Max Baucus

I might also say that--and I think all economists agree with this point--every dollar spent is stimulative--every dollar. Every single dollar in this bill is stimulative--every dollar. All economists would say that--all economists. Now, it…

In each of the last 3 months, more than half a million mothers and fathers came home to tell their families that they had lost their jobs. In each of the last 3 months, more than half a million breadwinners came to terms with the news that…

A baker once told Studs Terkel, the great chronicler of the American people: ``Work is an essential part of being alive. Your work is your identity. It tells you who you are . . . There's such a joy in doing work well.'' This body is…

I commend the Senator from Maine, Ms. Collins, who has done a terrific job in helping us reach this point. She has done great work. I commend both Senators from Maine. The Senators from Maine are the key to a solution because they are the…

I wish to set the record straight on a few points that speakers on the other side of the aisle have made. I think it would be totally unfair if they go unchallenged and the record is not set straight. The Senator from Oklahoma said the…

I just want to remind my good friends on the other side, this bill also cuts taxes by $300 billion. It is a tax cut. My colleagues love tax cuts. This bill cuts taxes by $300 billion.

I am surprised he made that statement, because I think it is inaccurate. Let me explain why. First, money in the hands of low-income families--and Pell grant recipients are low-income families--is money that will be injected into the…

This afternoon the Senate returns to its 7th day of work on this important jobs bill. The case for this bill continues to grow stronger every day. Last week, for example, we learned that 3.6 million Americans have lost their jobs since…

This is a compromise across the aisle in the finest tradition of the Senate.

I urge Members not to adopt this amendment. It strikes the entire underlying bill, and it replaces it with a tax cut for all Americans, except at least 8 million Americans who do not file. This rebate will go to filers. There are about 8…

I might say, Mr. President, reclaiming my time, this amendment strikes the underlying bill. What about States taking people off Medicaid, called FMAP? This bill gives about $86 billion to States so they can keep people on Medicaid, so they…

I want everybody to remember these two numbers: 99 percent, 79 percent; 99 percent, 79 percent. What are those two numbers? If you take the Finance Committee bill, the bill that is in this stimulus bill that the Senate Finance Committee…

This morning the Senate returns to work on its bill creating and saving millions of jobs. As the leader said, and we all know, our work has rarely been more urgent. Initial jobless claims have hit a 26-year high. I repeat: Initial jobless…

I thank Senator Stabenow for raising this issue with me. It is not our intent to exclude those early EMR champions from HIT incentives in the Stimulus bill. My staff and I will work with you to clarify our intent, which is to reward early…

This is about the Trade Adjustment Assistance benefits. Basically, at this time in our history, with a recession going on, with unemployment, it is extremely important that American workers who lose jobs on account of trade be given a…

Yes. That provision specifically addresses the unique circumstances of Rhode Island. It should not matter when CMS is able to make a change in a waiver. What matters here is that Rhode Island had clearly determined that it would make the…

It is more for less--more tax breaks for upper income Americans, less tax breaks, in fact, no tax breaks for low-income Americans; 49 million Americans will get no tax benefit under this amendment, and 49 million Americans do get some tax…

Mr. President, I encourage all my colleagues to listen for a moment. This is a very simple amendment that strikes some language that should not be in this massive spending bill. It is language that discriminates against religious freedom…

I want to highlight one amendment adopted, the Isakson-Lieberman amendment, which provides Federal income tax credit for home purchases. This amendment addresses one of the central points that Senators on the other side of the aisle have…

I feel constrained to object because there was an understanding, an agreement, that the Ensign amendment would be the amendment that would come up after the McCain amendment.

First I want to correct--I know it is a very minor mistake the Senator made--the markup of the Finance Committee took over 11\1/2\ hours, not 1\1/2\ hours, as the Senator represented. But, frankly, the main question is, how do we get…

I do think that with that kind of structure, particularly of Senator Baucus' work in this area so far, but others as well, there's reason to think that with that structure it wouldn't take a huge amount of initial investment to start to…

There have been several characterizations of this provision. It is not an earmark. It is treating all industries in America the same, giving bonus depreciation to all American industries. It is treating them all the same. A few years ago…

This may sound like a good idea, but it isn't. There are a lot of reasons. First, it is a question of fairness, fairness to American companies that do their business in America compared with American companies that do their business in…

Last week, we learned that domestic product shrank by 3.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, the largest decline in 26 years. . . . more jobs were lost last year than were lost in any calendar year since 1945. . . . The American…