Michael Enzi

Mr. ENZI

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment. Some of Senator Stabenow's tax reform ideas might have merit, but they should be dealt with in the context of comprehensive tax reform rather than as a stand-alone proposal. Otherwise, we would have a whole bunch of these stand-alone proposals that would become part of the budget, instead of empowering committees of jurisdiction to handle them as regular legislation, which they still would have to do. The U.S. Tax Code is overly complicated. It is inefficient, and it is archaic. The current structure hurts economic growth, frustrates working Americans, and pushes American businesses overseas. Any discussion of international or corporate tax reform should take place in the context of comprehensive tax reform to simplify the whole system. The budget resolution assumes the tax-writing committees will adopt a tax reform proposal that reduces marginal rates but broadens the tax base to create a fair, efficient, competitive, pro-growth tax regime, and that the revenue is neutral. We look forward to working on that in the Committee on Finance. I oppose the amendment, and I ask for a ``no'' vote. I yield back.

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the vote on Wyden amendment No. 1012 occur after the vote on the Stabenow amendment No. 523, and that amendment No. 940 be modified with the changes that are at the desk.

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment. Under the current law, the Family Medical Leave Act provides 12 work weeks of job-protected unpaid leave for employees following the birth of a child, to care for a seriously ill family member, or for their own serious health issues. Voluntary paid leave programs work precisely because they are voluntary, thereby offering flexibility to both employees and employers. The one-size-fits-all approach does not permit the flexibility needed to help all kinds of businesses and all kinds of workers. Employers, not the Federal Government, are best situated to know the benefits compensation that should be provided. This, again, is a bill that should go through committee. It might be very successful if it goes through the committee process, but regardless it ought to, and so I ask for a ``no'' vote.

Mr. ENZI. I don't think there is any objection on our side to a voice vote. I ask for a voice vote. I yield back the remainder of my time.

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, for the information of all my colleagues, it only took us 6 hours 15 minutes to do 17 votes. The next tranche has 26 votes in it. I need to let you know that you don't have to wait all 10 minutes to turn in your vote. If you vote in 5 minutes, we can finish in 5 minutes. Otherwise, a 5-minute vote takes us 10 minutes, just like a 10-minute vote takes us 20 minutes, and a 15-minute vote takes us 30 minutes. We are going to have to cut down the time, or I am sure people are going to give up before they get to some of their amendments. I do need to announce that there is dinner in the Mansfield Room. It is courtesy of Senator McConnell, and it is for both parties. You also need to know that Senator Reid has agreed to provide dinner tomorrow night in the Mansfield Room. So unless we can speed this up, what we are looking for is a volunteer for breakfast and for lunch tomorrow. Looking at the list of amendments, I am pretty serious about all of that. We need to speed it up. To do that, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate vote on the following amendments in the order listed, with no second- degree amendments in order prior to the votes, with an exception of a side-by-side to the Nelson amendment No. 944 and the McCain amendment No. 360, and that the listed amendments be voted on second. The first one is Isakson, No. 839; then Stabenow, 1072; Portman, 689; Casey, 632; Thune, 607; Bennet, 1014; McConnell, 836; Merkley, 842; Gardner, 443; Murray, 951; Graham, 763; Blumenthal, 825; Flake, 665; Sanders, 475; Hatch, 1029; Schatz, 1063; Kirk, 1038; Nelson, 944; McCain, 360; Wyden, 968; Lee, 750, as modified; Reed, 919; Cotton, 659; Menendez, 993; Cotton, 664; Brown, 994.

Mr. ENZI. I ask unanimous consent that all the amendments on this list not currently pending be made pending en bloc at this time.

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to vote no. In the committee, Senator Stabenow heard several different versions of this amendment. None of them passed muster with the Parliamentarian. I credit the Senator's instincts to approach the question of Medicare seriously. I am sure she knows we all take Medicare seriously. Why does the budget resolution have the numbers that it has? Because the Republicans and the President agree that we have to act on policies which extend the life of the Medicare trust fund. The budget does this by adopting the President's goal of extending the life of Medicare's hospital insurance, HI trust fund, by at least 5 years. While Republicans and the President share the goals of a financially stronger Medicare Program, the Republican budget empowers the Senate Finance Committee, the committee of jurisdiction, to determine how best to extend the life of the trust fund and solve the program's grave financial challenges. Many people have concerns about what the administration has proposed with this new Medicare policy. I do, too, and expect that the Finance Committee, working on a bipartisan basis and in cooperation with the House, can craft a solid, successful legislation to save Medicare from insolvency. I ask for a ``no'' vote.

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, we are willing to take this on a voice vote. We yield back all time.

Mr. ENZI

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, there is no objection on our side. We would hope for a voice vote.

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, one of the things the Republicans on the Budget Committee have suggested was that as soon as we finish the budget, which we hope to finish by April 15, that we could begin to look at the Budget Control Act itself. The budget resolution already provides for sequester replacement. There is a reserve fund in place for the sequester to use if the circumstances permit. Additionally this amendment would increase taxes, not to reduce the deficit but to increase spending. At a time when our national debt exceeds $18 trillion when our debt is bigger than our economy, we need to talk about cutting spending and taxes, not increasing them. On the last recorded vote for the fiscal year 2016 budget resolution, I urge my colleagues to vote no.

Mr. ENZI

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 26, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on March 26, 2015, at 11:15 a.m.

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on March 26, 2015, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``Securing the Border: Defining the Current Population Living in the Shadows and Addressing Future Flows.''

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on March 26, 2015, at 1:30 p.m., in the LBJ in the Capitol.

Mr. ENZI

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 25, 2015, at 2 p.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``FSOC Accountability: Nonbank Designations.''

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 25, 2015, at 2:30 p.m., in room SR- 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building.

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 25, 2015, at 2:15 p.m.

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 25, 2015, at 6:30 p.m.

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Special Committee on Aging be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 25, 2015, in room SD-106 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, at 2:15 p.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Fight Against Alzheimer's Disease: Are We on Track to a Treatment by 2025.''

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 25, 2015, at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Seapower of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 25, 2015, at 9 a.m.

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 25, 2015, at 3 p.m.

Mr. ENZI

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, the proper way to do this is to consider the full bill and run it through committee and then the floor and not try to make policy in a budget resolution. I ask for a ``no'' vote.

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I yield back any remaining time.

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, without using the minute from our side, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw Blunt amendment No. 350.