John Thune

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Kyle Hanson, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several months. Kyle graduated from South Dakota State University with a major in communication studies. In the fall, he will be attending law school at the University of South Dakota. He is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of his internship experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Kyle for all of the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Kamaria Iversen, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past couple months. Kamaria is a graduate of Jones County High School in Murdo, SD. Currently, she is attending South Dakota State University where she is majoring in consumer affairs. She is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of her internship experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Kamaria for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Grace Kessler, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several months. Grace is a graduate of Roncalli High School in Aberdeen, SD. Currently, she is attending Hillsdale College where she is majoring in politics. She is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of her internship experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Grace for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Brooke Schieffer, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past couple months. Brooke is a graduate of Jones Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls, SD. Currently, she is attending Vassar College where she is majoring in film. She is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of her internship experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Brooke for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Christen Leedom, an intern in my Sioux Falls, SD, office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several months. Christen is a graduate of O'Gorman High School in Sioux Falls, SD. This fall, she will attend the University of South Dakota Law School. She is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of her internship experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Christen for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Zoe Cope, an intern in my Aberdeen, SD, office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several months. Zoe is a native of Aberdeen and a graduate of Roncalli High School. Currently, she is attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she is pursuing a degree in architecture. She is a very hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of her internship experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Zoe for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Madlynn Ruble, an intern in my Sioux Falls, SD, office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several weeks. Madlynn is a graduate of Albert Lea Senior High School in Albert Lea, MN. Currently she is attending the University of South Dakota where she is majoring in Spanish and communications. She is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of her internship experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Madlynn for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Rachel Skea, an intern in my Rapid City, SD, office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past couple months. Rachel is a graduate of Rapid City Christian High School in Rapid City, SD. Currently, she is attending Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, where she is majoring in communications and media. She is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of her internship experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Rachel for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Eric Schlimgen, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several months. Eric is a graduate of Central High School in Rapid City, SD. Currently, he is attending the University of South Dakota where he is majoring in political science. He is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of his internship experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Eric for all of the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Garrett DeVries, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several months. Garrett is a graduate of Canistota High School in Canistota, SD. Currently, he is attending the University of South Dakota where he is majoring in political science and history. He is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of his internship experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Garrett for all of the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. I appreciate that. That was a great description by the Senator. The Senator from Ohio hit upon all the relevant issues, if we are going to get the economy going, creating jobs again--talking about getting trade deals done, and energy policy that relies upon American energy production, keeping taxes and regulations low, common sense when it comes to energy regulations, and getting spending and debt under control. Those are all part of a solution that will grow the economy. What I say to my colleague with regard to the issue of taxing and spending is that a lot of people believe somehow we can get additional revenues and raise taxes and solve these problems. Clearly, that would be very counter to growing the economy and creating jobs. I think it would be harmful, if anything. If we look at taxes as a way to deal with the deficit and debt issue, frankly, I think most Americans believe--and I believe they are right--this is overwhelmingly a spending issue. If you look at our 40-year average spending, up until 2008 it was 20.6 percent of our GDP. The budget would have to spend about 24.3 percent of GDP. If you look at what we need to focus on, I say to my colleague from Ohio, it is clearly in the area of spending and debt control and dealing with that issue as opposed to the issue of revenue. I look forward to working with him on these issues. I hope we can put policies into place that will grow the economy and get people in this country back to work.