Transcripts For CSPAN2 U.S. Senate U.S. Senate 20240713

Pro forma session, we do expect Mitch Mcconnell to ask unanimous consent to pass the latest Coronavirus Relief measure. Reports are that ideal has been reached on nearly 500 billion for Small Businesses, hospitals and further covid19 testing. The House Majority leader says members are ready to return to the capital quickly to pass the measure. Likely by the end of the week. Take you cliff and after the senate floor on cspan2. The presiding officer the senate will come to order. The clerk will read a communication to the senate. The clerk washington, d. C, april 21, 2020. To the senate under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable daniel sullivan, a senator from the state of alaska, to perform the duties of the chair. Signed chuck grassley, president pro tempore. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i ask consent to be recognized notwithstanding the order for a pro forma session today. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent that it be in order to receive h. R. 6322 from the house. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell so, mr. President , earlier today, leaders in both chambers and the administration reached a bipartisan agreement to supplement the historic cares act. At the core of our agreement is 320 billion more for the paycheck protection program, which is already saving millions of Small Business jobs and helping americans get paychecks instead of pink slips. Mr. President , this is even more money than we had first requested a while back. In the intervening time and at our request, this new money puts a special focus on Community Banks and credit unions. Separately, thanks to the hard work of senator collins and senator rubio, the bill supplies 60 billion for additional Economic Injury disaster loans, and because of senator roberts, senator daines, and our other colleagues from rural states, it will be clear that farmers and ranchers will be eligible as well. Senate republicans wanted more funding for americans paychecks nearly two weeks ago. Before the program even shut down. But in the days that our democratic colleagues delayed these urgent funds, additional federal help for hospitals, Health Care Providers, and testing became timely as well. Republicans have always supported more medical funding as soon as it was necessary, so im proud this package will provide roughly 75 billion more to fund hospitals and Health Care Providers in this crisis. Thanks to chairman alexander, chairman blunt, there is an additional 25 billion for stateled, stateled covid19 testing plans and for research, development, and other testing support from key federal agencies such as the c. D. C. , the n. I. H. , and barta. This is a significant package. It does just what i outlined when we passed the cares act in the senate in march. The senate is prepared to stand by the American People, watching the cares act go into effect and adding funding when necessary to key programs that are working well. Its unfortunate that it took our democratic colleagues 12 days to agree to a deal that contains essentially nothing that republicans ever opposed. In my view, its indefensible that main streets Small Businesses and their workers had their assistance cut off for partisan leverage. That was the word of choice for one leading House Democrat leverage. The American People cannot be political leverage. So im glad were now poised to move ahead. Senate republicans are prepared to pass the bill. Its my hope the entire senate will be able to pass it as soon as possible, potentially as soon as just a few minutes from now. Before i conclude, i want to share my gratitude for the people whose efforts allow us to produce these vital pieces of legislation on a crash timeline in these most unusual circumstances. A lot of talented people worked day and night to produce this bill. In the administration, secretary mnuchin and his staff at the treasury department. And white house chief of staff mark meadows. Here in the senate, our democrats on both sides, our committee and leadership staff on both sides, and the Incredible Team players in the office of the legislative counsel. These are nonpartisan staff who serve the institution and our country. As usual, we literally would not have this legislative text without their extraordinary help. These are unprecedented times for the entire nation, and the senate is no exception. So i want to thank everyone, those who worked remotely from their kitchen tables, those of you here in the chamber right now, the Capitol Police officers who protect the place day and night. I thank you all, and more importantly your country thanks you. Now, lets just get this done, lets move ahead and get it done for the American People. So, mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that there now be up to 15 minutes of eebt each for senators schumer, paul, cardin, lee, and sullivan. Further, that the time be for debate only, and upon the use or yielding back of their individual times, i be immediately recognized with no intervening action. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. The presiding officer the minority leader. Mr. Schumer thank you, mr. President. Well, in the month since i last addressed this chamber, life for nearly every american has been upended. Stateathome orders have swept across the country. The monthly toll of new unemployment claims are measured in the millions. Our Health System has been strained to the breaking point. American workers and businesses are suffering Financial Hardship not seen since the great recession. Almost 800,000 of our fellow citizens have tested positive for covid19. And most heart breakingly, america has lost more than 37,000 precious lives to this coronavirus, many, many of them new yorkers. Over the past two months, the senate has come together on three occasions to pass legislation in response to this multifaceted crisis, to rescue our Ailing Health care system, to cushion the blow to American Workers and businesses, and prepare our country for more prosperous for a more prosperous future on the other side of this pandemic. Our last legislative effort, the cares act, was unprecedented in size and in scope. The largest stimulus in american history. Remarkably, on such a large and complex bill, the senate came together 960 to pass this crucial emergency relief, getting ayes from senator sanders to senator cruz and everyone in between. It shows that even with the partisanship here, as tough and harsh as it can be, we can come together unanimously in a time of great crisis. Still, the depth of the crisis we now face meant that funding for certain programs in this bill had already been depleted. And a number of required fixes were had to be made to make sure these programs worked as intended. An interim bill, covid 3. 