The Economy (Cong. Rec., Aug. 8, 2021)
Summary
Page S6032 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for August 8, 2021, under the heading The Economy, in interleaved columns. One speaker describes the work of the Legislative Drafting Service, saying it handled 518 requests in its first 4 years and received more than 65,000 by the 114th Congress. Another speaker discusses mass shootings in Chicago, saying guns come from places with weaker standards, from a nearby gun show across the state border and from downstate Illinois, and that police say they need Federal help. Other remarks urge sympathy for middle-income families, support immigration reform and note that a ton of freight can move between cities on about a gallon of diesel fuel.
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“The Economy (Cong. Rec., Aug. 8, 2021).”
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S6032 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE August 8, 2021
A century ago, many scoffed at the on the Fourth of July weekend; the fol- The gangbangers just take a 15-, 20-
notion of having a team of profes- lowing weekend, 50; the weekend after minute trip over the Indiana-Illinois
sionals help the Senate write legisla- that, 70. border to a gun show and load up their
tion. It was actually a New Yorker, I It never stops. These mass shootings truck with more guns, bring them back
am proud to say, Elihu Root, who have become part of life in many cities in, and sell them on the streets of Chi-
originally suggested in 1912 that, across America, and it is a heart- cago. That is a reality.
maybe, this body could use a little help breaking reality. Guns come from unlikely places. Too
in constructing well-written laws. It There are many ways to look at it. I many guns come from States like Lou-
took a few years after he made his have tried my best to understand it isiana and Mississippi, where they have
plea, but the complexity of tax legisla- and to respond from a legislative point gun standards that are weaker than
tion to raise revenue during World War of view, but as we kind of play the pos- some other places. But they also come
I led to the creation of the original sibilities and debate the opportunities from downstate Illinois. I am not going
drafting service. we have to change things, the killing to try to sugarcoat that. Those are the
During its first 4 years, the Legisla- just goes on and on. reports.
tive Drafting Service handled 518 re- The city of Chicago, like many cities It troubles me, too, because when I
quests. By the 114th Congress, however, in the United States, is awash in talk to the police, they say: We need
they were receiving more than 65,000. It guns—awash in guns. Police—I believe Federal help.
is an amazing workload, unglamorous the statistic is—have confiscated 16,000 What they would like to be able to do
but vital and essential. so far this year and still counting; is try to track these guns, try to deter-
Over the past few weeks, as we have thousands and thousands and thou- mine their sources and cut them off.
worked on the bipartisan infrastruc- sands of guns. The Agency that does it is the Alcohol,
ture bill, the members of the legisla- In the roughest parts of Chicago, you Tobacco, and Firearms Agency.
wave a couple of $20 bills and you have We are trying now—desperately try-
tive counsel have sacrificed weekends,
a handgun in a matter of minutes. And ing now to get the approval in the Sen-
family gatherings, and many, many
there really is no age check involved; ate for a person to head that Agency,
hours of sleep to allow the Senate to do
and young kids, as much as older folks, and, no surprise, the ranks are closed
its work. I have seen it. We have called
buy these guns right and left, claiming against this person on the other side of
them up at 11 p.m. and said: You are
they are for self-defense and many the aisle.
needed to get this ready by the morn- Those who are listening closely to
ing. And they don’t flinch. They just times just putting them into the ma-
the gun lobby are trying their best to
roll up their sleeves and work in their chinery of crime and death that has be-
make sure ATF, this Federal Agency,
professional way. come such a predictable part of life in
doesn’t have strong leadership, doesn’t
So we have always asked a lot of the that great city.
exercise all its authority under the law
legislative counsel, but they stepped up Chicagoans across every possible de-
to make us safer. That doesn’t make it
and did their job with excellence. mographic this morning are shocked
any easier for the Chicago police, and
There are a lot of members of the team and grieving to learn that another Chi-
they end up paying the price.
who deserve recognition, beginning cago police officer was killed in the The latest fallen hero is the first Chi-
with the team’s laudable and impres- early morning hours. cago police officer killed by gunfire in
sive leader on this bill, Deanna The slain officer was just 29 years more than 21⁄2 years. But nearly 40 Chi-
Edwards. old—29. She was assigned to the Com- cago police officers have been shot, or
I also want to thank Diane Nesmeyer munity Safety Team, a special unit of shot at, in the line of duty this year.
