Inessential workplaces and believe that they, too, should be protected by system of justice. Im going to stand with them and hope of the members of the senate will join me. Madam president , i yield the floor. Madam president , after a few weeks of working remotely to flatten the coronavirus curve were back in washington to continue our Coronavirus Response and address other important issues. Its been in public difficult couple of months for our country. In fact, for most of the world. More than 1 million americans have contracted the coronavirus and thousands have died. Our economy has taken a huge hit. Millions of americans are out of work and businesses are struggling to stay afloat. And americans are worried. They are worried about their own health. They are worried about the health of their families and their loved ones. And theyre worried about their finances. My colleagues and i know that americans are suffering. And our overriding priority over the past twodi months has been responding to the coronavirus crisis. We passed several major response bills and provided substantially more than 2 trillion. We have funded testing, medical care, personal protective equipment for frontline medical personnel, vaccines and treatment development, basically, unemployment benefits, direct relief payments to american citizens, forgivable loans for Small Businesses, and much more. Our goal has been to provide a comprehensive response addressing not just the medical priorities but also the Economic Impact this virus had on so Many American families. And theres more work to be done. Right now big part of that work is monitoring the limitation of the legislation weve already passed. We provided a a tremendous amout of money, and we need to make sure that its getting what needs to go as quickly as possible and is being spent in the most effective way. Monitoring the application of the legislation with a retest is also crucial for informing any future legislation. As i said, we provided a commence amount of money for coronavirus equal to almost 50 of the entire federal budget for 2020. And its important that in future funding be carefully targeted. We need to make sure that federal dollars are going only to real coronavirus priorities. Ourr children and grandchildren, madam president , will be footing the bill for the money that were adding to the national debt. As a case in point, the debt to gdpo which was scheduled to be 79 this year is that expected to be in the year 2020, 101 . That jump from 79 debt to gdp to 101 debt to gdp is the largest jump, im told, literally since 1943 in the middle of world war ii. So madam president , it is essential that we spend wisely. In addition to overseeing the limitation of the coronavirus legislation we passed and gathering data to inform any future bills we also have no other a number of coronavirus related nominations to consider, something that is a role that is unique to the tenets that it under the constitution when it comes two judicial nominations, nominations to the executive branch, the senate has the responsibility to ensure that we conduct the research, investigate nominees, hold confirmation hearings and ultimately vote to put people into key positions in the administration and on the courts. So the question about why we are here this week, madam president , i think is a fairly easy one to answer and that is there are lots of really important positions that are key not only to the healthcare crisis that were facing in this country but to our Ongoing National Security Priorities as well as to the economic challenges that we are facing through this crisis. In fact, this week the Senate Banking committee will be holding a hearing on the nomination of brian miller to be the special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery at the treasury department, a key role created by the legislation that we passed here in the congress, critically important to the magician making sure everything is done in the right way. It if is confirm mr. Mueller wl be an essential part of ensuring that the trillions that we provided ford Coronavirus Relief are spent properly. We are doing other such a coronavirus work as well. The senate held come health, education, labor and Pensions Committee is holding a hearing on an initiative senators blunt and alexander worked to get included in the coronavirus legislation. This initiative is designed to spur innovation, private sect, Public Sector collaboration with a goal of dramatically increasing our coronavirus testing capabilities. So thats going on in the health, education, labor and Pensions Committee. It the Senate Commerce committee will be holding and this week look atmp the impact of covid19 on the airline industry. Something we know is an industry that we know is being profoundly impacted by whats happening with the virus. Next week the senate health, education, labor and Pensions Committee will be indirectly from the leaders of our fight against the coronavirus. Dr. Fauci, redfield, admiral. Committee will play key role in any future coronavirus bill, and its good to have committees able to meet once again here in washington, d. C. While the covid19 pandemic will continue to be our priority in washington in the coming weeks and months, theres other essential work that we have to do for the American People. Appropriation bills, nominations tots essential administration polls and critical National Security legislation are some or the other items on our agenda over the next couple of months. This week the Senate Armed Services committee and the Senate Intelligence committee are Holding Hearings on nominees for key National Security positions, including the director of National Intelligence and the secretary of the navy. Madam president , Senate Republicans are committed to getting our country through this crisis and helping American Workers and businesses deal with a viruses impact. We have beeng discussed a lot of ideas or next couple of weeks from tax and regulatory relief to support for farmers and ranchers to ways to spur job creation and shell responsible businesses from frivolous litigation