Frank Lautenberg

Mr. LAUTENBERG

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Madam President, we find ourselves in a peculiar condition. We must have the people across this country scratching their heads and wondering: What are those guys doing? We know the American people do not think much of us as it is, but they are surely going to think less of us when they see what is happening. We have a tradition in our country that when disaster strikes, we respond. Americans pull together and help each other. We saw that happening in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, which devastated New Jersey and other States along the east coast, and other natural disasters hitting our country across its breadth--forest fires in one State, water shortages in another, and other problems in others. There isn't a State in this country that hasn't felt the wrath of a storm or the difficulty that nature presents. But the one thing we don't see is the spirit of cooperation. It certainly doesn't extend to some of our colleagues. I look at the House disaster relief proposal, and one thing is for sure: It is totally inadequate. Madam President, this is an emergency, and it is just plain heartless for our colleagues to turn their backs on families who are struggling to rebuild their shattered lives. I don't know what they are thinking because we know difficulties have struck all 50 of our States at one time or another, a lot fairly recently. Yet these people are saying: No, we are not going to give you enough money to deal with the emergencies that we have. I hope the people who are in their districts or in their States look at their representatives and say: Hey, wait a second. We have problems here. And these people who are so negatively disposed are raising havoc within the families of their own States or their own districts. They are just turning their backs on them. The early estimates suggest that Hurricane Irene could become 1 of the 10 costliest storms in American history, with damages that could exceed $10 billion. This violent storm produced some of the worst flooding in a century, destroying homes and displacing countless families. In my State of New Jersey alone, 11 lives were lost, people were turned out of their houses. In many cases, as I saw them--as President Obama saw them when he came to my State--they can't go back to those houses. They certainly, for the most part--those who had to evacuate their homes and put their furniture out on the front lawn--their furniture is unusable even if they can get in their houses. So life has a grim picture for these people. The President came to New Jersey to see for himself the destruction that Hurricane Irene caused. I joined him on a tour of the city of Paterson, NJ. It is my hometown. I was born there. It was one of the cities hardest hit by flooding. We have a picture. It has lots of pretty colors, but it is a disastrous portrayal--water all over the place, a bridge just about underwater. We witnessed unforgettable images--streets and sidewalks covered in mud, and in some houses the second floors were covered in mud as well. But Paterson is not alone. This picture shows the damage in Bound Brook, NJ. Here we see, again, flooded roadways. By the way, my State of New Jersey happens to be the most densely populated State in the country. We have 9 million people living in a very small area. So when something like this hits, it hits a lot of people in a hurry. In Cranford, NJ, this material we see here you might call trash, but the people who lived here didn't call it trash. These were their possessions. These were the things their kids slept on night after night, or tables they ate from every day. Trash. These people across the Capitol--people on the other side in the House of Representatives-- they say: Oh, too bad. First of all, we will have to go find the money if we are going to do anything; and, secondly, we are just not going to give enough money to deal with the problem. We have a city called Boonton, NJ. People are unable to get what they need. There was a bridge there before. It is gone. How do they get across town? Well, maybe they just don't. With Hurricane Irene we witnessed nature's power to destroy, and now it is time to see the Federal Government step up; get in there to repair, rebuild, restore, and give people encouragement. When the President of the United States stood before the people in New Jersey, I saw them weep when they held his hand. They wept not because it was a sad picture for the President, but because it was a sad picture for their lives. They are thinking about their own kids and their own lives, and seeing the President was a sign of relief. They were thinking: The President of the United States is here. He is going to make sure we get help in a hurry. But our Republican friends on the other side, they say: No hurry. No hurry. I hope the people in these States, the people in these districts, will record these moments. We will remind them about it. Even before this hurricane struck, FEMA's primary source of funding for cleanup and recovery--the Disaster Relief Fund--was already on life support. They didn't have enough money to do their job. The fund was depleted by recent tornadoes, flooding that wreaked havoc across the Midwest and South, and wildfires that ranged across the South and the West. So here in the Senate we passed a bill, and it wasn't easy. A lot of our colleagues stood up to the assignment and said: OK, I don't necessarily agree, but I agree conceptually. Therefore, I will agree to make $7 billion in funding available to help victims of Hurricane Irene as well as victims of the recent tornadoes and wildfires. Our bill provides funding to get us through the end of the month because the fiscal year ends at the end of September--just a few days away--and to support emergency needs when the next fiscal year begins in October. Last week, 10 Republicans had the guts to stand up and say: I don't care that it is the Democrats who are proposing this; I care about the people it is going to serve. They stood up and voted with us. It took courage. They stood up for their constituents and people across the country who are trying to rebuild their lives. This was a courageous vote for them, and it shows there is bipartisan support for the Senate disaster relief bill. In contrast, the House Republicans couldn't even get enough support from their own party to pass their measly proposal last night. It is time for them to embrace the Senate plan on disaster relief and stop using disaster victims as political pawns. Who are they going to hurt? Are they going to hurt President Obama? Are they going to hurt Democrats who are in office? No. The pain goes to the ordinary people who work for a living and take care of their families and those proud Americans serving in our military. Those are the people to whom they are saying no. It is too bad. It is too bad. A lot of these people are veterans and