and her team of assistants, who have officers from various districts who are That is part of the duty, the responsi-
all contributed very long hours, and let pooled and sent to the meanest, most bility they face as they prowl the
me mention them. They each deserve dangerous ‘‘hot spots’’ in the city. Her streets and alleys of the great city.
their own acknowledgement: Heather name has not been released. Chicagoans mourn for the police offi-
Burnham, Mark Mazzone, Christina She and another Chicago police offi- cer who lost her life. We are going to
Kennelly, Chris Patterson, Patrick cer were shot last night when they pray desperately for recovery of the
Ryan, Karson Katz, Heather Lowell, pulled over a car in the Englewood wounded officer. Thoughts and prayers
Matt McGhie, John Goetcheus, Ruth neighborhood on Chicago South Side. are not enough to end gun violence in
Ernst, Mark McGunagle, Allison Otto, The second officer is hospitalized as Chicago and nearly every community
Vince Gaiani, Phil Lynch, John Hen- well and fighting for his life. in America. We all know that. We need
derson, James Ollen-Smith, Kim Two suspects have been arrested, and better laws to keep guns out of the
Albrecht-Taylor, Christine Miranda, a third is being sought. hands of criminals and also out of the
Rob Silver, Evan Frank, and Molly Gun violence and gun deaths are hands of people with serious mental ill-
Dunlop. daily threats in many neighborhoods, ness and others who shouldn’t have
To every single person I mentioned, neighborhoods where it is easier to find them either.
thank you, thank you, thank you for a gun than to find a job. Sadly, it is in- America’s families and police officers
your incredible and indispensable creasingly a mortal threat to the Chi- deserve our best effort to make the
work. Your skill and dedication makes cago police officers who work in these streets safer in Chicago and many
it possible for this Chamber to serve neighborhoods. other American cities.
the American public. Several months ago, I had an im-
f
I yield the floor. promptu, unreported meeting with the
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Chicago police force and invited any- THE ECONOMY
pore. The clerk will call the roll. one in who wanted to sit with a Sen- Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I have
The senior assistant legislative clerk ator and try to explain what is going been listening to criticism from the
proceeded to call the roll. on. Eight of them showed up and were other side of the aisle about our plan to
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask pretty well representative of the Chi- improve American families’ economic
unanimous consent that the order for cago police department—Black, White, security and the long-term strength in
the quorum call be rescinded. Brown; male, female; Hispanic, African our economy.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- American; young and old—and they And I have to wonder, why do Repub-
pore. Without objection, it is so or- talked about the world they lived in licans never worry about deficits when
dered. and how the odds were against them on they are passing trillion-dollar tax cuts
f the streets of Chicago. that shower nearly all of the benefits
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
The bad guys just have too damn on millionaires and wealthy corpora-
GUN VIOLENCE many guns, and that is a reality. They tions?
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, the ran- don’t buy those guns in the city of Chi- Why do Republicans only rediscover
dom violence on the streets of Chicago cago, incidentally. They buy them out- a concern about the debt when they are
results in Monday morning reports side of Chicago—northwest Indiana, at asked to support policies to help mid-
that break your heart: 100 people shot gun shows, with no background checks. dle-class, working families, low-income
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August 8, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S6033
individuals—people struggling to get demic while the rest of America wor- The Democrats are once again clean-
into the middle class? ried about how to pay the bills with a ing up the Republican mess. With the
Or when someone proposes a long- smaller paycheck or no paycheck at help of the American Rescue Plan,
term solution to make America’s econ- all. which not a single Republican Senator
omy resilient and more prosperous for After Donald Trump signed his tax or Congressman supported, America’s
everyone, they are opposed to that. bill, surrounded by quite a few of my economy has added 4 million jobs dur-
That is ‘‘big spending.’’ Republican colleagues in the Senate, ing the first 6 months of Joe Biden’s
Republican welfare for the rich has he headed to a Christmas Eve dinner at Presidency. That is the fastest growth
always been a bad investment. Forty Mar-a-Lago in Florida, and like Santa for the start of any President ever in
years of trickle-down economics has Claus, he announced to the wealthy American history.
