[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 15] [Senate] [Pages 20747-20748] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]WORKING TOGETHER Mr. CORKER. I would like to follow on with the assistant majority leader's comments and say that I agree that we need to gather to solve this problem. And I sense, from the administration and in 5 hours of banking hearings yesterday and phone conversations I have had throughout the evening last night and today, I sense a willingness to alter the plan in such a manner that accountability, that those kinds of things, oversight and other matters we want to address are addressed. What I would say to the assistant majority leader and to others who want to see something happen is, let's work through the weekend. Let's not have some artificial deadline of leaving here Friday until we get it right. I think there has to be a structure that comes together very soon that allows both the House and the Senate to be negotiating together. I think the worst that could come out would be for one body to send to another body a message and then that be the vote. The assistant majority leader and others who are in the leadership here, I hope what you will do is bring us together as two bodies to try to solve this extraordinary problem together. I have a lot of people in Tennessee who are very frustrated with what has happened on Wall Street. I understand that frustration. I realize there have been lots of excesses there that need to be punished and penalized, but the fact is that Wall Street is inextricably tied to Main Street. I am also getting calls throughout the State of Tennessee from businesses, from people involved in small businesses, people who are involved in household issues, who are having very difficult issues with getting credit. So what I would say is, look, I think all of us agree that something needs to occur. I think all of us agree that something drastic needs to occur in order to jolt this system. There is a lot [[Page 20748]] of debate over what is the right and wrong thing to do, but I believe we as a body should be responsible. I believe we should come together as two bodies, with the leadership of both bodies working together to try to get this legislation right. The hearings that are taking place today in the House have been most illuminating. The 5-hour session we had yesterday in Banking was most illuminating. Most of us have been able to spend time with Chairman Bernanke and Secretary Paulson to talk through this issue. One of the responsibilities and privileges we have here in the Senate is that we have access to information most people throughout the country do not have access to. People ask us to make judgments, to use the wisdom we garner from talking to these people to try to do the right thing for our country, and I hope that sometime between now and Sunday we will come together, solve this problem, do so in a way that is prudent for our country, that protects our taxpayers but at the same time causes the financial system in our country to operate as it should. I want to mention one other thing. If we do this correctly, which is what I have been trying to encourage--I know the President has done the same thing in hearings yesterday--if we do this correctly, the money, whatever money that is expended, is actually something that is an investment. These securities Secretary Paulson is talking about investing in have a market value. If they can set up a mechanism to buy these at proper value, the taxpayers will, in fact, have a return. I believe that whatever we do is not going to be 100 percent correct. We will make mistakes. We will look back on whatever it is we pass in the next week or so and we will realize we had some issues that were not dealt with properly. But I do think it is incumbent upon us to work until this is done. I think the markets are watching us. I think actually that while we might have taken another week or two to solve this problem, an artificial line has been drawn in the sand for this weekend because the markets now expect us to do something. And I want to say to the assistant leader, to our minority leader, and to others who have been on the floor that I certainly stand ready and available to work with others, to work with people on both sides of the aisle and in both bodies to make sure we solve this problem, we solve it prudently, and we do so in a timeframe that allows our financial markets to get back to somewhat normal operations as soon as possible. I yield the floor. Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________