TRANSCRIPT
| 00:03:59 | THE SENATE WILL VOTE ON NORMAN ICEN TO BE AMBASSADOR AND MARI APONT SPE, THEY'RE IN THEIR POSITIONS. |
| 00:04:11 | THESE NOMINEES ARE QUALIFIED PUBLIC SERVANTS WHO WILL CONTINUE TO REPRESENT THEIR NATION WITH DISTINCTION. |
| 00:04:18 | FOR OUR REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES, BEING QUALIFIED AND DEDICATED DOESN'T SEEM TO BE ENOUGH. |
| 00:04:25 | LAST WEEK THEY BLOCKED THE NAP NATION OF A BRILLIANT LEGAL MIND, CAITLIN HALLIGAN TO THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS. |
| 00:04:34 | OBVIOUSLY THEY DON'T MIND THERE ARE VACANCIES PAWS REPUBLICANS WERE IN THE MAJORITY IN THAT COURT. |
| 00:04:44 | SO DEFEAT THIS COMPETENT WOMAN AND THAT'S WHAT THEY DID WITH STILL IN THE COURT AND BLOCKED THE NOMINATION OF RICHARD CORDRAY TO LEAD THE FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU DESPITE HIS QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE JOB. |
| 00:04:59 | HE HAS A LONG HISTORY OF PROTECTING THE MIDDLE CLASS AND HE WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT ASSET IN OUR FIGHT TO PROTECT MAIN STREET FROM THE KIND OF WALL STREET GREED THAT CAUSED THE 2008 FINANCIAL CRISIS. |
| 00:05:12 | YET REPUBLICANS DENIED MR. CORDRAY'S NOMINATION, I SHOULD SAY CONFIRMATION, AND ALL IT DOES IS WEAKEN THE AGENCY HE WAS NOMINATED TO LEAD. |
| 00:05:23 | I HOPE REPUBLICANS WILL NOT TURN EVERY CONFIRMATION PROCESS INTO A POLITICAL THREE-RING CIRCUS. |
| 00:05:34 | THE CANDIDATES TODAY, MR. ICEN -- MR. EISEN AND MS. APONTE HAVE JUMPED THROUGH ENOUGH HOOPS ALREADY. |
| 00:05:45 | MS. APONTE'S RECORD SPEAKS FOR IN THE REGION SUPPORT HER CONFIRMATION. |
| 00:05:53 | THE SAME ENTHUSIASM IS THERE FOR AMBASSADOR EISEN. |
| 00:05:56 | IF REPUBLICANS BLOCK THE CONFIRMATION OF THESE EXCELLENT, QUALIFIED CANDIDATES, IT WILL ONLY BE FOR NAKEDLY PARTISAN REASONS. |
| 00:06:10 | ALSO IS A DEMOCRATIC PROPOSAL TO TO TO END A $1,000 TAX INCREASE ON WORKING FAMILIES. |
| 00:06:17 | EVERY HOUR THEY DELAY AND EVERY DAY THEY FILIBUSTER IS ONE MORE THE SENATE BY NECESSITY WILL HAVE TO STAY IN WASHINGTON TO GET ITS WORK DONE. |
| 00:06:25 | REPUBLICANS HAVE OPPOSED OUR PLAN TO PAY FOR THIS LEGISLATION WITH A TINY SURTAX ON A TINY EARNERS. |
| 00:06:31 | FRACTION OF AMERICA'S HIGHEST THE TAX WOULD ONLY APPLY TO THE SECOND OR THIRD OR FOURTH MAKE. |
| 00:06:37 | MILLION THE WEALTHIEST AMERICANS BUT REPUBLICANS SAY THE RICHEST OF THE RICH IN OUR COUNTRY EVEN THOSE WHO MAKE MILLIONS EVERY YEAR SHOULDN'T CONTRIBUTE MORE THAN TO GET OUR ECONOMY BACK ON TRACK. |
| 00:06:48 | CALL OUR PLAN TIME AFTER TIME A TAX ON JOB CREATORS. |
| 00:06:54 | AND I SAY SO-CALLED JOB CREATORS. |
| 00:06:57 | BECAUSE I SAY THAT, MR. PRESIDENT, EVERY SHRED OF EVIDENCE CONTRADICTS THIS RED HERRING. |
| 00:07:04 | FOR EXAMPLE, OTHER -- THERE HAVE BEEN MANY OUTLETS BUT I'LL CONCENTRATE ON ONE, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO WENT LOOKING FOR ONE OF THESE FICTITIOUS MILLIONAIRE JOB CREATORS. |
| 00:07:17 | A REPORTER REACHED OUT TO A TAX LOBBY IN CONGRESS HOPING TO INTERVIEW ONE OF THESE MILLIONAIRES. |
| 00:07:25 | DAYS TICKED BY WITH NO LUCK. |
| 00:07:27 | MAYBE JOB CREATORS ARE LIKE UNICORNS, IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND AND DON'T EXIST. |
| 00:07:31 | THAT'S BECAUSE ONLY A TINY FRACTION OF PEOPLE MAKING MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS, PROBABLY LESS THAN 1% ARE ACTUALLY SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AND ONLY A TINY FRACTION OF THAT TINY FRACTION IS A TRADITIONAL JOB CREATOR. |
| 00:07:47 | THESE BUSINESSES ARE HEDGE FUND MANAGERS AND WEALTHY LAWYERS. |
| 00:07:52 | THEY DON'T DO MUCH HIRING AND DON'T NEED FOR TAX BREAKS. |