have come back from dangerous duty. They go home, their unemployment rate is high, and very often they are rebuilding their lives. If they have a home, a domicile, in these areas, they say we can't help them. The House Republicans' halfhearted approach offers little more than $3\1/2\ billion in disaster relief. That sounds like a lot of money, but it is not even close to being enough. It is going to leave our residents, our States, our cities and towns out in the cold at a time when they desperately need help. In addition to shortchanging FEMA, the House provides zero funding for many of the programs that are needed to help us recover. Our Senate bill includes funding for the community development block grants--a very important program. It gives communities money and the latitude to deal with the problems that face them. It provides our communities with long-term support and Economic Development Administration grants to help businesses grow again--to hire people and to produce product. It also includes funding for the Department of Agriculture to help farmers and residents in rural areas to recover. It is the kind of help we offered in 2008 and 2010 when hurricanes and heavy rains caused destruction in States such as Texas and Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana, and it is what we have to do again. The House Republicans failed to provide funding for farmers, economic development, or long-term support for local communities to rebuild. That is what you do when you have a crisis or a natural disaster, and there can't be any debate about the help that is required in all 50 States. It requires bipartisan support because we can't get it done with only one party. Every State has experienced a disaster in recent years. This year alone, Federal disasters have been declared in 48 States. FEMA is working in every one of those States to help communities rebuild and recover--if they have the resources. If they don't, they will not be on the job and people will continue to suffer. So if the House Republicans get their way, every State is on the verge of disaster. Incredibly, the House proposal pays for disaster relief by taking money from advanced technological development that will help our automobile industry, for instance, and create jobs. In the Senate, we have to reject this misguided approach. We have to say no way. We are not going to rob Peter to pay Paul. They simply want to rob Peter and Paul--that is what they want to do--of assistance and help. We should ask why it was acceptable to provide more than $800 million to invade and then rebuild Iraq without paying for it, no questions asked. Ask the families who made sacrifices in that war how they felt about it. We turn our back on it. That is what we have done. But when the time comes to rebuild America, some Republicans want to hold the money hostage until painful spending cuts are inflicted elsewhere. They are gunning for the President of the United States. They think they are going to be able to smash President Obama's accomplishments: getting a couple million people to work, the packages that got the decline stopped where it was and started to turn around. We have to remember something. I was once the senior Democratic member on the Budget Committee, so I know about balancing budgets. But when these reckless tax cuts came up for the wealthy and cost $700 billion over 10 years, they were approved without being paid for. It is pretty clear, when it comes to giving big tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires, the wealthy among us--and I say this without meaning to boast. I ran a very good company, a company I helped start with two other fellows that now employs 45,000 people, where there were three of us, and I, with my education being paid for by the government because I served in the Army for 3 years and I got the G.I. bill. So I will tell you this--and I will tell this to all my colleagues and I hope they hear me. I think it is time for people like me who have made money to pay something back, to give strength to our country, and not argue about whether they pay enough tax. They don't pay enough tax. Warren Buffet says they don't pay enough. They listen to him, that they don't pay enough tax. It doesn't hurt those of us who have been successful the least bit to pay a few more percent in taxes. We can feel good about it. Look in the mirror after we have put something in of value that our country needs, that strengthens the working class of people that tells them: Listen, we have gotten our share, and now it is our responsibility to give back some part of that share. It is pretty clear; when it comes to giving big tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires, the Republicans don't give a second thought as to how much they cost. But to our country's disaster victims, they have to go to the back of the line and wait their turn. When disaster strikes, victims don't want us to reach for the budget ax. They want us to extend that helping hand that gets their lives back started again. The fact is, disaster victims have enough to worry about. In many years, people's lives have seen moments of jeopardy and difficulty, and they fully gave what they had to help their country, feeling all the time that the government is going to stand behind them. That is what this country of ours is about, this democracy. The Constitution demands that we improve the lives of our citizens; that we give them rights, we give them support, we give them a view of life. House Republicans want to turn their backs on storm victims. A lot of them are new here. They ought to enjoy these terms because they may not have another one when the public finds out what they are doing, turning their backs on storm victims, local communities, regional economies, and farmers. Their proposal will cost us jobs, and I hope their jobs will be included in it when it comes time next year to vote. I appeal to my Republican colleagues, stand--stand for those who live in your States, including our neighbors, including the States' children, including the States' families. Remember this, Republican Senators, Republican House Members. We represent people across political lines, across religious lines, across all different lines, and our obligation is to take care of those people when they need help; to give them some support, to give them some hope, to give them some vision. That is what we are supposed to be doing. We are supposed to be encouraging our citizens, our constituents, and not simply turning our back. What we ought to have is a camera in here that shows every time people vote no on issues and make sure it is clearly understood when people turn their backs on their fellow citizens. We face serious fiscal challenges in our country, but we cannot put a price on human life. Nothing--nothing is more important than keeping our communities, our families, and our economy safe. I yield the floor, and I note the absence of a quorum.

