S204 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 8, 2009 

The first has to do with the Iraq war. 

When President Bush set us on this 

course, few had the courage and 

strength to question, let alone oppose, 

this rush to war, but BOB BYRD stood 

strong against it. Facing enormous 

pressure, he led the opposition. He was 

in the minority—a lonely minority— 

but he was unbowed. He was right, and 

I am sure that history will judge his 

courageous leadership well. 

The second memory is of a campaign 

trip I took to West Virginia in the fall 

of 2004 to support our candidate JOHN

KERRY. We crisscrossed the State from 

Charleston to Mingo County, and what 

I saw everywhere was the extraordinary love and affection the people of 

West Virginia have for BOB and that he 

has for them. It was an amazing and 

touching thing to sense the deep bond 

between this great man and the people 

he has so ably represented in Washington for so long. It is an experience I 

will never forget. 

Now, as we reflect on his unparalleled career in the Senate on this special 50th anniversary, I congratulate 

our friend. I thank him for all he has 

done so well for so many for so long. 

On this golden anniversary of his arrival in the Senate, I think of the famous lines of A. E. Housman about the 

‘‘golden friends’’ the poet had. BOB

BYRD is our golden friend, and we are 

all deeply honored to have the privilege of serving with him. 

Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I would 

like to add my congratulations to Senator ROBERT C. BYRD for his historic 

achievement today. Senator BYRD arrived in the Senate 50 years ago. For 

decades, he has defended the Constitution and the principles upon which it 

stands. Senator BYRD is truly a statesman, a patriot, a proud son of West 

Virginia, and an important voice in the 

history of this country. 

The people of West Virginia definitely know that they have a champion 

who will stand up for them. Senator 

BYRD has never forgotten the hard life 

that he had as a boy growing up in poverty in the southern West Virginia 

coalfields. He has always remained true 

to his faith and his family and has 

worked to build a better future for 

West Virginia and the Nation. 

In the history of our great Nation, 

Senator BYRD has served longer than 

all but one Member of Congress and has 

been a committed public servant. Senator BYRD first came to Washington in 

1953 as a Congressman and served three 

terms in the House before being elected 

to the Senate. Senator BYRD quickly 

learned the rules and procedures that 

make the Senate run. He used these to 

his advantage while serving as the Senate majority leader and in other key 

leadership positions. On June 11, 2006, 

Senator BYRD became the longest serving U.S. Senator in history, and in November 2006, he was elected to an unprecedented ninth full term. 

During his tenure, his colleagues 

have elected him to more leadership 

positions than any other Senator in 

history. This includes Senate majority 

whip, chairman of the Democratic Conference, Senate minority leader, and 

Senate majority leader. Currently, 

BYRD is the President pro tempore. 

Throughout his career, Senator BYRD

has cast more than 18,100 roll call votes 

in five decades of service in the Senate. 

Senator BYRD is also the longest 

serving member of the esteemed Appropriations Committee. He has served as 

its chairman or ranking member since 

1989. After many distinguished years of 

service, he has stepped down from his 

leadership position but will remain an 

important voice on this committee. I 

have enjoyed serving with him on the 

Appropriations Committee and have 

learned a tremendous amount under 

his leadership. 

There are other sides to Senator 

BYRD that have contributed to his life’s 

accomplishments, his achievements as 

a musician and author. Senator BYRD

learned to play the fiddle at a young 

age and carried it with him everywhere 

he went. His skill with the instrument 

led to performances at the Kennedy 

Center and on a national television appearance on ‘‘Hee Haw.’’ He even recorded his own album, ‘‘Mountain Fiddler.’’ He is also the author of a magisterial four volume set about this 

body entitled ‘‘The Senate, 1789–1989’’ 

and other works. 

No tribute to Senator BYRD would be 

complete without mentioning his life’s 

love, Erma Ora James. For nearly 69 

years, the Byrds were inseparable, 

traveling throughout their native West 

Virginia and crossing the globe together. Sadly, Mrs. Byrd passed away 

on March 25, 2006, but Senator BYRD

speaks lovingly of her and their life together each day. 

The times have changed considerably 

since Senator BYRD was first elected to 

the West Virginia House of Delegates 

and eventually the U.S. Senate. We 

have seen a man walk on the Moon. We 

have mapped the human genome, and 

we have seen unbelievable technological advances that have changed the 

way we live, work and communicate. 

But through it all, the one constant is 

Senator BYRD’s steadfast championing 

of our Constitution and the people of 

West Virginia. I join my colleagues in 

offering my hardy congratulations to 

him on this important day. 

Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, today 

marks the 50th anniversary of Senator 

ROBERT BYRD’s service to this most 

American of institutions: the United 

States Senate. 

‘‘Service to the Senate’’—I have chosen these words intentionally, and with 

care. To serve in this hallowed chamber is to meld service to home and 

community with service to the Nation 

as a whole. It is a distinction that we 

are all privileged to share. 

But through his five decades in this 

Chamber, ROBERT BYRD’s service has 

transcended the ordinary to rise to the 

absolute allegiance our country has 

only rarely received over her long history. 

