Senate Proceeding on Nov 8th, 2011 :: 0:00:00 to 0:20:00
Total video length: 2 hours 45 minutes Stream Tools: Stream Overview | Edit Time

Note: MetaVid video transcripts may contain inaccuracies, help us build a more perfect archive

Views:267 Duration: 0:20:00 Discussion

Next speech:

0:00:05 to 0:00:28( Edit History Discussion )

Rear Adm. Barry Black: now the senate it on c-span2. the chaplain: let us pray. sovereign god, and ultimate ruler of this nation, as our lawmakers remember their accountability to you, use them

0:00:15 to 0:01:50( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Rear Adm. Barry Black

0:00:29 to 0:00:49( Edit History Discussion )

Rear Adm. Barry Black: to protect the blessing of continue to provide encouragement and support to the members of their staffs, who help provide for the security and well being of the citizens of this land.

0:00:50 to 0:01:10( Edit History Discussion )

Rear Adm. Barry Black: lord, cover us all with your protection and providence, and may your gracious benediction give us peace this day and evermore. keep our thoughts clear, our words wise, and our hearts pure.

0:01:11 to 0:01:36( Edit History Discussion )

Rear Adm. Barry Black: we pray in your great name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and

0:01:41 to 0:01:51( Edit History Discussion )

Rear Adm. Barry Black: justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington d.c., november 8, 2011. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1,

0:01:52 to 0:02:13( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable jeanne shaheen, a senator from the state of new hampshire, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: daniel k. inouye, president pro tempore. mr. reid: madam president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: following leader remarks, the senate will be in a period of morning business for an hour. the majority will control the

0:02:00 to 0:07:50( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Harry Reid

0:02:14 to 0:02:35( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: first half. following morning business we will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to h.r. 674. at noon the senate will be in executive session to consider the nomination of evan wallach to be united states circuit judge for the federal circuit. at 2:15 p.m. the united states will -- i'm sorry. i was behind myself a little bit. sorry about that.

0:02:36 to 0:02:58( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: at 12:15 the senate will vote on the confirmation of the wallach nomination. following that vote the senate will be in recess until 2:15. expect to be in consideration of h.r. 674 today. senators will be notified when additional votes are scheduled. madam president, there are two bills at the desk.

0:02:59 to 0:03:19( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: they're both due for a second reading. the presiding officer: the bills for the second time. the clerk: h.r. 2930, an act to amend the securities laws to provide for registration exemptions for certain crowd-funded securities and for other purposes. h.r. 2940, an act to direct the securities and exchange

0:03:20 to 0:03:40( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: commission to eliminate a prohibition against general solicitation as a requirement for a certain exemption under regulation "d." mr. reid: i object to any further proceedings with respect to these two bills. the presiding officer: objections having been heard, the bills will be placed on the calendar

0:03:41 to 0:04:02( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: calendar under rule 14. mr. reid: madam president, yesterday my friend the republican leader ticked off a list of bills he believes republicans and democrats can agree. i couldn't help but notice that the vow to hire heroes legislation that would give tax cuts to companies that hire out work to disabled veterans wasn't on that list he ticked off. the bill i just referred to, the

0:04:03 to 0:04:23( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: vow to hire heroes, ought to be free of even a whiff of controversy. house republicans already voted for the major component of that bill, a plan to give older americans access to job traing so they can keep up with the rapidly changing workplace to help young veterans transition from active-duty service to the civilian workplace. the bill wouldn't add a dime to

0:04:24 to 0:04:46( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: the deficit so there should be no objection there. it's paid for with a nonconference extension of existing fee on fee-back mortgages. it is a version of the same one house republicans already voted. republicans supported tax credits for companies that hire out-of-work and disabled veterans in the past, so that

0:04:47 to 0:05:07( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: can't be the holdup. we'll pass this important legislation as an amendment to the bill, to withhold 3% withholding provision from government contractors. republicans have been chomping at the bit to pass this measure so the vow to hire heroes is not a source of the silence. there are no procedural or philosophical hurdles to pass on

0:05:08 to 0:05:30( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: this bill. don't take my word for it, madam president. jeff miller, the republican chairman of the on veterans' affairs, set about this bipartisan legislation yesterday -- quote -- "today we're putting aside politics and putting veterans first. this is how the process should work. the vow act should pass the

0:05:31 to 0:05:52( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: house with overwhelming bipartisan support provides the legislation to get through the employment problems our veterans face." end of quote. with nearly a quarter million iraq and afghanistan veterans unemployed, this legislation can't come a moment too soon. yet senate republicans remain curiously silent on this legislation. it's inconceivable that my republican colleagues believe

0:05:53 to 0:06:14( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: this legislation to be unnecessary, but it also seems unthinkable republicans would unanimously oppose legislation to create hundreds of thousands of jobs for teachers, police officers, firefighters and construction workers. here's what's at stake. the number of unemployed post-9/11 veterans have gone up by 30,000 in the last year alone.

