The Standing Rules of the Senate are drafted to encourage vigorous public debate on our nation’s most important issues. Indeed, the U.S. Senate is often referred to as “the world’s greatest deliberative body.” The Rules allow any Senator to seek recognition from the Chair at any time and, absent a temporary agreement to the contrary, to speak without interruption so long as he or she wishes. Debating important questions before the Senate is one way a Senator can highlight an issue, advocate for a change in policy, or voice his or her opinion on pending legislation.
Senate debate occurs in public, and is televised on CSPAN and transcribed in the Congressional Record. For your convenience, I post transcripts of my Senate floor speeches on this site for your review. I hope you find them informative and useful. My web site also makes available information on my voting record and legislation that I have sponsored in the Senate.
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Sessions Speaks on Climate
I would suggest it is as plain as day that as people learn more about it, they are going to be even more concerned than they are today and less supportive of it and hostile to it. That is why it looks to me like an effort is under way to put the Republican Members who would like to offer amendments and discuss the bill in a position where they have no realistic possibility to do so in a meaningful way. This will end with a whimper. The bill can be withdrawn because the majority does not want to stay on it because they can't defend the massive nature of it, the incredible intervention into the economy by Washington bureaucracies that will be created, the trillions of dollars that will have to be raised through this cap and trade, which is nothing more than a way to tax carbon. I wish to protest a moment. We know what is happening. Anybody who is sophisticated here knows this bill is not going to pass. It is losing what support it had. An effort is underway by the Democratic majority to figure a way to pull the bill and then blame the Republicans because we want to talk about it, and we want to entertain a discussion about it. We wish to offer amendments to make it better. That is the truth.
It disturbs me a little bit to hear the comments that have been made earlier. I know we have had a long day. But I wish to make clear this is not an itty-bitty issue. This is a tremendous issue of great importance, both to the world, our economy, and to the environment. We need to do better. We can do better. I hope maybe in the morning things will be in a better posture. I don't think, with regard to the cap-and-trade bill, that the majority is going to want to see it go forward. That indicates a lack of confidence in their own legislation.
I thank the Chair and yield the floor.
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