Senator BYRD was born and raised in 

humble circumstances. The loss of his 

mother at the age of 1 left him a virtual orphan, and he grew up in West 

Virginia’s coal country. The Great Depression postponed the young ROBERT

BYRD’s education, but it did nothing to 

hold back his lively and agile mind or 

his passion to seize on America’s promise of equal opportunity. In 1946, he entered West Virginia’s House of Delegates, and sought progressively higher 

offices. Finally, in 1958, he arrived in 

the Senate and found his ‘‘home.’’ 

It is said that education opens doors, 

but in Senator BYRD’s case, we learn 

that the doors it opens may not be the 

ones that we expect. For him, he was 

already a Member of the House of Representatives when he began work to 

earn his J.D. Ten years of night school 

finally earned him the degree as a sitting Senator. 

So what doors did his studies open? 

After all, he was already one of the Nation’s highest officials. 

Education, a love of history, the discipline of rigorous study, the independence of thought. If you think about it, 

these are the very qualities that our 

American democracy most depends on. 

And by cultivating them, Senator 

BYRD grew in his capacity to serve his 

home, serve his Nation, and to serve 

the Senate. 

Mr. BYRD served as the Senate majority leader from 1977 to 1981, and many 

believe it is in recognition of that time 

that I continue to call him ‘‘Mr. Leader.’’ But I would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight. 

Mr. Leader. My dear friend. Protocol 

dictates that anyone who served as majority leader should retain the title for 

life. Even in the absence of protocol, 

however, my heart would demand that 

I rise and salute you as leader of this 

institution. Congratulations on this 

milestone, Mr. Leader. We have worked 

together for many years, and it will be 

a distinct honor to continue working 

with you on the Appropriations Committee and in the Senate. 

f 

WORKING FAMILY CHILD 

ASSISTANCE ACT 

Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, yesterday, I joined Senator LINCOLN to introduce legislation to make permanent 

the tremendous change Congress enacted last October to enhance the refundable child tax credit. To assist 

working families, Congress reduced the 

amount of earnings a family must have 

to qualify for the refundable child tax 

credit to $8,500 for 2008 from the $12,050 

that prevailed prior to passage of the 

Act. Unfortunately, because Congress 

did not make the incentive permanent, 

families will have to earn at least 

$12,550—$4,050 more—this year to take 

advantage of the incentive. 

At a time in which the economy is in 

recession and many have to work two 

or even three jobs to put food on the 

table, it would be unconscionable to 


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January 8, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S205 

make families toil even harder to provide their children with life’s necessities. That is why I am so proud to introduce the Working Family Child Assistance Act to permanently set the 

amount of earnings necessary to qualify for the refundable child tax credit 

at $8,500. 

Last October’s change to boost the 

refundable child tax credit took a significant time to materialize, and although the road was long, it was a 

worthwhile journey. Indeed, our work 

began in 2001 when I pushed to make 

the child tax credit refundable for 

workers making around the minimum 

wage. As enacted in 2001, a portion of a 

taxpayer’s child tax credit would be refundable—up to 10 percent of earnings 

above $10,000. 

Not resting on our victory in 2001, in 

2004, Congress passed the Working 

Families Tax Relief Act of 2004, which 

increased from 10 percent to 15 percent 

the portion of the child tax credit that 

is refundable. Although the legislation 

increased the amount of the refundable 

child credit, it failed to increase the 

number of families eligible for the benefit. The reason was that it did not reduce the amount of earnings a family 

must have to qualify for the incentive. 

Worse still, the earnings threshold rose 

each year because it was adjusted for 

inflation. The consequences were serious for low-income Americans living 

paycheck-to-paycheck because it 

meant that tens of thousands of low-income families were left completely ineligible for a credit they should receive. 

To ensure that low-income families 

could get the benefits that they so 

rightly deserve, I worked with my colleagues to introduce legislation in both 

2005 and 2007 to reduce the earnings 

threshold for the refundable child tax 

credit to $10,000 and to de-index that 

amount for inflation. As I mentioned, 

we were more successful than that last 

year when Congress lowered the earnings threshold for 2008 to $8,500. 

Unfortunately, we cannot rest on our 

laurels and must get right back to 

work. This year, because the incentive 

we passed last October was effective for 

just 2008, only taxpayers earning over 

$12,550 are eligible to receive the refundable portion of the child tax credit. 

Low-income families earning less than 

that amount are shut out of the child 

tax credit completely. 

As an example of how crucial it is to 

enact our legislation to permanently 

set the threshold for the refundable 

credit at $8,500, let’s look at the following example. A single mother who 

earns the current minimum wage of 

$6.55 per hour and works a 40 hour week 

for all 52 weeks of the year would earn 

$13,264. Accordingly, under the law effective for 2009, her refundable child 

tax credit would be $161. In contrast, if 

the earnings threshold were set at 

$8,500, her refundable child tax credit 

would jump to $715. Thus, if Congress 

does not change the law, that mother 

will have 554 fewer dollars in her pocket this year than she did last year. Put 

another way, she won’t have the money 

that is so necessary for her to clothe 

her child and put gas in the car. What 

is even more regrettable is that the 

$554 amount will only grow next year 

because the $12,550 she needed to earn 

this year is adjusted for inflation and 

will increase. 