once the economy is opened up again. As i said will continue to focus on making sure that the money we provided gets where it is needed as fast as possible. Madam president , the United States undoubtedly has more tough days ahead, but we are going to get through them. Were going to come out tougher on the other side. In the meantime, weve got work to do here and the United States senate. There are people across this country who are hurting or struggling, and very many priorities that need to be addressed. And so im pleased that the senate is open for business. We are going to be working the next month as i mentioned at the National Defense authorization bill, a piece of legislation that we had to do on an annual basis that just with all our critical National Security priorities and making sure that the many women who defend this country, the American People and our interests around the world have the training, equipment, the resources to do their jobs to keep americans safe. Weve got a critical Water Infrastructure bill that will be marked up by the environmental publictt works committee. Also piece of legislation that is important to the economy in this country, madam president. So if you look at the long list of things and priorities that we need to deal with her in the United States senate, its important b that we be about the peoples business. I know i can speak from personal experience that over the past several weeks like my colleagues, we worked really hard to stay connected to i worked really hard to stay in touch with people across south dakota using technology, platforms and asked that didnt know, never really had any experience in using the past. Things from zoom to skype to google hangout to shindig, all kinds of interesting new apps i think many of us became acquainted with and convicted meetings, lots of Virtual Meetings and stay connected with our constituents to see whats importanton to them, to find out whats working, whats not working, and get the feedback about what we could be doing even better to respond to the crisis that is out there. But there is a substitute, madam president , when it comes to doing the nations business of being here, for committees to work, to me, for us to be able to vote, for us to do with him for nominations as a midget that under the constitution we have the obligation and responsibility, the senate does, advise and consent, for the judicial nomination, whether thats a key cabinet post two Important Administration position as a pertains to National Security or the virus. There are lots off priority ites for which the United States senate as key and principal responsibility and we need to be about the business. So i hope in the days and weeks aheadan as we take on those challenges that we can Work Together in a way that provide maximum safe for the people who work here, but also gives the important priority to the items and the issues that are critical to americans. At this point in the middle of this crisis, and hopefully when i get on the other side of it, those important, critical National Security priorities, economic priorities, and other business that the American People need us to deal with on a daily basis. So madam president , i thank you for the time and look for to working with my colleagues, albeit in different circumstances then weve had to do with in the past, but nevertheless, to have the United States senate, the peoples representatives here doing the important work that the American People expect us to do. Madam president , i yield the floor. I suggest the absence i yield the floor. The senator from texas is recognized. Madam president , let me join my friend let me join our friend and my friend, the senator from south dakota and said im glad to be back in this chamber doing the work of 29 million texans, and i see see the presiding officer, my partner, my fellow senator from texas joining us as well. And ite was listening closely to the center from south dakotas recitation of all the things that we i have to do. There is no shortage of work for us to do and there is no reason for us to continue to curl up in a fetal position in some undisclosed location and be afraid to go outdoors. Because the fact is the experts at the center for disease control, people like dr. Fauci, dr. Birx who we are seen on tv on a nightly basis, they tell us what we need to do in order to function safely, and its the same thing that our grocery clerks and our doctors and our nurses and, frankly,ur our Law Enforcement personnel are doing. You know how to do this and how to do it safely. But at the same time we simply cannot hide out and not show up for work. What kind of message does that send to the American People . We know this is an extraordinary crisis, an unprecedented crisis, and weve done some things that we would never consider doing under normal times, appropriating more than 3 trillion at warp speed. I frankly think its a good time for us to have the brakes and to consider what it is that weve already done and where we need to make some corrections. Anytime you do anything this big in this fast youre going to make some mistakes. And we have seen that and there have been corrections both in terms of the way the treasury has been administeringth the program but also weve heard about gaps. For example, ive done a number of videoconferences with our chambers of commerce around the country and asked me why did you leave the chambers out of the support under the Paycheck Protection Program for nonprofits . I frankly dont have a good answer for that. I said, that thats something d to go back and fix, if we cant get by treasury guidance we need to do by future legislation. And i have no doubt we will continue to legislate, but we need to do it smartly. We need to be here in person so we can have the interaction and deliberation and debates that are so important to coming up with a good product. We have done some pretty extraordinary work in the last x weeks or so, both chambers have come together andck quickly pasd four separate piece of legislation to strengthen our response to the coronavirus. We sent vital funny to our