Another major pandemic relief package for the American People. After all, there are so many important ways in which American Families need help and which democrats say our big priorities just like republicans do. A federal addon to unemployment insurance, more schools mort wools for schools to safely reopen and access to testing and diagnostics. Or resources to develop vaccines and treatments. Of support to put money into families hands asap. Another round of the hugely successful Paycheck Protection Program that Small Businesses have relied on which is left out of the democratic proposal. All of these things and many more were in Senate Republicans coronaviruslar rescue package focused on kids, jobs, health care, and Legal Protections to help our country reopen. So i had hoped the senate would be spending this week turning a major agreement into law. ,ut sadly, for the country sadly for struggling americans, the speaker of the house and the Senate Democratic leader decided we would not deliver any of that. None of it. For weeks, Speaker Pelosi and democratic leader in the senate stalled and stalled in backroom negotiations. They held up important aid over non covid related demands. They stayed true to their comments from very early on in the pandemic. This is the way they look at it. Ay saw the pandemic as tremendous opportunity to structure things to fit our vision. That was the House Democratic whip. Speaker pelosi herself put it this way this is an opportunity. Every crisis is. Working families call this pandemic a crisis. They call it a nightmare. But leading democrats call it an opportunity . Just listen to some of their demands. These are the democrats demands. Here is one. Democrats say nobody gets of relief unless state and local governments get about a trillion dollars in next or money. Let me say that again. Democrats are saying that nobody gets another dime of relief unless state and local governments get another trillion dollars in next her money. Let us put a few facts on the table. Number one, state and local governments have always have already spent about one fourth of the huge sums we sent them in the springtime. 150 billion. Number two, the economists that calculated the likely covid related shortfalls for state and local governments have mostly produced estimates that our entire multitudes multiples less than what democrats are demanding. Number three, republicans tried to give states and localities extra flexibility around the funds they are ready have. Extra flexibility around the unspent funds they already have. In my state, 90 4 of the money we sent them has not been spent. And we wanted to send huge sums to help with schools which are one of the state big one of the states biggest expenses. That, the all of democrats are demanding that we send state and local governments a colossal amount of money with no relationship to actual need while they have only spent a quarter, 25 of the money they have already gotten. Covid. This is not about democrats think they smell an opening day of wanted for years. To make uncle sam bailout decades of mismanagement and broken policies in places like new york, new jersey, california. And so they have decided that no working family anywhere in america can get another sense, not one cent another cent, not one cent unless we create a milliondollar slush fund. Here is another one of those manse. Nobody gets another dime unless we pay people more to stay home than to go back to work. Work. Now, mr. President , republicans agree we ought to continue additional federal jobless benefits during this extraordinary time. Senate republicans tried several times to stop them from expiring. The democratic leader blocked us. Our view, which a majority of americans share, is simply that it disincentivizes rehiring and reopening to pay people to more to stay home. A statement of the obvious. It disincentivizes rehiring and reopening to pay people more to stay home. Plenty of democrats said they saw the point and were happy to negotiate on this. Speaker pelosis own number two, the House Majority leader, said, quote, its not 600 or bust. That was the numbertwo democrat in the house. The senior senator from merrell said, quote, we certainly understand. We dont want to have a higher benefit than what someone can make working. Oh, no, but the speaker and the democratic leader overruled them. No deal. No deal unless we pay people more to stay home. Thats not about covid. Its not about a real reopening. Its about farleft ideology. They preferred for the jobless benefits to go down to zero zero unless they could pay people more to stay home. Does anyone in this country really believe that relief for americans should be totally contingent on bailing out states for mismanagement that predated the pandemic by decades . Does anyone really think it was better for jobless benefits to completely expire unless we pay people more not to work . And does anyone really think that congress should walk away from countless subjects where a bipartisan agreement should be possible over these fringe positions . Do americans think democrats should walk away from school funding, testing, cash to households, preventing a spike in seniors medicare premiums, legal reform, and more over this . I think almost every family in america would answer these questions the same way, but, unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi and the democratic leader have answered them the opposite way. They think they have political leverage over the president of the United States, and so theyre willing to personally increase the pain for vulnerable families unless they get their way on matters not related to covid. Republicans wanted to agree on the things we could agree to. Democrats said, our way or the highway. Republicans wanted to send cash now right now for schools, testing, and Unemployment Benefits and argue over state bailouts later. Democrats said nobody gets a penny unless texas and florida bail out new jersey. Thats their position. Nobody gets a penny unless texas and florida bail out new jersey. So this is where we are. The previous u. I. Benefits expired. The p. P. P. Closed its doors. Over the weekend, President Trump took steps to soften the blow of the democrats hostage tactics on American Families who need help most. His decisions will help spare some americans some of the pain from the democrats hostage taking. From the beginning, from the very beginning, mr. President , our side has tried Everything Possible to find Common Ground and deliver more help, but the democrats have said no. At least the American People know the score. At least they know the score. E d with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer now, mr. President , over the weekend the United States achieved a milestone. Five million americans are confirmed to have contracted covid19, by far the most in the world. Our country went from four million americans having had the disease to five million in 17 days, only 17 days. One million americans were infected int