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to enter into a colloquy with my Republican colleagues for up to 20 minutes.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, as we all know, the most important issues that are facing our country today are the economy, job creation, the national debt, and excessive government spending. One of the things that is having a huge effect on job creation and the economy right now is regulation. The administration continues to overreach and overstep in the implementation of dozens of new regulations, be it the EPA regulating greenhouse gases, or the DOT's recent proposal that would require commercial drivers' licenses for farmers who drive tractors. These oversteps have real consequences in the form of jobs. Take, for instance, Mr. Thomas Clements from Youngsville, LA, who is testifying today in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Mr. Clements is a small business owner since 2008. He owns Oilfield CMC Machining with his wife. They produce metal parts and systems for offshore oil rigs. His run-in with our overreaching administration started after the tragic 2010 BP oilspill with the President's decision in May of 2010 to enact a 6-month moratorium on new oil drilling in the gulf. His business continues to struggle today because of the Department of the Interior's decision to slow walk new drilling permits. Before these actions, he had a thriving small business that not only provided for his family but also for his employees. Today, they are barely staying afloat, and will likely close unless the administration changes course and actually begins taking steps toward recovery instead of continued rhetoric. Another big drag on the economy is the amount of spending and debt. Yesterday the Congressional Budget Office released their long-term budget outlook. This was certainly sobering reading. They pointed out that under the alternative fiscal scenario, in 2024, interest costs, Social Security, and major health spending would exceed all of the revenue coming into the government. The need for action is clear. The Congressional Budget Office states that these levels of debt will cause incomes to be between 7 percent and 18 percent lower in 2035 than they would be otherwise. Another study by economists Reinhart and Rogoff found that countries with a debt-to-GDP level that is greater than 90 percent--I would emphasize that we are currently at 95 percent--but that countries with a debt-to-GDP level greater than 90 percent grow at 1 percentage point less than they would otherwise. In other words, when you are carrying this kind of a debt load, 90 percent debt to GDP, for a sustained period of time, you are bleeding about 1 percent of economic growth every single year. As we know from the President's own economic advisers, a 1-percent reduction--1-percent drop in growth--translates into about 1 million lost jobs. One of the places we see that has been hard hit in our country by the downturn is the State of Ohio. My colleague from Ohio Senator Portman is here. I would be interested perhaps in hearing from him on whether he has seen the evidence of the recovery that was promised by the administration or does his economy in Ohio still reflect an economy that is held back by excessive regulation, debt and spending. I would be interested in the perspective of the Senator from Ohio on that particular subject.

Mr. THUNE. I appreciate my colleague's observations regarding his State, which is a pivotal State when it comes to whether we are going to see the economy recover. It is a State that feels the impact right away when you have a down economy and job losses and all of the negative things that go with that. So I appreciate his perspective on it. Obviously, I wish I could say this administration's policies have made the situation better. Unfortunately, the evidence overwhelmingly points to the President and his policies making this situation worse-- much worse. For example, the Senator mentioned nondefense discretionary spending, which is the part of spending that the President has to sign into law every year. It went up 4.1 percent. That is astounding when you consider inflation was about 2 percent over that time. Government spending was growing 10 times the rate of inflation. What is even more amazing, this doesn't include the increases in discretionary spending attributed to stimulus. That was supposed to have brought the unemployment rate down to 6.7 percent. Clearly, we are over 9 percent today. There is no correlation between additional spending and job creation. We have clearly demonstrated that. That spending level doesn't include spending on the ``Cash for Clunkers'' program, which was supposed to create jobs. It doesn't include ``un-offset'' increases in spending on mandatory programs that are signed into law, such as additional unemployment insurance, Medicaid, or trade adjustment assistance. It doesn't include the spending increases the President fought for but has been unsuccessful in passing. Because of this exorbitant spending, we are at a point where 40 cents out of every dollar the Federal Government spends is borrowed. While most people would look at this situation and say it is time to do something about it to improve the situation, the President clearly punted over the medium and long term, and his proposed budget makes the situation even worse. In fact, his proposed fiscal 2012 budget would spend $46 trillion over a 10-year time period, add $9.47 trillion to the debt, and raise taxes by $1.6 trillion. So their prescription continues to be more spending, more borrowing, and higher taxes. The