5 is necessary. My friend, the republican leader, tried to bypass the negotiations on such an interim measure. He tried to jam through a bill that would have increased funding for one Small Business Lending Program but not others when they were all running out of funding. His proposal did not attempt to fix the dire lack of lending to Small Businesses that are truly small, underbanked, underserved, minority or women owned. And his proposal included nothing at all for our health care system, nothing to address the National Shortage in testing, nothing to help state, local, or tribal governments who are breaking their budgets to fight this disease. All of us want to help our Small Businesses, all of us, but this emergency demands we take action on many fronts. So we have spent the last week negotiating with the administration. Treasury secretary mnuchin, chief of staff meadows, as well as Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats, with us, the senate democrats, to improve the legislation. We reached a final agreement earlier today. Now, there are plenty of disagreements between our parties these days, but once again, we are coming together to pass this legislation by unanimous consent. Not a single senator objecting. I want to thank secretary mnuchin. I spent hours and hours with him at all hours of the day. I want to thank someone i didnt know very well, chief of staff meadows, whos very good at making sure an agreement can come to fruition, even in the wee hours of the morning. Of course, i want to thank my dear friend and partner, Speaker Pelosi. And i want to thank leaders mcconnell and mccarthy who at the end of the day did not let partisan disagreement stand in the way of whats doing right for this country. Again, just like the cares act, the hard work of bipartisan negotiation paid off. Need to talk to us, not try to steam roll us once again made a huge and positive difference. This legislation is significantly better and broader than the initial proposal offered by the republican leader. Republicans asked us to funnel more money into a program that wasnt working the way it should. We negotiated a bill that not only provided support but made it more effective, more inclusive, and addressed other Urgent National priorities as well. The legislation before us contains 220 billion more, including funding for Small Businesses through Community Financial institutions, new funding for our hospitals and health care systems, and a substantial down payment on a National Testing regime so desperately needed and asked for by one and all. Let me repeat that. The legislation now includes an additional 220 billion. 120 billion for Small Businesses, 100 billion for our health care system, divided among Health Care Providers and a testing need for testing and Contact Tracing. The new money includes 50 billion in additional emergency Small Business loans and 10 billion in additional business grants. That includes 60 billion in new funding set aside for small lenders. If you dont know a banker, if youre not a relatively largesized company, you were left out. Two out of three loans in new york were ignored by the mom and pops, the Small Businesses, the restaurants and the barber shops, the hardware stores, the butchers. And small startups, both service and manufacturing. They couldnt get in. Now they will be. Because of our work. Our bill will help rural Small Businesses, minority Small Businesses, womenowned Small Businesses get the money they need. I believe every member of our caucus heard from businesses in their states who couldnt access federal lending because they didnt have a prior relationship with a big bank. So what we have done is set aside lending for smaller communitybased lenders and dedicated half of that funding, 30 billion, to Community Development Financial Institutions and minority depository institutions. We insisted that this money be separate from the competition with the Bigger Companies so the moms and pops, the restaurants and nail salons and startups and minority businesses can get some access. Unlike leader mcconnells proposal, this bill also includes 100 billion in money to fight the coronavirus itself. Were not going to cure the economic problem unless we can cure the health problem. We can give loans to Small Businesses, but if there are no customers walking the streets to is that . So we insisted that 75 billion go to our hospitals. Our hospitals are going under water. Certainly, the big ones in cities like mine that have been an epicenter of corona, but smaller hospitals in rural areas. Talk to our rural representatives. They are telling you their hospitals might go under. And mediumsized hospitals in new york state, st. Joes in syracuse, st. Peters in albany each laid off 700 people this week. Theyre going to get help because of what we did. The experts are the experts of clear, to fight this disease we need to dramatically, dramatically expand Testing Capacity and frequency. We dont have enough tests. That cry rings from one end of america to the other, urban, suburban, rural, north, east, south, and west. We dont have enough tests. Well, now help is on the way because democrats stood and fought for it. 25 billion, 11 billion to go to the states to help them test and do the Contact Tracing they need. Money to help create a manufacturing and supply chain that will have adequate tests and adequate supplies for those tests so we can finally get them going. We need them desperately. One of the last provisions secured in these negotiations nt midnight last night was a requirement that the Administration Report on a National Strategic testing plan on how it plans to increase domestic Testing Capacity, testing supplies and the disparities in all communities. Thus far unfortunately the administration has refused to accept responsibility for the sorry state of testing in our country. Under this agreement, the Trump Administration will now at last be required to report on what its National Testing plan actually looks like. Congress provided the startup fund for the testing program. Its now up to the administration to prepare a National Testing strategy and implement those funds to proper effect before it is too late. Of course this bill is not perfect. Were sorely disappointed republicans refused to work with us to strengthen food assistance. I am sorely disappointed that republicans turned a deaf ear to governors, mayors, tribal leaders, county and local officials, democratic and republican, all 50 governors who have been pleading for the federal government, with the federal government for more help. And its not about abstract government. I know we dont like government on the other side of the aisle. Its about policemen, firefighters, bus drivers, hospital workers. Theyre being laid off because the local governments and the state governments are starving and not getting their revenues. We fought and fought but unfortunately on the other side of the aisle they resisted. I hope they wont resist in covid 4 where were going to need a large amount of money to help our localities so Police Officers and bus drivers arent laid off. Republicans need to come to help our need. Secretary mnuchin committed and the president tweeted today that they will support state and local funding in the next round of legislation as well and this is very important as a provision providing flexibility to use all past and future relief dollars to offset lost revenue. The president signaled his support for this concept as well in a tweet this morning. We should have passed support for state and local governments. Democrats will see to it that it gets done in the next package. Now i finally, id remind my colleagues this is an interim measure. Theres plenty of hardwon provisions that we democrats are pleased with but its ultimately a building block. In the weeks ahead Congress Must prepare another major bill similar in