Senate Opening

The Senate Convened.

Senate Opening

The Senate Convened.

Opening Remarks

 
Senator Reid: (10:02 AM)

·         Today --

·         There will be a period of Morning Business with Senators allowed to speak up to 10 minutes each.

·         During Morning Business, Senators Biden and Clinton will deliver their farewell addresses.

·         At 12:00 PM, the Senate will resume consideration of The Public Lands Bill (S. 22) with 10 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled.

·         The Senate will consider any amendments and then proceed to a roll call vote on final passage of The Public Lands Bill (S. 22). Following this vote, there will be a roll call on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (S. 181).

·         Possible votes this afternoon on the Administration's request for TARP funds.

·         Spoke on Senator Biden's departure from the Senate.

o    SUMMARY "I'm a Senate guy, just like Joe Biden. We can't get that out of our blood. I wish him well. He's going to be a great representative of our country. And I'm very, very proud to be able to say to Joe Biden, you're my friend."

 
Senator McConnell: (10:11 AM)

·         Spoke on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 and the Title VII Fairness Act.

o    SUMMARY "Senator Hutchison's bill strikes the right balance. It says the clock shouldn't run on out someone who has been discriminated against until he or she discovers the alleged discrimination. This way the focus is where it should be, on the injured party. The Ledbetter legislation unfairly targets business owners who may or may not have discriminated against a man or woman on the basis of pay years or even decades ago. Its primary beneficiaries are lawyers who want to squeeze a major settlement out of every company that fears the expense or the publicity of going to court."

o    SUMMARY "We support a business climate that creates the conditions for success, not a climate that harasses the millions of men and women in this country who support themselves, their families and their workers by owning and operating small businesses."

·         Spoke on Senator Biden's departure from the U.S. Senate.

o    SUMMARY "Obviously Senator Biden's election as Vice President is a great honor and a fitting tribute to his 36 years of public service. I look forward to working with him as a key player in the incoming Administration, as Congress and the new President work together to tackle the many difficult issues this nation faces. And let me just say on a personal basis, Mr. President, Joe, it's been a pleasure knowing you and working with you over the years."

Morning Business

 
Senator Biden: (10:21 AM)

·         Spoke on his departure from the Senate.

o    SUMMARY "Every bold step taken in the 36-plus years I have been here, came not from the application of pressure by interest groups, but through the maturation of personal relationships. Pressure groups can and are strong and important advocates, but they're not often vehicles for compromise. A personal relationship is what allows you to go after someone hammering on one issue and still found common ground on the next. It is the grease that lubricates this incredible system that we have. It is what allows you to see the world from another person's perspective and allows them to take the time to see it from yours."

o    SUMMARY "To the people of Delaware, who have given me the honor of serving them, there is no way I could ever, ever express to them how much it's meant to me. To my staff, past and present, and all those here on the Floor, past and present, dedicated to making this institution run, including the young pages who come wide eyed and hopefully go home wanting to come back someday in our spots, I thank you for everything you've done for me. And I suspect you've done for me more than you've done for most."

 
Senator Carper: (11:02 AM)

·         Spoke on Senator Biden's departure from the Senate.

o    SUMMARY "We love your family and we love your staff and we're going to miss you. Thank you for always having my back and for looking out for me and for making possible an extraordinary experience as a Junior Senator for the last eight years. I understand your resignation becomes effective at 5:00 p.m. today. As I look at the next 5 hours and 45 minutes, I get to be a Junior Senator, after that, I move up in the pecking order. I will always be your Junior Senator and your colleague and hopefully your friend. Thank you for all that you have done for us and for me especially."

 
Senator Hatch: (11:09 AM)

·         Spoke on Senator Biden's departure from the Senate.

o    SUMMARY "I can tell you anybody would be hard pressed to find a more distinguished legislator. In an age of cynicism toward elected officials, let there be no doubt that the word 'distinguished' is a truly fitting description of him. He is a friend of mine. I've been privileged to serve 32 years side by side on the Judiciary Committee, and I have nothing but respect for him."

