Middle Class Tax Cut Act--Motion to Proceed--Continued

Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from North Dakota, Senator Kent Conrad, who is the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. He is retiring, unfortunately, for the Senate and for this country because he has brought to this Chamber and to the national debate on our deficits an insight and a knowledge of the subject that is unequaled. He has become a close and dear friend of mine, even closer over the last couple years, while we labored shoulder to shoulder on the Simpson-Bowles deficit commission and bipartisan efforts afterwards in the Senate to deal with the deficit.

I am disappointed and somewhat troubled by the argument made by many in this Chamber that the deficit is the most serious problem facing America and then, in the same breath, they call for extending tax cuts to the wealthiest people in this country. What we are proposing is a tax cut for those making up to $250,000 in income. That will certainly include all--all--of the middle class and working families across America. The taxes will be higher for those in the 2-percent range of the highest income categories, and I think it is fair. I think those who have done so well and have been so fortunate in this great Nation should be willing to pay their fair share of taxes.

I support the middle-class tax cut the President has proposed. We want to bring it to the floor for a vote. I support it with the notion that we still have to keep our focus on the economy and creating jobs, No. 1, and deficit reduction and debt reduction, No. 2. We can do both. We have to take care that whatever we do to the Tax Code does not jeopardize our economic recovery. We are on a positive path, with 28 straight months of job creation in the private sector, and we want to continue it. But we also need to change a reality, which is that we borrow 40 cents for every $1 we spend in Washington. That is unfortunate and unsustainable. We have to make sure working families across America who continue to fall further and further behind each year and live paycheck to paycheck will have a helping hand from our Tax Code. That is known as progressive taxation. I think it is fair.

Those of us in higher income categories should pay more. Those who are struggling paycheck to paycheck, trying to care for their children, need a helping hand in the Tax Code. That is not only just and fair, it is good for the economy. Those of lower incomes are going to spend their money and do it in a fashion that invigorates the economy with the production of more goods and services.

The Republican plan that calls for tax cuts even for the highest income categories, as Senator Conrad just noted, means a tax break of $250,000 for millionaires across America. I am sorry. The people who are making $20,000 a week--that is what a millionaire would make over the course of a year, $20,000 a week--do not need that tax break. They haven't asked for it, they don't need it, and they should be contributing toward reducing this deficit and saving America from deeper cuts in Medicare, education, and other expenditures that are critical to so many American families.

According to a recent analysis, the Republican plan would actually end up raising taxes on working families. If we give tax breaks to those who are at the highest level of income categories and still go after deficit reduction, then the working class families actually would have to pay more.

I asked a number of my constituents to respond to this notion about cutting off the tax cuts at $250,000 in income and several of them responded. Merry from Rockford, IL, said this:

I oppose any extension of tax cuts for the top 2 percent. I am a mother of a developmentally disabled adult. I have seen more and more budget cuts each year for 30 years for the special needs population. However, for the 30 years we have been involved with this ``trickledown theory,'' there have been no conclusive reports showing that this theory is working.

John, a veteran living in Plainfield, IL, writes:

We fully agree with our President that the rich should pay a little more for their tax share! We (the middle class) are rapidly fading away. We have worked for most of our lives--only to witness corporations take over and fraud in our financial markets!

Jennifer from Chicago writes:

I am appalled that Congress would consider cutting food stamps and other vital services for poor people and their families while maintaining tax breaks for those in the upper 2 percent of income. Wealthy people can afford to live on a little less. Poor children cannot afford to do without food and shelter.

When we talk about tax policy and debt reduction, let's do it sensibly. Let's help working families. Let's fix the Tax Code in a way that gives them a fighting chance. Let's ask the upper 2 percent--the top 2 percent of wage earners--to pay their fair share. It is not unreasonable. Everyone must be prepared to make some sacrifice. Let's make certain that working families are protected in this debate.

I note that Senator Murray was coming to the floor to speak on this tax issue, but she has been delayed, and I ask unanimous consent that she be recognized to speak after I finish my remarks.

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, 11 years ago, I introduced a bill called the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act is a piece of legislation that would give a select group of immigrant students who grew up in this country the chance to earn their citizenship if they were of good moral character and if they were prepared to serve in the military or complete at least 2 years of college.

The young people who would be eligible for the DREAM Act came to be known as the DREAMers. These are young people brought to the United States as children and infants. They grew up in this country overcoming great obstacles. They will be our future doctors, our engineers, our teachers, our lawyers, our soldiers. They will make America a better nation. They didn't make the decision originally to come to this country; it was a decision made by their parents. If their parents were breaking the law in that decision, I don't believe their children should be held responsible. That is not the American way.