size and ambition to the cares act. The next bill must be big and bold and suited to the needs of a be belee gerred country. Truck drivers, Grocery Store clerks, Police Officers, firefighters, and more. And we must make sure that our elections this fall are conducted fairly, that states have enough money to run them properly, and that every american can exercise his or her constitutional franchise safely and confidently. This is a covidrelated issue. So those issues and more will be priorities for the Senate Democratic caucus in the next bill. Yes, mr. President , its been a long few months for the American People, but even now there are signs that the sacrifices americans have made are beginning to slow the spread of the disease. Were a long way from the end, but this too shall pass. Until the day when it can, when we can begin to return to normal. It is up to congress and the entire federal government to deliver the leadership and resources that only we can provide. The private sector will not provide the aid our nation requires. The efforts of individual states or even individual citizens, heroic as they are, will not be enough. And we dare not abandon them in these dark and difficult times. The American People need their government. They need their government to act strongly, boldly, wisely. Let us do what we were elected to do and pass this bill today. I yield the floor. Mr. Lee mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from utah. Mr. Lee mr. President , its with a heavy heart that i come to the floor of the senate today. Over the last few weeks ive talked to countless people throughout utah and across the nation, but especially in utah about the troubles that they have encountered, about the profound sadness that the American People are experiencing right now, the frustrations that they have. This is something that weve never seen in this country, not on this scale, not during our lifetimes. My thoughts and prayers go out to my fellow americans and my fellow utahns as theyre struggling to make ends meet, whether its figuring out how to make payroll or keep food on the table at home or a combination of both, as it is for so many. Im mindful of them. And of all the difficulty that the American People are going through right now. I want to begin by echoing something that senator schumer said a moment ago. We need to do what we were elected to do. Although i dont agree with everything senator schumer just said, and in fact i strongly disagree with a lot he just said but i do agree with that. We need to do the job we were elected to do. Lets think about where we are now and where weve been over the last few weeks. Weve seen Health Care Providers working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Weve seen the president and his staff at the white house working 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Weve seen the centers for Disease Control and members of the Public Health community who have continued to work tirelessly. Farmers and Truck Drivers and Grocery Store employees and pharmacists working to make sure that we continue to have access to the things we need in order to live. Weve seen members of the news media working overtime, even if, as is the case for many of them, they do so only to blame all of this rather unfairly, in my opinion, on the president of the United States. We see parents working both their jobs, both of them, and from home, and simultaneously homeschooling their children. And yet, congress is in recess. This, mr. President , is simply unacceptable. If covid19 requires congress to act, then it requires congress to convene. Now, look, i understand the need for distancing, and there are ways we can accommodate that here. Support staff can stay home. Policy experts can mostly work from home. Many of our meetings, most of them in fact, can be conducted over the phone or by video conference. Ive seen this myself in the last few weeks. Ive been working as many hours as ever just with a lot of meetings over the phone and through zoom and platforms like that. The meetings continue. But all the essential work of congress, that is any step necessary in order to enact legislation, the task of legislating itself can be done only by members who are voting and present in their respective legislative chamber, either this senate or the house of representatives. This is a nondelegable duty. We cant delegate it to anybody else in government. Weve got exactly two choices, mr. President. We can choose to legislate, in which case we have to convene. Or we can stay in recess and not legislate. Those really are the only two options. It is no coincidence, it is no accident that the very clause of the very first section of the very first article of the constitution says all legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in the congress of the United States which shall consist of a senate and the house of representatives. Article 1, section 7, then goes on to prescribe the formula by which all federal law will be enacted. This, mr. President , may happen only when the same discreet set of words presented in the form of a legislative proposal passes the house and the senate and is then submitted to the president for signature or veto. Under our constitutional system, under any definition of the term, senators are essential employees. Were being paid. We have a crisis to continue to work through. Our services are necessary. And in order to perform those services, we have to perform them here in washington. To be very clear about this, this isnt entirely a new thing. Sure, the most recent iteration of this is new and began with the covid19 crisis, began about a month ago. But the fact is congress has in many respects been shirking its responsibilities for years, for decades in fact, for the better part of the last, i dont know, three, four, five, six Decades Congress has been sort of backing away from its lawmaking responsibilities. We have ceded voluntarily, sometimes willfully, the responsibility for making law, in some cases to the courts, in many, many cases to executive branch agencies. This for many is a feature, but its an unconstitutional feature. Its something that we should dismiss and render above it. You see, we cant delegate that power. Its supposed to belong only to us, and that means were not supposed to enact law saying entity x, y, or z shall enact with law in the area of expertise of that agency. But in this crisis we doubled down on that decadeslong bad habit. In many cases we think congress itself, only weve empowered Party Leaders to negotiate in secret, stamping sort of asking us to rubber stamp out these take it or leave it proposals without individual members being able to read them, let alone have meaningful input in their negotiation. And reducing the world of each individual elected lawmaker in the lawmaking process to, to a series of tweets and press conferences. This isnt legislating. I was interested a few minutes ago when senator schumer was talking referring to provisions that were negotiated successfully last night to add this or that provision into this deal. Well, most of us were not part of that process. Most of us saw this legislative package, this bill only within the last few hours. That, mr. President , isnt a true negotiation. Its not a true legislative process. I understand that were in unusual circumstances, but we cant