hospitals. Ironically, at the time when our hospitals with the frontline of defense dealing with people with covid19, many of them were laying off employees because we had asked them to forgo elective surgery, which is one of the ways that they end up paying the bills. And thened we learned in the global competition for personal protective equipment, literally every mayor, every governor, every president come every leader of every country around the world was in a global rush to try to come up with a personal protective equipment. And one of the things i told my constituents and friends that i think weve learned is we cant depend on china and on these uncertain supply chains for things as important as personal protective equipment, or pharmaceuticals for that matter. And so these are some of the lessons, some of the feedback that weve gotten as weve interacted with our constituents. Constituents. We know that testing has i gottn much more widespread and we have made tremendous advances in terms of treatment, and with all the Clinical Trials that are underway, well over 70 of them, and now the hope of a a vaccin, hopefully sooner rather than later. Once we geton a vaccine then hopefully this will be relegated to the same status as the seasonal flu, which we typically do have a vaccine, so the particularly vulnerable individuals, the elderly, people with underlying chronic disease can be protected first and foremost. We also sent funding to our state and local governments, 150 billion. Weve all talked to our mayors county judges in texas. Thats what we call our county leaders, and governor, and odyssey the sales tax revenue has fallen like a cliff. Because theres not much business going on in our Retail Stores to be sure. Ot although there is a lot going on online with deliveries and those sorts of orders. But we know our state and local government provide for Law Enforcement and other essentials services, so we feltt it was important to throw them a lifeline, too, to help them meet their budgets and maintain those vital services. Perhaps the most ambitious and the most popular thing we did is to try to help our Small Businesses stay afloat through the Paycheck Protection Program. Obviously this was successful, and certainly popular in 350 billion was spent in two weeks. Then we had to come back and replace that withha another 320 billion. But we know that money is flying out of our local Community Banks and credit unions, helping Small Businesses to keep their employees on the payroll. And if they do that, then this low interest loan will turn into a grant and the goal of course is once we defeat this virus, as we will, that we within the interposition for those businesses to bring their employees back, if they furloughed them. But help usel build out of this recession in which we are currently involved. We also provided critical funding for our farmers and ranchers andur other producers o they can keep our country said. We have taken unprecedented steps to minimize the impact of this virus on the American People and our economy, and try to provide some modicum of certainty, amidst such uncertainty. I dont think theres a single event in my lifetime that rivals the breadth and depth of the crisis that we have reached come certainly 9 11 was a different type of crisis. The 2008 Great Recession with the meltdown of the banks on wall street and the Great Recession, those are significant events to be sure, but nothing quite as rivaled the what the coronavirus has done to our Public Health andr to our economy. The cascading consequences of this virus have reached every community, every sector of our economy and every corner of the globe. Every single american has experienced some sort of shift in their daily routine as result of the virus. And maybe shift is too tentative award. Actually many of us have had our lives turn on their head. The change of gray significant. Of gray think about those who contracted the virus, the love those who could be at the side, the healthcare workers who were there and are helping them. Those who are sick. Then there are millions of americans who have lost their jobs. Small Business Owners wondering why that theyre going to cease to exist and whether they can survive this Current Crisis and then the farmers, seeing a glt of supply in reduced demand. Many people have been able to safely work from home, and thats wonderful, but often they end up pulling double duty as a teacher for their children with the schools having been close, and others have continued heading out to work every day to keep the cogs of our society running. Socalled essential workers. By the way, i really dont like that designation tween essential and nonessential. I think really what we ought to call it is safe and unsafe. Becausell all workers are, i believe, essential. In ways big and small this virus has affected everybody in this country. While we must continue working to slow the spread and reduce the Economic Impact, we cannot ignore the profound human impact it has had. Many people have been isolated under very difficult circumstances not knowing whether they will still have a job to go back to. Many know that living with the uncertainty of this pandemic, perhaps in a crowded house or apartment with children, may be elderly parents and others cut off from the rest of society. Its no secret that this pandemic is taking a toll on americas Mental Health. Last week and the family of a new city emergency room doctor released them devastating news. She had been in the trenches battling this virus for weeks. She was working long hours as many of our Healthcare Providers are, and told her family the devastation that she was saying every day. She contracted covid19 and took a week and half off to recover but then she went back to work equal to help where she could. Shortly after her family intervened and brought her home to charlottesville, virginia, to rest and spend a little time with her family and for r r. But sadly, tragically, the struggles she was facing felt untenable. After overcoming covid19, she ultimately took her own life by suicide. Dr. Breen was a hero who