question is, is this helping or hurting our economy? If you look at a recent Bloomberg poll, it found 65 percent of Americans think the debt is a major reason why our unemployment rate is so high. The answer from the American people is clear. I guess what I say to my colleague from Ohio--and he and I have worked together on ideas on how to get the economy going again and create an environment conducive to job growth--is that, clearly, getting spending under control here is a huge factor. As he pointed out, there is lots of research out there that demonstrates connectivity between spending and debt and the economy. I simply add that ratings agencies, such as Standard & Poor's and Moody's, all gave a negative assessment to our credit rating; and if that led to a downgrade in our credit rating, it would reflect much higher interest rates for another negative impact. Spending and debt have a profound negative impact on our ability to grow the economy and create jobs. The Senator from Ohio has been a great leader getting out there in talking about solutions that would lead to job creation. I am interested in hearing about some of what we might be able to do that is clearly not being done today and, frankly, what I hope is contrary to the policies put forward by this administration, which are costing jobs.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Claremont, SD. The town of Claremont is commemorating its 125th anniversary this year. Claremont was founded in 1886 and named by rail workers after a town of the same name in the state of New Hampshire. Located in Brown County, Claremont was built along the rail line which ran from Rutland, ND to Aberdeen, SD. This resulted in rapid growth for the budding town. Settlers quickly realized the excellent farming potential in the area and a booming agricultural industry was born. Claremont has been a successful and thriving community for the past 125 years, and I am confident that it will continue to serve as an example of South Dakota values and traditions. I would like to offer my congratulations to the citizens of Claremont on this landmark occasion.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Ferney, SD. The town of Ferney commemorates its 125th anniversary this year. Located in Brown County, Ferney was founded in 1886 and named after a town in France, which was the home of a railway worker's wife. Ferney has a colorful past and saw its heyday during the prohibition era. When nearby towns imposed prohibition laws, Ferney refused, earning itself a reputation as a ``liquor town.'' During this time Ferney's saloons and local establishments were booming businesses and among the first to reopen after the repeal of prohibition. Today, Ferney is known for its excellent hunting grounds and friendly people. I would like to offer my congratulations to the citizens of Ferney on this milestone occasion and wish them continued prosperity in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Strandburg, SD. The town of Strandburg will commemorate its 125th anniversary this year. Strandburg was founded in 1886 and was named after John Strandburg, an original settler and the man who would become the first postmaster. Located in Grant County, Strandburg has been a successful and thriving community for the past 125 years, and I am confident that it will continue to serve as an example of South Dakota values and traditions. I would like to offer my congratulations to the citizens of Strandburg on this historic milestone.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Tripp, SD. The town of Tripp will commemorate its 125th anniversary this year. Tripp was founded in 1886 and was named after Judge Bartlett C. Tripp, who served as President of Dakota Territory's first Territorial Constitutional Convention. Located in Hutchinson County, today Tripp is home to beautiful prairies and excellent hunting. Tripp has been a successful and thriving community for the past 125 years, and I am confident that it will continue to serve as an example of South Dakota values and traditions. I would like to offer my congratulations to the citizens of Tripp on this landmark date.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Armour, SD. The town of Armour will commemorate its 125th anniversary this year. Located in Douglas County, Armour was founded in 1886 and named after Philip Armour, owner of the famed meatpacking giant Armour & Company. Philip Armour served on the board of directors of the railroad during the time the railroad was being constructed in Douglas County. Today, the community of Armour is known for its outstanding health care facilities and its school district's strong record of academic and athletic accomplishment. Armour has been a successful and thriving community for the past 125 years, and I am confident that it will continue to serve as an example of South Dakota values and traditions. I would like to offer my congratulations to the citizens of Armour on this important milestone.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Hecla, SD. The town of Hecla will celebrate its 125th anniversary this year. Located in Brown County, Hecla was founded in 1886 and was named after a volcano in Iceland. Today Hecla is known for its excellent hunting, abundant bird watching opportunities, and friendly atmosphere. Hecla has been a successful and thriving community for the past 125 years, and I am confident that it will continue to serve as an example of South Dakota values and traditions. I would like to offer my congratulations to the citizens of Hecla on this landmark occasion and wish them continued prosperity in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Langford, SD. The town of Langford will celebrate its 125th anniversary this year. Langford was founded in 1886 and named after Sam Langford, the owner of the land where the town was built. Located in Marshall County, it is known for its talented