Minimum Wage Fairness Act - Motion to Proceed

Floor Speech

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Mr. President, it seems the President's decision is absurd, to delay the Keystone XL Pipeline. That is not just me saying that. That is the Washington Post, Thursday morning, April 24: "Keystone XL's absurd delay. President Obama should approve the pipeline project now.'' They say:

If foot-dragging were a competitive sport, President Obama and his administration would be world champions for their performance in delaying the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.

They go on to say:

The administration's latest decision is not responsible; it is embarrassing. The United States continues to insult its Canadian allies by holding up what should have been a routine permitting decision amid a funhouse-mirror environmental debate that got way out of hand.

They conclude by saying:

The president should end this national psychodrama now, bow to reason--

Think about that: "bow to reason''-- approve the pipeline and go do something more productive for the climate.

That is not just the Washington Post. We see also the Wall Street Journal, on Wednesday: "Keystone Uncensored.'' They talk about a labor leader calling the administration "gutless,'' "dirty,'' and more.

So why would a union leader--who endorsed President Obama in 2008 as a candidate, endorsed him again in 2012--why would he say this? He actually went on to say: "It's not the oil that's dirty, it's the politics.''

To get an answer to that, you have to look at an article that Politico ran last Thursday called "The left's secret club.'' It said:

Some of the country's biggest Democratic donors--including Tom Steyer .....--are huddling behind closed doors next week in Chicago to plan how to pull their party--and the country--to the left.

The meeting will be held in the ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton. Politico describes the group as "a secretive club of wealthy liberals.''

So who is Tom Steyer? Well, he is a hedge fund billionaire who has said he is hoping to spend at least $100 million to defeat candidates who support the Keystone XL Pipeline and who oppose his extreme environmental agenda.

I want to be absolutely clear. There is nothing wrong with legal participation in elections. If a hedge fund billionaire like Mr. Steyer wants to spend his money talking about his views, he is free to do it. I disagree with his views, but I would never come to the floor of the Senate and denounce him as un-American. But that is exactly what the majority leader, Senator Reid, has done, repeatedly coming to the floor to criticize and demonize people who do not share his views. I have not heard Senator Reid demonizing Tom Steyer or any other wealthy liberal donors.

According to Politico, the majority leader was actually scheduled to attend a fundraising dinner at Mr. Steyer's home a few months ago.

So the coincidence, to me, of the administration's announcement right before this big liberal political event remains suspicious. The silence of the majority leader about one person's spending when he has been so outspoken about the spending of other people is certainly suspicious as well.

Maybe that is what the union head meant when he said: ``It's not the oil that's dirty, it's the politics.'' Whatever the reason, the important thing is that President Obama continues to turn his back on thousands of middle-class families in desperate need of jobs.

That is what needs to change. The administration and this body, controlled by Senator Reid and the Democrats, can no longer put politics ahead of policy substance. It is time for the administration to do the right thing and to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline no matter what the Democrats' secretive billionaires say.

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