Morning Business

 
Senator Clinton: (11:18 AM)

·         Spoke on her departure from the Senate.

o    SUMMARY "As I look back on my eight years of service, I find myself reflecting on this tiny piece of Senate and American history. Ten years ago, I asked the people of New York to take a chance on me, to grant me their trust and their votes. And in the years since, our economy has grown more interconnected and the world more interdependent, I have worked to keep faith with my fellow New Yorkers."

o    SUMMARY "To my own staff here and across New York, to my supporters, and most of all, to the people of that great Empire State, I may not have always been a New Yorker, but I know I always will be one. New York, its spirit and its people, will always be part of me and of the work I do."

 
Senator Schumer: (11:38 AM)

·         Spoke on Senator Clinton's departure from the Senate.

o    SUMMARY "So, Hillary, yes, it's a bittersweet day. I am so joyful about the excitement that you have going on to this new challenge. I am also, and I know every one of the people of New York is too, grateful for the wonderful job you have done serving them and us. It has been a great ride and I am so grateful, again, for the opportunity to work alongside of you."

 
Senator Mikulski: (11:44 AM)

·         Spoke on Senator Clinton's departure from the Senate.

o    SUMMARY "Like you've been in so many things, we know that you'll be unflinching on human rights and unflagging in strengthening America's alliances abroad. And we will work together on those issues. And we know that you will be a great Secretary of State. You've been a spectacular Senator, and it's because you're just simply a wonderful human being."

 
Senator McConnell: (11:49 AM)

·         Spoke on Senator Clinton's departure from the Senate.

o    SUMMARY "I want to say to the Senator from New York, we'll be anxious to work with her on issues she'll have a passion for during her years as Secretary of State. I know she will do an outstanding job. She was a credit to the Senate and will be one of the nation's outstanding Secretaries of State."

 
Senator Cornyn: (11:57 AM)

·         Spoke on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.

o    SUMMARY "Assuming the cloture vote is passed, we'll be taking up, I hope, Senator Hutchison's alternative which I think strikes the fair balance I hope we would all achieve for protecting the rights of those who are the victims of discrimination and the companies that have to defend against those claims."

The Public Lands Bill (S. 22) Post Cloture

 
Senator Bingaman: (12:02 PM)

·         Thanked Senators and their staff for working on The Public Lands Bill (S. 22).

o    SUMMARY "We've been able to work together to develop a truly bipartisan combination of bills which is reflected in the broad support for this package."

 
Senator Coburn: (12:06 PM)

·         Spoke against the Public Lands Bill (S. 22).

o    SUMMARY "As I think about it, we have a bill that has 45 blatant earmarks in it. It is not a new day in Washington. Despite arguments to the contrary, we're going to significantly alter our access to millions of barrels of oil, and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas by what we're doing; we're going to create a further imbalance."

o    SUMMARY "I fought very hard for many months to try to make sure a majority of these bills don't become law. Not because I'm opposed to wilderness or heritage areas, but because I'm for Constitutional rights of property ownership; because I know that the more and more we take away from our ability to fill the gap as we transition to alternative energy, the more money we're going to fund to those people who would like to see us nonexistent."

 
Senator Reid: (12:21 PM)

·         Propounded a UC that immediately following the vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, the Senate will proceed to consideration of S.J. Res 5, disapproval resolution relating to the Emergency Economic Stablization Act and that the vote on passage of the Joint Resolution occur at 4:30 PM today (without objection).

·         Propounded a UC that debate be interrupted at 2:00 PM for the swearing in of Senator Designate Roland Burris (without objection).

·         Propounded a UC that prior to the second vote on cloture, there be four minutes equally divided and controlled between Senators Mikulski and Enzi, or their designees and that the second vote in the sequence be 10 minutes in duration (without objection).

The Public Lands Bill (S. 22) Final Passage

The vote result was 73-21.

The Public Lands Bill (S. 22) passed.