Mr. LAUTENBERG

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I speak today in commemoration of the life of Henry Taub, founder of ADP in 1949 at 21 years of age. He was 19 years old when he received his degree in accounting from NYU. The company then called Automatic Payrolls was started with a loan of $5,000. Henry Taub and I became acquainted in 1952 when we both worked in a building in Paterson, NJ where Henry's payroll service company was based. Our occasional contact served to familiarize me with a vital service to businesses large and small. It was in 1952 that I joined this fledgling organization to become its first salesman and early on a senior member of management. Henry, his brother Joseph Taub, and I worked well together, and the business began the growth that would lead ultimately to a status few companies achieve. Today ADP employs over 45,000 people in 23 countries and holds the record for at least 10 percent growth in profits each year for 42 years in a row. It is a record unmatched by any other publicly held company. It is now also only one of four companies in our country to qualify as a AAA rated company. Thirty years at ADP in various assignments as head of marketing, president, chairman, and CEO of ADP brought me to think my experience might be of value for service in the public interest. In that connection I decided to try to win a seat in the U.S. Senate. Good fortune came my way, and in 1982 I won a first term as a Senator. My business experience and background credentials were principal issues in a tough campaign. I learned a great deal over the three decades at ADP, but a major factor in that success was my good luck to have worked side by side with Henry Taub. Henry was an unusually talented individual. He had superb instincts buoyed by extraordinary intelligence. His modesty was widely known, and a subtle demeanor was included. He was a strategic thinker and responded calmly and directly with problem solving. Additionally, he had an outstanding ability to bring people to his views, earning enormous respect and allegiance. He was highly moral and honest and encouraged trust in all who knew him. He was without trappings, and with Henry Taub his word was his bond. He shared affection and deep love with family and friends and could always be counted upon for straight answers when questions arose. Henry Taub was my junior by a few years, but through more than 50 years of friendship, his high personal standards set a target for decency and quality in life. He will long be remembered as an example for others to follow and I remain extremely grateful for his contributions to my life. I ask to have printed in the Record, a copy of the obituary that appeared in the New York Times at the time of his passing. The information follows. [From the New York Times, Apr. 4, 2011] Henry Taub, a Founder of a Payroll Firm That Became a Global Giant, Dies at 83 (By Duff Wilson) Henry Taub, a founder of the payroll company that grew into the global giant Automatic Data Processing, died on Thursday in Manhattan. He was 83 and lived in Tenafly, N.J. The cause was complications of leukemia, his son Steven said. For many years Mr. Taub was also a co-owner of the New Jersey Nets. Starting in 1949 in an office above a Paterson, N.J., ice cream parlor and then in a hotel basement, Mr. Taub and his brother, Joseph, built the company on a reputation for precision and timeliness. They were joined in the early years by an aspiring salesman who had been their childhood friend-- Frank R. Lautenberg, now a Democratic senator from New Jersey. ``The idea was not a brilliant idea, it was a good idea, but what we did in terms of hard work made it,'' Senator Lautenberg said in an interview on Sunday. ``Lots of seven- day workweeks, lots of 12-hour days.'' Today, A.D.P, based in Roseland, N.J., has annual sales of more than $9 billion and about 550,000 clients and is one of the world's largest providers of business services. Back then, however, it was a shoestring operation: the Taubs often delivered payrolls by bus and cleaned their own offices at night. ``Each of us had a function,'' Senator Lautenberg said. ``Henry was the strategic one in the firm and designed the system, and Joe managed the operation, and I was the marketer, the salesman.'' The company, initially called Automatic Payrolls, changed its name to Automatic Data Processing in 1958 and went public in 1961. The timing was perfect because I.B.M. had recently begun marketing an attractively priced business computer system that increased A.D.P.'s capabilities. Mr. Taub was president of the company from 1949 to 1970, chairman and chief executive from 1970 to 1977 and chairman from 1977 to 1985. He was an honorary board chairman since then. Senator Lautenberg left the company in 1983 after winning election to the United States Senate. He is now the longest-serving senator in New Jersey history. Mr. Taub and his brother were among seven local businessmen who were co-owners of the struggling Nets franchise in the National Basketball Association for almost 20 years. The Nets suffered injuries, coaching changes, many losses and bickering among the owners, who were known as the Secaucus Seven. When the owners tried to turn things around in 1996, they selected the well-liked Mr. Taub as chairman. Two years later, they sold the team to another group of New Jersey businessmen. Henry Taub was born in Paterson on Sept. 20, 1927, the son of a junk dealer, and was raised in a working-class neighborhood there. ``The streets were just filled with people and kids and debate and excitement and, from my point of view, intellectual fervor,'' he said in a 1996 interview with The New York Times. After skipping two grades in public school, Mr. Taub graduated from New York University with a degree in accounting in three years at 19 and joined an accounting practice. When a client, a clothing business, did not issue paychecks one week because of an illness, causing an employee walkout, Mr. Taub had the idea for a new business: payroll processing. Mr. Taub retired from A.D.P. in the mid-1980s, when the company said it was processing paychecks for a 10th of the nation's work force. Afterward he became involved in an array of community, philanthropic and other business endeavors. With his wife he created the Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation, with assets estimated at $150 million. He financed the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University, the Taub Center for Israel Studies at New York University and the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel in Jerusalem. Among other activities, he was president of the American Technion Society, the United States affiliate of an Israeli institute of technology, and was chairman of the institute's international board of governors. He was chairman of the United Israel Appeal from 1986 to 1990. He was also a trustee of New York University and served on the boards of Rite-Aid, Hasbro, Bank Leumi and Trust Company of New York, Interfaith Hunger Appeal and the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater. Mr. Taub is survived by his brother, Joseph; his wife of 53 years, Marilyn; their three children, Judith Gold, Steven and Ira; and 10 grandchildren.

Mr. LAUTENBERG

Mr. LAUTENBERG. I ask unanimous consent to be able to speak for up to 10 minutes.

