On the recordMay 17, 2010
Mr. President, if you have been watching the global warming debate lately, you will notice the supporters of cap and trade are getting kind of nervous. They realize the political environment for cap and trade couldn't be more favorable--they have a majority of liberals in the Senate, a majority of liberals in the House, and liberals in the White House. But they also realize time is running out. The November elections are looming, and there are a lot of people coming up for reelection who don't want to go back to the electorate and say: Look at me; aren't you proud; I voted for the largest tax increase in American history. As Senator Kerry put it, this is the last call to pass the bill, and that is exactly what Senator Kerry is trying to do. But he will not get 60 votes. He will not get the support of the Democrats in the heartland, and he will not convince the American public they need this tax increase. I say this with confidence because the bill Senator Kerry introduced last week with Senator Lieberman is the same old cap-and- trade scheme the Senate rejected in the McCain-Lieberman bill in 2003, the McCain-Lieberman bill in 2005, the Warner-Lieberman bill in 2008, and the Waxman-Markey bill in 2009. Let us keep in mind that cap and trade is cap and trade, and that is a very large tax increase. Don't forget that the Senate support for cap and trade over that time has actually dropped.…