Creating American Jobs and Ending Offshoring Act of 2010--Motion to Proceed

Floor Speech

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Mr. WICKER. Let me make sure the people within the sound of our voices tonight understand this. For the first time in the history of the modern-day Budget Act, the Congress has not even brought forward a budget plan to be debated, much less amended and voted on by the elected representatives of the people; is that correct?

Mr. SESSIONS. That is correct.

Mr. WICKER. And this is astonishing in light of what the Senator has pointed out with regard to where we are going on payment of interest on the national debt. Anytime we are paying interest, that is money that can't be used for highways, for infrastructure. If someone wanted to try a stimulus for small businesses by cutting their taxes, that is money that is not available to us for that purpose.

I wonder whether the Senator would like to talk about his particular plan, a bipartisan plan, that at least attacks the exponential growth we have had in discretionary spending. I think the Senator has a plan with the Senator from Missouri that would attack this issue at the discretionary level, virtually freeze domestic discretionary spending, and, at least for that small part of the budget, give us some relief; is that correct?

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Mr. WICKER. If the Senator would continue to yield, I would say that I think it would certainly be a start. And I daresay that if Senator Sessions and I were the sole deciders on this issue, we might find a way to cut spending even further. But on a bipartisan basis, we ought to at least be able to say: Mr. President, let's bring to the floor for discussion a proposal that would virtually freeze domestic discretionary spending for 1 year.

I would commend to my colleagues a letter dated July of this year from every Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee pointing out, No. 1, the enormity of the Federal debt and the problem and direct threat it poses to national security; the need for a long-term plan; the fact that the committee is compelled, outside of a budget because we didn't even get a chance to debate one, to come up with a top-line number; pointing out the Sessions-McCaskill legislation that would essentially freeze nondefense spending, and, importantly, every Republican on the Appropriations Committee said we were committed to that number. I think that as the American people begin to look at us, particularly as we move toward this crucial vote on November 2, it is important for them to understand that Republican appropriators have made that commitment and made it in writing as long ago as July of this year.

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Mr. WICKER. If the Senator would yield one more time--I know we are limited on time--some other people are scheduled at the top of the hour, but I think this is very important.

We were spending an enormous sum of money in fiscal year 2008. I do believe that in this crisis we have, we can get back to that level and make do. That is so important in light of what this Congress and this administration have done to the national debt in 3 short fiscal years. Last year, this government added $1.4 trillion to the national debt. That is $1.4 trillion we spent here in Washington that we didn't have. This year, it will be almost that much--$1.34 trillion. And if things don't change, the national deficit, which will add to the debt, the next fiscal year will be $1.42 trillion. It is a crisis. We need to address it, and this legislation is a start.

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