| 00:07:56 | ONE REPORTER LOOKED FOR MILLIONAIRE JOB CREATORS HIDING ON FACEBOOK. |
| 00:08:04 | THIS TIME THEY FOUND A FEW AND THEY ACTUALLY SUPPORTED OUR PLAN, THESE PEOPLE ON FACEBOOK ACTUALLY SUPPORTED OUR PLAN TO ASK THE RICHEST OF THE RICH TO PITCH IN TO IMPROVE THE ECONOMY FOR ALL AMERICANS. |
| 00:08:16 | THIS IS GENTLEMAN YAIFN BERGERING, OWNER OF A CONTRACTING COMPANY, SAID. |
| 00:08:22 | CRAZY. |
| 00:08:22 | FIRST OF ALL, HE'S HIRING LIKE AND I REPEAT THIS QUOTE. |
| 00:08:27 | "IT'S ONLY FAIR THAT I PUT INTO THE SYSTEM THAT IS THE ENTIRE REASON FOR MY SUCCESS THAT I PUT SOMETHING INTO THE SYSTEM." MR. BERGER MAY BE A MILLIONAIRE BUT HE'S ONE IN A MILLION. |
| 00:08:39 | A MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WHO MAKE MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR SAY THEY BOO GLADLY CONTRIBUTE MORE TO IMPROVE THE ECONOMY. |
| 00:08:47 | IT'S OFTEN SAID WHAT'S GOOD FOR IS GOOD FOR AMERICA. |
| 00:08:51 | I HOPE MY REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES SAID AS MR. BERGER SAID THAT WHAT IS GOOD FOR AMERICA IS ALSO GOOD FOR BUSINESS. |
Mr. REID. Mr. President, also under partisan assault this month is a Democratic proposal to grant a $1,000-tax decrease on working families.
Senate Republicans have blocked four proposals to protect middle-class pocketbooks. Every hour they delay and every day they filibuster is one more the Senate, by necessity, will have to stay in Washington to get its work done. [Page: S8470] Republicans have opposed our plan to pay for this legislation with a tiny surtax on a tiny fraction of America's highest earners. The tax would only apply to the second or third or fourth million the wealthiest Americans make. But Republicans say the richest of the rich in our country--even those who make millions every year--shouldn't contribute more to get our economy back on track. They call our plan, time after time, a tax on job creators--and I say so-called job creators--because every shred of evidence contradicts this red herring.
For example, there have been many outlets, but I will concentrate on one: National Public Radio went looking for one of these fictitious millionaire job creators. A reporter reached out to business groups, the antitax lobby, and Republicans in Congress hoping to interview one of these millionaires. Days ticked by with no luck. Many of our job creators are similar to unicorns; they are impossible to find and don't exist. That is because only a tiny fraction of people making more than $1 million--probably less than 1 percent--are actually small business owners, and only a tiny fraction of that tiny fraction is a traditional job creator. Most of these businesses are hedge fund managers or wealthy lawyers. They don't do much hiring and they don't need more tax breaks.
One reporter looked for millionaire job creators hiding on Facebook. This time they found a few, and they actually supported our plan. These people on Facebook actually supported our plan to ask the richest of the rich to pitch in to improve the economy for all Americans. This is what Jason Burger, owner of a contracting company that is hiring like crazy, said: It's only fair that I put back into the system. That is the entire reason for my success.
Mr. Burger may be a millionaire, but he is not one in a million. The majority of people who make more than $1 million a year say they would gladly contribute more to improve the economy.
It is often said that what is good for business is good for America. I hope my Republican colleagues will remember, as Mr. Burger does, what is good for America is also good for business.
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