The vote results will be posted here within an hour.

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (S. 181)

 
Senator Mikulski: (12:52 PM)

·         Spoke in favor of The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (S. 181).

o    SUMMARY "We want to be sure that we keep the courthouse door open. What we do is simply restore the law as it existed before the recent Supreme Court decision so that we make sure that the statue of limitations runs from the day of the actual payment of a discriminatory wage, not just from the time of hiring, and it means employees can sue employers based on each discriminatory case."

 
Senator Enzi: (12:55 PM)

·         Spoke on The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (S. 181).

o    SUMMARY "This bill should have gone through the committee process. We solve a lot of things and we shorten debate on the Floor and we eliminate the need for all of these cloture motions which result in hours and hours and hours of time with no productivity. I think the American people want the productivity, they want the reasoning that comes from the Committee process to wind up with a really good product."

 
Senator Hutchison: (12:55 PM)

·         Spoke on The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (S. 181).

o    SUMMARY "I think it is very important that we deal with this issue, on the promise that I will be able to offer my substitute because I think it is a substitute that gives the right for an aggrieved employee to bring an action within a timeframe that is reasonable for the business to be able to plan."

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (S. 181)

The vote result was 72-23.

The motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (S. 181) is agreed to.

The vote results will be posted here within an hour.    

Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res 5)

 
Senator Wyden: (1:20 PM)

·         Spoke on the passage of The Public Lands Bill (S. 22).

o    SUMMARY "What we are doing is guaranteeing that these beautiful lands can be passed on to future generations. But they also help fuel our economic engine. The reality is protection for the great outdoors boosts our protection for recreation, which is increasingly a major source of employment."

 
Senator Corker: (1:32 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res 5) relating to the Economic Stabilization Act.

o    SUMMARY "I want to support solving this credit problem. I want the Administration to come forth and explain to us as a country and us as a Senate, their perception of what the problem is, and their prescription for solving it. Otherwise, what we're doing today with huge amounts of taxpayer money, we are treating the symptoms; we are not treating the core problem that exists in our credit markets."

o    SUMMARY "I want to say to them that even if this passes today, and they continue on the route that we have been, I know they're going to come back. They're going to come back and they're going to ask for more money because on the route that we're going right now, we're not going to solve the problem and it's going to continue."

 
Senator Sessions: (1:42 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res 5) relating to the Economic Stabilization Act.

o    SUMMARY "We have not been told what the problem is and what kind of plan really exists to fix the problem. That's the difficulty we're facing. We haven't had it under President Bush's Administration and we haven't had it under the incoming Administration. I think a lot of that is because they don't know. A lot of it is because it is things that can't readily be fixed."

 
Senator Dodd: (1:57 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res 5) relating to the Economic Stabilization Act.

o    SUMMARY "I don't know of a single Member, regardless of how they'll vote on this matter, that likes being here for this debate or believes that this is something they wish they were doing at this hour. I certainly don't...Mr. President, this debate is not just any other debate; this is a debate that will give this new President the chance that all of us want him to have to get our country moving in the right direction."

Sentor Designate Roland Burris was sworn in as the Junior Senator from Illinois.

Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res 5) relating to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act

 
Senator Durbin: (2:19 PM)

·         Congratulated Senator Burris on his swearing in as the Junior Senator from Illinois.

o    SUMMARY "I am honored today to no longer to be both the Junior and Senior Senator from Illinois, we have a Junior Senator and his name is Roland Burris. And I look forward to serving with him."

 
Senator Coburn: (2:24 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res 5) relating to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act. 

o    SUMMARY "It was my belief at the time, based on what I was told and what I saw, that extraordinary measures were going to be required for us to handle this significant problem. Consequently, I ended up voting for a financial recovery package that I must say has been handled in a way completely opposite of the way we were told it was going to be handled...the question today before us, is are we going to give another $350 billion, not through an oversight process, not through an appropriating process, but are we going to write a blank check to the Treasury Department to accomplish, again, what we are assured by the transition team and the incoming Administration is for very specific things."

o    SUMMARY "I regret to say that if the incoming Administration won't comment on paper and publicly with how they're going to use this money, I'm disinclined to vote to give it to them. And that pains me because I want our new Administration to be tremendously successful in the face of all the problems we have. But transparency and accountability, which is what this new Administration is all about, to meet that goal, it's required they publicly tell the American people how, when, why, and what they're going to use this money for."