given America the greatest income in- members at his own private club at Here is another fact from the Na-
equality since the Gilded Age in our Mar-a-Lago: ‘‘You all just got richer.’’ tional Bureau of Economic Research.
history and the largest national debt in That was the real effect of the Trump Between 1953 and 2020, America’s econ-
our history. Republicans’ devotion to tax cuts—the real intent. omy was in a recession for 23 percent of
trickle-down tax cuts has given us a The Congressional Budget Office esti- the time that the Republicans held the
shrinking middle class, a hollowed-out mated in 2018 that Trump tax cuts will White House, compared to just 4 per-
industrial base, and crumbling infra- add $1.9 trillion to the national debt cent of the time that a Democrat sat in
structure. It has made a small sliver of over 11 years. Where is the Republican the Oval Office.
America lavishly wealthy and left the outcry over that? The notion of $3 tril- For the past 40 years, Republican
rest behind. lion to help working families pay less Presidents have run up larger deficits
The Republican economic agenda has for the essentials of life, to cut their than Democrats. Let me say that
left the majority of Americans asking: taxes, and give them an opportunity to again. In the past 40 years, Republican
How are we supposed to pay for be in an economy creating jobs really Presidents have run up larger deficits
childcare, our kids’ college education, pales in comparison to the $1.9 trillion than Democratic Presidents.
medical bills, or for the skilled nurses of tax cuts to the wealthy. Donald Trump promised to get rid of
that mom and dad are going to need? Economists at the London School of the national debt in 8 years through
Will we ever be able to retire? Economics analyzed the effects of trade policy. Instead, his trade policies
Trickle-down economics doesn’t have trickle-down tax cuts over 50 years, were a costly disaster, and the national
answers for those real-life questions, 1965 to 2015. They found that trickle- debt skyrocketed by more than $7 tril-
but our Republican colleagues keep down tax cuts consistently benefit the lion during his tenure.
A ProPublica-Washington Post anal-
doubling down on them. wealthy but had no meaningful effect
ysis found that growth in annual def-
I predict, without fear of contradic- on employment or economic growth,
icit under Donald Trump is the third-
tion, now that we have a Democratic and they led inevitably to wider eco-
biggest increase relative to the size of
President, someone on the Republican nomic inequality.
the economy of any U.S. President,
side of the aisle will come around again The authors of the study were asked
with his tax cuts being the major cul-
with a balanced budget constitutional why some politicians still continue to
prit.
amendment. It happens without fail. push for these tax cuts for wealthy peo- I could go on citing facts and figures.
Republicans always turn to that when- ple. They pointed to one reason: the Democrats look at human priorities
ever there is a Democratic President, power of wealthy individuals and cor- like quality childcare, medical re-
even though the debt that President in- porations to set policy agendas search, renewable energy, and climate
herited was historic. through their lobbying and campaign resilience, investments that grow the
But when their trickle-down tax cuts contributions. economy and raise wages and living
add trillions to the national debt, are You know what is going on, the fabu- standards for everyone.
they really worried? lously wealthy people, who are contrib- We should have no apologies as
They never say a word about deficit uting to politicians and causes that Democrats for the programs that we
and debt until they are in the minor- support their lifestyle, but they don’t support, particularly when it comes to
ity. want us to know. climate change. That is a fact of life,
Donald Trump proposed more than a Is that why no Republican Senator sadly, in America, and we see the re-
trillion dollars in tax cuts, with most supports President Biden’s Build Back sults reported every night on the news.
of the benefits going to wealthy cor- Better plan to help American families Whether it is fires or extraordinary
porations and individuals. and our economy, because billionaires weather events, they are happening
Did the Republicans complain about have more lobbyists and deeper pockets with increased frequency. It seems that
the national debt then? No. than struggling kids and families? Republicans ignore that reality. We
Did they insist that such an expen- Two renowned economists from cannot afford as a nation to do that
sive gift must have bipartisan support? Princeton University—Alan Blinder, any longer.