0:06:15 to 0:06:36( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: nearly 250,000 men and women who volunteered to fight overseas for the flag and the freedoms and privileges it represents can't find a job here at home. that number will only grow as the two wars draw to a close. one in five young veterans, veterans under age 25, they're unemployed. on any given night at least

0:06:37 to 0:06:58( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: 75,000 veterans, including 2,500 in nevada, sleep on the streets. they're homeless. we should all be able to agree that even one night is too many for our nation's heroes to pass without a roof over their heads. young veterans are four times as likely to live in poverty. during tough economic times, when some young people join the

0:06:59 to 0:07:20( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: military for a way to escape the cycle of poverty, this statistic is shocking and disheartening. so i call on the minority leader and the rest of my republican colleagues to break the silence. where do they stand on the vow to hire heroes act? i ask my republican colleagues, do you believe we should lend a helping hand to those who defend our freedom? of course.

0:07:21 to 0:07:41( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: do you think this nation's responsibility to its veterans ends the day they take off that uniform? andrew carnegie once said that the older goat, the less mind -- he older he got, the less mind he paid attention to what they say. i watch what they do. i remind my republican friends the men and women of the united states armed forces, those who

0:07:42 to 0:07:51( Edit History Discussion )

Harry Reid: wear the uniforms today and those who wore it once watching what

0:07:55 to 0:22:10( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Mitch McConnell

0:08:21 to 0:08:41( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: colleagues do. mr madam president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: it's been two months since the president came before congress and outlined his plan for tackling the jobs crisis, a plan that described as a rehash of the same failed policies of the past few years disguised as

0:08:42 to 0:09:02( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: bipartisan overture. a political strategy masquerading as a serio legislative proposal. the president put this plan together knowing republicans would oppose it. in other words, it was actually designed to fail, as the white house aides have readily admited to reporters for weeks. this was not -- i repeat -- a serious effort to do something

0:09:03 to 0:09:23( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: about jobs and the economy. it was a serious effort to help the president's reelection campaign by making republicans in congress look intransigen so what i've been saying for the past few weeks is let's put the political games aside. we'll have time for that next year in the election. the american people want us to do something about jobs right now.

0:09:24 to 0:09:44( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: it appears the message may finally be breaking through. i was just list tock my friend -- listening to my friend the majority leader talking about the measure before us, something we support and look forward to passion. it's been championed by senator scott brown of massachusetts. it would help contractors who do business with the government. and i was also glad to see that

0:09:45 to 0:10:08( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: the veterans bill which contains many provisions supported by republicans will be the first amendment. so maybe we're making some progress here. this is just the kind of thing we've been calling for, just the kind of thing we should be doing a lot more of around here. there's a lot we can agree on when it comes to jobs legislation, and that's where the focus should actually be.

0:10:09 to 0:10:29( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: while the president's been out on bus tours, republicans in the house have been debating and passing bipartisan legislation aimed at making it easier for companies across the country to grow and create jobs. over the past two weeks i've highlighted some of their good work. yesterday i mentioned in particular a bill the house passed just last week called the

0:10:30 to 0:10:51( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: small-company capital formation act, h.r. 1070, a bill that received 421 votes, including 183 democratic votes. only one person in the entire 435-member house of representatives voted against the bill. just one. and president obama endorsed the idea contained in this bill in

0:10:52 to 0:11:13( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: his jobs speech a couple of months ago. the question is: why in the world would be the the democratic majority take it up -- why in the world wouldn't the democratic majority pass it here in the senate? if democrats are interested in passing legislation that helps put americans back to work than they are in raising taxes, they should at least work with us to pass the bill the president

0:11:14 to 0:11:35( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: himself has endorsed. so this morning i want to say again how pleased i am that we'll be taking up senator brown's 3% withholding bill to help ease the burden on government contractors and we'll have a vote on and hopefully debate the veterans bill. and i'd like to call on the democratic majority in the senate to keep it up by taking

0:11:36 to 0:11:56( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: up h.r. 1070 or its bipartisan senate companion bill, s. 1544, sponsored by senator toomey and tester. take up this legislation that's already passed the house with the support over there, and show the american people that you care more about creating jobs than in creating campaign slogans.

0:11:57 to 0:12:19( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: let's not make the bills we'll be voting on today the exception but the rule around here. why don't we just keep it up? right now small-growing businesses aren't expanding their businesses through public offering because they can't afford the high cost of government paperwork they're required to manage. instead of going out there and

0:12:20 to 0:12:43( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: raising money to grow and hire, they're holding back. they're not expanding. and if they're not expanding, they're not hiring. this bill would remove some of that burden from smaller businesses and help them gain access to new capital that they can invest in their businesses and their employees. yesterday i mentioned the c.e.o. of a pharmaceutical company in

0:12:44 to 0:13:05( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: pennsylvania who says he's got -- the c.e.o. of a pharmaceutical company in pennsylvania who says he's got a promising new drug for treating chronic kidney disease, actually in the pipeline but that he can't take it to the next level because of all the regulatory costs that his company is too small to afford right now.

