Paycheck Fairness Act -- Motion to Proceed

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. President, I wish to take a minute to congratulate the Kentucky Wildcats for an extraordinary season. My home State has held on to the NCAA national championship trophy for the past 2 years, with the Louisville Cardinals claiming it last year and the Kentucky Wildcats winning it in 2012. John Calipari's young Wildcats started five freshmen who played like seasoned veterans and made an incredible run that captivated both our State and the Nation.

While the Commonwealth will now relinquish the trophy to Connecticut, I only ask that my colleagues, Senator Murphy and Senator Blumenthal, see to it that the trophy remains in pristine condition--pristine condition--as my State will undoubtedly reclaim it next year.

JOB CREATION SOLUTIONS

Mr. President, America's middle class is struggling. They need serious job creation solutions, but that is not what they have been getting from the President. He seems more intent on staging campaign-style rallies to bemoan an economy he has been presiding over for the last 5 1/2 years, not to offer solutions but more to do what he does best, which is to shift the blame to others.

Meanwhile, yesterday in the Senate Republicans were hoping the majority leader would finally work with us to pass a job creation package that contains ideas from many of our Members--legislation with provisions several key Democrats support as well--but that is not what the majority leader chose to do. Instead of focusing on jobs, he launched into another confusing attack on the left's latest bizarre obsession.

Think about that. The percentage of Americans in the workforce is almost at a four-decade low, and Democrats chose to ignore serious job creation ideas so they could blow a few kisses to their powerful pals on the left.

At a time when so many Americans are desperate--desperate for a good job, at a time of fewer opportunities, people are hurting, college graduates cannot find a job, working families cannot afford to pay their bills--what Americans need right now are real job creation solutions, not some tone-deaf, blame-deflection rally or some daily bout of shadow boxing on the Senate floor.

Some say this is all embarrassing, but there is one positive side to the Washington Democrats' never-ending political road show. It throws the divide between the two parties into stark relief. On the one side we have a Washington Democratic Party that simply has run out of ideas. When it comes to fixing the economy, they have tried just about everything their ideology will allow: taxing, regulating, spending, stimulating, you name it, and none of it has worked. So at this point they have basically dropped any pretense of doing anything serious on the economy. That is why we heard them essentially admit that their governing agenda is actually a political document drafted by campaign staff, that the proposals it contains are basically just show votes designed specifically not to pass. So that is one side of American politics: a party that is out of ideas, campaign-obsessed, and utterly beholden to the far left.

On the other side we have a Republican Party that is committed to getting our economy working for the middle class. We believe in the power of ideas, and we know that with the right forward-looking policies we can and will break through the stagnation of the Obama economy. The Republicans' focus is on offering more opportunity to the middle class and those who aspire to it. Our focus is on offering innovative ways to generate the kind of stable, well-paying jobs that Americans actually want. We also know we can get more done as a country if both parties can work together to see these policies through and leave behind the sterile campaign theatrics that have been on daily display in the Senate under the Democratic majority.

I am asking our Democratic colleagues to consider dropping all the show votes, the blame deflecting, and the perpetual campaigning. What I am asking is for them to consider shifting from policies that don't work--in other words, what they have been trying for the last 5 1/2 years--to ones that will. Every Senator was sent here to get things done for our constituents, and we can. We can pass a positive jobs agenda for the American people.

All we need is for Washington Democrats to work with us for a change.

I have one other item. This morning IRS Commissioner Koskin will testify before the Finance Committee. I am sure Members will be reminding him of this, and I know several sent a letter yesterday too. But I would like to underline the point. Commissioner Koskin led Congress to believe that his agency will not be imposing anti-free speech rules before this November's election. It is a point he basically reiterated again just the other day, so Congress plans to hold him to what he has been leading the American people to believe.

Honestly, what he really needs to do is to stop the IRS from stepping on the First Amendment all together. He needs to stop this proposed regulation just as the Secretary of the Treasury told us he could do if he wanted. In fact, the House of Representatives recently voted to halt it too.

Remember, tens of thousands of Americans made their opinions known directly to the IRS about this regulation. It was an unprecedented response and nearly all of the comments were opposed. The comments came from straight across the political spectrum.

Commissioner Koskin needs to live up to what we told the Senate when we confirmed him when he led us to believe he would be an independent voice for reform. As I said before, Commissioner Koskin has a choice. He can be a hero--like the IRS commissioner who stood up to President Nixon--or he can be another pawn of this administration. Both Congress and the American people expect him to make the right decision.

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