 
Senator Kerry: (2:33 PM)

·         Spoke on Senator Biden's departure from the Senate.

o    SUMMARY "He lives life and politics by what a lot of people think are the old rules, regrettably, unfailingly loyalty. Your word is your bond. You tell the truth, you act on principle, not ideology, and you keep faith with family and home. You never forget where your roots are or who you are, and you're consistent and honest in all your endeavors. Joe Biden is all of that and a lot more in many personal ways."

 
Senator Bond: (2:48 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res 5) relating to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act.

o    SUMMARY "Taxpayers have 'bailout fatigue' and I am troubled by government intervention in the private market. We need the private market at some point, however painful, to work itself out and we must force the write-down of bad debt to address the solvency of banks."

Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res 5) relating to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act

 
Senator Webb: (2:55 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res 5) relating to the Economic Stabilization Act.

o    SUMMARY "We're in a situation here, a very difficult situation for us in this body, because we can't amend this document. We can't put that into legislative language. We can only vote up or down as to whether to move forward this money. And I am going to vote for it. The major distinction for me is that in the first instance, we had an Administration that was ending its tenure, that it was on its way out the door and that was waving goodbye to us as it implemented our first tranche in not a fully responsible way. In this instance, we have a new Administration coming in, they are ready to be held accountable."

 
Senator Brownback: (2:57 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res 5) relating to the Economic Stabilization Act.

o    SUMMARY "There were zero hearings on the $700 billion. Now, normally around here, you wouldn't spend $7 million let alone $7 billion or $70 billion without a hearing. And we did $700 billion without a hearing. And in a rush and in a push and people saying we've got to do this now or we risk going into the Great Depression, this thing passed."

o    SUMMARY "Without transparency about funding that has already been committed to TARP, and only vague notions about how additional TARP funding would be used, I certainly can't vote to allow the additional TARP funds to be released."

 
Senator Chambliss: (3:08 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res 5) relating to the Economic Stabilization Act.

o    SUMMARY "For us to further expose an additional $350 billion without some strong assurance that we're going to get repaid this money, and most importantly, unless we have some plan that gives us, while not a guarantee, a strong indication that accessing that additional $350 billion will move us towards a resolution of this crisis and a loosening up of the credit market, I just think is the wrong direction in which to go. So because of that, Madam President, I intend to vote in favor of this motion."

 
Senator Inhofe: (3:13 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res 5) relating to the Economic Stabilization Act.

o    SUMMARY "I think that the historians 30 and 40 years from now will look back and say that the votes that took place in October that allowed one unelected bureaucrat to have $700 billion, is going to be probably the most egregious vote in the history of this institution."

Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res. 5) relating to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act

 
Senator Dodd: (3:26 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res. 5) relating to the Economic Stabilization Act.

o    SUMMARY "We are in unchartered waters because of these issues. But to sit back and do nothing, to me, would be an indictment and a failure of responsibility. So, I'm determined, as I know my colleagues will be if this in fact goes forward, to monitor it, to insist upon accountability, to demand we see lenders do what they should be doing, insisting that the leaders of these institutions not gouge or hoard and do everything possible to make sure that our economy get moving in the right direction."

 
Senator Boxer: (3:34 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res. 5) relating to the Economic Stabilization Act.

o    SUMMARY "I have a choice, Madam President. I can say, sorry, it was a horrible experience the first time and I'm not going to give you this chance. I could say that. That's the easy thing. That's the easy vote. Voting 'no' is the easy vote. Then I can go home and not worry about it. But how I could walk away from this President at this time when he says to me and he says to us, he needs a chance here; he needs this tool in his pocket to bring it out if he's in a crisis worse than the one now, I cannot walk away from that."