No. former Vice Chair of the Federal Re- History shows that our approaches
They passed their trickle-down tax serve, and Mark Watson—looked at the work in responding to many of these
cut through reconciliation without a major economic indicators of Amer- challenges. Our solutions produce
single Democratic vote. ica’s economy for every President back stronger, more sustainable economic
Donald Trump promised that his tax to Franklin Roosevelt. growth that benefits everyone. Strong-
cut would be ‘‘rocket fuel for the econ- They found by almost any major in- er economic growth allows us to pay
omy.’’ dicator—gross domestic product, em- down our debt rather than continuing
That may be a rare Trump boast that ployment, incomes, productivity, even to add to it with more tax cuts for the
turned out to be true, although not ex- stock prices—America’s economy has top 1 percent.
actly the way he meant it. We now grown significantly faster under Demo- Republicans can refuse to support
have a handful of billionaires who have cratic Presidents than Republican. On our plan to Build Back Better; that is
decided to launch their own personal jobs, since 1933, the six Presidents who their choice. But please spare us lec-
space programs. They are so wealthy presided over the fastest job growth tures about fiscal responsibility. There
they are racing each other into space have all been Democrats—the four is nothing responsible about repeating
while regular working people worry Presidents with the slowest job growth, the same trillion-dollar mistake over
about rent, childcare, and getting on Republicans. and over and making small businesses
here on Earth. Donald Trump campaigned, prom- and working families pay for it.
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
The Trump tax cut gave the wealthi- ising to be the ‘‘greatest jobs President I always thought the Laffer curve,
est Americans a fat windfall. According God ever created.’’ There were 3 mil- which is the inspiration to the Repub-
to Americans for Tax Fairness, the Na- lion fewer jobs when he left office than licans for trickle-down economics, was
tion’s 651 billionaires saw their net at the beginning of his term. He is the the most appropriately named eco-
worth spike by more than $1 trillion first President since Herbert Hoover to nomic device in history—it is a ‘‘laugh-
during the first 9 months of the pan- lose jobs on his watch. er’’—and we see over and over again
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S6034 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE August 8, 2021
why that is. Giving tax breaks to the CONCLUSION OF MORNING keys to economic growth, whether it is
wealthy might make for a happy BUSINESS my State or the State of New Mexico,
Christmas at Mar-a-Lago but not for The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- where the Presiding Officer is from,
the rest of the country. pore. Morning business is closed. one of the keys is the workforce, hav-
The real test is not whether we put ing people who are either already
f
votes on the board—and that is the bot- trained or trainable and able and will-
LEGISLATIVE SESSION ing to do the work that needs to be
tom line in the Senate—but whether
done.
the center will hold, whether or not we ---
We have a little bit of a mismatch
have a strong enough center in the INVESTING IN A NEW VISION FOR right now in our economy with respect
Senate dedicated to responsible invest- THE ENVIRONMENT AND SUR- to the skills that a lot of folks who are
ment and infrastructure and can over- FACE TRANSPORTATION IN without jobs would like to be having;
come the forces outside. AMERICA ACT—Resumed they would like to have a job or maybe
Former President Trump has been The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- a better job. There is a mismatch in
making all these speeches about how pore. Under the previous order, the what employers are looking for and
bad it is to have an infrastructure pro- Senate will resume consideration of what a lot of workers bring to the
gram. Well, I would just like to remind H.R. 3684, which the clerk will report. workplace. A big part of what we have
the former President: He had no infra- The senior assistant legislative clerk done in these legislative packages—I
structure program. Talked big. Deliv- read as follows: call them cares packages—in the last
ered nothing. Now, we have a chance A bill (H.R. 3684) to authorize funds for year or 2 is to provide money for work-
under President Biden to have one that Federal-aid highways, highway safety pro- force development and redevelopment
is bipartisan in nature and truly will grams, and transit programs, and for other to better equip people with the tools
help this economy and this country purposes. that they need.
over the long run. Pending: H.R. 3684
In addition, I believe that we have to Schumer (for Sinema) Amendment No. Mr. President, the reason why I men-
move further—and we certainly will 2137, in the nature of a substitute. tion these things—comprehensive im-
with the budget resolution—in invest- Carper/Capito Amendment No. 2131 (to migration reform, workforce training,
Amendment No. 2137), to strike a definition. retraining—is those are important in-
ing in America. The notion of having Carper Amendment No. 2633, to change the gredients to get our economy and to
childcare—quality childcare—available enactment date. keep our economy moving. Our econ-
and affordable to families is something
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- omy is moving in the right direction
that, unless you are a grandparent or a
pore. The Senator from Delaware. now, but we have to keep it going.
