Transcripts For CSPAN2 U.S. Senate U.S. Senate 20240712

On cspan. Org. The senate is weighing in on defense policies for 2021. And now to live coverage. Senate here on cspan2. To or. The chaplain, dr. Black, will lead the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Eternal god, thank you for the gift of this day. Open the minds of our lawmakers and give them a vision of the unlimited possibilities available to those who trust you as their guide. May our senators embrace a hugh millty embrace a humility that seeks first to understand rather than to be understood. Inspire them to seek your wisdom as you sustain them with your grace, mercy, and peace. Lord, remind them that you will judge their fruits, productivey and faithfulness. We pray in your strong name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance 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. Mr. Grassley madam president. The presiding officer the senator from iowa. Mr. Grassley one minute for morning business. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley the u. S. Mexicocanadian agreement entered into force july 1, and im eager to see the modernized agreement deliver on its promises to spur job growth for american farmers, workers, and businesses, and even help our innovators, and also at the same time it will create new opportunities with our north American Trading partners. The u. S. Mexicocanadian agreement fixes many problems that we had for 30 years under nafta, and it also creates several new modern trade provisions for our 20th century economy, things that were negotiated that werent even thought of 30 years ago when nafta was negotiated. However, even with this agreement going into effect and being a tough agreement to negotiate, it isnt going to be simple from here on out. Theres plenty of work remaining to ensure that the agreement is implemented fully and properly. So i urge the administration to be expeditious in addressing any enforcement issues or noncompliance from our trading partners under the dispute mechanism. I also encourage close consultation between congress and the administration so that we may continue to be successful in the u. S. Mexicocanadian agreement implementation efforts, allowing americans to reap the benefits of this agreement. Now i raised questions with the administration, but i have no doubt that theyre going to be on top of it, because i remember for President Trump as a candidate 2015 to 2016, running on a platform to get rid of nafta. Trump was elected. By may of his first year in office, trump started negotiations. They were successful negotiations. Nafta is now gone. Now usmca is going into effect. Trump delivered on his campaign promise. I have no doubt that he will see that the u. S. Mexicocanadian agreement is properly implemented. I yield the floor. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call mr. Mcconnell madam president. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell madam president , our nation stands at a crucial midway point in our battle against this terrible virus. The heroism of health care professionals, essential workers, and families from coast to coast got our nation through a springtime like no other. Communities across america put normal life on pause to buy breathing room for our medical system. We essentially had to winterize the Worlds Largest economy for weeks on end and spare our people as much of the resulting pain as possible. The task was historic and so was the senates response. We wrote and passed a cares act, the largest rescue pablg in american history. Our legislation helped pull both our Health System and our economy back from the brink. Tens of millions of jobs were saved. The hallways of our hospitals did not become italy. The senates leadership helped the nation endure the first phase of this, but this crisis is far from over. The virus that has claimed 140,000 american lives has not gone anywhere. As some places step back toward normalcy, infections are climbing again in hot spots across our country. The start of our economic recovery has been sharp and impressive, but in absolute terms we still have just begun to pick up the speeses. Our the pieces. Our progress so far has been encouraging but it remains fragile and far from sufficient. I would argue that our countrys job now is even more complex than it was back in march. Now as then, we need to keep our Health System robust. But now instead of locking down the country to do it, we want to stand up a society that functions somewhat more normally at the same time. The American People cannot completely stop building their lives until a vaccine is available. The United States of america was not built for a defensive crouch. We need to stand up an educational system and an economy that works for workers and families in the meantime. We need to find the right sort of middle ground, middle ground that is smart and safe but also more sustainable. So another historic set of challenges, madam president , and another opportunity for the opportunity for the United States senate to deliver. For weeks now i have made it clear that further legislation out of the senate will be a serious response to the crisis. We wont be wasting the American Peoples time like the House Democrats with their multitrilliondollar proposal to hike taxes on Small Businesses and send diversity detectives into the cannabis industry. Ive said we will start with the facts and develop real, targeted solutions on the subjects that matter most to American Families. Well, madam president , it turns out that means three things. Kids, jobs and health care. Kids, jobs, and health