Senate Proceeding on Feb 13th, 2009 :: 2:37:00 to 2:53:40
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2:36:43 to 2:37:04( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: senator from texas for her courtesy in yielding me additional time. and i yield the floor. oh, may i have one unanimous unanimous consent request before i yield? i have one unanimous consent request for a committee to meet during today's session of the senate. it has the approval of the majority and minority leaders. i ask unanimous consent that this request be agreed to and this that th prted in the record. the presiding officer: without

2:37:00 to 2:53:40( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Kay Hutchison
Bill: H.R. 1: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

2:37:05 to 2:37:27( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: objection. mr. whitehouse: i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the recognizes the senator from texas. mrs. hutchison: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i rise to speak against the bill that will be coming over from the house very shortly. we have had a chance to look at

2:37:28 to 2:37:49( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: this bill for and there is much in it that is different from what passed the senate and some of it is different from what passed the house as well. and i want to address a few points that have been made on the floor because i think it is

2:37:50 to 2:38:11( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: somewhat misleading to talk about the republican input in the way that its being described. first of all, the bill was written without any republican input. it was written in the house of representatives by the democrats. there were no amendments allowed. the committees were not allowed

2:38:12 to 2:38:32( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: to on the bill there. it came to the senate. i was on t appropriations committee which passed the spending part of the amendments were the meeting lasted a couple of hours. the same thing on the finance committee, which was the tax part of the bill

2:38:33 to 2:38:55( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: and there was -- there were no amendments that were able to be hammered out. there was not an amendment process where we gave and took. and to say that a chance to have input is really disingenuo

2:38:56 to 2:39:18( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: i do respect the president of the united states for coming and talking to republicans. he senators. he talked to the republican house members. and i think that is good. there's nothing bad about that because he is a smart and civilized man that we all respect. and we want the president of t

2:39:19 to 2:39:40( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: united states to work with congress as we go fward. but tal and taking ideas and shaping them into something that can say -- that we could all say we had a part in. if i could support half of this bill, i would be inclined to

2:39:41 to 2:40:01( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: look at it in a way that maybe i would be able to vote for it. but let's look at what this bill is. it's a 87 billion. the spending portion is 8 80 billion.

2:40:02 to 2:40:22( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: where interest, the cost of this bill is going to be a trillion dollars. now, people say it's a spending bill; what did you expect, a spending bill? i still take a trillion dollars of taxpayer money, borrowing from the future very seriously. i think we ought to spend some

2:40:23 to 2:40:44( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: time before we spend trillion in a bill that is going to be off the budget, that is not in any projected budget that we have it is going to add trillion to the deficit. and is it going to succeed?

2:40:45 to 2:41:05( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: i hope it but let's talk about what is in this bill. 11% of the spending will dhur ye occur this year. the purpose of is to stimulate the economy quick.

2:41:06 to 2:41:29( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: we are talking about a trillion-dollar bill, 11% spending this year. in fact, what the c.b.o., which is the congressional budget office, which is a nonpartisan to give us facts without

2:41:30 to 2:41:50( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: political most of the money in this bill is going to be spent in years ten. well, a -- well, a stimulus bill should inject into the economy an energy that will cause jobs to be either produced or kep will produce spending so that there will be something for

2:41:51 to 2:42:12( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: people to make and for retailers to sell stimulus, which we hope would be in the private sector and, therefore, permanent, then we're going to have to deal with the deficit in years three ten so that we don't get in anup side-down situation where we have so --

2:42:13 to 2:42:35( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: in an upside-down situation where we have so much debt that either our foreign investors will not buy our debt or, if they do, the risk is so good that they increase the interest rate. which inflationary problem. so this is not a stimulus

2:42:36 to 2:42:58( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: package when 11% is spent in the first year. 18% of this conference report is dedicated toward tax relief. i believe that tax relief has been proven again and again to spur the economy. relief and it spurred the

2:42:59 to 2:43:20( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: economy and increased revenue. president reagan -- tax relief, it introduced revenue. president bush, 2001, when we were having a economy, t first tax cuts, it turned the stock market around and it gave us the largest increase in revenue in the history of america.

2:43:21 to 2:43:45( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: so peopletandoff at tax relief as part of a stimulus and how can they scoff when it has been proven again and again to work? but in this conference report, 18% is in tax relief and, in my opinion, it's not even the tax relief economy.

2:43:46 to 2:44:08( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: the tax relief is the making work pay credit which is going to be approximately .65 per week in tax relief for a worker now, that is going to be limited to 00 a worker. now, speaking of what has been

2:44:09 to 2:44:30( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: tested, last year when we became concerned that the economy was 00 tax credit. and every economist that i have read says it did not spur the economy. it did not help our financial situation at all.

2:44:31 to 2:44:51( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: that was 00 per person last year. this is going to be person and it is going to be strung out in such small amounts in a person's paycheck that they're going to mostly not feel

2:44:52 to 2:45:05( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: that they have enough money left over from their paychecks at .65 per week to go out and spend money, which is what you

2:45:06 to 2:45:27( Edit History Discussion )

want in a stimulus package. day in tax relief to workers. while saddling every american family with ,400 in added debt. the homebuyer credit that the senate added, which tries to correct the fundamental problem

2:45:28 to 2:45:51( Edit History Discussion )

that started this whole economic but eliminated from the conference committee report. we have an ,000 credit for first-time homebuyers. now, i support this because it will be some credit first-time homebuyers to go out and buy a home.