parent and know the reality, you may When I was privileged to be Governor
IMMIGRATION
overlook and shouldn’t. It is a critical of the First State, we built a highway.
factor in family welfare and good out- Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, we just
heard from the senior Senator from Il- I took the handoff from Republican
comes for children. Governor Mike Castle, and we built a
linois. I remember when he was a jun-
In addition, 2 extra years of edu- ior Congressman from Illinois, elected highway all the way from I–95, in the
cation beyond the 12th grade, provided in 1982, along with about 80 other northern part of our State, down past
by our quality community colleges Democrats and Republicans from all Dover, past the Dover Air Force Base,
across America, is the ticket for better over the country. One of them was me. all the way to our beaches. Dover has,
jobs and better training and better One of them was me. And he has been I think, more five-star beaches than
workers in the 21st century. a colleague off and on. I left the House any State in America, I am told, and it
As we stand here, our major chal- to become the Governor of Delaware, is a significant part of our economy,
lenge, I suppose—our nemesis, foe—is and he came over to the U.S. Senate, our tourist economy. And, just as tour-
China. Some of us can remember some- and now, we get to work together ism is an important component, I
thing called ping-pong diplomacy, again. think, in the economies of most of
which occurred roughly when I came He is a smart guy, a very bright guy, ours, we found that, for folks to be able
out of college. That was opening up and a very caring person and very good to get to our beaches, they needed to
what we called ‘‘Red China’’ then to at not just working with Democrats have roads, highways, and bridges.
We built State Route 1—a limited
the world and giving them an oppor- but working across the aisle. I admired
highway—from one end of the State al-
tunity to compete and to be part of the that about him in the House, and I ad-
most to the other. We took I–495, which
world conversation, and it happened mire that about him in the Senate.
basically circles the city of Wil-
dramatically. He is passionate about a lot of
mington, and essentially shut it down
I remember visiting China several things, but one of those is an impor-
and resurfaced it. We resurfaced I–95
times and the first time, watching tant one, immigration reform. And im-
from Wilmington all the way up to the
them in their Mao jackets on their bi- migration reform may seem like it is Pennsylvania line.
cycles, taking their kids to school. far afield from what we are talking We did a lot of things that were de-
What I found in later visits was a real- about here today, but for the 8 years I signed not just to help the people of
ly developed economy. The Chinese was privileged to be the Governor of Delaware get where they needed to go,
have a plan. They are mercantilists Delaware, it was a good economy—Bill wanted to go, and move products, but
first, and they are marketing around Clinton was the President—and it was also to help interstate commerce, and
the world successfully—successfully— a good economy for the country. More that is a key ingredient for those seri-
because they have a plan. We don’t jobs were created in Delaware in those ous about growing the economy of our
have a plan, not until this President 8 years than in any 8 years in Dela- country. We have got to invest in our
arrived. ware’s history. As Governor, I didn’t roads, highways, bridges, and in our
create one of them, but we did see a lot rail.
President Joe Biden has started this of job creation and economic growth, As it turns out, I came down here
plan by saying: First, we invest in our and I was the beneficiary of that, as today on a train, as I do many days.
people and make certain that their were other people in my State and God willing, I will go home tonight on
lives are easier and successful. I sup- around the country. a train. It is an Amtrak train.
port him completely in that effort. I One of the reasons why I believe that Interestingly enough, if you were to
hope many will. It should be bipar- comprehensive immigration reform is take a ton of freight and move it from,
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
tisan. If we have sympathy for the something we should have done and we will say, Washington, DC, to Bos-
wealthiest in our country, I beg my Re- ought to do is not just because we are ton, you can do it on about a gallon of
publican friends: Have some sympathy reminded on Sunday afternoon of Mat- diesel fuel. Think about that—a ton of
for the middle-income families, who thew 25—when I was a stranger in your freight from Washington, DC, to Bos-
are struggling every day to get by. land, you welcomed me—but also, it ton, MA, on about a gallon of diesel
I yield the floor. makes good business sense. One of the fuel.
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