United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. REED. Mr. President, I wish to join Chairman Levin in his plea that we be allowed to consider this legislation. The greatest crisis we face in the United States, for families all across the country, is jobs. The President has proposed a bill that is going to help us begin to deal with that job crisis, and he proposed a way to pay for it. An overwhelming portion of the country, the polling is definite, supports the President's proposal and our proposal, as modified by Senator Reid, to have a surcharge on individuals making over $1 million.

So we have a bill that responds to the greatest need, that is paid for by doing what the American people overwhelmingly want us to do, and we cannot get it on the floor for debate, for amendment, and finally for passage. We are not able to respond to this crisis because we have been frustrated by our colleagues who refuse to let us take up the bill. The American people are demanding we act--the message is being sent far and wide in many different mediums--and we get it directly from home, and it is: Do something. It might not be perfect. It might not solve the problem immediately. But do something. Do not just stop debate, stop progress, stop discussion on the issues that are so critical to this country.

Again, we are in a serious jobs crisis. We have seen the latest job report showing some sort of improvement but not enough, and we have to do more. If we do not pass the American Jobs Act, then we are going to be in a situation where--and this is one of the great ironies--the deficit will get worse, not better. One of the most direct ways to begin to deal with the deficit is to put people to work so they can resume their participation in the economic life of this country and contribute not only to their own well-being and that of their family but the growth of the country, and the robustness of our economy. In that way, we can address the deficit.

So this refusal to act does not even serve the goal of deficit reduction. Again, I wish to emphasize this: We have a bill that has measures in it that are proven, that are bipartisan, that will put people to work, and that are fully paid for by a tax that is overwhelmingly supported by the American people. If we do not act, the jobs crisis and our deficit will persist.

I yield the floor.

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