2:45:52 to 2:46:14( Edit History Discussion )

but t senate provision was 5,000 for any homebuyer. so we had the capability to give every homebuyer that 5,000 tax credit so that we would move inventory and allowomebuilders to start building again, which would create jobs. that was changed in the

2:46:15 to 2:46:37( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: conference report. the conference drastically reduced the auto production which would provided relief to dealers all across the country. i have a great sympathy for auto dealers. when we were taking up the automobile manufacturing bailout

2:46:38 to 2:46:59( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: bailout, i was very concerned about not only the manufacturers but also the dealers, because the dealers could not help what was happening in the auto manu they had nothing to do with the manufacturing. but the dealers and the families that are supported by dealers

2:47:00 to 2:47:21( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: were being hit again and again and could not get credit and could not buy cars. so we should have dealt in this bill with housing and credit. those are the two things that

2:47:22 to 2:47:42( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: cost us this financial downturn, would deal in this package the first thing with housing and credit. and i hope that eventually we will, but it will be trillion later. 17% of this -- the presiding officer: the senator's time has expired. mrs. hutchison: mr. president,

2:47:43 to 2:48:04( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: i ask unanimous consent for an additional 10 minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. hutchison: mr. president, 17% of the discretionary spending in this package is for infrastructure items. now, infrastructure is what we should be spending money on, because infrastructure is jobs.

2:48:05 to 2:48:26( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: infrastructure is american jobs. in the bill we don't have enough in infrastructurepending. so, mr. president, the heritage foundation says that because so much of the money in this is being spent in the out years

2:48:27 to 2:48:47( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: and is not temporary, then the overall cost by the time we finish the effect of this bill is going to be .27 trillion. mr. president, this is not the bill that we should be passing right now. this bill did not even have the

2:48:48 to 2:49:10( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: signature of one republican on the conference committee. we don't e dominated the conference committee or the senate or the house production of a bill. but to have no republican support cannot under any circumstances be declared bipartisan.

2:49:11 to 2:49:33( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: three out of 535 -- or three republicans out of the republican contingency, to be mr. president. it's just not bipartisan. let me just add a couple of minutes about what we're for, because i am against this bill for the reasons i have stated. but i am for something.

2:49:34 to 2:49:51( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: i a for stimulus -- i'm for stimulus. we all know we need stimulus. i would like tax cuts tha would spur spending, not tax cuts that would be driveled out in such small amounts that no one would feel they could go out and buy something. tax cuts that would spur spending would be in the form of

2:49:52 to 2:50:14( Edit History Discussion )

a card, like the converter box cards that were sent in the mail, that would be purposes. maybe it would be home improvements. maybe it would be weatherization weatherization. specific purposes would require spending, and it would be a card that people would know they could spend and it would make

2:50:15 to 2:50:37( Edit History Discussion )

difference indjourn startin start -- in jump-starting the economy. tax cuts that would spur hiring. it was sort of said on the other side that we don't need co because no one is making a profit. well, let's do something that would allow corporations to make a profit, because that's when they hire people is when they're making a profit.

2:50:38 to 2:50:59( Edit History Discussion )

how about a tax credit hiring people? that might make a difference. how about spending on infrastructure? how about more than 17% of a trillion going for infrastructure that would be jobs today for people building bridges, building building things that would be clearly job creation?

2:51:00 to 2:51:21( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: i had an amendment, which never made it to that military construction should be moved up from the department of defense five-year plan to three years. military construction is money that we know we're going to spend. the department of defense has a five-year plan.

2:51:15 to 2:53:45( Edit History Discussion )

2:51:22 to 2:51:46( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: th priorities are. we normally take it one year at a time. why not take the five-year plan and bring it up or three years because we know it would be american jobs, we know it is money that we're going to spend anyway, it would be stimulative, and it would be

2:51:47 to 2:52:10( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: instead, the conference cut t military spending in this bill from what passed in the senate. the conference cut our militar spending for hospitals and for veterans administration hospitals to increase the quality and access to health care for our veterans. mr. president, what kind of

2:52:11 to 2:52:33( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: priority is that? and they're increasing spending to save a mouse in san francisco that might be endangered. mr. president, this is not a package that we can be proud to give to the american peoplend say, it' belts to do this because it will make a difference.

2:52:34 to 2:52:55( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: but we cane for something. we don't say we should have everything that we propose. there are other good ideas on the other side. we acknowledge that. but, mr. president, this is not the right bill for the american people, and i urge my colleagues to please consider their positions and let us do this right.

2:52:56 to 2:53:16( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: tax cuts to spur spending, tax cuts to spur the opportunity for corporations and businesses to hire people, spending on infrastructure, more in military construction, not less. that would be a bill that we could support, mr. president. i thank you, and i yield t

2:53:17 to 2:53:37( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: floor. mr. enzi: mr. president? the presiding officer: the chair recognizes the se from mr. enzi: thank you, mr. president. i, too, want to speak about the conference committee report that we're i didn't think that it was possible, but after waiting until late last night to finally

2:53:38 to 2:53:40( Edit History Discussion )

Kay Hutchison: receive the text of this trillion economic bailout