 
Senator DeMint: (3:42 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res. 5) relating to the Economic Stabilization Act.

o    SUMMARY "Americans intuitively know that what we're doing here is wrong, and even if it worked for a few months, all of us know that we have to pay it back; our children, our grandchildren, for generations to come, with a lower standard of living and incredibly high taxes and a devalued currency."

 
Senator Kyl: (3:43 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res. 5) relating to the Economic Stabilization Act.

o    SUMMARY "I intend to vote against the resolution disapproving the second tranche of funds for TARP, albeit with some reservations. When I first decided to support the TARP last fall, I believed it was essential to prevent the collapse of our financial markets. I believed we were facing an emergency that would hurt every American unless Congress stepped in to provide temporary assistance to our financial system. I continue to believe this today. The conditions that called for the first one half of the $700 billion authorized still exists today."

Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res. 5) relating to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act

 
Senator Harkin: (3:47 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res. 5) relating to the Economic Stabilization Act.

o    SUMMARY "I felt a little bit after the last one like Charlie Brown and Lucy. You know, she's always pulling the football out from underneath Charlie Brown. I said, well, that's not going to happen to me again. Well, Lucy is not holding the ball anymore. We have someone new holding that ball; someone by the name of Barack Obama and Joe Biden and their team. So, I'm going to put my trust in them."

 
Senator Shelby: (3:53 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res. 5) relating to the Economic Stabilization Act.

o    SUMMARY "Because there was so little thought put into the original plan, we have spent $350 billion and the TARP has failed to stem the economic downturn, and hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs. Madam President, we should not this afternoon repeat our mistake, but we will by granting the Treasury the additional $350 billion without first determining how to best use those funds."

 
Senator Durbin: (4:01 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res. 5) relating to the Economic Stabilization Act.

o    SUMMARY "They're asking for this money, not to use it the wrong way, the old way, an imperfect way, but to use it with transparency so the American people can see what's being done. To stabilize this economy. To stop the hemorrhaging of jobs. To create some credit so that businesses can survive. To inject hundreds, perhaps hundreds of billions of dollars into mortgage foreclosure so that people can stay in their homes and the real estate market bottoms out. Listen, if we don't do that, this is going to go from bad to worse."

 
Senator Vitter: (4:07 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res. 5) relating to the Economic Stabilization Act.

o    SUMMARY "Even though we supposedly conducted a historic election based on the theme of change, it's exactly the same speech. 'We're in a crisis, we can't wait. We need to rush to judgment. Give us an open checkbook. Give us unfettered discretion, and trust us.' Well, the old expression, 'Fool me once, shame on you. But fool me twice, shame on me.' The American people are not going to be fooled twice."

o    SUMMARY "We must demand real accountability. We must demand real protections for the taxpayer, and the only way we will get any of that is to pass this disapproval resolution, and demand that it be put in statute, in law, and not simply a passing promise."

 
Senator Reid: (4:26 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res. 5) relating to the Economic Stabilization Act.

o    SUMMARY "This is the time that we need to move forward as Democrats and Republicans, as Americans, and do the right thing. I really believe this is one of those votes that historians are going to record as important. And I think when some of those chapters are written in that book, they're going to say this was the beginning of the economic recovery for our country."

Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res. 5) relating to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act

The vote result was 42-52.

The Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res. 5) relating to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act failed.

The vote results will be posted here within an hour.  

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (S. 181)

 
Senator Reid: (4:54 PM)

·         Propounded at UC that all post cloture time be yielded back and the Senate adopt the motion to proceed, and upon adoption of the motion, the Senate proceed to S. 181 and when the bill is reported, Senator Hutchison be recognized to offer an amendment, and no amendments be in order to the Hutchison Amendment prior to a vote in relation to the amendment (without objection).

