“The American people have seen that it is possible to govern – and that not everything in Washington is broken.”
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor highlighting the accomplishments of the United States Senate this year.
Transcript of Senator Barrasso’s remarks:
“It’s actually been a very productive year in the Senate.
“And I’m not just the only one saying that.
“Last Wednesday, U.S. News and World Report said, ‘There’s reason for optimism on Capitol Hill ahead of a looming deadline to pass the trillion-dollar omnibus funding measure.’
“The magazine asked: ‘What’s behind it?’
“Well, they said, ‘After years of partisan gridlock, Congress has seemingly regained the ability to get things done.’
“The Bipartisan Policy Center said the same thing recently.
“They pointed out that the House and Senate have both – both – made important progress its year.
“They said, ‘Both chambers have reinvigorated a robust committee process.’
“Getting committees back to work is essential to getting Congress back to work – and that’s what Republicans have done this year.
“So far this year, the total number of days worked is up from last year by almost three additional weeks of work on the Senate floor..
“This is in comparison to when Harry Reid was in charge.
“We’ve been considering a lot more amendments this year as well.
“For all of last year, there were only 15 up or down votes on amendments. Just 15 for the entire year.
“So far this year, we’ve voted on around 200 amendments.
“These are amendments both by Democrats and by Republicans.
“These are opportunities for individual senators to stand up, to offer their ideas and to be heard.
“Ideas that they think will make America better, make legislation better.
“Not just what the leader of the party wants – Senator Reid, who blocked so many amendments, and not just what Senator Reid might be best for the president.
“No. What the American people think is important.
“So, when you look into the substance of what we’ve done, the news is even better for the American people.
“So far this year, we’ve passed major legislation that has been helping Americans across the country.
“We passed an important law on Medicare – to make much-needed reforms, and to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
“We passed the first multi-year highway bill since 2005.
“We passed the longest reauthorization of the Highway Trust Fund in almost a decade.
“Now, these aren’t just the short-term patches for a few months or a year. That’s what happened when the Democrats were in charge.
“These are long-term fixes that create the certainty and stability our economy needs.
“This year, the Senate passed the most significant education reform since 2002.
“We passed an important human trafficking law.
“We passed a budget – can you imagine that? There hasn’t been a budget to pass both houses of Congress since 2009.
“Well, we passed one this year.
“As chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee, I can tell you that we have made a lot of progress this year on legislation to improve the lives of people across Indian Country.
“We passed a measure that will help make crucial and long-overdue improvements to roads on tribal lands.
“Just last week, we passed legislation that helps give tribes more economic opportunities. It gives them more control over developing their natural resources.
“Republicans are eager to work with Democrats and to produce legislation that the president will sign.
“We are proud of these accomplishments of this year.
“At the same time, we are not afraid to challenge President Obama’s most misguided and dangerous policies.
“That’s why the Senate passed legislation repealing Obamacare – to ease Americans’ pain under this law.
“We passed a measure on the Keystone XL pipeline to create jobs, create energy security, and economic growth – and we put that bill on the president’s desk to force him to finally make a decision.
“We challenged President Obama’s job-crushing energy regulations by voting to block his power plan and his devastating rules on waters of the United States.
“And I would point out, Mr. President, looking at a headline from yesterday’s New York Times, ‘EPA broke the law with regard to pushing their water rule.’ EPA broke the law.
“The EPA, which is this issue of this whole waters of the United States – the EPA must be held accountable, accountable for breaking the law, accountable for misuse of government funds. So we will hold this administration accountable.
“Of course, we also opposed the president’s nuclear deal with Iran.
“We have shown the American people that we can get things done, and there is a viable alternative to the reckless policies coming out of the White House.
“Looking back on what we have been able to do this year, I think there is real reason for optimism.
“The Senate does not have to be the place gridlock that it had become under Harry Reid.
“In 2016 the Senate will be taking more votes on important legislation and on amendments.
“There will be more debates, and more consideration of ideas from both sides of the aisle.
“That’s what the American people have sent us here to do.
“It’s what they expect from us.
“The American people have seen that it is possible to govern – and that not everything in Washington is broken.
“It just takes leaders who are committed to getting things done – and committed to looking out for the best interests of the American people.
“This is the end of the year – it is not the end of this Congress.
“It is not the end of what the Senate can do to make the lives of the American people better.
“We’ve done a lot – there is still a lot of work to be done over the next month and the next year.
“We will continue to work to relieve the burden and the expense of excess government regulations.
“To reduce the power of unelected, unaccountable Washington bureaucrats.
“And to return to the states – and to the people – more of the control that belongs to them.
“The goal is to give the people at home the power to make their own decisions about what’s best for them, their communities, and their families”
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