high school band and community pride in their high school athletes. Langford has been a successful and thriving community for the past 125 years, and I am confident that it will continue to serve as an example of South Dakota values and traditions. I would like to offer my congratulations to the citizens of Langford on this landmark date and wish them continued prosperity in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Bowdle, SD. The town of Bowdle will celebrate its 125th anniversary this year. Bowdle was founded in 1886 and experienced rapid growth as the rail line running through the town continued to expand westward. Located in Edmunds County, it has now become an agricultural center in the region. It also has a strong local business community and excellent healthcare and educational facilities. Bowdle has been a successful and thriving community for the past 125 years, and I am confident that it will continue to serve as an example of South Dakota values and traditions. I would like to offer my congratulations to the citizens of Bowdle on this landmark occasion and wish them continued prosperity in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I wish to join my colleague from Iowa, who has been a great leader over the years on the issue of biofuels, in trying to transition our country away from the dangerous dependence we have on foreign oil and over the years has worked to put in place policies that have helped build an industry literally from the ground up. The ethanol industry, in its inception many years ago, sort of started with just a few farmers getting together. Today they are producing about 13 billion gallons of ethanol. It represents 10 percent of our entire fuel supply. There is not any other fuel in the country that provides the alternative to traditional gasoline ethanol does. That is the result of a lot of investment, a lot of hard work by a lot of people over the years. It has also been as a result of a dependance upon what has been fairly stable public policy. Now there is a debate about whether that public policy ought to change. That certainly is a debate we can have. I do not wish to get into the merits of the individual elements of ethanol policy because obviously people are going to disagree about that. But I am going to point out that we put this policy in place in December of last year. In December of last year, we told this industry, which represents--these are 204 American-owned plants. These are American companies that employ almost 500,000--indirectly or directly-- American jobs and American workers in this country. So we told them, in December of last year, 81 Senators--81 Senators, many of whom are now saying, I am going to vote to do away with this particular tax policy-- 81 Senators voted for it. We had 81 votes in the Senate in December that said these are going to be the rules of the game until December of this year. So now we have this effort to completely change the rules in the middle of the game. I have not been here all that long. I served three terms in the House of Representatives. I am in my seventh year in the Senate. But I do not recall an occasion where we have ever done anything such as this, where the Congress has put policy in place, made commitments to American businesses--in this case, people who employ American workers--and then tell them 6 months later, I am sorry, we are going to pull the rug out. You are out there on your own now. It would be one thing if these decisions were made in a vacuum. But most of these businesses made investment decisions based upon public policy that was put in place by this Congress. We cannot, in good faith, now go tell them we are just going to jerk this policy out of the way. Does our word mean anything around here? To start with, we have an issue with this particular amendment because it is unconstitutional. We cannot originate a tax measure in the Senate. So it will be blue-slipped in the House of Representatives, which makes everything we are doing right now largely symbolic. This bill is not going anywhere. But there seems to be people who are intent upon making some sort of statement, I guess, or trying to send some sort of a message. But the end result, if what they were trying to accomplish today were to become law, is we would raise gas prices because we are talking about a $2.4 billion increase in taxes on people who inevitably are going to pass it on. So why would we want to start raising gas prices at a time when we have historically high gas prices and people are already being pinched at the pump? So we single out a specific industry. I have heard people get up today and say: Well, we voted for tax extenders last year, but you know what, they were part of a bigger package. We did not have to agree with all of it. Well, then, do not vote for it and, surely, have the debate then. Why were we not debating the issue last December? If people had issues with this, they should have been brought out then when we put this policy in place. What, in effect, we are doing is singling out an industry and saying: We are going to punish you by changing the rules in the middle of the game because we do not like your industry or because we do not like this particular tax provision. Well, we had a similar debate a few weeks ago. There was an effort to do something on oil and gas tax provisions. The argument that was made at the time, myself included, was why would we single out a specific industry? If we are going to do this, let's do this in a comprehensive way when we look at all types of policies, tax expenditures, favorable tax treatment that various industries in this country get, and let's examine them all together. Let's make some changes. This is selectively singling out a specific industry and changing a tax policy in the middle of the year. There has been a statement made on the floor that people who get the benefit or the blenders credit