Senate Proceeding 03-09-11 on Mar 9th, 2011 :: 1:37:45 to 1:45:10
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1:37:41 to 1:38:04( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: i am anxious to sit down at the table and find those compromises -- the presiding officer: the senator has used five minutes. ms. mccaskill: -- make real cuts and move forward in a responsible way to show the american people that we ge thank you, mr. president. and i yield the floor.

1:37:45 to 1:45:10( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Ben Nelson

1:38:05 to 1:38:28( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: mr. bennet: mr. presiden ask unanimous consent to speak for eight minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. nelson: i rise to speak about the two budget bills that we'll be voting on that purport to cut spending in washington. i appreciate the comments of my good friend from missouri, senator mccaskill, in pointing out many of the shortcomings of the two pieces of legislation.

1:38:29 to 1:38:50( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: i'm here to deliver a eulogy. both bills are dead and they deserve to be dead. one bill cuts too little. the other bill has too much hate. neither one is serious. most important, neither will pass and they shouldn't pass because their unfair. they're not in the best interest of nebraskans and taxpayers across our cufnlt the only thing they're serious about is guarantee shutting down the

1:38:51 to 1:39:11( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: government. nebraskans want serious spending cuts but these bills are loaded up with tricks, treats, gimmicks and games sms on one side we see a bill that simply cuts too little. now it purports to cut spending by $50 billion, but when you push through the thicket of gimmicks, it actually only cuts

1:39:12 to 1:39:32( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: about $6 obama. about $6 billion. a cust about a half a percent just isn't enough. it won't runaway government spending under control nor will it begin to bring under control that unsustainable national debt that endangers america's future.

1:39:33 to 1:39:53( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: to win my support, there need to be more cuts in spending and they need to be real and reasonable. which brings me to the other bill. the other bill is h.r. 1. it's chockful of provisions pushing a political agenda snuck into the bill in the middle of the night. one provision is an attack on america's farmers.

1:39:54 to 1:40:14( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: it aims to block allowing the use of more american-made ethanol in our cars and trucks. today cars and trucks can use gas with 10% ethanol. the government has just approved a 15% ethanol blend. there's no cost, but that didn't stop some from sneaking in an unfair ban.

1:40:15 to 1:40:35( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: cutting back on ethanol at a time when gas prices are above $3.50 a gallon nationwide and rising fast is the wrong thing to do. worse, it's a gift to foreign oil. looking at all the violence and turmoil we're seeing today on tv in a key oil-producing region of the world, it seems the worst

1:40:36 to 1:40:56( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: possible gift at the worst possible time. another political agenda item in h.r. 1 will eliminate public television in nebraska, an educational resource for our citizens and an informational lifeline in many parts of nebraska. this bill makes other sneaky attempts to push a political agenda.

1:40:57 to 1:41:18( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: it eliminates poison control centers, blocks a consumer database people might use to determine a product's safety, and keeps high-speed internet service out of rural areas. h.r. 1 also limits urban homeland security funds and sets the limit arbitrarily at 25 cities. that will likely bar any future

1:41:19 to 1:41:39( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: funding to the largest city in my state. while some might not think of omaha as a terror target, let nile, it is the home to u.s. strategic command, a major national telecommunications hub, and is a key rail and highway crossroads for freight and transportation. on the spending side, the house

1:41:40 to 1:42:01( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: bill makes unfair cuts to the states, including mine, that will cost nebraskans hundreds of jobs and indeed unnecessary hardship. for example, more than 1,200 nebraska children would lose access to head start, which has proven to help students complete high school. the bill cuts pell tuition

1:42:02 to 1:42:23( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: grants to 43,000 nebraskans, that they need to afford college. in addition, the $75 million cut for homeless veterans' housing vouchers seems absurd. to quote the director of the omaha veterans hospital, "this is a very big deal for those veterans and the community." end of quote.

1:42:24 to 1:42:44( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: this could impact 10,000 homeless veterans nationwide and in omaha alone, 240 veterans have used these voimps and there are 600 more who need this help to find permanent housing. after all is said and done, the bottom line is, washington just hasn't got serious.

1:42:45 to 1:43:05( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: and i won't be held accountable for the failings of the house and the senate. i can, however, be held accountable for one of the 12 spending bills that fund the government. as chairman of the senate appropriations legislative branch subcommittee, i have the responsibility to oversee the spending bills of congress. we cut spending last year.

1:43:06 to 1:43:27( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: we're cutting spending by 5% this year. and we'll be back for more cuts next year. last year senator murkowski and i did this before all of the campaign-style speeches about cutting began. it was clear she didn't bring a political agenda to the table, and i hope she knows that i didn't either. and this year in working with senator hoeven and also a former

1:43:28 to 1:43:50( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: governor, as i am, who is now ranking member on the subcommittee, i have every reason to believe that he also will be serious and fair, as we reduce spending in next year's budget. cutting the spending for congress for our offices, committees, and staff, our buildings, our police, our efforts on this hill is an

1:43:51 to 1:44:12( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: effort to lead by example. our committee's bipartisan example can serve as an example for how the other 11 spend bills are handled. our message to paraphrase harry truman is, "the buck shrinks here." soon we'll vote on the two spending bills. one is -- has done nothing to attract republicans. the other has done nothing to

1:44:13 to 1:44:35( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: attract democrats. in the end, you have bills that will divide. they do not unite congress. for the reasons i've given, i will vote against both. then what's next? we will, washington needs to put aside all the games and gimmicks, the treaties and the tricks and come together to do what's right for the american

1:44:36 to 1:44:43( Edit History Discussion )

Ben Nelson: people by passing a budget. they deserve it, thoreaued it, and it's now time.