0:13:06 to 0:13:30( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: we should be removing barriers for smaller companies like his. nearly 200 house democrats agree with that, and so does president obama. as i said yesterday, this bill is about as bipartisan as it gets. the only thing standing in the way of passing it in the senate are the democrats who schedule legislation around here.

0:13:31 to 0:13:52( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: and the only reason they could not block it is because it steps on the campaign strategy. i think americans can see republicans in the house passing all these bipartisan bills aimed at spurring job creation and wonder why senate democrats won't take them up. this should be easy. they have already done the hard work of finding jobs bills that we know can pass both chambers and that the president would probably sign.

0:13:53 to 0:14:15( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: let's take up senator toomey and senator tester's bipartisan companion bill to house bill s. -- to the house bill. their bill is s. 1544. and let's pass it and then let's send it to the president for signature so it can become law. if you're creating jobs, shushed be for this bill.

0:14:16 to 0:14:37( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: as the a.p. put it last month, companies use the cash they raise to grow. that means hiring people. at a time when 14 million americans are looking for work and the unemployment rate has been stuck near 9% for two years, the last thing the economy needs of hiring to stall. a recent report by nasdaq of companies

0:14:38 to 0:14:58( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: that went publi 2009 found that those companies increased their collective workforce by 70% after maying the initial public offering. 70% increase in employment after making an initial public offering. what this bill does is enable more companies to take that leap

0:14:59 to 0:15:20( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: and start hiring once they have. this is just the kind of thing we should be doing more of in the senate. let's put the partisan bills aside. let's focus on bipartisan legislation instead. why don't success. now, madam president, on another

0:15:29 to 0:15:49( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: matter house announced the prime minister of ira with the president here on december 12. this meeting comes at an important time, as our own military forces will be drawing down their presence within iraq and the future of our

0:15:50 to 0:16:10( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: future relationship remains very unserchlt but our from iraq raises another important matter that i hope the president will raise with the prime minister, which highlights some of the difficulties that will result from military drawdown there and eventually in afghanistan as well, both of these drawdowns the president has ordered.

0:16:11 to 0:16:32( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: what i'm referring to is the law of war detention. in july of this year, senate republicans wrote the secretary of defense panetta concerning the custody of almuso daduc, the senior current any our custody in iraq.

0:16:33 to 0:16:56( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: he is in custody in iraq between the u.s. and iraqi government. in 2005daduk w senior hezbollah leaders to travel to iron where he trained -- to ira iraqi extremists in the use of mortars and other terrorist tactics.

0:16:57 to 0:17:18( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: among other things, daduc is suspected of orchestrating a kidnapping four years ago that resulted in the murder of five u.s. military personnel and it is a safe bet that he is transferred to iraqi control that he will return to the fight against the united states. president obama should insist in his meeting with prime minister

0:17:19 to 0:17:42( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: malaki that the u.s. forces retain custody of daduc and transport him to the detention facility at guantanamo bay. the detention of daqduq touches on three important issues in the ongoing war on terror. first, with the withdrawal of our military presence from iraq, the u.s. will lose the ability

0:17:43 to 0:18:03( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: to detain enemy combatants like daqduq in iraq. current plans are for the united states military to have completed our transition to the security forces of afghanistan which the end of 2014. and we should expect that we will lose the ability to detain enemy combatants there as well. our military commanders in

0:18:04 to 0:18:28( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: afghanistan should therefore anticipate losing the ability to detain enemy combatants by that date. as we saw in the capture of abdul arsami, the somali terrorist accused of providing material support to al qaeda in

0:18:29 to 0:18:49( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: the arabian peni and al-shabaab, there remains a strong likelihood that our military and intelligence community will need a secure detention facility to house these foreign fighters. the issue of what you are going to do with them? remember than being kept in military custody overseas, warsame was flown in this

0:18:50 to 0:19:10( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: civilian system. but the logical place pour long-term or indefinite detention of foreign fighters like warsame is not on a ship at sea or in our private prison system but, rather, as i've said many times before, at the secure detention facili guantanamo.

0:19:11 to 0:19:32( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: second, it is worth the obama administration has tied its own hands in the matter of indefinite detention of enemy combatants. the administration's plan to buy a prison in illinois for conversion to a military detention facility makes clear that the president does not

0:19:33 to 0:19:53( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: oppose law of war detention. he is fine with bringing foreign fighters into the u.s. and indefinitely detaining them inside our borders and yet opposing detank them indefinitely at a military facility at guantanamo where they will benefit from humane treatment but they won't enjoy the legal rights of detainees

0:19:54 to 0:20:14( Edit History Discussion )

Mitch McConnell: who are brought here, including the possibility of release into the united states. third, the executive order signed by the president in january 2009 were issued with an eye toward fulfilling candidate obama's campaign promises rather than after conducting a serious review of sound counterterrorism