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I listened carefully to our colleague from Louisiana and note a particular distinction that her State brings; that is, the number of natural disaster problems that State has had and how diligently Senator Landrieu has fought to make sure that when we have a problem, we ask the government with a clear conscience to do its share in helping us cure the problem we get. On Sunday just passed, we marked the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. On that terrible day, 10 years ago, we were reminded that when tragedy strikes one part of our country, Americans pull together to respond. When our enemies and Mother Nature sends us their worst, Americans are at our best. In the wake of recent storms across the country, including Hurricane Irene in my State of New Jersey, we see this same American spirit of cooperation coming through. Unfortunately, we learned that the spirit of neighbor helping neighbor stops with our Republican colleagues. We saw a shameful display where all but a handful of Republican Senators voted to block consideration of an emergency disaster relief bill. They chose not to let our government do its share in curing a problem that enveloped much of the country. They have chosen to use disaster relief victims as pawns in their political gamesmanship. Make no mistake. The disaster relief bill is a critical lifeline to the families who are struggling to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives after Hurricane Irene. Early estimates suggest this violent storm could be 1 of the 10 costliest storms in U.S. history, with damages that exceed $10 billion. This is some of the worst flooding in a century, and it is a serious emergency. Hurricane Irene produced devastating floods in New Jersey and other States along the east coast. A major tropical storm followed days later causing even more damage. In New Jersey alone at least 11 people were killed, and countless families were displaced after their homes were destroyed. President Obama has declared the entire State of New Jersey--all 21 counties--a Federal disaster area. Earlier this month, the President came to New Jersey to see firsthand the destruction that Hurricane Irene has caused. I joined him on his tour of Paterson, NJ, my hometown, and one of the cities hit hardest by flooding. We witnessed unforgettable images. The streets and sidewalks were covered in mud, and inside homes--I saw it personally--mud covered the second floor of some. That is how deep the water was. Fourteen-foot crests followed what at times were very tepid streams. Walls were stained by high water marks. This picture shows some of the damage in the city of Paterson. Perhaps it is difficult to see, but what we are looking at is water-- water everywhere--and it is entirely enveloping homes and businesses and the community. Paterson is not alone. This is a scene in Boonton, NJ, where we see the road was washed away and people can't move from one part of the town to the other. In Cranford, NJ, we see another disaster scene. Here we have what looks like debris piled up. This debris was furniture. It included beds, cribs, and refrigerators. It included all kinds of things--people putting their wares out on the front lawn, furniture never able to be used again, the houses themselves often not being able to be entered again. This picture shows the damage in Bound Brook, NJ, and the high level of the water as it compares to the buildings constructed there. With Hurricane Irene, we witnessed nature's power to destroy. Now it is time to see the Federal Government's capacity to repair, rebuild, and restore. Even before this hurricane struck, FEMA's primary source of funding for cleanup and recovery--the Disaster Relief Fund--was barely on life support. The tornadoes and flooding that wreaked havoc across our Midwest and South earlier this year, along with wildfires and other disasters, depleted the funds. That is why, in my role as vice chairman of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, I helped to craft a bill to replenish the Disaster Relief Fund. The Appropriations Committee approved this bill last week, and majority leader Harry Reid understood the urgency of the situation and brought emergency disaster relief legislation to the floor right away for us to consider--putting money into the relief fund so we can deal with the tragedies that have hit so many people in so many places. What happened in the Senate yesterday? Republicans filibustered our attempts. I think everybody across America has learned about what the word ``filibuster'' means. It means stopping things, blocking things. They blocked our attempts to even allow an emergency disaster relief bill to be considered. What kind of foul play is that? They talk about saving money, and they talk about cuts. It is outrageous. Some of them have claimed the bill would cost too much. But we all know the widespread damage that occurred demands a strong Federal response. We have to provide FEMA with the resources it needs to help New Jersey's people, businesses, and communities recover and rebuild from this disaster. This bill also helps disaster victims in all 50 States--not just the States affected by Hurricane Irene. Every State has experienced disaster in recent years, and FEMA is working in every State to help these communities rebuild and recover. So if we fail to pass this bill, every State is going to suffer because if we can't help one State, we can't help any States, and that is an unacceptable condition. The fact is, the victims of Hurricane Irene and other recent disasters have enough to worry about. They shouldn't have to also wonder if their government is going to stand behind them. I wish to be clear. The Federal Government plays a critical role in disaster relief efforts, and we have a responsibility to provide funding to help communities rebuild and to make sure the job gets done well. For decades the Federal Government has had a track record of extending a helping hand to victims of natural disasters. This includes more than $11 billion in emergency funding to help Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, and other States recover from hurricanes or flooding in 2008. Last year we approved more than $5 billion in emergency funding to help States such as Tennessee and Kentucky recover from floods. The people in these States desperately needed our help, and Congress responded. We have to do the same now. It is hard to understand why people on the Republican side in the House and in the Senate don't step up to their responsibilities. What are those responsibilities? Those responsibilities are to protect and secure the safety of our people. Without that, the country isn't quite what it should be by all measures. We have to do what we have to do, now. As we fight our way out of a recession, this is no time to play politics and penalize people who are struggling. Moments such as this demand shared sacrifice. We face serious challenges in our country, but we cannot put a price on a human life and say, well, if it costs a lot over there, we are not going to do that to save people. Nothing is more important than keeping our families, our economy, and our communities safe. So I call on my colleagues to put aside the Republican cloak, put aside the savings we think we can make from avoiding our responsibilities because no money is going to be saved. The costs are going to be there, and the misery is going to be extended. So I urge us all to join to approve this bill. Few of us, if any, are exempt from the possibility of disaster in our States. So let's put the politics aside and make sure our first priority is helping people-- helping individuals, helping families, helping the communities--and keeping functions going to permit our society to work. With that, I close out my comments with wonderment as to what we have seen with the hard shell, heartless attitude about providing FEMA with the money to repair the results of disaster. It is almost incomprehensible. We heard a cry from one of the leaders on the Republican side in the House to say: Well, we first have to find the money to pay for it. Like the Devil, we do. We don't do that when we see forests being ravaged by fire. We don't do it when we are attacked by outside enemies. We don't do it those times, and we ought not to do it now. With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. LAUTENBERG

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 15 minutes in morning business.

