Harry Reid

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Yes.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, just so everyone listening to my friend understands--and he also has worked so hard on the bill that was just killed--when he says it is not a question of if, it is when, he is not talking about passing this bill, he is talking about a cyber attack, a gargantuan cyber attack on our country. Here we are in this beautiful Capitol building today, and all around America we have government officials and private sector officials who are trying to thwart the people trying to destroy businesses and parts of our country's infrastructure. As I have said here so many different times--and Senator Lieberman and Senator Feinstein, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee are on the floor--the record is here. We have told everybody for months and months that something is going to happen. And we have laid the groundwork, I am sorry to say, to blame you guys for not doing something to take care of this issue. It is a big issue and it is an important issue for our country. This should have nothing to do with partisan politics. And why the Chamber of Commerce is doing what they are doing is beyond my ability to comprehend. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. REID

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

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I now ask that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements related to this matter be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to H.R. 6118.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Bryan Seeley, a detailee on the Senate Judiciary Committee, be granted floor privileges for the duration of the 112th Congress.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent to proceed to Calendar No. 507, H.R. 6131.

Mr. REID. I now ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements relating to this matter be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 596.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, there be no intervening action or debate, and any statements related to the resolution be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9 a.m. on Thursday, November 15, 2012; 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 the majority leader be recognized, and that the time following leader remarks be equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees; that at 9:15 a.m. tomorrow morning, the Senate proceed to vote on the motion to invoke cloture on S. 3525, the Sportsmen's Act of 2012; further, that the filing deadline for second-degree amendments to S. 3525 be 9:10 a.m. on Thursday, tomorrow.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. 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. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Tester, I have a substitute amendment which is at the desk.

Mr. REID. I have an amendment at the desk to the language that is proposed to be stricken.

Mr. REID. I ask for the yeas and nays on that amendment.

Mr. REID. I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

Mr. REID. I have a motion to commit the bill with instructions.

Mr. REID. I ask for the yeas and nays on that motion.

Mr. REID. I have an amendment to the instructions that is also at the desk.

Mr. REID. I ask for the yeas and nays on that amendment.

Mr. REID. I have a second-degree amendment.

Mr. REID. I have a cloture motion on the bill that is already at the desk.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, after our election, I welcome everyone back. For some it was a nice break. For others it was a lot of hard work. We welcome everyone back and look forward to a very productive next 6 weeks. Schedule

Mr. REID. Mr. President, the Senate is considering the motion to proceed to S. 3525, the Sportsmen's Act, postcloture. At 5:30 p.m., there will be a rollcall vote on the motion to proceed to the legislation. Facing Great Challenges

Mr. REID. Mr. President, for the last year, the country has been focused on the difference between Republicans and Democrats. And for the last 2 years, this Congress has not accomplished nearly enough. But as we close the 112th Congress, it is time to focus on our shared goals and our common purpose. We all agree, I hope, that today--now--great challenges face our country and this Congress. Those challenges are large--too large to be solved by Democrats alone. They are too large to be undertaken by Republicans alone. And they are too grave for us to allow political differences to stand in the way of success. On the day Gerald Ford became President of the United States, at a time of great national turmoil, he said: There is no way we can go forward except together and no way anybody can win except by serving the people's urgent needs. We cannot stand still or slip backwards. We must go forward now together. So said Gerald Ford. Mr. President, that is as true today as it was back then. Today the American people have many urgent needs. They need more jobs. They need economic certainty. They need opportunity and fairness. It is within our power as a Congress to quickly address these urgent needs. It is within our power to forge an agreement that will give economic certainty now to middle-class families who can least afford a tax hike. It is within our power to forge an agreement that will ask the richest of the rich--the most fortunate among us--to pay a little extra to reduce the deficit and secure our economic future. It is within our power to forge an agreement that will protect important tax deductions for families and businesses still struggling. It is within our power to forge an agreement that will take a balanced approach to reduce spending. In fact, we could avert the fiscal cliff for 98 percent of American families and 97 percent of small businesses today. The House must only consider the Senate-passed bill freezing tax rates for those making less than $250,000 a year. This Congress is but one vote away from avoiding the fiscal cliff for middle-class families and small businesses. As influential conservative Bill Kristol said this week: Let's have a serious debate. . . . It won't kill the country if we raise taxes a little bit on millionaires. It really won't. So said Bill Kristol. So solutions are in our grasp. We only have to make the choice to pull together instead of pulling apart. The hands of the Democratic Caucus are reaching toward our Republican friends, our Republican colleagues. I urge the Republicans to join us to do the difficult but necessary work that is ahead. If there is a message to take away from this year's election, it is this: Americans are tired of the politics of division. They are tired of obstruction and distraction. The American people--Democrats and Republicans--want cooperation and conciliation. I urge any of my Republican colleagues who are considering the same strategy of obstruction to turn away from the divisions of the past and join in cooperation, compromise, and consensus. Gridlock is not the solution. It is the problem. How this Congress deals with the challenges ahead will be the test of our character, both as individuals and as a body politic--the U.S. Senate. As the British playwright John Osborne said: They spend their time mostly looking forward to the past. We cannot look back. We must show the American people we are equal to the challenges we now face. The challenges are here. We know the challenges. We see the challenges. We can feel the challenges. There are many reasons why--as we wind down this 112th Congress and embark upon the 113th--we must succeed. But the best illustration of our duty--our obligation--comes from the words of Medal of Honor recipient Daniel Inouye. Senator Inouye's son asked his dad why--after people were designated as enemy aliens, after being put in internment camps--why did he and the members of the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team fight heroically the way they did. Asked why he fought, Senator Inouye told his son--many years after the battle had ended and Lieutenant Inouye's wounds had healed--that he fought ``for the children.'' Senator Inouye said that he fought for the children. So I say to my colleagues--Democrats and Republicans--we must legislate, legislate for our children. They deserve it. We owe them the future. It is time for Democrats and Republicans to go forward now together-- ``go forward now together,'' as Gerald Ford said--and show the American people that we are equal to the challenges we face. The challenges are there. We must face them and face them together. Recognition Of The Minority Leader