Harry Reid

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. On another topic that is extremely important, Mr. President, I have talked about how obvious it is America needs to reduce its reliance on foreign oil. But if anyone needs another reason, just look at the regimes that benefit from the global addiction to oil. For example, Iran. Iran uses profits from global oil sales to support its terrorism around the world, its nuclear weapons program. So it is critical the Senate act now--and act quickly--to further tighten sanctions against Iran. These sanctions are a key tool as we work to stop them from obtaining nuclear weapons, threatening Israel, and ultimately jeopardizing U.S. national security. This country is so fortunate to have the person who is leading the Central Intelligence Agency: GEN David Petraeus. I had the good fortune yesterday to spend an hour with him. He is a good man. He understands what is going on in the world. We must be vigilant, as we are, about what is going on in Iran. I repeat, we must act now--and act quickly--to further tighten sanctions against Iran. These sanctions are a key tool as we work to stop them from obtaining nuclear weapons, threatening Israel and further terrorizing other parts of the world. The only way to get sanctions in place now is to take up a bipartisan bill that passed unanimously out of the Senate Banking Committee. I would like and I am going to move to this. My staff has alerted the Republican leader I am going to ask consent soon to move forward on this unanimously reported bill out of the Banking Committee. Unfortunately, I have been told my Republican colleagues will object to moving forward with these new sanctions because they want to offer additional amendments. I have Democrats who want to offer additional amendments also, but we do not have the time to slow down passage of this legislation. Let's move to the next step. When we put this away, we are not going to be finished with Iran. There are a number of Democrats, I repeat, who also wish to offer amendments to this bill, but in an effort to get sanctions in place now, Democrats have agreed to streamline the process and refrain from offering their amendments. We cannot afford to slow down the process. Passing this bill now will help prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. And that is a goal on which we should all agree.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the time until 3:30 today be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees; that at 3:30 p.m. today the Senate adopt the motion to proceed to S. 2204, and then the Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 296, S. 1789.

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

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, I enter a motion to reconsider the vote on which cloture was not invoked on the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 296, S. 1789.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that if cloture is invoked on the motion to proceed to S. 1789, which is the postal reform bill, and the motion to proceed is later adopted, the Senate resume consideration of S. 2204, which is the Repeal Big Oil Subsidies Act, at a time to be determined by the majority leader, following consultation with the Republican leader.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I think most people know I worked here as a police officer for most of the time I was going to law school. I also worked for a period of time in the post office. I am not an expert on the post office, but I know the importance of post offices. I know what is going to happen in the State of Nevada if we do not make some arrangement to help the Postal Service survive. Scores of small post offices in Nevada will go out of business. There will be distribution centers that may not exist after a few months. So I wish to get to the postal bill as much as anyone in this Chamber, having worked for the Postal Service, through the House Post Office. I wish to move to the postal bill. But I am not going to be forced into doing it at a time that may not work out just right for our schedule; that is, the Senate. So I will move to that shortly after the recess as quickly as I can, but I am not going to agree to a specific time. I object to the modification.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I now move to proceed to Calendar No. 339, the Paying a Fair Share Act, which is S. 2230.

Mr. REID. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I hope I am not interrupting anything that cannot be restarted in a short time.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. REID. Would the Chair be kind enough to announce the pending business?

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Foreign Relations Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 1905, the Iran Threat Reduction Act, and the Senate proceed to its consideration; that all after the enacting clause be stricken and a substitute amendment which is at the desk, which is the text of Calendar No. 320, S. 2101, the Iran Sanctions Accountability and Human Rights Act as reported by the Banking Committee, be inserted in lieu thereof; that the bill as amended be read a third time and passed and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, there being no intervening action or debate.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I am terribly disappointed. There is nothing in the resolution that talks about war; in fact, it is quite to the contrary. It is unfortunate. I know, I read the Constitution a few times. My friend says he wants to restate the Constitution. That is a strange version he just stated. I don't see that anyplace in the Constitution. So I am deeply disappointed the Senate was not able to enact additional critical sanctions against the Republic of Iran. The sanctions that came out of the Banking Committee unanimously are a key to our work to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and threatening Israel and jeopardizing the U.S. national security. It is a bipartisan bill which passed unanimously out of the Senate Banking Committee. It would have had much needed new sanctions put in place right now, as we speak. We could pass this legislation this minute if the minority would drop their opposition. We can't afford to delay these sanctions or slow down this process in any way. I am willing to move this bill without amendment also at any time. I say to my friend, whom I respect, I say to my friend, if there are additional things that should be done--I was told this morning that Republicans want to offer amendments to this unanimous consent request. I said, no, because Democrats want to also. But we are satisfied with where we are. This is a wonderful piece of legislation, done on a bipartisan basis in the Banking Committee. If people, such as my friend, the junior Senator from Kentucky, want to do more, as do my friends from this side and the Republican side, let's come up with something else. But I think not to do this is unfortunate. We are slowing down these sanctions. This is not a declaration of war or even anywhere within the neighborhood of that. We are slowing down these sanctions. That I believe is the way to avoid war. I am willing to move this bill without amendments, at any time, I repeat. I am hopeful my Republican colleagues will see the light and realize how important it is to advance this measure and prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 27, 2012, at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 27, 2012.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 27, 2012, at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Airland of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 27, 2012, at 3:30 p.m.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 27, 2012, at 9:30 a.m.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 27, 2012, at 2:45 p.m., in room SD 215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Renewable Energy Tax Incentives: How have the recent and pending expirations of key incentives affected the renewable energy industry in the United States?''