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, we have arrived at a moment of truth: The American economy and our standing in the world hang in the balance as a result of the Republican plan to derail the functioning of our country and bring about the precarious prospect of a major default in our financial condition. Democrats have bent over backward to compromise. Yet the Republicans continue to put our country in jeopardy. The American people and the American economy are determined for a reprieve from this disaster. We just heard comments by our colleague from across the aisle about getting our tax structure in order. It reminds me of a condition where there is a fire in a house and people start arguing about the color of the fire engine. What we have in front of us is an imminent disaster that could upset the balance of our functioning as a society and put America, for the first time, in a position of having less support from around the world; preventing people who are hard at work from being able to make ends meet. So we ask: Isn't this a time for our Republican friends to stop playing ``gotcha,'' stop putting politics ahead of the needs of our middle-class families and, instead, start putting the people before politics? Make no mistake, the people we serve are nervous and concerned. Purchasing power has declined while wage increases have been insufficient for family needs. Many in America are working their fingers to the bone to get out of this economic squeeze and keep their families intact, while all this time the richest among us see monumental gains in their incomes and their wealth. The people who have the burdens of maintaining our infrastructure, running our military, and defending the very foundation of our democratic country are struggling daily to stay in their homes, hold on to their health care, and get their kids to college. The American people are the ones--the ordinary people, the middle-income people--who will suffer the most if the Republicans force the U.S. Government to default next week. Fourteen million Americans are already out of work, but more than half a million may join the unemployment line if we don't raise the debt limit. That is only the beginning. The default crisis will send interest rates skyrocketing, which will be adding even more expense on the American middle class, making it harder for them to meet basic family needs. They will be forced to pay higher interest rates for mortgages, student loans, car loans, and credit cards. That money won't help create jobs or rebuild our economy. It will be going to the banks and to China and to investors who are going to demand higher yields for U.S. bond purchases because they will be seen as less reliable in their likelihood of being paid back. We are also likely to see another calamity on Wall Street if the United States doesn't pay its bills. The stock markets have already been seeing daily declines in anticipation of a reckless attempt to put politics in the middle of a financial Armageddon. One analysis found that shareholders in U.S. stocks lost more than $400 billion during the past week, while House Republicans were fiddling with a scheme they knew would never become law. But they do not want to write law, they want to destroy the Obama Presidency. That is what the mission is. The Dow has just had its worst week in a year, and consumers do not have spare dollars for investments because their incomes are consumed by spending money on basic necessities, and because they are aware of losses that will occur from the prospect of default. Imagine what it will mean to the 401(k) savings of middle-class Americans--much of it accumulated over years--if faith in our country and its value decline sharply as default looms ahead. Their values can go down precipitously. Other retirement savings can also be wiped out--all because of these punitive actions by Republican representatives. The pain will be excruciating for the neediest Americans. Seniors living on a fixed income can be forced to go without their Social Security checks and the critical health care they receive through Medicare. We might not be able to deliver promised benefits to veterans or paychecks for the men and women wearing our country's uniform in Afghanistan and Iraq. I want to be clear: A default will injure America's reputation throughout the world. It will weaken faith in the world's most respected financial power, leaving our country's credibility, stability, and financial leadership in doubt. Simply put, defaulting on the debt could trigger an economic collapse of historic proportion. That is why I plead with our Republican colleagues to join us without delay in adopting Majority Leader Reid's plan. Senator Reid's plan will provide certainty for middle-class Americans and to the markets because it will provide stability through 2013, and stability is what we need right now. This plan isn't perfect. Many of us, including me, believe it should include revenues. It doesn't. But that is why it is called a compromise. After we adopt this plan and step back from the brink, we need to work on a balanced approach to get our country back on sound economic footing. That means asking the wealthiest among us to pay their fair share. I am one of those who was very fortunate in my business experience. I started a company with two other fellows and we have 45,000 employees today. Why? Because our country was there for me after I served in uniform in World War II. I was able to get an education at Columbia University, and we started a company called ADP. Now 45,000 people have their jobs because of ADP. Our Republican colleagues have to abandon their obsession to protect the wealthiest among us at an unaffordable cost to the poor and the middle class, and recognize the value of our country's human infrastructure. No economy can grow if it doesn't invest in physical infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, railways, and no society can prosper if it doesn't invest in education. We need to prop up our human infrastructure to fill the future jobs in technology and science and research. Let's face it, building houses and other physical facilities are never built from the top down. The work requires a strong foundation to guarantee reliability, endurance, and safety, now and for the future. Middle-class families form America's foundation--the pillars of strength, faith in the future, a belief that Americans can survive challenges and catastrophes, and the further belief that no place on Earth exists with more freedom and liberty than our blessed country. But all that could evaporate if default is permitted to occur. Over the past half century, the debt ceiling has been raised 75 times--almost two-thirds of them under Republican Presidents. In fact, the debt ceiling was increased 18 times under President Reagan and 7 times under President George W. Bush. Our country has never defaulted on its obligations, and default must be prevented if we love our country. It is time for the Republicans to abandon their ``my way or the highway'' approach. It is time for the Republicans to stop playing politics with our country's economy. The time for politics is election day 2012--not now. Let's do our work, keep our precious ship steady and afloat. Majority Leader Reid's plan is our last best hope to avoid a disaster, and we need to act on it without further delay. With that, Mr. President, I yield the floor, and the remainder of any time I may have.

Mr. LAUTENBERG

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 15 minutes.

