January 15, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S563 

in these speculative swaps, credit 

swaps, and buying these types of assets 

and using them as collateral. So it is a 

difficult thing to know where we are, 

but it showed two things. I don’t think 

Secretary Paulson deliberately misled 

Congress, although I believe he knew 

when he got that maximum flexibility 

he might buy stock one day. I can’t believe he wasn’t aware he had the possibility of doing that. But I think, fundamentally, they don’t know what to 

do with the money because there is no 

certain answer. I have a vision in my 

mind of the guy who flew into the hurricane off the Gulf Coast where I live 

and he threw out dry ice and he 

thought he could cool off the hurricane 

and stop the hurricane. So now we have 

the Secretary of the Treasury getting 

$700 billion, and he thinks he can get in 

there and stop the financial hurricane 

by throwing money around. As steward 

of the taxpayers’ money, we need more 

than that. Yes, Congress has the power 

of the purse, but I would suggest to my 

colleagues, that power is more than a 

power; it is fundamentally a responsibility. It is a duty to ensure that when 

we allocate money, we know where it is 

going and that we have a reasonable 

expectation of success. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator has used 10 minutes. 

Mr. SESSIONS. Madam President, I 

thank the Chair and ask unanimous 

consent for 2 additional minutes. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 

objection, it is so ordered. 

Mr. SESSIONS. Madam President, I 

will conclude by saying the buying of 

stock and the government’s direct involvement in the economy has ramifications. The Wall Street Journal had 

an editorial: ‘‘Treasury to Ford: Drop 

Dead.’’ They loaned General Motors’ financial arm, GMAC, billions of dollars. 

The next day, GMAC is offering zero 

percent loans to encourage people to 

buy GM products, while poor Ford, who 

is getting by and not asking for any 

money, is losing competitive advantage. That is our problem. 

There was an article in USA TODAY 

that said that a nation founded on excessive personal debt, excessive Government debt, and a sustained, large 

trade deficit is not a healthy economy. 

We all know that. We are going to have 

to adjust. This economy is going to 

have to adjust. Housing prices may fall 

somewhat lower, but they will bottom 

out soon. We will come out of this 

downturn. The projections I have seen 

by CBO and the Obama administration 

officials tell us that we are not going 

to have a recession as steep and as deep 

as the one in the early 1980s. 

I think we have to be far more responsible in ensuring that these huge 

sums of money—$700 billion total, 

which exceeds the 5 years of the Iraq 

war’s $500 billion in expenditures—are 

wisely done, are necessary, and will actually improve the situation we are in 

today. So, therefore, I cannot support 

the further release of funds today. 

Madam President, I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut is recognized. 

Mr. DODD. Madam President, in a 

few very short moments—I think within 5 minutes or so—we are going to be 

welcoming a new Member to this 

Chamber, and we will certainly take 

time out to do that. I believe Mr. DURBIN, the senior Senator from Illinois, 

wishes to be heard to speak about our 

new colleague as the swearing-in ceremony will take place at 2. So we will 

take a little time out for that—I don’t 

think much time—and then I know my 

friends on the other side have lined up 

a number of speakers on the TARP program, and we are certainly going to accommodate that. I think all their time 

has been accounted for already, so we 

will have to make sure of the resources 

there. I have a number of requests on 

this side of the aisle as well to be heard 

on this very important matter before 

the vote occurs at 4:30. 

Let me say in the few moments before the leaders arrive to welcome our 

new colleague from Illinois, new Senator-elect BURRIS, that this is obviously a very important debate that we 

are having regarding these so-called 

TARP funds. I don’t know of a single 

Member, regardless of how they will 

vote on this matter, who likes being 

here for this debate or believes that 

this is something they wish they were 

doing at this hour. I certainly don’t. I 

have been involved tirelessly with this 

now over the last number of weeks. As 

we all know, we are going through a 

dramatic situation in our country. To 

put it in numbers terms that are more 

understandable, 17,000 people in our Nation are losing their jobs every day. 

Nine thousand to ten thousand people 

are losing their homes every day in 

America. We saw the numbers of unemployment in the months of November 

and December; I think some 500,000 jobs 

in that month alone. Every indication 

is that the coming months are going to 

give us equally bad news on that front. 

We hear more bad news about lending 

institutions, financial institutions that 

are in trouble. So, obviously, these are 

fragile times, to put it mildly, for our 

Nation. 

Yet, at the same time, within a matter of hours, almost within a few feet 

from where I speak, we are going to be 

inaugurating the 44th President of the 

United States, an individual who has 

given this Nation—in fact, many beyond our borders and shores—a great 

sense of renewed hope, a renewed sense 

of optimism about our country and its 

future. So the timing, in many ways, 

couldn’t be better for this new President arriving, a new team coming to 

town, determined to do everything 

they can to get our Nation back on its 

feet again. 