As did the civil rights activists of past generations, the DREAMers are speaking out. They are telling their stories publicly, even though many of them know they risk deportation from the only country they have ever known as home. They have organized rallies and marches where they advocate for the DREAM Act, and they have declared their undocumented status. They wear T-shirts and carry signs that bear their slogan: ``Undocumented and Unafraid.''

These DREAMers have been by my side every step of the way, fighting for the DREAM Act, for 11 years, and I am proud of them.

In 2007, the first time the DREAM Act came to a vote on the floor of the Senate, there were a few DREAMers sitting right up in the gallery. We won 52 votes that day. It was a bipartisan majority. Frankly, we have always had a bipartisan majority, but we have never had the 60 votes we need to overcome the Republican filibuster against the DREAM Act.

Three years later, in December of 2010, the DREAM Act was again considered on the floor of the Senate. This time, it was different. The Senate gallery was filled to capacity with DREAMers wearing graduation gowns and caps. It was an inspiring sight. That day, 55 Senators voted for the DREAM Act. Again, we had another bipartisan majority, but, again, we fell short of the 60 votes we needed to defeat a Republican filibuster of the DREAM Act.

I made a commitment that day, after that vote was lost, to the young people who would be eligible for the DREAM Act, that I wouldn't give up, that I would keep on fighting for the DREAM Act as long as it takes to make it a law.

Since that vote in December of 2010, I have come to the floor of the Senate to tell the DREAMers' stories. I think it is the best way for people to understand the DREAM Act. Today, I wish to tell my colleagues about another DREAMer. Her name is Erika Andiola. Erika was brought to America from Mexico when she was 11 years old. She grew up in Arizona and enrolled at Arizona State University. But then Arizona passed a new law prohibiting public universities from giving financial aid or instate tuition rates to undocumented students. Hundreds of students were forced to drop out of school. Erika persevered. She graduated with honors from Arizona State with a bachelor's degree in psychology. She has been very active in advocating for immigrants and the DREAM Act. She is the founding president of the Arizona DREAM Act Coalition. Her dream is to be a school counselor.

The story I have just told of Erika Andiola is the 50th DREAMer story I have told on the Senate floor. It is an amazing group. It includes DREAMers who grew up in 17 different States, from Oregon and Washington in the Pacific Northwest--and I see my colleague Senator Murray on the floor--to Illinois and Michigan in the Midwest, to North Carolina and Georgia in the Southeast. These DREAMers came from all over the world to America, from 19 different countries, including Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and Central America. Yet all of them have something in common: Their home is America. They are just asking for a chance to give back to this great country.

To mark the occasion of the 50th DREAMer story on the floor of the Senate, many of the DREAMers I featured on the floor have made a trip to Washington and have gathered in the Senate. They are here this morning, and I wish to take a few minutes to recognize them.

Let me start with the person who started the DREAM Act, Tereza Lee. Tereza was brought to the United States when she was 2 years old to the city of Chicago. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees from Manhattan Conservatory of Music, where she is currently pursuing her doctorate.

The next person I wish to refer to is Eric Balderas. Eric came to the United States from Mexico when he was 4 years old. He was valedictorian and student council president at his high school in San Antonio, TX. He is now a student at Harvard University where he is majoring in molecular and cellular biology. His dream is to become a cancer researcher.

The next is Manuel Bartsch. Manuel came to this country from Germany when he was a child. He recently graduated from Heidelberg University in Ohio with a major in political science and a minor in history. He wants to pursue a career in government and politics.

The next is Kelsey Burke. Kelsey came here from Honduras when she was 10 years old. She graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a major in public communications. She begins law school this fall, and she dreams of becoming an attorney.

The next is Julieta Garibay. She came to America when she was 11 years old. She graduated from the University of Texas with a bachelor's and master's degree in nursing. She has been a registered nurse since 2004. She dreams of serving in our military as a military nurse.

The next is Maria Gomez. Maria came to the United States from Mexico when she was 8 years old. She graduated from UCLA with a bachelor's degree in sociology and a master's degree in architecture. She dreams someday of being a licensed architect in America.

Next is Angelica Hernandez. She came here when she was 9. She graduated from Arizona State University as the outstanding senior in the Mechanical Engineering Department. Someday she wants to be a licensed engineer in the United States of America.

Next is Ola Kaso. Ola was brought to the United States from Albania at the age of 5. She is a pre-med student in the honors program at the University of Michigan. Her dream is to be a surgical oncologist.