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. LAUTENBERG

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I think it is obvious to the world around us that the atmosphere here is hardly one of comfort or satisfaction. The public does not see the agony of the debate that is taking place, as we watch how dysfunctional the discussion about the national debt has been. We feel the threat to America's world financial leadership that is lurking around here, and it is not very satisfying to those people whose homes are close to foreclosure or the people who need to be assured that health care is going to be there for them or that their child who can learn can get an education without mortgaging their future or cannot even get a mortgage on that. So we look around and we watch and we listen and we see that the Republicans in the House and the Republicans in the Senate are in a search for political gain regardless of the cost to our society and our Nation. I do not make this statement casually. But after months of watching and listening to the targeted goal of politics over the pain that could follow a default, no other conclusion may be drawn. We want to consider the evidence. By way of example, Vice President Biden convened a bipartisan working group to find solutions to get the national debt problem over with, get it resolved, and let us go on to our normal and needed debate and business. After that, Republicans walked out. Walked out. Next, President Obama offered Republicans what he called a ``grand deal'' that would reduce the deficit by $4 trillion. Republicans ran away. Now our majority leader, Harry Reid, has proposed a plan that includes more than $2 trillion in spending cuts, $1 in cuts for every dollar the debt limit is increased--and not even insisting on a dollar of revenues, which has been suggested several times. But there is no way of getting through the obstinacy on the other side. Republicans turn their back time after time. Democrats in this Senate and in the White House have offered the Republicans compromise after compromise. But they do not see their target. Their target is to do damage to the Obama administration so that it hurts sufficiently to discount the progress that has been made for our society under President Obama. Time and time again the Republicans have changed their demands to find reasons to say no. Are we asking the Republicans to do something radical, something that has never been done before? That is certainly not the case. Over the past half century, the debt ceiling has been raised 75 times, almost two-thirds of those occasions under Republican Presidents. In fact, the debt ceiling was increased 18 times under President Reagan, and 7 times under President George W. Bush. Our country has never defaulted. So the question that must be raised is: What is different about today? Why, at a time when we already face a real jobs crisis in this country, would Republicans plan for another economic crisis? Why would they do that? Will destroying the economy help Republicans win seats next year when people across our country are already expressing their dissatisfaction with the deadlock they see being displayed? We heard the minority leader say his No. 1 priority is stopping the President from winning another term. What a goal that is. He is our President, elected by the people of the country. He has a term of 4 years and will be up for reelection. We hope and we pray that he continues to be the President of our country. What good does it do to target the system? Make known what it is they stand for. So far we have seen that they stand for nothing that is helpful to the average American. So what we need is a chance to have an honest discussion. Insecurity reigns as people grow more and more conscious about their inability to afford the basics of life, jobs, health care, education. They see prices being raised around them as their purchasing power shrinks. Look at the price of gasoline. You see a perfect example of what is happening. We had one Republican Presidential candidate who was asked: ``Does it strike you that as the unemployment rate goes up your chances of winning office also go up?'' Do you know what her answer was? She said, ``I hope so.'' Hope so. What an outrageous thing to say from the halls of government, the high halls of government. I hope so. I hope that unemployment goes up, says she, so she might have a chance to win office. How cruel that statement is. Make no mistake, if the United States Treasury runs out of cash next week, the principal burden will fall on middle-class families. But the effects on our total economy will be devastating as well. We may not be able to send out Social Security checks to seniors, benefit checks to veterans, the people who serve the country. Let's stop paying them? Or paychecks to the men and women who now bear our country's uniform in Afghanistan and Iraq. Sorry, we cannot pay you. Is that what we are going to say? Interest rates could rise almost immediately, greatly increasing the cost of mortgages, car loans, student loans, credit cards, you name it. If middle-class Americans think their 401(k) plan suffered during the Wall Street crisis a few years ago, imagine what will happen to the markets if the U.S. Government cannot pay its bills, or redeem bonds that are ordinarily turned in for cash. A default will lead to increased job losses at a time when we are still emerging from a recession and 14 million people are now out of work. And those are the relatively short-term impacts. A default crisis will damage our reputation, our credit standing around the world. It will call into question America's credibility, stability, financial leadership. It will make our bonds and our currency less attractive to investors, and we may never recover the exalted status of our financial instrument. But in response to this looming crisis, our friends, the Republicans, are digging their trenches deeper and offering little but circuitous routes to avoid a more serious plan to resolve this situation. Their latest trick is to propose a short-term debt limit. That increase will leave us in the exact same position 6 months from now so they will have another opportunity to make political mischief. Imagine. Imagine. All types of tricks, all kinds of devices to try and cut short something that can be dealt with and left behind. Let's continue trying to solve the serious problems that our country has. The Boehner plan poses the same grave risk to our economy as default. CNN reported that the Boehner plan would probably still lead to a downgrade of the United States credit rating. Christian Cooper, head of U.S. dollar derivatives trading at Jefferies and Company, said--he is an authority: From the markets' point of view, a two-stage plan is a non- starter. . . . There is significant risk of a downgrade with a deal that ties further cuts to another vote only a few months down the road. It is time for the Republicans to remember that all of our citizens are entitled to be heard, not just the wealthy ones, not just the millionaires, the billionaires, the tea partiers and the powerful, because they have positions that get attention when they make phone calls here. Inherent in our responsibilities is our obligation to preserve our strength as a democratic society. It is time to get serious. No more sleight of hand. Honest discourse is essential. The other day we were reminded--I describe my own reaction. Shock. They had a picture of lovely looking young people walking away from daddy's airplane that they had--whether it is a charter or owned I do not know--to go to camp. I did well in business. I ran a big company. I got there because I got the GI bill to help me. The GI bill helped me start a company with two other fellows that now has 45,000 employees--45,000 jobs-- because I was able to get an education under the GI bill. It was fantastic. So when I see what is being prized as a front-page picture in the New York Times of this child, looked like a lovely child walking to camp from daddy's airplane--and to me, I do not object to that. If they make their money the legal, responsible way, they can spend it any way they want. But why in the devil would they not want to contribute something to the underpinnings of this country? I do not understand it. Why is there resistance from those who have made so much that they can have yachts and airplanes and this and that? It is said sometimes here class warfare is what we are witnessing. Class warfare. The warfare comes from the top down, because average citizens, those who work for a living, those whose jobs right now are often insecure, those who watch their 401(k), their precious savings maybe dwindling as a result of a negative change in the marketplace--saying to young people and their families, sons and daughters who have the capacity to learn: I wish that I could afford--says dad or mom--to send you to the right kind of a school that your ability suggests you can handle, but we cannot afford it--we do a disservice to that family. We do a disservice to country when those things happen. So I do not understand why those who have so much, made not by their own ingenuity exclusively but made by the fact that we have a foundation in this society of people who want to go to work every day and do the right thing. That is what holds up this facility of ours. I am not talking about the building, I am talking about the facility this country has. You cannot build a house from the ceiling down, from the chimney down, and you cannot build a society from the top down. You need the underpinnings. You need those people who bring their skills daily to work and hold out hope for their children to succeed. That is what we need. We need a regeneration of the spirit in this country of ours. But it is not going to happen when the Republicans' dominant view is: No, let's get Obama. That is what we have to do. Foul play. It is almost like desertion. I wore the country's uniform proudly, and that is what we are talking about, loyalty to country. It says we need everybody to participate. We are not going to get it with the foul schemes that are being proposed. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sanders.) The clerk will call the roll.