care. Surveys show the American Peoples Top Priorities for reopening are child care and k12 schools. This country wants its kids back in the classroom this fall learning, exploring, making friends. Their educations depend on it. In some cases their safety depends on it, and so do the livelihoods of american parents. The American Academy of peede i peede pediatrics stated our goal must be inperson instruction, but of course parents, teachers, and doctors all agree that it has to be as safe as possible. Thats where the senate comes in. And this majority is preparing legislation that will send 105 billion so that educators have the resources they need to safely reopen. That is more money than the House Democrats set aside for a similar fund, by the way. And thats in addition to support for child care needs. Its amazing how you can find room to find serious priorities when you take a pass on the far left daydreams. Second, the economic slowdown that has hurt millions and millions of americans. Before this crisis we had never had seven million americans receiving unemployment at the same time. Today we have 17 million. More than a Million People have filed new unemployment claims every single week for more than four months now. The american job market needs another shot of adrenaline. Senate republicans are laser focused on getting American Workers their jobs back. Our bill takes several specific incentives to hire and retain workers and turn the dials on those policies way up. The legislation will help reimburse for safe workplaces so that main street can afford the p. P. E. , testing, cleaning, or remodeling to protect workers and entice customers. The ingenuity and spirit of americas Small Business is impossible to overstate. They still face a tough road. With the majority of businesses expected to exhaust their initial paycheck protectioning funding this summer, well also be proposing a targeted second round of the p. P. P. With a special eye toward hardhit businesses. And speaking of building on what worked in the cares act, we want another round of direct payments, direct payments to help American Families keep driving our national comeback. Helping to create more american jobs is an urgent moral priority, and these are just some of the policies were discussing that will help that happen. In addition to kids and jobs, our third major focus is health care. The reason is obvious. If we lose control of the virus or if research stalls, then Everything Else will be window dressing. Our proposal will dedicate even more resources to the fastest race for a new vaccine in Human History along with diagnostics and treatments. Our bill will also protect seniors from a potential spike in premiums. And the federal government will continue to support hospitals, providers, and testing. These are just some of the elements that Senate Republicans are discussing among ourselves and with the administration. But there is one more central proposal that ties kids, jobs, and health care all together. As i have said for months, the next recovery package will include strong Legal Protections for the Health Care Workers who save strangers lives and the schools, colleges, charities, and businesses that want to reopen. The American People will not see their historic recovery gobbled up by trial lawyers who are itching to follow the pandemic with a second epidemic of frivolous lawsuits. Gross negligence will still be actionable, but we are creating a safe harbor for institutions that make goodfaith efforts to follow the guidelines available to them. Doctors and nurses clearly deserve this protection, and school districts, universities, nonprofits, and Small Businesses will need it as well. If we want any genuine reopening at all. The legislation that i have begun to sketch out is neither another cares act to float the entire economy nor a typical stimulus bill for a nation thats ready to get back to normal. Our country is in a complex middle ground between those two things. We cant go back to april, and we cant snap our fingers and finish the vaccine overnight. We need to carve out a new normal. So Senate Republicans are continuing to discuss these and other ideas among our conference and with the administration. The majority will be laying down another historic proposal very soon. But here in the senate, an outcome will require bipartisan discussions. I do not believe there will be anything in our bill that our democratic colleagues should not happily support, but we will stand ready and eager to Work Together and produce a bipartisan outcome. As i said yesterday, in march, the senate gave an historic master class in how to pass major bipartisan legislation. The cares act, the largest rescue package ever, was drafted by republicans, promptly negotiated across the aisle with democrats, and then passed urgently without a single dissenting vote. But last month, in june, we recorded a master class in how not how not to make a law. Instead of amending senator tim scotts justice act, our democratic colleague flatout blocked it. They filibustered the issue of Police Reform all together. Well, for the sake of americas kids, jobs, and health care, madam president , lets hope our democratic friends bring their bipartisan urgency and good faith to the process and leave the partisan poses behind. The senate has led every step of this crisis. We need to rise to the task one more time. The presiding officer under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. Morning business is closed. Under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of s. 4049, which the clerk will report. The clerk calendar number 483, s. 