So this debate is not just any other 

debate. This is a debate that will give 

this new President the chance all of us 

want him to have to get our country 

moving in the right direction. So at an 

appropriate time, at the conclusion of 

the swearing-in ceremony of our new 

colleague, I will take additional time 

to talk about this issue, the importance of it, the regrets I have about 

why we ended up where we are but also 

why I think it is critically important 

we move forward at this very important moment. 

With that, I see the distinguished 

majority leader is here and I will yield 

the floor and note the absence of a 

quorum. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. NELSON of Nebraska). The clerk will call 

the roll. 

The legislative clerk proceeded to 

call the roll. 

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the 

quorum call be rescinded. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. Without objection, it is so ordered. 

f 

CERTIFICATE OF APPOINTMENT 

AND CREDENTIALS 

The VICE PRESIDENT. The Chair 

lays before the Senate a certificate of 

appointment and related credentials to 

fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former Senator Barak Obama of 

Illinois. The certificate and credentials, the Chair is advised, are in the 

form suggested by the Senate or contain all the essential requirements of 

the form suggested by the Senate. 

If there be no objection, the reading 

of the certificate and credentials will 

be waived, and they will be printed in 

full in the RECORD. 

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

RECORD, as follows: 

STATE OF ILLINOIS

Executive Department 

Springfield, Illinois 

CERTIFICATE OF APPOINTMENT

To the President of the Senate of the United 

States: 

This is to certify that, pursuant to the 

power vested in me by the Constitution of 

the United States and the laws of the State 

of Illinois, I, Rod R. Blagojevich, the governor of said State, do hereby appoint Roland Burris a Senator from said State to represent said State in the Senate of the United 

States until the vacancy therein caused by 

the resignation of Barack Obama, is filled by 

election as provided by law. 

Witness: His excellency our governor Rod 

R. Blagojevich at Chicago, Illinois this 31st 

day of December, in the year of our Lord 

2008. 

By the governor: 

ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH, 

Governor. 

STATE OF ILLINOIS

Executive Department 

CERTIFICATE

To All To Whom These Presents Shall Come, 

Greetings: 

I, Jesse White, Secretary of State of the 

State of Illinois, do hereby certify that the 

attached is a true and accurate copy of a certificate of appointment made by the Governor of the State of Illinois and duly filed in 

the Office of the Secretary of State of Illinois. 

In testimony whereof, I hereto set my hand 

and cause to be affixed the Great Seal of the 


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S564 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 15, 2009 

State of Illinois. Done at the City of Springfield, January 9, 2009. 

JESSE WHITE, 

Secretary of State. 

[State Seal Affixed] 

STATE OF ILLINOIS

Executive Department 

Springfield, Illinois 

CERTIFICATE OF APPOINTMENT

To the President of the Senate of the United 

States: 

This is to certify that, pursuant to the 

power vested in me by the Constitution of 

the United States and the laws of the State 

of Illinois, I, Rod R. Blagojevich, the governor of said State, do hereby appoint Roland Burris a Senator from said State to represent said State in the Senate of the United 

States until the vacancy therein caused by 

the resignation of Barack Obama, is filled by 

election as provided by law. 

Witness: His excellency our governor Rod 

R. Blagojevich, and our seal hereto affixed at 

Chicago, Illinois this 31st day of December, 

in the year of our Lord 2008. 

By the governor: 

ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH, 

Governor. 

FILED 

INDEX DEPARTMENT 

JAN 09 2009 

IN THE OFFICE OF 

SECRETARY OF STATE 

f 

ADMINISTRATION OF OATH OF 

OFFICE 

The VICE PRESIDENT. If the Senator-designate will now present himself 

to the desk, the Chair will administer 

the oath of office. 

Mr. BURRIS, escorted by Mr. DURBIN, 

advanced to the desk of the Vice President; the oath prescribed by law was 

administered to him by the Vice President; and he subscribed to the oath in 

the Official Oath Book. 

The VICE PRESIDENT. Congratulations. 

(Applause, Senators rising.) 

Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, I suggest 

the absence of a quorum. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The 

clerk will call the roll. 

The legislative clerk proceeded to 

call the roll. 

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the 

quorum call be rescinded. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 

objection, it is so ordered. 

Mr. REID. Mr. President, there are 

many paths to the Senate. It is fair to 

say the path that brought our new colleague from Illinois to us was unique, 

and that is an understatement. 

Whatever complications surrounded 

his appointment, we made it clear from 

the beginning, both publicly and privately, that our concern was never 

with Mr. BURRIS. I did not have the 

pleasure of meeting Mr. BURRIS until 

last week. I found now-Senator BURRIS

to be engaging, gracious, and he was 

very firm in his commitment to become a good and effective Senator. 

Given the uncertainty around his appointment, all of his statements and 

actions, again both publicly and privately, reflected a strong character 

that will serve him well as he begins 

his service for the people of Illinois. 