Mr. LAUTENBERG

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, there are so many things here we can disagree about, but I wish to say thank you to all of my colleagues. One hundred of us have joined together in overwhelming numbers to support this historic legislation which creates a national moment of remembrance to commemorate the tragedy of 9/11. Few events, if any, have done more to change the course of American history as much as the horrifying terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001--nearly 10 years ago. It was one of the worst days in American history on our soil--a day that placed a permanent cloud over America and the free world. Few, if any, Americans can forget where they were that fateful Tuesday morning when our country was gripped with shock and disbelief and it felt as though our world had turned upside down. I was traveling at the time. I was in the Middle East. When the news came that an airplane struck the trade towers, the first conclusion I came to was it was a stray airplane from a nearby airfield, and that was it. But the news kept coming, and people in the streets of the city I was in were tearing at the terrible news about what happened to America. Almost 3,000 people, including more than 700 people from my own State of New Jersey, were brutally massacred in that attack. That is more American lives lost than on D-day when thousands of Americans stormed Normandy. Many of the victims were hard at work. On a typical weekday, 50,000 people worked in the Twin Towers, with another 200,000 passing through as visitors. It is impossible to believe that these towering facilities, with their huge infrastructure, could be burned, melted, and brought to the ground. Many of the people who lost their lives lost them saving others, including 343 firefighters, 60 police officers, and other first responders, as they answered the call of others who desperately needed their help. Some became heroes that day, such as those on United Flight 93, who took on the hijackers who were in the aisles to try and bring that airplane to its target. But the people stood up and fought against them--heroes, brave and courageous--to prevent that airplane from reaching its intended target. Tragically, a decade after the Twin Towers fell, the toll of 9/11 is still climbing. More than 85,000 first responders, cleanup workers, and community residents are dealing with the aftermath of this tragedy. There are victims who are being monitored or receiving medical treatment after breathing the toxic fumes and the dust at Ground Zero. As we all know, the wounds that came from 9/11 are not just physical. witnesses of the tragedy saw people jumping from high stories of the buildings because they could no longer stand the heat, the smoke. The witnesses of the tragedy, the thousands of survivors who narrowly escaped the attacks, and the families of the victims who will never see their loved ones again still bear the scars of that awful day. Life changed in countless ways for all Americans on September 11, affecting every move we make. All of us are reminded of 9/11's legacy almost every day as we wait in line to present our ID when we travel, go to work, or when we hear news of further attempts on the lives of Americans. There are approximately 50,000 baggage checkers and screeners working every day to keep us safe at airports across the country. In fact, the Federal Department of Homeland Security--created in the wake of 9/11-- has more than 230,000 employees and spends more than $40 billion each year protecting us from similar onslaughts. As is Pearl Harbor, 9/11 can be described as a day that will live in infamy. With Pearl Harbor, with all of its pain and sacrifice, an end to that conflict finally came and normalcy was restored to our country after some years. But our enemy today continues its search for ways to bring pain and suffering to Americans. They keep searching for technology and weapons, and 10 years later we are still fighting them. As we near the 10th anniversary of 9/11, it is important for us to remember what brought us to this point. That is why I am so proud and grateful to see the Senate unanimously approve this legislation, which--as we approach the 10th anniversary of 9/11--calls on our country to pause on September 11 for a moment of remembrance. What is planned is that at 1 p.m. eastern time that day, all Americans will be called upon to cease all work and activity and spend a moment in silence reflecting on what happened on 9/11, 2001. Our local, State, and national institutions--from sports teams and railroads to broadcasters and places of worship--will be called upon to mark this minute with church bells or sirens to recall the honor of those victims. This will be a striking symbol of American solidarity, signaling to the world that we remain united against those who threaten our freedom. It will also be a powerful nationwide expression of America's patriotic spirit and our refusal to forget the thousands of innocent lives we lost in the destruction of 9/11. Many of us recall the love of country we experienced in the days and weeks and months after the attacks in 2001. During that period, it seemed as though everywhere we turned, we saw an American flag. As a nation, we were willing to set aside our differences to mourn our losses and mourn the losses of friends and acquaintances and neighbors, and we decided to work together to defeat those who threaten our way of life. I believe the national moment of remembrance can help us recapture that spirit of unity and remind everyone how strong we are when we stand together. I thank my colleagues for the outpouring of support for this legislation and hope they will be able to encourage their constituents to participate in this moment of remembrance. Every Member of the Senate joined together as cosponsors to create this moment of remembrance, representing all political views in every corner of this great Nation. We want everybody to participate, including State and local governments, the military, veterans organizations, the news media, houses of worship, and sports teams. The 9/11 Moment of Remembrance will be a way to pay tribute to the lives lost and forever changed by the events in Pennsylvania, the Pentagon, and at Ground Zero. Let there be no doubt: 9/11 changed our country forever, and a tragedy of this magnitude demands memory and vigilance. As a nation, we must keep alive the memories of the many courageous Americans we lost that day. We must be vigilant on behalf of the thousands of families who suffered incalculable losses--losses that must never be forgotten. During the past decade, through our pain and sorrow has come the realization that this vigilance must be maintained so nothing like that can happen again. So once again I say thank you to my colleagues for supporting this measure. It will send a powerful signal to the rest of the world and remind us how strong America is when we all stand together. With that, Mr. President, I yield the floor, and note the absence of a quorum.

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to speak for up to 15 minutes.