let it happen this way again. This is not acceptable. We should not be passing major legislation, especially legislation providing nearly a half trillion dollars in new spending without Congress Actually being in session, without members actually being here to debate, discuss, amend and consider legislation and vote on it individually rather than on an absentee basis, rather than by delegating that power to someone else. This crisis is too big to leave up to a small handful of people. Different parts of the country will face different kinds of threats and, therefore, have different kinds of needs. Different industries will need different kind of help in order to recover the health of the economy. And as long as congress is in recess, democrats are free to politicize, stifle legislation with impunity, as they did just a couple of weeks ago, while returning to work and indeed actually working will give the American People the government they deserve. The American People need to know who is helping them and who is simply playing politics. We cant allow them to know that if were not in session. We cant just spend another 500 billion every week or two or three and hope or pretend its going to turn out okay. The upcoming challenges are far too numerous and onerous and complex to leave up to just a few Staff Meetings behind closed doors. Weve got issues involving testing, masks, health care policy, liability, leave, regulatory reform, immigration, and the judicial system, just to name a few. All of these things require serious action, serious legislative action. We cant just give those issues the attention that they deserve simply by sitting in our respective homes. Now look, im not saying that members arent working. I and most the members i know have been working as hard as ever in the last few weeks but we cant do that which is uniquely our job. We can have meetings, we can make phone calls, we can help solve problems like every other american could but we cannot do the job for which we were elected without actually being here. You see, mr. President , the Reason Congress the Reason Congress works so little, even in moments like this one, congress has chosen to prioritize its own convenience. The three and a halfday legislative workweek, blocking tough amendment votes, nuclear options, things like this, look, they are all reminders of the fact that we have to get back to work, especially if were going to have a debate about when everyone else will be able to return to work. If it makes anyone feel better, remember the senate floor is often empty, just as it is at this very moment, making it perhaps the safest place in america. We can, in fact, structure our votes in such a way that we can distance ourselves. Weve proven that in recent weeks. We can do it again. In closing, mr. President , we have to remember that challenges dont themselves build character. They reveal it. Our character is revealed rather than built on challenging times. The character of our institution is on the line here. Its being exposed and revealed for all the world to see. Covid19 certainly has revealed to us the character of the Chinese Government and its lackeys inside the world health organization. It has revealed the character of americas doctors and nurses, our priests and our pastors. Our families and our communities have pulled together. Many state and local leaders have proven themselves to be up to the challenge, especially i say with great pride both democrats and republicans in my home state of utah. Congress stepped up before we recessed to appropriate money for workers and businesses who were facing an unprecedented monumental crisis, but that was weeks ago. That was literally 20 million lost jobs ago. There is more to do. There is a lot more. More than we have ever faced. The countrys changing, along with the rest of the world, and we need policy to change with it. Unlike millions of our constituents, members of congress are still receiving paychecks. Its time for us to earn them. Its time to do our job. Its time to return to washington and get to work. Were not currently scheduled to come back until may 4. When we come back on may 4, i hope we do, i hope the force will be with us, but we have got to get back together i would hope even sooner than that because we cant legislate without our members here. We cant do that from recess. Thank you, mr. President. Mr. Cardin mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from maryland. Mr. Cardin thank you, mr. President. I am pleased that we are ready to act and we will be able to pass legislation in a few moments that will help deal with this pandemic. Like my colleagues, i have been in teleconferences with different groups in maryland and i have seen the pain caused by the coronavirus. In maryland, were losing around 30 citizens every day to the coronavirus. Over the last week, our nation has lost over 15,000 to the coronavirus. This pandemic is with us in a very serious way, and we need to respond, so i am pleased that this afternoon we will be providing Additional Resources to our Health Care Providers, particularly those that are on the front lines in dealing with the coronavirus and that we will be passing legislation to establish a National Strategy on testing, working with our states to make sure all communities have adequate testing so we can when we reopen our society do so in a safe manner. Im also pleased that were acting on the Small Business provisions. The programs that we passed in the cares act that provide help to Small Businesses was very popular and was oversubscribed, but im particularly pleased that we are able to pass today provisions that are greatly improved from when i was last on the floor a little over a week ago when the majority leader made a unanimous consent request that would have included only additional money for the paycheck protection program, 250 billion, and would not have dealt with the Health Care Issues or the challenges that i expressed on the floor at that time in regards to the Small Business provisions. And the reason that we now have a bill that one that we could be very proud of is because this has been negotiated with all members of the senate being involved through a bipartisan process rather than just being brought to the floor by the majority. We saw that happen on the cares act originally. The original bill that was brought to the floor by the majority leader and attempted to pass did not include major help for our state and local governments, did not include major help for our health care institutions, did not provide funds for many of our programs that are critically important to our local communities. So we were able to improve that program because we worked together, democrats and republicans, to introduce the bill that we could be proud of. As i said when i was last on the floor, in regards to the Small Business provisions, we had a bipartisan process. Senator rubio and i have been working very closely together to develop the tools for Small Businesses. And yes, i do acknowledge the work of senator collins and senator shaheen because we have come together to try to put together a package that could work. But what i mentioned on the floor when i was here last when the u. C. Was made, there were problems with the original request made by the majority leader. And i pointed that out. Underserved communities have