Congressional Record UNUM

E PLURIBUS

United States

of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 112th

 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION

∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.

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S6393 

Vol. 158 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2012 No. 127 

Senate 

The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was 

called to order by the Honorable 

KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, a Senator from 

the State of New York. 

PRAYER

The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, offered the following prayer: 

Let us pray. 

Eternal Lord God, we praise You for 

surrounding us with the shield of Your 

salvation. When we cry to You for help, 

You are always near, ever ready to 

comfort and cheer. When we remember 

what You have already done to bless 

our Nation and our lives, we can only 

declare, ‘‘Great is Your faithfulness.’’ 

As our Senators strive today to do 

Your will, remind them that Your love 

has no limits, Your hope has no restrictions, and Your power has no end. 

Guide them as they seek to discern 

what is best for our Nation and to courageously vote their convictions. 

We pray in Your wonderful Name. 

Amen. 

f 

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 

The Honorable KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND led the Pledge of Allegiance as 

follows: 

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the 

United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, 

indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. 

f 

APPOINTMENT OF ACTING 

PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The 

clerk will please read a communication 

to the Senate from the President pro 

tempore (Mr. INOUYE). 

The legislative clerk read the following letter: 

U.S. SENATE, 

PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, 

Washington, DC, September 19, 2012. 

To the Senate: 

Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, 

of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby 

appoint the Honorable KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, a Senator from the State of New 

York, to perform the duties of the Chair. 

DANIEL K. INOUYE, 

President pro tempore. 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND thereupon assumed the chair as Acting President 

pro tempore. 

f 

RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY 

LEADER 

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader is recognized. 

f 

FAMILY AND BUSINESS TAX CUT 

CERTAINTY ACT OF 2012—MOTION 

TO PROCEED 

Mr. REID. I now move to proceed to 

Calendar No. 499, S. 3521, which is the 

tax extenders legislation reported out 

of the Finance Committee previously. 

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the motion 

to proceed. 

The legislative clerk read as follows: 

Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 499, S. 

3521, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue 

Code of 1986 to extend certain expiring provisions. 

SCHEDULE

Mr. REID. Madam President, following my remarks and those of my 

distinguished friend, the Republican 

leader, the Senate will resume consideration of S. 3457, the Veterans Jobs 

Corps Act. The time until noon will be 

equally divided on that matter. At 

noon there will be a rollcall vote on the 

motion to waive the Budget Act with 

respect to the Veterans Jobs Corps bill. 

The Senate will then recess until 2:15 

for our weekly caucus meetings. 

At 2:15, there will be a cloture vote 

on the motion to proceed to the continuing resolution. There could be additional votes with respect to the Veterans Jobs Corps Act this afternoon or 

subsequent to a vote at noon. 

The Republican leader and I have had 

a conversation this morning where we 

have discussed the rest of the week and 

next week, perhaps, and we are trying 

to move forward and get this done. We 

have certain things we have to get 

done, but there is nothing—nothing— 

more important than getting the funding for the country. I appreciate the 

House sending it to us in the fashion 

they did. So I think it behooves us to 

get this done as quickly as possible. 

MEASURE PLACED ON THE CALENDAR—H.R. 5949

Mr. REID. Madam President, I am 

told H.R. 5949 is at the desk and due for 

a second reading. 

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will read the bill by 

title for the second time. 

The legislative clerk read as follows: 

A bill (H.R. 5949) to extend the FISA 

Amendments Act of 2008 for five years. 

Mr. REID. I object to any further 

proceedings. 

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Objection is heard. The bill will 

be placed on the calendar. 

THE OTHER 47 PERCENT

Mr. REID. Madam President, for 

months I believed Mitt Romney wanted 

to be President of all of the United 

States. This week we learned Mitt 

Romney only wants to be President of 

half the United States. 

If Mitt Romney were President, he 

wouldn’t waste time worrying about 

the 47 percent of Americans whom he 

believes are ‘‘victims’’—whom Romney 

believes are unwilling to take ‘‘personal responsibility,’’ and those are his 

words, not mine. He can only worry 

about how the other half lives, I guess. 

That is what Mitt Romney told donors 

at a closed-door fundraiser in Florida a 

month or so ago. 

But it turns out it wasn’t closed. 

Someone videotaped every word he said 

to his wealthy donors. This is, among 

other things, what he said: 

There are 47 percent who . . . are dependent upon government, who believe that they 

are victims, who believe that government 

has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to 

food, to housing, to you name it. 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with SENATE