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 237 which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to the measure be printed in the Record.

Mr. LAUTENBERG

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, we are here trying to figure out where America goes in the near future, but also where it goes in the long term because the decisions we make here are going to have a long lasting effect. What we hear and the American people are witnessing over TV is the Republicans are playing with fire, and millions of Americans are in danger of getting scorched. It reminds us some of those who played the fiddle while Rome burned. The Republicans are willing to allow our country to go into default rather than ask the wealthiest among us to pay their fair share. The Republican side of the Capitol is clear. They say: Don't ask our millionaire friends to contribute anything more to keep our ship of state afloat. Yes, the ride is going to be bumpier for everyone, but that is life. Why shouldn't the middle class pay something, they ask. After all, there are so many of them. In fact, a Republican Senator was on the floor this afternoon saying the wealthy are overburdened. It is not easy, I guess, to pick out a new car every year, maybe make sure your reservations for your trip abroad are made, and renovations for the house are in order. Life gets complicated if you are rich. These decisions do not come easy. The Senator who spoke this afternoon complained that the poor and the middle class--and I quote him here--``need to share some of the responsibility.'' So there it is. It is the poor and the middle class who need to sacrifice once again, but not the wealthy. The fat cats sit purring on the front deck while middle-class workers are breaking their backs. Middle-class workers should not have to explain to their kids why they cannot afford to help them get a college education. Democrats know the way to keep our country strong is to educate every young person capable of learning. Now, what is the real cost of millionaire protection? This risk is an economic calamity for middle-class families across the country if we make a mistake here as we deal with the raising of the debt ceiling, as we deal with the problems of the budget. It is time to stop protecting millionaires when so much is needed from everyone who can help this country regain its footing. If the Republicans force default on our debt, it could mean tens of millions of Americans might not receive their Social Security checks. Retirees and disabled Americans on fixed incomes depend on Social Security for survival. But Social Security is only the beginning. If the Republicans insist on pushing the government into default, the men and women who wear our country's uniforms may not even get their paychecks. Right now there are 140,000 brave Americans risking death and injury in Afghanistan and Iraq. Do we reduce our responsibility to them because Republicans do not want to burden millionaires? Additionally, payments to doctors under Medicare and Medicaid could be suspended. Where do the seniors and needy Americans turn then in the event of an urgent medical problem? At a time when nearly 14 million Americans are out of work and struggling to keep food on the table, unemployment benefits could lapse. We are talking about the possibility of people without incomes, people unable to sustain their basic needs. In addition to destroying the safety net for ordinary Americans, a default crisis would likely threaten America's position as the economic giant of the world, as we see the possibility of widespread panic on Wall Street and the damage to the credit markets that could lead to the loss of millions of jobs across the country. The question has to be answered: Why are the Republicans willing to walk on this economic tightrope to win favor among wealthy contributors? It is because they do not sufficiently value the human infrastructure that enabled the millionaires to make their millions. They are insisting on protecting tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires. They want to keep subsidizing big oil companies to the tune of $4 billion a year in tax breaks. I look at what our leader, the majority leader, has proposed. I am proud to be a cosponsor of a commonsense resolution introduced by Senator Reid. The resolution says: Americans who earn $1 million or more a year should pick up the shovel and help their country dig its way out of the disaster instead of just playing politics. The American people see through the Republican games of protecting the rich, while middle-class families lose jobs, homes, and the belief that their children have a chance of success that their forebears dreamt about. In poll after poll, survey after survey, they say we should ask the very wealthy to pay more to reduce the deficit. Yet the Republicans refuse to close outrageous tax loopholes for oil companies that are rolling in profits. We cannot ask them to sacrifice. Look at what the CEOs of these companies are being paid. ExxonMobil, they made over $11 billion in a quarter. The CEO made, in 2010, $29 million. ConocoPhillips, their CEO made $18 million in 2010. Chevron, the CEO was paid $16 million in 2010. The facts are clear and so are the Republican priorities. They do not want the giant corporations and the wealthy to lose their lucrative tax loopholes. The Republicans want to end Medicare as we know it, forcing seniors to pick up an extra $6,000 a year for their health care. The question has to be asked: Why are the Republicans trying to slow the economic recovery? Why run the risk of financial collapse just 3 years after the last one? Do they believe destroying the economy now will help them during next year's election? What a terrible thought that is. We heard the minority leader say his No. 1 priority is stopping this President from winning another term. Our No. 1 priority ought not to be to destroy lives for political gain. It ought to be about restoring our economy, restoring jobs, making sure all Americans can share in what this great country has to offer. The question lurks: What is it that propels this unyielding refusal to ask those who make $1 million a year or more to participate some in restoring our economic viability? The bottom line is, avoiding a default crisis requires all to participate or we could witness the failure of a nation that has survived for more than 200 years--200 years as a beacon of freedom, liberty, and democracy--with great risk of substantial failure in the future if we do not raise the debt ceiling. The Democrats feel the need to protect the basic values that have made this dream heard only in America, over centuries, a reality. Going forward into the future, we have to continue to protect the values we treasure in our society. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. LAUTENBERG

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. LAUTENBERG

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that if the Finance Committee meets tomorrow at 9 a.m., it be authorized to meet during tomorrow's session of the Senate.

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. LAUTENBERG

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, there will be a vote tomorrow morning at approximately 10 a.m.

Mr. LAUTENBERG

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it adjourn under the previous order.

Mr. LAUTENBERG

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m., on Thursday, July 7; that following the prayer and the pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; that following any leader remarks, the Senate resume the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 93, S. 1323, a bill to express the sense of the Senate on shared sacrifice in resolving the budget deficit, with the time until 10 a.m. equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each; that at 10 a.m., the Senate conduct a rollcall vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 1323.

Mr. LAUTENBERG

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I want to be sure where we are now. Are we in morning business at this point in time?