Students navigate the challenges and many of the most critical jobs and with the laptop and an internet connectionfe, defense contractors for example in the intelligence community, Law Enforcement agencies and of course they have to be on the frontlines doing their job each and every day no matter the risk because work is considered to be essential. And to fight this virus on the front lines delivering lifesaving care and comfort to those isolated. Farmers and ranchers are producing the food and truckers are transporting employees are stocking shelves amidst all of this uncertainty and worry about enough to eat the race collectors and the entire network of people we depend on who keep the cogs of society running. And then to head out the door each morning they are doing their jobs even when it isnt easy or convenient. And this because it has about our society to a screeching halt doesnt mean United States congress should pack up shop and just to show that they should do the same. After all should be more not less thats why we move quickly to pass for response bills totaling nearly 3 trillion. Nothing we would imagine a couple months ago. This came in the form of Additional Resources including equipment with Ongoing Research and vaccines and research for what we consider to be a lifeline through no fault of their own have no job or paycheck. Also to provide serious resources to help Small Businesses and the workforce to stay afloat Financial Investment one is desperately needed and that is precisely what we delivered on a bipartisan basis but our response to the crisis cannot begin and end with a blank check we need to ensure taxpayer dollars arere spent and we make the changes needed to recover from the crisis every day i hear usually through a Video Conference my constituents in texas telling me how these bills are being implemented and what is needed from congress this has been incredibly valuable as we look for more effective ways to strengthen the response and speed the recovery. The republicans in this pennant believe it is wise and prudent to take stock of everything we have done before passing another relief bill i believe the presiding officer and ie said about half the money is even out the door but yet people are clamoring for more and more money and Speaker Pelosi the unfortunate act of showmanship go through a 3 trilliondollar bill that has no chance to be passed so its safe to say House Democrats take a different approach than we are in the senate so they passed a 3 trilliondollar bill and call it the heroes act expressing support for our Nations Health care heroes and we would join them in the sentiment but the fact is there priorities are much different the bill mentions cannabis more times and mentions doctors hospitals nurses combined an interesting tribute if you ask me if this bill were to become law they would be funding a range of completely unrelated projects Environmental Justice grants and not one but two studies on diversity and inclusion in the cannabis industry interesting to numerous studies on diversity and inclusion the list is as big as the bill itself and heres another they want to make sure the wealthiest americans pay less taxes this is from the democratic friends who say the top 1 percent dont pay enough if they present them with a huge tax cut for the wealthiest people in america. It also complicates the hiring the struggling businesses are already facing to get deeper and deeper into debt to attack vaccine . Know. Ine . This is the liberal wish list consuming all the time andf energy of House Democrats what they think is more important which is, more than a driveby ha work on Bipartisan Legislation and they chose to put together this partisan bill without consulting at the white house but doesnt oiaddress the crisis at hand lead on thee challenges that cannot be in the ignored those threats before it ever reaches our shores from beijing to tehran to moscow to pyongyang every corner of the globe enemies and adversaries are watching and continuing their efforts to work against our interest they will not politely pause their efforts so we can focus on covid19. If anything they are doubling their efforts we cannot a cant afford to be caught flat footed the counterintelligence is already without the key tools they need in order to carry out their duties and then to, vote on the clean shortterm extension under section 215 that would help preserve the essential tools while we discussed longterm changes that might need to be made. Bipartisan support but were still waiting for the house to show up for work and to take it up and pass it. Theyre not coming back until the 27th, i think, of this month, after that what can only be described that is a driveby vote last friday, after having not been in town for two weeks and leaving promptly thereafter. Now that theyve completed their work on their 3 trillion wish list, i hope that we will see some action soon on things that will keep our country safe. Thats only part of the Critical NationalSecurity Work weve done here in the senate since we returned to washington earlier in month. I applaud majority leader mcconnell for bringing us back. People are hearing all sorts of scary things on social media and cable news and even conscious disinformation campaigns by some of our adversaries about this virus and about how we ought to conduct ourselves. But the best thing we can do as members of the senate is to demonstrate that with a little bit of personal responsibility and respect for others maintain social distancing, masking when you can that we can actually still function; we can show up for work like those Health Care Workers, those Law Enforcement officers and others i mentioned a moment ago. But one of the things that our majority leader likes to say is the senate is in the personnel business, and today we confirmed a fellow member of the texas congressional delegation, congressman john ratcliffe, now to be the director of national intelligence. Ive known john about ten years or more maybe. Hes prepared to continue the legacy of outstanding leadership weve come to expect and count on at the as director of national intelligence, and im confident in his ability to serve as a leader and advocate for the intelligence professionals in the intelligence community. Weve also confirmed other important nominees for critical positions, including the Nuclear Regulatory commission, the National Counterintelligence and security center, and the department of homeland security. Just as the work of the country has been waged on in the face of these challenges, so must our work. The American People are not just counting on Health Care Workers and First Responders and farmers and deliverymen and Grocery Store employees to do their jobs, as important as they are. Theyre counting on us, too. Not only to continue to respond to this pandemic, to stay nimble and adapt, to watch and listen and learn on how we can better, but by also strengthening our national securities, keeping an eye on our National Debt and doing it all on a bipartisan basis. So, mr. President , like workers across america, Congress Needs to show up, especially when it isnt easy or convenient. This pandemic may have temporarily halted the daily functions of many people in this country, but it cannot stop the critical work of the United States congress on behalf of the people we are privileged to represent. Mr. President , i yield the floor. Vitiated. The presiding officer without objection. Ms. Collins thank you, mr. President. Mr. President , i rise today to introduce with my colleagues, senators rubio, cardin, and shaheen, legislation to strengthen the Paycheck Protection Program which has proven to be such an important lifeline to americas Small Businesses and their employees during this pandemic. Senators rubio, cardin, shaheen, and i worked together as part of the Small Business task