do not want it. It strikes me at least, if they do not want it, they do not have to take it. They have to file for it. They have to file with the IRS. If they do not want the blenders credit, they do not have to take it. But most of the people who file for the blenders credit, it is assumed, are going to pass it on to the retailer, to the gas station, and ultimately to the consumer so it will result in lower prices. Most of the refiners anyway are large, integrated oil companies that, frankly, do not want the competition that is represented by the ethanol industry. They do not have to take the blenders credit. They have to do something to get it. They have to file with the IRS in order to receive it. One other point I wish to make, because there has been some talk as well about ethanol and the environmental benefits, there are certain States in the country that perhaps would like to have even higher standards. But if we compare ethanol to traditional gasoline, according to the EPA, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions--lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions--it is 20 percent lower, corn-based ethanol. When we get to cellulosic ethanol, which is the next generation of biofuels--if we can get there, if we do not completely do away with the platform we have today with corn-based ethanol--it will have a 60-percent lifecycle greenhouse gas emission advantage over traditional gasoline. So corn-based ethanol, 20 percent cleaner burning than traditional gasoline; cellulosic ethanol, 60 percent cleaner burning than gasoline. That is according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which does not take a particularly favorable view of these fuels because they like to include in their calculation types of elements, such as indirect land use in other countries around the world, which, frankly, we do not think ought to be part of the calculation, but even with that 20- percent cleaner burning than traditional gasoline for corn-based ethanol and 60 percent for cellulosic ethanol. I wish to read, if I might, from a letter that I received from an organization called ACORE. That is the American Council on Renewable Energy. This organization is about 500 deep, represents about 500 other organizations; in some cases, American companies, universities, members such as Walmart, such as DuPont. This is what they say: Current domestic ethanol production is also laying the groundwork and infrastructure for the more advanced biofuels of the future including cellulosic ethanol, algae-derived fuels, and drop-in fuels. We have already crossed the threshold of these homegrown biofuels meeting a substantial portion of transportation fuel demand for cars and light duty trucks; but they cannot be further developed without the infrastructure investments that are fostered by current ethanol production today. They go on to say that: The Thune-Klobuchar amendment ensures ethanol production will continue, while directing limited government resources to support infrastructure development and the transition to advanced biofuels. The ethanol tax credit has been critical to increased domestic ethanol production and corresponding economic growth, job creation, enhanced energy security and lower gas prices. We urge you to oppose the Coburn amendment, which would prematurely terminate support for our domestic ethanol industry while failing to invest in critical infrastructure and advanced biofuels. We ask for your support of the Thune- Klobuchar amendment. The Thune-Klobuchar amendment--we are working with the Senator from California, Mrs. Feinstein, the Senator from Oklahoma, Mr. Coburn, on a solution that would hopefully lead us to a result. It would do what many of the folks in this Chamber want to see done. It would do away completely with the blenders credit, effective July 1, and with the ethanol tariff. It would also put money back into debt reduction. We think that is a better way to do this. I hope those discussions will lead somewhere. But this vote today is going to be a largely symbolic vote for reasons I just mentioned: It is unconstitutional. It will be blue-slipped in the House of Representatives and, therefore, it makes absolutely no sense for us to be having this vote in the first place. It certainly does not make any sense for us to be sending a message to this industry that we want to do away with it. I understand my time has expired. I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Conde, SD. The town of Conde will celebrate its 125th anniversary this year. Located in Spink County, Conde was founded in 1886 when W.W. Rounds, Conde's first settler, sold his farm to the Western Town Lot Company. The town was named by the French-born wife of a local railroad executive, who chose to name the town after the fortress of Conde in France. Today Conde is known for its excellent pheasant and deer hunting, and friendly atmosphere. Conde has been a successful and thriving community for the past 125 years, and I am confident that it will continue to serve as an example of South Dakota values and traditions. I would like to offer my congratulations to the citizens of Conde on this landmark occasion and wish them continued prosperity in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Bryant, SD. The town of Bryant will celebrate its 125th anniversary this year. Bryant was named after an official of the railroad, as the town came into being when the railroad came through the southwest corner of Hamlin County. Bryant is also home to the Kant Hotel which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Bryant has been a successful and thriving community for the past 125 years and I am confident that it will continue to serve as an example of South Dakota values and traditions. I would like to offer my congratulations to the citizens of Bryant on this important occasion and wish them continued prosperity in the years to come.