not been able to get in in the same number as those who have relations with Banking Institutions. The larger Small Businesses. Mr. President , i pointed that out to the secretary of the treasury and to the Small Business administrator on april 7 by a letter that i authored along with senator schumer and the democratic members of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. We pointed out this is two days before we had the original u. C. Request. We believe and im quoting from that letter to the secretary and the administrator we believe that more can be done to reach out to and authorize those lenders, such as Community Development Financial Institutions, minority depository institutions, and missionbased nonprofit lenders, which are in the best position to bridge the trust gap between many underserved communities and the traditional financial sector. For example, a survey conducted by the negotiation of enterprise opportunity found that more than half of black respondents felt they were unfairly treated by Financial Institutions compared to only 26 of white rerespondents. So we knew we had to do something to bridge that gap. So when the request was made ten days ago, it did not include any help for these minority businesses or the rural areas or women businesses that have been shut out in great numbers to the first requests under the paycheck protection program. So what this bill that we now have on the floor does, it corrects that. It corrects that by providing 60 billion in addition to the 250 billion. So were now up to 310 billion more going into the paycheck protection program, but 60 billion is dedicated to dealing with minority communities and Rural Communities and womenowned businesses by having more funds going out to the Community Banking institutions and minority Banking Institutions and missionbased nonproit lenders so that we can get more of the funds into the hands of those Small Businesses that are in desperate need. The smaller Small Businesses. I have numerous examples. I will just use one, if i might, mr. President , from a business in maryland, e. N. Frederick, that writes to us and says that thanks to this program this employer has 20 employees. This is a Small Business. 20 employees. Which he said basically is that i was looking to how i could transition my employees to unemployment because i couldnt afford to continue to keep them on payroll. But now, thanks to the paycheck protection program, im able to keep my employees on the payroll. Quote, thats the best thing about p. P. P. And i couldnt agree more. Thats what were trying to do. Its paycheck protection, keep workers employed so Small Businesses dont have to go back out when this virus is over and try to find a workforce in order to be competitive. They can keep their workforce in place, and by the way taking the pressure off our Unemployment Compensation system. We were able through the change that we were able to make and i applaud senator schumer and Speaker Pelosi for sticking to that principle that all Small Businesses need to be included, and as a result this package now includes those allocations that will get to our minority and underserved communities. But there is a second issue i raised on the floor ten days ago, and that was the Economic Injury disaster loans, the idle loans. It ran ou of money before the p. P. P. Ran out of money. It was not part of the unanimous consent by the majority leader. As well as the Grant Program that was created under cares. Now, mr. President , smaller Small Businesses use the disaster loans. Why . Because it gives them working capital so they can stay in business. P. P. P. Covers payroll, but they need more than payroll. These are longer term loans with no payments during the first year so that businesses can stay afloat after a disaster, and we qualify the coronavirus as one of those disasters. So this is a critically Important Program in our state and in our nation. But we added to it by providing a Grant Program, up to 10,000 in grants, not loans, to Small Businesses. Well, in my state of maryland, we had 12,000 Small Businesses that applied for that grant. We had 26,000 apply for the p. P. P. Just pointing out how popular this program is. The Grant Program is 10 billion. The p. P. P. Program is 349 billion. It ran out of money before the p. P. P. Program, the Grant Program. And we need to put more money in that program. The unanimous consent ten days ago didnt do that, thanks to the negotiations of senator senator schumer and the democrats, we were able to get 50 billion put into the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program which will be able to leverage about 300 billion of additional loans under that program. That will help the smaller of the Small Businesses. And we were able to get 10 billion put into the idle Grant Program so they can once again open applications from Small Businesses that couldnt to get the cash grant from the Small Business administration. These loans and grants are made by s. B. A. , not by Financial Institutions, so all Small Businesses have access. I did some rough calculations, if my math is correct. In maryland, the average size of a business that qualified for the eidl grant was between four and five employees. These were really the small, Small Businesses. The original u. C. Did not have that. We now have funds in it. This package is much better to reach those Small Businesses that desperately need help. Now, i brought this to the peangs of secretary mnuchin shortly after our to the attention of secretary mnuchin shortly after our discussions on the floor last time. When i explained to him how these programs work for smaller businesses, he showed interest, and im glad i was able to negotiate with him the additional 60 billion going into those programs. Its a better package, thanks to the bipartisan process. I do want to mention one additional issue that we need to deal with, and that is accountability. We need to get information on how these programs are working, and i would hope that we would get bipartisan support for that. On april 17, i authored a letter with senator schumer and senator wyden and senator shaheen to secretary mnuchin and administrator caronza in which we asked for the p. P. P. Program, give us the numbers and the amount of loans disbursed to Small Businesses including a breakout of loans by state, demographics, industry, loan size, number and amount of loans disbursed to businesses under the nix72 exception. Thats the one for restaurants and hospitality field, including a breakout of loans by state demographics and loan size. Give us the number and am of loans provided to nonprofits. Nonprofits for the first time are eligible for these 7a loans and religious institutions, including a breakout of the loans by state, industry, hand loan size, and the number of loans disbursed broken down by lending institutions. So we can find out the concentration of these loans. And then similar information in regards to the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, the numbers, et cetera, give us that information, including those who have received the grants. And then lastly, we asked for information about the Loan Forgiveness Program because there is another program under the cares act that allows for a sixmonth forgiveness of repayment of existing 7a or 504 loans, and we need information on that. We