Congressional Record UNUM

E PLURIBUS

United States

of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 110th

 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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S10889 

Vol. 154 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2008 No. 186 

Senate 

(Legislative day of Wednesday, December 10, 2008) 

The Senate met at 10 a.m., on the expiration of the recess, and was called to 

order by the Honorable MARK L. 

PRYOR, a Senator from the State of Arkansas. 

PRAYER

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

Let us pray. 

Lord God, You open to us horizons of 

hope through faith’s resources. Let 

Your grace undergird our Senators’ 

lives, as You fill their days with a 

knowledge of Your will. Guide them to 

solutions that best honor You, as they 

find in You a resource for every need. 

Deepen their desire to please You, 

opening to them new opportunities to 

obey Your commands. Strengthen their 

worthy desires and be for them a shelter in the storm. May they grow in 

grace and in knowledge of You. 

We pray in Your strong Name. Amen. 

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PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 

The Honorable MARK L. PRYOR 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. 

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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. BYRD). 

The assistant legislative clerk read 

the following letter: 

U.S. SENATE, 

PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, 

Washington, DC, December 11, 2008. 

To the Senate: 

Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, 

of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby 

appoint the Honorable MARK L. PRYOR, a 

Senator from the State of Arkansas, to perform the duties of the Chair. 

ROBERT C. BYRD, 

President pro tempore. 

Mr. PRYOR thereupon assumed the 

chair as Acting President pro tempore. 

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RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY 

LEADER 

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

f 

SCHEDULE 

Mr. REID. Mr. President, following 

leader remarks, the Senate will proceed to a period of morning business, 

with Senators allowed to speak for up 

to 10 minutes each. Following morning 

business, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to 

H.R. 7005, the legislative vehicle for the 

auto industry’s financing and restructuring. Rollcall votes are possible during today’s session in the Senate. 

When we left here a few weeks ago, 

the decision was made that there would 

be 1 week for the automobile industry 

to make presentations to the two committees of jurisdiction, the House and 

the Senate Banking Committees, to determine what would take place during 

the following week. That was last 

week, and hearings were held in both 

committees, and evidence, in fact, was 

taken. There have been weeks and 

weeks of work put into coming up with 

a piece of legislation on which we can 

vote. That matter is before the Senate 

in H.R. 7005. 

I have had calls from a number of 

Senators today—frankly, mostly Republican Senators—telling me that 

they have the solution to all of the 

problems of the auto industry; they 

need a few amendments. A few amendments. We have done our very best to 

include everyone who wants any input 

into this legislation. The White House, 

President Bush and his people have 

been heavily involved in this legislation. This is, in effect, the White 

House’s legislation. 

There was a decision made that the 

minority would not participate in the 

preparing of this legislation. But the 

White House was heavily involved. Negotiations took place over days between Chairman FRANK and Chairman 

DODD and the White House, and we now 

have a piece of legislation. Some have 

asked: Well, what we want is to set up 

a procedure where we have lots of 

amendments, and then we will ultimately vote on the final version. 

I think it is only fair that if the minority, the Republicans, want to have a 

better bill, then they should offer an 

alternative. I invite them to do it. The 

House passed a bill last night. It would 

be my suggestion that we perhaps have 

a vote on the substitute or the alternative the Republicans would put forward, vote on the House bill, vote on 

the Senate bill. If there is no agreement that can be reached on that, we 

have danced this tune long enough. 

What we will do, we can have a motion to proceed to this tomorrow, and 

if the Republicans want to come and 

say, well, you know, you have not allowed us any opportunity to offer 

amendments—that is what has taken 

place for the last 2 years, and look 

what it got the Republicans: lost seven 

or eight Senate seats, lost the Presidency. We want to legislate, and we are 

doing the very best we can to do that. 

I have reached out to my Republican 

colleagues. As soon as the elections 

were over, I called a number of Republicans and said: We want to work with 

you. We cannot continue doing what 

we have done in the past. But we are 

right back where we have been for 2 

years, the same place we have been for 

2 years. 

So, again, I suggest that if the Republicans have an alternative, let them