the census cost. well, one of the reasons -- the main reason that the cost is exploding is that the party in

2:43:38 to 2:43:59( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: power prior to 2008 was asleep at the switch with the census. they completely dropped the ball on the new technology for being able to go door to door to get a count. it turned into a big tech know boondoggle -- technoboondoggle.

2:44:00 to 2:44:20( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: it took the secretary of commerce to find that under that rock was a lot of malfunctioning microchips. so we had to bail out secretary gutierrez and the census because of the technoboondoggle. the other party was asleep at the switch in maintaining strict quality controls.

2:44:21 to 2:44:44( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: now, let's go to the asking of another question. they were -- again, the gentleman from louisiana was, when he says he wants to stand up for his state, i agree. we have to stand up for our states. but the time to stand up was in april of 2007. did you know that the census is

2:44:45 to 2:45:05( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: mandated by law to submit the questionnaires to congress? and they did. so for one year, from april 1, 2007, to the close of the review by congress one year later, april 2008, there was plenty of time to say, we don't like the questionnaire. we want to add a citizenship

2:45:06 to 2:45:28( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: question. that was the time and the place. so when you're going to stand up for your state, stand up at the right time to make a difference and not try to amend the law that's going to create administrative havoc. we could debate the merits of the question, but i'm here as an

2:45:29 to 2:45:49( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: appropriator on the process. the census did meet its statutory respo it submitted to the questionnaire to the congress april 1, 2007. it didn't come in the stealth of the night. it wasn't written in invisible ink. it was written in english here for all to see and also in other

2:45:50 to 2:46:11( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: languages that we could test and use to say do you, congress, like this questionnaire and do you have any comnts? so for all those who want to stand up, that was the time to do it and the time to make a change. now, let's talk consequences of it.

2:46:12 to 2:46:34( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: it will delay the census so that we could essentially not meet our constitutional mandate of having the census done in a timely way. also, number two, it will cost, if we did dollars and wreak, again, administrative havoc. now, let's go into this whole

2:46:35 to 2:46:55( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: thing about citizens and noncitizens. the census already tracks the number of citizens and noncitizens through a separate survey, so we could talk about what this will mean in reapportionment and so on. those are for debates that really lie with the judiciary committee.

2:46:56 to 2:47:18( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: mr. president, please, we're not going to vote up or down on the vitter amendment. we're going to vote on cloture. and why is cloture important? so that we don't have distracting amendments that are better offered on the appropriate substance of the bill. we have got to fund the commerce-justice-science agencies.

2:47:19 to 2:47:40( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: the f.b.i. needs us to fun this agency. the marshall services needs us to fund this agency. federal law enforcement, our federal prisons. you might not like who the administration wants to put in those federal prisons, but we need federal prisons. so we need to

2:47:41 to 2:47:51( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: that we can dispose of germane amendments and move democracy forward. mr. president, i

2:48:09 to 2:48:30( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: floor. ms. mikulski: mr. president, how much time do i have? the presiding officer: you have 7 1/2 minutes. ms. mikulski: i want to reserve my time. did the senator from kansas have a question? mr. roberts: i would be delighted to -- the presiding officer: the senator from kansas is recognized. mr. roberts: thank you, mr. president. i would be delighted to respond

2:48:31 to 2:48:51( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: to my good friend from maryland. i am in a position to yield back all of the minority's time. we have no more speakers. ms. mikulski: mr. president, we're not prepared to yield back our time. i reserve the balance of my

2:48:52 to 2:49:14( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: time. mr. roberts: would the distinguished senator yield? ms. mikulski: certainly. mr. roberts: today, the united states marine corps is celebrating its birthday. as i speak, the come manned ant of the marine corps, the drum and bugle corps and various

2:49:15 to 2:49:36( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: assorted marines are over in the russell building. i am to cut the cake and i'm getting into deeper and deeper trouble here if we delay these ceremonies to the degree that they could be delayed, and i don't mean it's delayed if we have somebody that wants to talk. obviously, you have got seven minutes.

2:49:37 to 2:49:57( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: but i would appreciate any -- any consideration that you might be able to give heck of an argument, i respond to the senator from kansas, and i have a great admiration for the marine corps, and if the

2:49:58 to 2:50:18( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: semper fi guys call and you want to cut the cake, i will certainly be willing to cooperate. seriously, our congratulations to the united states marine corps on their birthday. we value them for what they have done in our most recent conflicts and their incredible history. they truly are semper fi.

2:50:19 to 2:50:40( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: mr. president, having said that in the spirit of what i hope could be the comity of the day, the civility of the day, we yieldack our time and we're prepared to move forward with the vote. mr. roberts: i would tell senator semper fi, and on behalf of the minority, we yield back our time. the presiding officer: all time has expired.

2:50:41 to 2:50:55( Edit History Discussion )

Barbara Mikulski: the clerk wil to invoke cloture. the clerk: we the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate hereby move debate on the committee-reported substitute amendment to h.r.