Kent Conrad

This is a happy moment. We can all vote for this amendment. This is an amendment I offered a number of years ago. I wish it would have passed then and been in effect because we could have avoided some of the unpleasantness that has…

If you want to gut pay-go this is your opportunity. This amendment would completely overturn the pay-go discipline. The pay-go discipline, as all Members know, says: If you are going to have new mandatory spending, you have got to pay for…

However well intended the Kyl amendment is, it spends $72.5 billion with no offset. The surplus is gone under the amendment we just adopted. The surplus is gone. So the effect of this amendment is to take us right back into deficit. This…

Let me recall for our colleagues that the Baucus amendment is to provide for the middle-class tax cuts to also address this anomaly in the estate tax, where it goes from $3.5 million per person of exemption back down to $1 million. It also…

The Baucus amendment looked to the $132 billion surplus we had in 2012... That amendment deserves our support. Senator Kyl then comes with an amendment to extend all of the other tax cuts, but unfortunately he does not pay for it. He does…

Let me say briefly on this, you can extend all the tax breaks that have been described in this amendment if you pay for them. The problem with the Kyl amendment is he does not pay for it. Over $70 billion is not paid for, goes on the…

That would be enormously helpful. If we could spend a little time working together so we make sure we get this drafted so this works with the larger resolution, I think it is something we can take on a voice vote. But let's make sure we…

Is there anything in this amendment that would prevent it from being invested in some other securities other than Government bonds? Mr. DeMINT. There is nothing that allows for it or prevents it. So I assume, again, with my colleagues in…

It is for that reason that I will support the amendment, because it may, even at this late hour, help build pressure for what the Senator from New Hampshire and I both want to do, which is somehow find a path to addressing these long-term…

Let me say that I cast that vote in committee because the practical effect of this amendment now is not going to protect Social Security. The practical effect of this amendment is to create a 60-vote hurdle to pass a budget resolution next…

I have one question related to tax havens, one to tax loopholes, and one to tax gap. So my understanding, from the answer to the first question--which went to the question of tax havens--is that offshore tax havens that certain companies…

The second question would be with respect to the tax gap. Obviously, we have some who are not paying what they legitimately owe under the current Code. I assume it would be the Senator's position that his amendment would not preclude us…

Final question goes to this more nuanced question of basically tax scams, circumstances such as the one I have described earlier today in which U.S. companies and investors are buying foreign assets--for example, sewer systems or public…

I understand, 10-year numbers. But we are talking about 5-year numbers of $439 billion. Let me say, if they can do that, these extraordinary numbers, and we combine not only tax gap with tax havens and with abusive tax shelters, I believe…

Mr. President, the budget resolution that has now passed the committee has these key elements: It restores fiscal responsibility by balancing the budget by 2012, it reduces spending as a share of gross domestic product, it reduces debt as…

In previous disaster bills, those that did not have crop insurance got 45 percent of the prevailing price. Under this bill, we have dropped that dramatically to 20 percent. Frankly, the overriding reason is there are certain crops for…

I say to my colleague, this equals about 10 days of expenditure in Iraq, based on what we are told the supplemental will be and what is already in the budget. So this is modest compared to previous disaster packages. It will not make…

Madam President, we deeply regret that there has been objection raised. We deeply regret that we are not given the chance to pass legislation which has already passed this body twice before but that has been blocked because the President…

This amendment is an urgent matter. I hope very much our colleagues would support this amendment on a bipartisan basis so that we send the clear message that this country intends to hold to account those who organized the attack on…

If you have assets of more than $7 million, it is true, you will face a tax. If you have assets and you are a family, if you have more than $7 million, you will face a tax. Now, that is the only instance in which you will. My friends, the…

I thank Mr. Levin for agreeing to join me in this discussion of the legislative intent of the Senate in approving several provisions related to the integration between the Active-Duty military and the Reserve component. This bill will…

I do not believe that it is a wise policy to set a specific date for withdrawal from Iraq. I do believe it makes sense to begin to redeploy our forces sometime this year.

Could the Senator share with this Senator and colleagues, what is the upshot of the Senator's amendment? What is the force and effect that would be provided in law if the Senator's amendment were agreed to?

First, I want to indicate that we may have one matter to conclude before we end.

This amendment reduces the international account by $4 million. That is what it does. We have no assurance that it will actually take money from the Human Rights Council, although that is the intention of the Senator. The fact is, it…