4049, an original bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for military activities at the department of defense, and so forth and for other purposes. Mr. Schumer madam president. The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Schumer are we in a quorum . The presiding officer we are not. Mr. Schumer madam president , our country faces the greatest Health Threat in 100 years, the greatest economic crisis in 70 years, but here in the republicanled senate, you would hardly know it. Over the past several months, even as covid19 surged through the country once again, even as our states hit new records of infections and hospitalizations, the republican majority in the senate dithered and delayed on the next phase of major emergency relief. In may, sorry, in april, in may, in june, democrats tried to jolt the senate into action. But almost every time we tried to pass muchneeded legislation by average americans, our republican colleagues objected. Unemployment claims reached 50 million. The number of cases topped 3. 8 million as the virus resurged over the past several weeks. More than 140,000 americans have died. Still, Senate Republicans wanted to, in the orders of their leader, quote, hit the pause button and, quote, assess the conditions in the country before providing any more relief. The country was burning. Senate republicans, led by leader mcconnell, said lets wait a little longer and see how this goes. Like President Trump, they were hoping it would go away. Ignoring all of the scientific evidence, but paying obeisance to the hard right which didnt want to spend money, no matter what the cost to america. Now, it seems our republican friends have finally found the motivation to do another emergency relief bill. Even they, with their heads still half in the sand, have to see the crisis the country is in. But instead of working with democrats in either the senate or the house, leader mcconnell has decided to write the bill behind the closed doors of his office. The same partisan, onesideonly process that has failed time and time again to produce successful legislation in the senate. Mcconnell talked about how the senate led in the last three bills. I would add a word to that. It was Senate Democrats that led. Republicans put a small, stingy, corporateoriented proposal before the senate. We said no, and they were forced to add provisions friendly to workers and average American Families. Thats what happened. History knows that. Yesterday, leader mcconnell once again called for the same spirit of bipartisanship that helped us pass the cares act. Well, leader mcconnell, writing a bill in your own Office Without any input from democrats, dropping it on the floor, and demanding that democrats support it is no ones idea of bipartisanship. You cant fool the American People with these words that just dont ring true. Even worse, the republican proposal appears destined to fall drastically short of whats required. From all indications, the bill will prioritize corporate special interests over workers and main street businesses. It wont provide hazard pay for essential workers. It wont provide new funding to state, local, and tribal governments. Or enough investments in communities of color that have been ravaged by the virus. Enhanced Unemployment Benefits will expire at the end of the month. According to reports, the republican bill will not do nearly enough to aid the 20 million to 30 million americans currently unemployed. Weve heard republicans debate a credit for americans who are going back to work, but those are the very same americans who will be getting a salary again. What about americans who remain unemployed and actually need the help . The moratorium on evictions expires this week. According to reports, the republican bill wont do anything for the millions of americans who cant afford the rent and could get kicked out of their apartments. So after all the hemming and hawing and the delay which cost america so much, months of delay, it appears the next republican proposal on covid wont even come close to meeting the moment. It has become clear over the last few weeks that the reason our republican colleagues have taken so long to put even this inadequate proposal together is because they are paralyzed by internal divisions among themselves and by division with the president. According to reports in the press, even after all these months, our republican that our republican colleagues spent assessing the conditions in the country, the white house and Senate Republicans are starkly divided about what to do. The Trump Administration is fixated on a payroll tax cut, an idea that will not only harm those who rely on Social Security but will do nothing for the tens of millions of americans who have lost their jobs during the crisis. Many republican many of my republican colleagues arent too keen on that idea, with good reason, and yet it still may be in mcconnells proposal. Because he and the other republicans are afraid to tell President Trump no, even when they know hes wrong. Recent reports also suggest that the administrations trying to block billions of dollars from going to the states in order to improve their testing and Contract Tracing capabilities. Can you imagine . Republicans are arguing about whether to block funds for testing and tracing, the two most important tools in our arsenal to manage this crisis right now. Its amazing. Americans are hanging their heads in some degree of shame at the president s actions, because every other country, developed country, just about every other one in europe and east asia doing much better than us because they