Ed Markey — Markey Floor Remarks on LWCF & the Toxic Substances Control Act

it was the best of times it was the worst of times it was the age of wisdom it was the age of foolishness it was the Epic of belief it was the Epic of incredulity there is a certain deeni in quality to the Senate FL today we rarely have debate on environmental bills that enjoy not only token bipartisan support but overwhelming by partisan support today is the best of times the age of wisdom in the epoch of belief because we can debate not just one environmental bill that has overwhelming bipartisan support but two bills that has overwhelming bipartisan support yet today is also the worst of times the age of foolishness in the Epic of incredulity because a handful of Senate Republicans have just prevented both of these bills from even getting a vote first we had a request to reauthorize the land and water conservation fund a program conceived of by John F Kennedy who presented congress with draft legislation for it in 1963 and I am proud to be counted among the more than 60 Senate supporters of the land and water conservation fund next we had a request to consider reform of the toxic substances Control Act to protect the American people against these dangerous toxic chemicals and I am proud to be a supporter of the language the Senate is expected to vote on and some have predicted upwards of 85 Senate votes in favor of that environmental bill so first uh a handful of Senate Republicans won't allow a vote on the land and water conservation fund because they don't like the program and then other Senate Republicans who do like the land and water conservation fund won't allow a vote on Tusa because we couldn't act on the land and water so this is nothing short of absurd it is hard enough to reach a consensus in the United States Senate on any issues much less environmental issues but we have yet some of our colleagues who seem determined to snatch defeat from the jaws of Victory shouldn't we be able to make this the best of times on both of these bills while we have the chance to do so instead of perpetuating the worst of times view Americans increasingly have of the ability of Congress to get its job done I hope that all of my colleagues can come together so that we can agree that here where there are far more than 60 votes on the senate floor for two historic environmental bills uh that we do not allow for a small handful of members to be able to stop both bills from being able to even be considered here on the senate floor yesterday's agreement on on the debt ceiling on the the budget going forward that is how Congress should be operating we should take the big issues try to work together understand that there are going to be differences of opinion but when there is overwhelming support for us to be able to move forward so I thank the gentleman from New Mexico uh I thank all who have worked on this issue on a bipartisan basis uh and I might say that this bill is just vastly improved the Tusa bill um from where it was uh months ago and uh I highly recommend it to my colleagues here on the senate floor but the land and water conservation fund well it's something that really goes back so many decades and it is Central to a continuation of that each in every state in our country is able to make a two environment programs and so uh for me um I hope that we can find a way of resolving this issue uh because it is time for us to take action here on the senate floor on these two critical environmental issues and I yield back to the