for the first time in the history of our country unless there is a compromise or they accept my bill, we re headed for economic disaster. it s time for republicans to step forward. there s been some movement today. as i indicated on the floor, i was having a meeting in my office this afternoon with some splun and that fell through. as they were walking into a conference, three republican senators said they were interested in my bill, interested in compromise. they need to step forward. muns are blocking republicans are blocking their ability to kproomize, refusing to negotiate with us. all they do is talk, enough to get done. the house will hold an up or down vote i m told on my proposal. we should be allowed to do the same. that s all we re asking. it s time for us to be adult. it s time to come together and compromise. it s what the american people want and what we need to do. senator durbin? i m sure you recall the speech that was given to the american people on mond