need this information in order to carry out our responsibility of accountability. We have a responsibility to make sure the money is getting to the right places. I had a communication with senator rubio this week in which we both agree that we are concerned that you might be seeing some large chains getting more money than we think we intended under the act. We intended there would be a 10 million cap, but yet weve seen reports where certain businesses were able to find a way to get more than 10 million. We also had selfcertification, but theres need. You have to show that youve been damaged by the coronavirus. And we think we should have examined whether there was any false certifications. The first thing we want to do on a Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee on a bipartisan basis is do our oversight to make sure that if theres abuse that we put a spotlight on it and correct it to make sure that the monies go to the Small Businesses that we intended to receive help. We need now to work on the next stimulu package, and i was glad to hear the president talk about this. Senator schumer talked about it. Yes, our First Priority should be the health and welfare of the American People in dealing with the coronavirus itself and we need to do more. We clearly need to deal with state and local governments. Thats going to be a critical part of the next package. We also need to look at improvements in the Small Business package. We know theres an 8week period on repayment. Many members have heard from Small Businesses that they need additional flexibility. After all, how did they predict when they can reopen if government told them they have to stay closed . We need to give some degree of flexibility in the eightweek period. We have different Small Businesses that want us to consider their eligibility. And what happens after eight weeks, if were still seeing our economy not up to full speed . We need to talk about how we transition after eight weeks to make sure these Small Businesses can succeed. The Lesson Learned on the cares act, the Lesson Learned on this legislation were taking up this afternoon is when we work together, negotiate together, when we do a bipartisan package which the American People expect us to do during this national emergency, we get a better product and we can do it quicker. I urge us all as we move on to the fourth stimulus package, lets start from the beginning in a bipartisan way so that we can get the very best product for the American People and deal with this national crisis. With that, mr. President , i yield the floor. Mr. Paul mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from kentucky. Mr. Paul no amount of money, not all the money in china will save us from ourselves. Our only hope of rescuing this great country is to reopen the economy. If you print up billions of dollars and give it to people, theyre unlikely to spend it until you end the qawrnt. Quarantine. The good news is the Scientific Community has facts instead of conjecture. The models that used 3. 4 mortality were fortunately very wrong. Random samples now, thousands of people have now been tested for antibodies for i am community to for immunity to coronavirus. The number of people who have already developed antibodies to the coronavirus is 25 to 50 times higher than the number that is being reported as infected. This is great news. This study means that the mortality rate may well be 25 to 50 times less deadly than previously thought. The virus is still dangerous, and we shouldnt ignore the risks, but we should put those risks in perspective. These randomized tests indicate that instead of a 3. 4 mortality that the rate could be as much as only a tenth of a percent or twotenths of one percent. We now have Scientific Evidence from randomized studies that we can continue this disease without the dhahran dranconian lockdown of the country. So today i rise in opposition to spending 500 billion more. The virus bailouts have already cost over 2 trillion. Our annual deficit this year will approach 4 trillion. We cant continue on this course. No amount of bailout dollars will stimulate an economy that is being strangled by quarantine. It is not a lack of money that plagues us but a lack of commerce. This economic calamity only resolves when we begin to open the economy. Opening the economy will require americans to rise above partisanship, to understand that deaths from Infectious Disease will continue but that we cannot indefinitely quarantine. Make no mistake about it, this has been a difficult month for our country. For many of us, we have not seen a greater challenge. Im encouraged to see how our communities have responded. In kentucky, we have seen tremendous collaboration. People from all walks of life have come together to help each other. We have worked to identify and supply additional protective gear, masks and gloves to protect our doctors and nurses who risk their lives on a daily basis. Ups has set up an airlift operation out of louisville that includes a Health Care Facility for fema. It allows fema to make deliveries from anywhere in the country. Over three Million Masks and other equipment have been shipped to the louisville airport by ups. We have worked with facilities to produce hand sanitizeer. We helped repatriate americans trapped overseas. We have seen communities have banded together to support neighbors, businesses and those in need. When protective equipment was in short supply we discovered a way to use industrial masks and supported legislation that allowed them to bring 30,000 some odd masks into the community. When the f. D. A. Wouldnt approve covid tests, we introduced legislation that circumvented the f. D. A. And red tape to get testing done quicker. Over the years, the u. S. Accumulated more than 23 trillion in debt, though, spending money that we do not have, borrowing from our kids and our grandkids future. The gargantuan federal bailout that just passed over 2 trillion brings us closer and closer to a point of no return, a point at which the world loses confidence in the dollar, a point at which our debt becomes an existential threat to our security. The United States was already having to borrow simply to pay our promises to senior citizens. The u. S. Is borrowing about 1 trillion a year just to pay for everyday obligations. This is before the pandemic bailout. The u. S. Was already borrowing nearly 2 million every minute. With the recent 2 trillion bailout, we are borrowing faster than we have ever borrowed before. Had we practiced sound budgeting in the past, we would have been better, significantly better positioned to weather this storm. Congress failures in the past coupled with the pandemic crisis could seriously jeopardize our economic future. In this moment we need to think carefully about what we do next. To stop the threat of the virus commerce has been disrupted, businesses have closed and millions have lost their jobs. Right now that number is over 20 million unemployed. The job losses will continue no matter how much money you throw at it until you reopen the economy. Our government has intervened with unprecedented scale to prop up our economy. Weve injected 2 trillion. I dont believe it makes sense for the government to provide support to businesses and families. I do believe it makes sense for the government to provide support to businesses