devoted her entire life the caring for others, to putting others before herself. While her tragic death cannot be reversed, it a should serve aa warning signal about the broader impact of this virus. In a recent poll by the Kaiser Family foundation, nearly half of americans reported the coronavirus is having a negative impact on their Mental Health. One half. Thats up from onethird. In march. And the number of tax to the federal disaster distressed hotline skyrocketed in april. More than 1000 increase. As we continue to discuss what future coronavirus legislation could lookco like, we cannot ignore the Mental Health impact. Nationwide, we rely on the community Mental Health centers and Community Behavioral Health Organizations to support those battling Mental Health and Substance Abuse disorders. As need for these services has increased, resources have actually decreased. More than 90 of the Community Behavioral Health Organizations nationwide have been forced to reduce their operations. Reduce their operations at a time of increased need and demand. And more than 60 of Behavioral Health organizations project can survive financially for more than three months under the current covid19 conditions. Now, congress tried to do something to help youou we provided 175 billion for the Public Health and social Services Emergency fund to support Healthcare Providers on the front lines of this crisis. As this funding ish being distributed, Mental Health providers cannot be forgotten. Along with 24 of her college and senator stabenow and i have sent a letter to secretary azar and administrator verma encouraging them to quickly allocate this funding and ensure that these Mental Health organizations are included. Not only do they provide vital care and support for individuals struggling with Mental Health issues, they also are key to fighting addiction and Substance Abuse. Though strongly overcome addiction often living in a fragile state, fighting each day to stay the course but the current circumstances have made those daily battles much more difficult. They are isolated from their friends and loved ones, and they are dealing with anxiety caused by the virus and possibly, probably facing financial struggles. The new stress brought on by this virus are compounded by reduced capacity for treatment. In person support meetings are canceled, treatment clinics ad counselors are curtailing appointments. And the barriers to overcome addiction loom even larger. For those individuals, treatment cannot simply be delayed. Our country is make serious inroads in our battle against the opioid epidemic. In 2018 Overdose Deaths were down 4 from the previous year. The first decrease in nearly three decades. We cant let the coronavirus derail the progress we fought so hard to make. Cares act, im glad to say, does expand access to telehealth. I think Many Americans are experiencing the benefits of telehealth, and i predict at some point this will change a lot of the ways that we receive consultation by Healthcare Providers, not having to drive our car, make appointments, pay for parking, spend a lot of time out of our day. We can simply do it through videoconference, conveniently and effectively. But more must be done to support those battling addiction and Mental Health challenges. For those who are transitioning from the criminal Justice System, the need for Additional Resources and support is especially dire. Earlier this year senator blumenthal and i introduced the crisis stabilization and Community Reentry act to support those who have been a part of the criminal Justice System and to provide stable treatment for those with mental illness. Most prisoners who are receiving treatment for Mental Health or Substance Abuse disorder i released withoutho a plan, to kp them on the regimen. This often leads to high recidivism rates, unsurprisingly, which could be avoided. It also means that Law Enforcement is all too often left to be the First Responders for those with suffering a Mental Healthng crisis which can escalate those confrontations and put both the officer in the individual in that crisis at risk. This bill creates grants to connect lawenforcement, state and local and Committee Resources to help individuals who are either engaged in the criminal Justice System or have been released from prison, and made it possible for them to access the resources they need to have successful reentry into civilized society. These grants connect those services to make sure a people suffering from an acute episode can access treatment without the risk of being reincarcerated. We are facing a battle unlike any weve seen in my lifetime, and the stress and anxiety that come with it is taking a tremendous toll on the American People. Its not just the virus and the threat of catching the virus that is taking the toll. We need a to look at this holistically and realize, if you are a victim of Domestic Violence and you are forced to be confined with your abuser and have nowhere else to go and maybe no money coming in the front door, only to have your abuser abusing alcohol and perhaps become even more violent, i mean, we have a whole catalog of problems associated withs this virus and the virus itself and thenf risk of infectn eating just one, and we need to look at this holistically. As our discussions continued this week on how to support the American People during this unprecedented time, resources for Mental Health and Substance Abuse treatment providers cannot fall by the wayside. Over the past few months both parties have worked togethero to provide historic levels of funding to help Small Businesses retain employees, meet payroll and stay afloat during the covid19 pandemic. The Paycheck Protection Program, the main instrument to help small business, received 349 under the cares act and another 310 billion in supplemental legislation. The public has a right to know how this money is being spent. Oversight, transparency and accountability are crucial because from the moment the administration began and limiting these funds, it became clear much of it wasnt going
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