Next is Sahid Limon. Sahid was brought to America from Bangladesh when he was 9 years old. He graduated from East Carolina University with a bachelor's degree in biology.

Next is Jhon Magdaleno. Jhon came to the United States from Venezuela when he was 9 years old. He is an honor student at Georgia Tech University, where he is a biomedical engineering major.

Next is Tolu Olubunmi. She actually was brought to America from Nigeria at the age of 14. She obtained a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering 10 years ago. She has never worked a day as a chemical engineer because she cannot be licensed. That is her dream: to be a licensed engineer.

Here is Gaby Pacheco. Gaby came to the United States from Ecuador at the age of 7. She has earned two associate's degrees in education and is now working on her bachelor's degree. She wants to teach autistic children. She has become an extraordinary leader in this movement.

Next is Pedro Pedroza. He came to the United States when he was 5 years old and grew up in Chicago. He graduated from Cornell University with a BA in Spanish literature and a minor in Latino studies. His dream is to be a teacher.

Next are two brothers who are here, Carlos and Rafael Robles. Carlos is majoring in education at Loyola University in Chicago. He dreams of being a teacher and may get his chance at Palatine High School. Rafael is majoring in architecture at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Of course, he dreams of being a licensed architect.
Next is Novi Roy, who came to America from India as a child. Novi graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor's degree in economics and two master's degrees--one in business administration and one in human resources. His dream is to help provide affordable health care for all Americans.

Next is Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez. Felipe came to the United States from Brazil when he was 14. He recently graduated summa cum laude from St. Thomas University with a bachelor's degree in business studies and a minor in economics. His ambition is to be a teacher.

And last is Cesar Vargas, another good friend, who was brought to the United States when he was 5 years old. He recently graduated from the City University of New York School of Law with honors. He dreams of one day serving in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, of being in our military and serving the Nation he loves.

I thank all the Dreamers who are here today and have gathered with us. They have come a long way. It took an extra effort for them to come to Washington and to step forward and to allow me to share their stories again with the people who follow this debate.

Today I am launching ``American Dreamers,'' a new Web site featuring the Dreamers whose stories I have told on the floor of the Senate, including all of those who are here today. We are going to update this Web site as I tell more stories. You can find it at www.durbin.senate.gov/dreamers.

This is a hopeful time for the Dreamers. It is better than it has been in a long time because this President, his administration recently announced that we will give the Dreamers temporary legal status to be here in America. This status will allow them to live and work legally without fear of deportation. The status needs to be renewed every 2 years, but they get their chance. It gives these young immigrants an opportunity to come out of the shadows and be part of the only country they have ever called home. The Obama administration's new policy will make America a stronger and better Nation by giving these Dreamers a chance to be part of our future.

This policy has strong bipartisan support in Congress. My special thanks to Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, who joined me in cosponsoring this bill and asking for this status on immigration years ago. It took extraordinary political courage for him to do that, and I thank him once again, as I have before.

According to recent polls, the American people think the President is right in giving these Dreamers a chance to earn their way toward legal status by a margin of almost 2 to 1. A future President could come along and change this policy, so the Dreamers are still at risk, but they are prepared to step up, to follow the law, and to become part of America's future with permanent residency someday and perhaps citizenship, which is our ultimate dream.

The President's new policy is a step in the right direction, but ultimately it is Congress that must act--the House and the Senate--to pass the DREAM Act and give these young people who have gathered here today and thousands more just like them the path to citizenship in America.

I want to give special thanks to Majority Leader Harry Reid. The last time we called the DREAM Act he took a lot of grief for it. They said: Oh, it is just a political thing. But it is not. He believes in it, as so many of us do, and he was prepared to guide the Senate through a week-long debate to get to a vote. We did not have enough votes to break the Republican filibuster, but we demonstrated again bipartisan support for a sound, good idea for America's future.

I also want to give special thanks to Joe Zogby, sitting on the floor here. Joe is an attorney on my staff who for 11 years now has battled side by side with me to pass the DREAM Act. And Vaishalee Yeldani, who is on our staff as well, has been terrific in helping us prepare these floor statements and to continue this battle forward.

I said to the Dreamers the last time it was brought to the floor and we did not have the votes: I am not going to give up on you. Don't give up on me. We are going to do this. I am dedicated to them and to the fact that many of us who are the sons and daughters of immigrants--and, frankly, that includes almost all of us in this country--understand that the diversity of immigration has made America a stronger place. These DREAM students will prove once again, as generations have before, that given a chance they will make America a better country.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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