I also say to my friend, DICK DURBIN, 

the senior Senator from Illinois, how 

much I appreciate working with him on 

this and the other matters we have 

worked on over the years. We have 

been in Washington together going 

back a long time, 1982. The people of 

the State of Illinois have been so well 

served by so many different people. I 

am confident that when the history 

books are written, even though Illinois 

has had some of the best of the best, 

my friend DICK DURBIN will be right 

there with them. 

So to Senator BURRIS, on behalf of all 

Senators, Democrats and Republicans, 

we welcome you as a colleague and as 

a friend. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois. 

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I first 

thank the majority leader for his kind 

statements. He is, indeed, more than 

just a colleague. For 26 years, we have 

worked on Capitol Hill together, and 

never more closely than the last 6 

when I have had the honor to serve as 

his assistant as the Democratic whip. 

He is truly a great public servant, not 

only for the State of Nevada but for 

the entire Nation. 

This was a test for us because we 

were all absolutely stricken by the 

news that the Governor of the State of 

Illinois was being arrested and under 

the circumstances which all America 

knows. 

The response by the Senate was to 

say to this Governor: No Senate seat is 

ever for sale, and we are going to uphold the integrity of this institution, 

even though some may try to sully 

that integrity. 

Senator REID is right, throughout the 

stormy weeks that followed, I do not 

recall a single negative word spoken by 

anyone in the Senate or any of ROLAND

BURRIS’s former colleagues about him. 

You can search the record. Everything 

said about ROLAND BURRIS was positive. The circumstances that led to his 

appointment were the issue, the source 

of the controversy. 

The controversy came to an end on 

Monday. The Secretary of State Jesse 

White filed a new document after the 

Illinois Supreme Court ruled. The Secretary of the Senate ruled that this 

new document complied with the rules 

of the U.S. Senate, and Senator BURRIS

had appeared in Springfield, as we 

asked him, to answer all questions 

about his appointment. 

At that point, we were ready to move 

forward. I can recall phone conversations with him over the weekend telling him that things were moving in the 

right direction, and if he could be patient because they were coming to a 

good end; the ruling of the Secretary of 

the Senate could make all the difference. 

Now we have this glorious day when 

so many of his friends from Illinois are 

here to witness his being sworn in by 

Vice President CHENEY, and now he has 

left the floor for a few moments for the 

ceremonial oath that is going to be 

given in the Old Senate Chamber. 

While he is away, I want to say a 

word about my old friend, ROLAND

BURRIS. He literally has been my friend 

for over 30 years. In 1978, when we were 

both brand new to this business, I ran 

for lieutenant governor for Illinois and 

he ran for comptroller. Nobody had 

ever heard of either of us or the offices 

we were running for. We were as obscure as possible, but we found kinship 

standing in the back of parade routes 

as the bigwigs in the front line went 

on. We struck up a friendship, a friendship that has extended over three decades. And it is a friendship that is 

based more on just that happenstance 

of running in the same year. You see, 

ROLAND and I are from the same part of 

Illinois. ROLAND BURRIS was born in 

Centralia, Illinois, a few miles away 

from my hometown of East St. Louis, 

Illinois. 

But there is more to the story. That 

is one of the central parts of our Nation when it comes to railroads. I come 

from a railroad family—my mother, 

my father, my two brothers, and I all 

worked for the New York Central Railroad. ROLAND BURRIS’s family were 

railroad workers as well. His father 

Earl ran a small grocery store to supplement his income as a laborer for the 

Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. Earl 

Burris, ROLAND’s father, had a strong 

sense of community and a low tolerance for injustice. On Memorial Day 

1953, Earl Burris decided to take a 

stand against injustice by defying 

Centralia’s unofficial ‘‘whites only’’ 

policy for the city’s public swimming 

pool. So he hired a lawyer and arranged 

for that lawyer to meet him and young 

ROLAND, then 16. They were all going 

to go to the swimming pool. Well, 

guess what. The lawyer didn’t show up. 

ROLAND BURRIS later said that he remembered his father all summer long 

saying that if segregation and injustice 

were ever going to end, people needed 

to show up and be accountable. By the 

end of the summer, 16-year-old ROLAND

BURRIS had made up his mind he would 

show up. He would pursue a career in 

politics and the law. So off he went to 

Southern Illinois University, at 

Carbondale, which incidentally has a 

record of being one of the most productive colleges in America for the graduates of African Americans. ROLAND

BURRIS was one of those. He studied political science and distinguished himself as a leader on campus. He headed a 

group that exposed discriminatory 

practices among Carbondale merchants 

toward African-American students. 

In 1963, he earned a law degree from 

Howard University. That same year, he 

became a Federal bank examiner at the 

U.S. Treasury Department—the first 

African American ever to hold such a 

position. In 1964, he was hired by Continental Illinois National Bank, where he 

rose to the post of vice president in less 

than a decade. He is a past national executive director of Operation PUSH. 


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