 
Senator Hutchison: (4:57 PM)

·         Spoke on her amendment to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (S. 181).

o    SUMMARY "This amendment is a substitute for the underlying bill that is before us, Senate Bill 181. I hope, Madam President, that once we have taken up this bill, fully discuss, and hopefully have some amendments, that will make the Fair Pay Act a bill that will serve all of the needs of our country."

o    SUMMARY "My substitute amendment allows the person who is aggrieved, when that person knows or should have known that there was a discrimination, to have 180 days, approximately six months, to file that claim so that there will be records, there will be notice, and there will be the ability for a defense and for the person to have the fair trial with the people who would be relevant to her case or his case."

 
Senator Mikulski: (5:01 PM)

·         Spoke on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (S. 181).

o    SUMMARY "I am so excited that this moment has finally come, that we're actually going to debate what is the most effective way that we can end wage discrimination in our country and keep the courthouse door open. I am also excited that once again the Senate will return to a regular order. What do I mean by a regular order? We're actually going to bring up bills. We're not going to get lost in some quagmire of parliamentary procedure where we entangle ourselves and strangle ourselves. This debate that actually begins tonight is the signal of a new day, returning to some of the old ways the Senate operated, which was a regular order, where we could offer amendments, debate amendments, and vote on amendments. This is what doing legislation is all about."

 
Senator McConnell: (5:05 PM)

·         Spoke on the Disapproval Resolution (S.J. Res. 5).

o    SUMMARY "While I voted on the losing side, I hope the new Administration will consider some of my concerns and our concerns on this side. We hope their stewardship of these funds is successful in stabilizing the markets according to the original purpose of the TARP, and we'll continue to work with them to strengthen our nation's economy."

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (S. 181)

 
Senator Murray: (5:12 PM)

·         Spoke on the Administration's request for the second $350 billion in TARP funds.

o    SUMMARY "We stood here on this Floor almost three months ago debating about whether or not to approve the President's request for economic rescue funds. At that time, communities across my state were hurting. Families were struggling to pay for their groceries, to afford health care, and wondering how they were going to pay for college. My constituents were angry that they were being asked to fork over their tax dollars to cover the consequences of years of reckless abandon on Wall Street and the failure with this Administration to regulate or rein in their folly."

o    SUMMARY "I spoke with President-Elect Obama earlier this year week and I expressed my concerns about how the economic rescue funds have been used up to this point. Mr. President, he agreed. Today I met with Timothy Geithner, the President-Elect's nominee to head the Treasury Department. He gave me his assurances that transparency and accountability will be improved, and that there will be more done to help responsible homeowners avoid foreclosure. With those assurances, I believe the American people are finally going to get the investment and the honesty that they deserve."

 
Senator Isakson: (5:18 PM)

·         Spoke on the Administration's request for the second $350 billion in TARP funds.

o    SUMMARY "I, too, have been disappointed with the deployment of the first half of the TARP money, and I supported that deployment in the hopes that it would stabilize the marketplace, ease credit for our customers and help the housing market. While it probably did stabilize the banking system, there's yet to be a loosening of credit, there's yet to be a recovery in the housing market. And looking ahead, we continue to look at suggestions that throw money at the problem rather than getting to the root cause of the problem."

o    SUMMARY "It is time for to us do what we know we should have done. Have quality underwriting, available credit, but have accountability in our lending system, make sure values are appraised right, underwriting is done right, but credit is available and people are qualified. If we can do that and incentivize people to come back because of the tax credit, we can solve this problem."

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (S. 181)

 
Senator Reid: (8:30 PM)

·         Performed wrap up.

·         Tomorrow --

·         The Senate will convene at 10:00 AM and following Leader remarks, there will be a period of Morning Business with Senators allowed to speak up to 10 minutes each.

·         Senator Salazar will deliver his farewell address during Morning Business.

·         Senator Designate Ted Kaufman (replacing Vice President-Elect Joe Biden) will be sworn in at 11:00 AM.

·         No votes are expected.

The Senate stands adjourned until 10:00AM tomorrow.