and families that cant make it through this. Ive supported expanding Unemployment Benefits to workers displaced by government quarantine including selfemployed individuals that have lost their businesses. But make no mistake, the massive economic calamity were experiencing right now is caused by government. Passing out 1,200 checks indiscriminately to people who havent lost their jobs will do nothing to rescue the country. If we were going to make discreet payments, direct payments, the criteria should have been sending checks to people who needed it, people who lost their jobs, people furloughed, people who had wage cuts. Instead of directing help to the unemployed, though, some of these bailout checks will go to people, couples who earn nearly 200,000 a year. You could give everybody in the country 12,000 and it wouldnt end this recession. A recovery only comes when the quarantine has ended. Experts will disagree on the exact date that we should reopen the economy, but sane, rational counsel should continue to push for the quickest end possible. Opining about never shaking hands again is a recipe for keeping the economy closed until no one dies from Infectious Disease. The Infectious Disease should be queried and so too should economists. We should seek counsel about balancing harm to health caused by disease by harm to health caused by imposing dysfunction on the economy. Not easy decisions. Most importantly leaders in each state should weigh in on the problem. We need to get past a onesizefitsall approach to Infectious Disease. Realize that most of this money thats being loaned to Small Business is not a loan. Most of this money will not be repaid. It will ultimately be considered grants that will be added to our national debt. Lets be honest about this. Applications for the program opened to overwhelming initial demand. The current data indicates that the money is gone, so now here we are again with leadership from both parties saying lets do another 300 billion. Whats another couple hundred billion . But realize the money desired is not money that we have saved for a rainy day. This money doesnt exist anywhere. It will be created or borrowed. Even more alarming than the money is the idea that one senator can stand on the floor and pass legislation spending a half a trillion dollars and have no recorded vote and no debate. I understand the hardships of senators returning from around the country, so i have not invoked the senate rules to demand a recorded vote. I did return today, though, so that history will record that not everyone gave in to the massive Debt Congress is creating. My hope is that across the country there will remain a vibrant voice for limited government for our constitutional republic. I dont want to see this massive accumulation of debt destroy this great country. So my advice to the senate and to the American People is lets be aware of what were doing by creating all this new debt, and lets think before we jump to a terrible, terrible conclusion. Mr. Sullivan mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from alaska. Mr. Sullivan mr. President , were going to vote here in a minute on the next package that is going to try to help our nation address these unprecedented challenges. I want to thank the majority leader, white house, democrats who have come forward to do this. Its very important that were doing this. In my view, mr. President , as the leader said, we should have done this 12 days ago. We are facing unprecedented challenges, and when we passed the cares act four weeks ago and i think leader mcconnell did an incredible job bringing the u. S. Senate to go, 96 on 0 as minority leader schumer mentioned with regard to this legislation that our nation needed so desperately and that we are trying to provide more resources because the resources needed have already been spent. After that vote i came to the floor right here, and i made a statement that although i was proud to have voted for that, proud to have been part of the negotiation for that, our nation was going to need it, did need it desperately, that we knew there would be mistakes, that we knew there would be areas that werent covered that should, that we knew that elements of that bill would run out of money, as they have. And so i made a plea that we should be here, that we should be here working on behalf of the people we represent. Our governors are back home working hard doing a good job. But as i mentioned the evening that we passed the cares act, from the perspective of the congress, house and senate, this should be our duty station as we address these unprecedented challenges. And, mr. President , i still believe that. Weve heard about the difficulties that could come with voting and having members of congress catch covid19, but we can do this safely. We can vote safely, as senator lee mentioned earlier, americans all over the country are on the front lines Truck Drivers, health care workers, Grocery Store attendants helping their fellow americans. If they can be doing that, i think we should be here working on behalf of them. Theres so much more to do. We need to be nimble. Let me give you an example. The Energy Sector right now, hugely important to my state. Its being decimated because of whats happening globally with regard to energy prices. Workers, great workers being laid off. Small businessesin many sectors in alaska like tourism at huge risk. And had we been here, theres a lot of talk right now about the delay. The minority leader, Speaker Pelosi, wouldnt have had an excuse to delay this p. P. P. Program for 12 days, the funding for that. How many Small Businesses and jobs were lost because of that delay . Well never know, but im sure it was in the thousands. Mr. President , im reading a back right now, 1776, by david mccullough. Its about the incredible challenges that our nation went through at the birth of our nation. Mostly about George Washington and the tough battles he lost and fought. He lost a lot of them in new york. One of the remarkable things about that book is for almost the entire years of 1776, the Continental Congress was actually in session, directing general washington. They were in philadelphia at enormous risk as the british were closing in on them. But as the war was raging for most of that year, that remarkable year of 1776, they were working. We have so much more work to do for our nation in these unprecedented times, whether its confirming judges or phase four of an infrastructure package that we should be working on. Or even confirming key members of the executive branch. Im hopeful just in a couple of minutes were going to be able to move forward with rear admiral michael wahakes nomination to be the director of the Indian Health services at the department of health and human services. As our native services were being threatened by covid19, having this admiral who has broad support throughout our tribal governments including in alaska to be able to be confirmed right now is just one example of the work that im hopeful we can be doing here. So, mr. President , this should be our duty station. In these unprecedented times, being able to address challenges as they arise, and they arise every hour, every minute. But i want to end on a positive note, speaking of duty stations, a good news story that involves the people of interior alaska and our wonderful u. S. Military. Right now literally as we speak, there are two f35s that have left texas, brandnew, coming to an air base in alaska. 