By U.S. Senator Deb Fischer
Nebraskans understand that our nation faces serious issues. Just recently we heard the president outline plans for military action against terrorists in Iraq and Syria known as ISIL. Nebraskans appreciate the threat posed by ISIL – I heard this concern time after time during my listening sessions and meetings across the state.
Recently, the nation again marked the anniversary of 9/11 and the second anniversary of the terrorist attack on our consulate in Benghazi. The passage of 13 years has not lessened our pain or diminished our resolve. Images of destruction in our cities and a quiet Pennsylvania field are seared into our national memory. As the United States now faces a resurgent global terror threat, we must once again recommit ourselves to eliminating those who wish to destroy our way of life and the freedoms we hold so dear.
I also heard another message: Congress needs to start getting things done. Nebraskans want Congress to focus on turning the economy around. They want Congress to deal with overregulation, control the costs of healthcare, and help businesses create jobs.
Prevailing concern with the economy and weak job growth exists all across this country. According to several leading economists, 225,000 jobs were supposed to be created last month. Instead, the number of jobs created was just 142,000. The real unemployment rate – those unemployed and underemployed – remains unacceptably high at nearly 12 percent. That translates to 19 million Americans out of work or who want to work more hours.
I believe it’s a disgrace that the United States Senate is not debating policies to help them.
Instead, the Senate recently debated a resolution to limit free speech. Why? Because in Washington, those in power are more concerned with winning elections to stay in power than with actually governing and making the tough decisions that will protect our country and help our families. It’s no wonder that the American people have such a poor opinion of Congress.
The resolution offered by my colleague from New Mexico is a clear attack on the First Amendment and a series of recent Supreme Court rulings. The measure grants unlimited authority to Congress and state legislatures to criminalize speech on any platform, including the Internet. This proposal guts the First Amendment and the principles of free speech that have endured since the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791.
It further empowers incumbent politicians to make decisions with less accountability and it muffles the voices of private citizens.
In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, the American Civil Liberties Union wrote that the proposed amendment, “would severely limit the First Amendment, lead directly to government censorship of political speech and result in a host of unintended consequences that would undermine the goals the amendment has been introduced to advance – namely encouraging vigorous political dissent and providing voice to the voiceless, which we, of course, support.”
The ACLU’s letter shows there’s broad concern over this poorly crafted resolution.
Instead of addressing the serious issues we face, the Senate returned to session simply to focus on raw politics. Nebraskans expect more – and they deserve it. They expect us to do our jobs. That means working together, offering solutions, debating, amending bills, and actually voting on tough issues.
There are many proposals I would love to vote on. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but the Senate should at least start to have meaningful debate and take some real votes. That’s the only way to do our jobs and the only way to be held accountable by our constituents.
As students, we studied the serious, and many times heated debates that happened in the Senate. As senators, we may not always agree on the best policy, but we must start doing our jobs and return to debating real policy solutions that addresses the very real needs of the American people.
Thank you for taking part in the democratic process and I look forward to visiting with you again next week.