Into darkness and the sound of your footsteps causes tribulations to hide. Almighty god, permit our lawmakers to be aware of your providential guidance and may they depend on you to lead them according to your will and give them the wisdom to trust you when they cant see the road before them believing that you will be there light in the darkness. This we pray in your great name amen. If you would please join me in the pledge of allegiance to the flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america and to the republic for which it stands one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Senator from iowa. Permission to address the senate for one minute of the morning business. Without objection. Americans from coasttocoast hunkered down to stop the spread of the virus and Office Workers including my staff here in washington adapted to work from home but not all americans can do their job from home and many must work away from home to provide essential services for our communities. Workers who harvest, process and deliver our food and the crews who provide Sanitation Services and keep our Communications Transportation and energy grids around the clock and americas postal workers and Truck Drivers who deliver mail and transferred goods across the country in the Grocery Store clerks and factory workers who make toilet paper, diapers and Consumer Products we cant live without and on behalf of iowans and the rest of america i think the frontline workers who are on the job working aware from home in the line of duty. Thank you all for your service and sacrifice, i yield the floor. The majority leader. The senate is back in session and this unusual time for our nation and it has been more than five weeks since the full senate last convened. Now, as explained on march 25 right before we passed the cares act 96nothing the senate has kept right on working this whole time. We monitor the implementation of that bill and the largest rescue package in American History and strengthened it where necessary. We passed further legislation to provide even more economic in assistance and even more support for testing and even more relief for hospitals and healthcare workers in this deadly coronavirus does not take days off until the United States senate has not either. For more than one month we were among the Many Americans who have found creative ways to telework and continue doing our jobs remotely. But now the time has come for us to continue conducting our nations business in ways that are only possible with the senators here in the capital. And so for this work and time the senate will shift out of the ranks of those americans who are working remotely and into the ranks of americans working and essential sectors who are listening to expert guidance and modifying their routines and ultimately continued to demand their posts to keep the country running. If it is essential in the brave healthcare workers, Grocery Store workers and Truck Drivers and many other americans continue to carefully show up for work that there u. S. Senators should show up as well and support them and i want to thank the dedicated men and women who work hard to develop solutions so the senate can take these careful steps back toward inperson operations. Doctor monahan in the entire office of the attending physician. Well done. Everyone in the offices of the architect of the capitol, sergeantatarms, secretary of the senate and our colleagues on the rules committee and their staff and the teams that support our networks and telecommunications are working hard day and night during these weeks of remote work. Even more broadly, mr. President , i want to recognize and thank all the essential senate staff who are here with us today in person so the senate can function. Whether its Staff Members of our own offices and Committee Offices or the nonpartisan professionals who serve the institution itself. In particular, our facilities and employees, custodians, Food Service Staff and of course, the men and women of the capitol police. We are grateful for your service and more important your country is grateful for your service. You are literally helping our government function in the midst of this crisis. The senate is back in session because we have an important work to do for the nation. Critical posts from the federal government to National Security and beyond remain vacant, qualified nominees who have been held up for too long already have become more necessary in these uncertain times. On the floor and in committee the senate will be acting on key nominations that relate directly to the safety of the American People and the oversight of the coronavirus legislation and mo more. We need to continue to maintain and safeguard our drastic nuclear resources. We need to keep protecting our nation against Foreign Intelligence Services that is another nominee will be moving soon and mr. [inaudible]. Those on the worlds we wish harm on americans who are not going to give us a free pass until the pandemic is over. The senate needs to overcome obstruction and continue to act. Star president , i dont think anyone would seriously argue that securing National Security posts is not essential business but to any of my colleagues who may wish that we do not have to devote for time and roll call votes to these nominations i would simply say, i agree with you. I agree with you. Unfortunately, for more than three years now my colleagues and democratic leadership have used acrosstheboard obstruction to force floor time in even closer votes for the kinds of sub cabinet level nominations that use to travel easily by voice vote. So, if any of my colleagues on the other side wish that we could recover the Senate Tradition and spend less floor time on these nominations i would invite them to share that view with the distinguished democratic leadership and invite them to change the topics. As long as floor time and roll call votes remain the only way for the senate to fill important posts that is what we will do. We cannot let nuclear watchdogs or counterintelligence leaders stay on the sidelines. So, mr. President , the senate will be a smart and is safe as we possibly can and we are going to show up for work like the essential workers that we are. Our bosses are the American People and they are counting on us to keep on serving. It is good to see the chair and all our colleagues again and im grateful that all 100 of us have come to the last several weeks safely and in good health. Lets Work Together across the aisle and get some more work done for the American People. Mr. President , the senate convenes a session this evening during the trying time for our nation as we speak, millions of our citizens are respecting stayathome orders and doing their partme to stop the spreadf this pernicious disease. Millions are newly unemployed depending on the actions we take here in congress to stave off financial disaster. More than 1 million americans have been tested positive for duranty. More than 67 lives