15 years ago, this air force base was on the verge of being shut down. The interior alaska communities of fairbanks, north pole, and so many leaders fought that. They said no, this is a strategic location for our military. We shouldnt shut this down. And now these communities today will be receiving the first of 54 f35s, two squadrons. I want to commend my fellow alaskans to their grit and determination to make this happen, a huge day in my state, but the u. S. Military. The u. S. Military a year and a half ago said the f35s will start coming to alaska in april of 2020. And despite this pandemic, thats whats happening today. Remarkable grit and determination of my fellow alaskans but also Remarkable Service to our nation by the u. S. Air force delivering these f35s on time. It will make my state have over 100 fifth Generation Fighters protecting our country. So this is an inspiring story. As we are hearing all kinds of Inspiring Stories throughout our nation throughout these challenging times, mr. President , but in my view, we should be ready to help these great people that we lead, that we serve to get them through these unprecedented times. I yield the floor. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to immediate consideration of calendar number 12, h. R. 266. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk calendar number 12, h. R. 266, an act making appropriations for the department of interior, and so forth and for other purposes. The presiding officer is there objection to proceeding to the measure . Without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent that the mcconnell substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to and that the bill as amended be considered read a third time. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i know of no further debate on the bill as amended. The presiding officer if there is no further debate, the question is on the passage of the bill as amended. All in favor say aye. All opposed no. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it. The bill as amended is passed. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent that senator paul be recognized to speak for up to five minutes and offer unanimous consent requests, and that following his remarks i immediately be recognized with no intervening action. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Paul mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from kentucky. Mr. Paul no virus, not even a plague, should cause us to forget that our freedom is a result of resisting the concentration of power in the hands of the few. Recently, there has been dangerous talk of the president adjourning congress. Im reminded of the long english battle to forbid the king from dissolving parliament. In fact, charles the first lost his head partly because he insisted on dissolving parliament. In those days, parliament did not take charles royal power grab laying down. When charles i dissolved parliament in 1629, members took matters into their own hands and descended on the speaker john finch and sat on him. Since he could not rise, the parliament could not close. While he squirmed and was held down, parliament passed several motions condemning the kings power grab. Ultimately, the English Parliament would change the constitution to forbid the king from dissolving parliament. Now, im not suggesting we hold the president of the senate down and commandeer the senate, but the idea has crossed my mind. Whatever path of resistance we take, talk of the administration adjourning or temporarily dissolving congress should loudly be resisted as if the republic depended on it. Perhaps more alarming than allowing a president threatening to dissolve congress is that congress currently has allowed itself to become more of an oligarchy than an assembly. A few members of the leadership are set to pass legislation, spending nearly a half a trillion dollars without any recorded vote or debate. Shouldnt someone shout stop . Shouldnt someone point out the terrible precedent of having a few members speak for all the members . I for one believe that there exists too much danger to have congress if there exists too much danger to have Congress Meet in person, we should allow emergency voting remotely. In that vain, i offer the following resolution. I ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to consideration of my resolution at the desk. I further ask that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble agreed to, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table without an intervening action or debate. The presiding officer is there objection . Mr. Mcconnell i object. The presiding officer objection is heard. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of h. R. 6322, which was received from the house. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk h. R. 6322, an act to make certain improvements in the Educational Assistance benefits under the laws administered by the secretary of Veterans Affairs, and so forth and for other purposes. The presiding officer is there objection to proceeding to the measure . Without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent that the majority leader and the senior senator from alaska be authorized to sign duly enrolled bills or joint resolutions through monday, may 4, 2020. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell as if in executive session, i ask unanimous consent that the Indian Affairs committee be discharged from p. N. 1250 and the senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following nominations executive calendar 545, 546, and p. N. 1250. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask consent the senate vote on the nominations en bloc with no intervening action or debate, that if confirmed the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table en bloc, that the president be immediately notified of the senates action. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. The question is on the nominations en bloc. All in favor say aye. Opposed no. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it. The nominations are confirmed en bloc. Mr. Mcconnell as if in executive session, i ask unanimous consent that the Foreign Relations committee be discharged and the senate proceed to the consideration of p. N. 1419, p. N. 1528, p. N. 1529, p. N. 1659, that the nominations be confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate, that no further motions be in order, that any statements related to the nominations be printed in the record, the president be immediately notified of the senates action. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Mcconnell now, mr. President , i ask unanimous consent the senate stand adjourned in accordance with the order of april 16, 2020, for previously ordered pro forma sessions. The presiding officer without objection. Under the previous order, the Senate Stands adjourned until 5 30 p. M. Thursday, april 23, p more information. Y, april 23, p next, doctor David Shulkin recounts his time at the secretary of the Veterans Affairs department for the Trump Administration. Hes interviewed by jeremy butler. After words is a weekly interview program. They are also available to listen to as podcasts