Let’s do the right thing and make 

permanent the sensible change Congress made last year to set the earnings threshold for the refundable child 

tax credit at $8,500. Our families and 

our country are better off when Government lets people keep more of what 

they earn, particularly the most vulnerable among us. Parents deserve 

their per-child tax credit, and this bill 

rewards families for work. 

In conclusion, I would note that 

President-elect Obama was a stalwart 

supporter of our efforts as a Member of 

the Senate, and I hope that he will 

work with Congress so we can help an 

additional 1 million children, whose 

parents and guardians struggle every 

day to take care of them. 

f 

IDAHOANS SPEAK OUT ON HIGH 

ENERGY PRICES 

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, in midJune, I asked Idahoans to share with 

me how high energy prices are affecting their lives, and they responded by 

the hundreds. The stories, numbering 

well over 1,200, are heartbreaking and 

touching. While energy prices have 

dropped in recent weeks, the concerns 

expressed remain very relevant. To respect the efforts of those who took the 

opportunity to share their thoughts, I 

am submitting every e-mail sent to me 

through an address set up specifically 

for this purpose to the CONGRESSIONAL

RECORD. This is not an issue that will 

be easily resolved, but it is one that deserves immediate and serious attention, and Idahoans deserve to be heard. 

Their stories not only detail their 

struggles to meet everyday expenses, 

but also have suggestions and recommendations as to what Congress can 

do now to tackle this problem and find 

solutions that last beyond today. I ask 

unanimous consent to have today’s letters printed in the RECORD: 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD, as follows: 

Thank you for asking about our story and 

giving us an opportunity to help. Me and my 

wife are students at BYU-Idaho and have one 

child on the way. The situation that we are 

in requires us to drive to school and work. 

We use about 2 tanks of gas a month and 

that is just business travel and does not include any enjoyment travel such as going to 

see family which has been very limited lately. My job consists of working at a Thai restaurant as a waiter for only 10 hours a week 

because with my heavy school load; that is 

all I can do. My wife does not work and is 37 

weeks pregnant and attending school. Luckily we have received government financial 

aid for school, which consists of Pell grants. 

This money helps but we find that instead of 

using that money the government gave us 

for education, we are using it to pay for gas. 

We are grateful for the aid the government is 

giving us but sorry that it is not used for 

what they meant it for but instead find ourselves using it to pay the oil companies. To 

try to limit the use of such fund we tend to 

stay home more and visit family less but 

even with that sacrifice we still see the 

money slowly seeping out due to gas prices. 

Thank you for your efforts, 

BLAKE. 

Our government’s inaction in this energy 

crisis is in my view the greatest act of treason by a group of Americans in recent memory. Inaction and pointing fingers at each 

other is unacceptable behavior by a government who is ‘‘supposed’’ to be looking after 

the best interests of the American people. 

We have every ability to provide for our energy needs with our own resources while we 

work to conserve and provide the energy responsibly in our environment. The fact that 

our government is allowing the American 

people to be held hostage by the world on 

this issue is tragic and has enhanced my 

view that the corruption is not with our industries but with those that we are electing. 

JAY. 

Trucks move the nation and the price of 

diesel is hurting everyone. 

MARGE. 

I see my married children struggle to buy 

gas for their cars—money that should go to 

food, medical, and housing costs. 

Two years ago, in my construction business, it would not have mattered whether a 

job was 3 miles away or 30 miles away, but 

now I cannot bid a job without adding extra 

for fuel for added distance. All of our construction materials are going up also. How 

long will the economy stand this? 

It is frustrating to see the congress do 

nothing to help relieve the pressure of this 

on the nation. Raising taxes will not help. 

Just doing something about the environmentalists will help. Stop the government 

controls and get drilling for oil and build 

some refineries. 

Thank you for what you do, Senator Crapo. 

I know that you are for drilling because I 

watch your voting record. I also listen to 

you on ‘‘Probing America’’. The United 

States needs more people like you. 

ALLAN, Shelley. 

Living in Southeast Idaho with its wide 

open spaces can be both a blessing and a 

curse. As an educator and a proud parent, I 

am deeply concerned about the rising energy 

costs. I work fifteen miles from where I live. 

That translates to thirty miles round-trip. I 

choose to work in a rural school district and 

am proud to do so as I believe every district 

deserves quality teachers. As you are well 

aware, educators are already some of the 

poorest paid in this great state. I fear that I 

may not be able to afford to keep my job, but 

I can also not afford to lose it. One thing I 

am sure of and that is that Washington does 

not know about the special needs of our 

state as far as transportation is concerned. I 

am glad that you can present our situation 

to them. 

STEPHANIE. 

Our business is ATV Alternatives, LLC in 

Caldwell. Our product is a fantastic utility 

vehicle imported to the USA from abroad 

that gets nearly 40 MPG and is increasingly 

popular to businesses (especially dairies, 

farms, ranches, recreational users) who see 

value in using a smaller vehicle that can 

carry a variety of things along with a second 

passenger in an enclosed cab. It gets 2–4 

times better mileage than other products 


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