Working Together in the Senate

Floor Speech

Ms. MURKOWSKI. Madam President, I wish to say a couple of things
before I speak to the issue that brought me to the floor today.

I have been listening to our leader from Texas talk about so many of
the advances we have seen in the Senate this session. I think it is
important to acknowledge and note that we are making progress. Often we
get labeled in the media for being that ``do-nothing Congress,'' that
entity which is just engaged in loggerheads and deadlock. But I think
the truth is and the facts on the ground are that we are seeing
substantive legislation passed, just as the Senator from Texas has
noted.

I was pleased to lead off the Senate with the first bill on the floor
in this Congress--the Keystone XL Pipeline. It was good to be back at
work in a body that was entertaining amendments from both sides and
offered by my colleagues without any direction or dictation from the
majority side--an opportunity for the give-and-take that comes with not
only good debate but not knowing whether your amendment is going to
pass or fail. That is how the legislative process works.

The occupant of the Chair is a former member of a State body, as am
I. We know that is how you build legislation, the good, constructive
back-and-forth. We saw that with the Keystone XL debate. We moved that
through both bodies. The President chose to veto it. I think it is a
mistake on his part. I would like to see us resolve that eventually.

But I do think it reflects the way that we as a Chamber can work and
the way a constructive majority can work. So I applaud the leadership
of the majority in getting us to this point and through some very
difficult issues. We are going to have some good things coming up, and
I look forward to further engaging in debate on those.

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