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs' Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 27, 2012, at 10:30 a.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Choice Neighborhoods Initiative: A New Community Development Model.''

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on March 27, 2012, at 10 a.m., in room SD 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Economic Imperative for Promoting International Travel to the United States.''

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Green Jobs and the New Economy and the Subcommittee on Oversight of the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 27, 2012, at 10 a.m., in Dirksen 406 to conduct a joint hearing entitled, ``Oversight Hearing on EPA's Work With Other Federal Entities to Reduce Pollution and Improve Environmental Performance.''

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, while House Republicans are squandering precious time and risking American jobs, the Senate will now move forward with a bill to repeal billions in subsidies to big oil companies. Last year, Big Oil raked in $137 billion in profits--more than ever before--but still received billions in taxpayer-funded giveaways. It does not make sense. Even with domestic oil production at its highest level in almost a decade, prices at the pump are rising. Oil companies are making money hand over fist. When the price of a gallon of gas goes up by a single penny, quarterly profits for the five major oil companies go up $200 million. I heard on the news this morning that the price of gas in the last couple weeks has gone up 12 cents. Well, that is more than $2 billion for the oil companies. This country continues to give taxpayer dollars to some of the most profitable corporations in the world--not some of the most profitable, the most profitable. They are doing better than Google and Microsoft and all of them. They are the No. 1 profitable corporations in the world. It is time to end this careless corporate welfare. The only real way to bring down prices at the pump is to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. That will take additional responsible domestic oil production and smart investments in clean energy technology. The Senate will vote this evening to advance the Repeal Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act. This legislation ends more than $2 billion a year in tax breaks for Big Oil, and it invests the savings in the clean energy industry, where it will grow our economy and create jobs. Repealing wasteful subsidies will not cause oil prices to go up. Repealing wasteful subsidies, I repeat, will not cause oil and gas prices to rise. But reducing America's dependence on foreign oil will cause prices to fall for sure. But if Republicans continue to follow in lockstep to the drums of oil companies making record profits, one thing will be obvious: Republicans care less about bringing down gas prices than about helping oil companies that do not need help. Congress should pass this legislation and do it quickly before another taxpayer dollar is spent on wasteful handouts to Big Oil. How do the American people feel about this? Of course, by an overwhelming margin, they agree with us. The Senate must also quickly move to reform our postal system, and in the coming weeks, we also must reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, pass additional job-creation measures, and take up the crucial cybersecurity bill. The Pentagon says passing cybersecurity legislation is the single most important action Congress can take to improve national security. That is why I will bring a bill to the floor very soon. Bipartisan efforts to craft comprehensive cybersecurity legislation have been ongoing for years. It is now time to act. It is time for Republican colleagues who have been involved in this effort from the start to sit down and help us move this matter forward. We are going to move this bill onto the floor. We have had hard work done by Senator Lieberman and Senator Collins. It is a bipartisan bill. I would hope both parties would agree this legislation is a priority. I hope so. As always, Mr. President, I hope Democrats and Republicans will be able to work together to forge a path forward on these most important issues.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, following any leader remarks the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 4:30 p.m. today. Following that morning business the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 2204, the Repeal Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act. At 5:30 p.m. there will be up to two rollcall votes. The first vote will be a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to S. 2204. If cloture is not invoked, there will be a second cloture vote on the motion to proceed to the postal reform bill.