had leadership and their leadership provided above all testing and tracing. This president refuses to do it, and the republicans say nothing. They are so afraid of President Trump, even when they know hes wrong, even when millions of lives are at stake, even when the economy is at stake, they just are deathly silent. So what do they end up doing . Well, the one thing that unites trump and all the republicans is pleasing corporate interests. And so if reports are accurate, the republicans are doing just that, pleasing corporate interests, not workers and families, Small Businesses. And that will not, not get the job done. For 60 days, americans Senate Democrats have been clear about where we should start the negotiations. The heroes act passed by the house provides crucial relief for Education Funding for hospitals and medical workers, for our essential workers on the front lines, and for state and local governments. But right now, republicans seem to want to play chicken with pandemic relief and string everyone along with a bill and a process we all know is doomed to fail. I urge all of my republican colleagues to abandon their oneparty, onechamber approach before its too late and immediately begin bipartisan, bicameral negotiations on the next round of covid legislation. Now, the problems, of course, dont end with the republican senate. Were living through one of the greatest failures of president ial leadership in our countrys history. Do you hear that, donald trump . You you have created one of the greatest failures of president ial leadership in our countrys entire history, and the history books will record it that way. President trump cannot even model Good Behavior and consistently encourage americans to wear a mask. When the White House Coronavirus briefings resume, President Trump should not take the podium. Every time President Trump takes the podium at one of these briefings, hes a threat to Public Health. Even after 140,000 lives were lost to covid, the president claimed again on sunday this disease will disappear. Its been over six months since the start of the virus and the Trump Administration still, still lacks a National Testing strategy. The administration ordered hospitals to hide their coronavirus data from the c. D. C. The president is pressuring schools to reopen this fall without the necessary resources or guidance to keep our kids safe. Remember, President Trump, you pushed republican governors to reopen their states too early and just look at what happened. Youre now making the same mistake with schools. Covid surged through those states that reopened too quickly, and many now are being forced to reimpose restrictions. We cannot repeat those mistakes when it comes to our schools and the safety of our kids and our families. So the question looms over this chamber. When will our republican friends stand up to President Trump and tell him to get his act together . When push comes to shove, when Peoples Health and even lives are at stake, it seems Senate Republicans are always too timid, too afraid to buck the president. Will they stand up and tell him hes wrong to block more funding for testing and tracing . Will they tell him to stop ignoring the science, trying to hide the data and undermining medical experts like dr. Fauci . And most of all, most importantly, will our republican colleagues finally step up to the plate and do whats right, work with us in a bipartisan way to provide desperately needed relief to the American People. I yield the floor. Mr. Durbin madam president . The presiding officer the senator from illinois. Mr. Durbin madam president , john lewis was a great american, but there was a humility in his heart that showed his greatness even more. He gave speeches that stirred a nation but who among us can forget his trademark speech explaining how as a young man growing up on a farm he practices public speaking to an audience of chickens. He told that story over and over again. And john lewis used to say, people come up to me in the airport and say im going to cry, im going to pass out. Johns reply was, please dont pass out. Im not a doctor. And john lewis was a healer and for troubled souls. I was struck by an article in the atlanta newspaper that talked about an incident that occurred in january 2009. A former ku klux klan member elwin wilson confessed to being part of the white mob that bloodied lewis and other fres d others nearly 48 years ago. He noted in his 2012 book across the bridge that wilson was the first of his attackers to apologize for his actions. Wilson traveled to washington a short time later to meet lewis face to face and ask for forgiveness. Without a moment of hesitation, i looked back at him and said i accept your apology, john lewis wrote. This was a great testament to the power of love to overcome hatred. John lewis had another incident that i thought was worth mentioning this morning as well. It was another example of forgiveness. Kevin mur any wasnt born murphy wasnt born until a year after john lewis was knocked unconscious from a blow by a wooden coke cola crate in 1961 after the freedom riders pulled into montgomery, alabama at the bus station. But as the citys police chief in 2013, mr. Murphy wanted to issue an apology for the officers who declined to step in as the white mob descended on lewis and his busriding colleagues. So when lewis and other dignitaries assembled at month goalrys First Baptist church to commemorate the event, murphy walked to the microphone and offered lewis what was long a symbol of oppression for many African Americans. His police badge. Murphy told lewis he hoped it would serve as a token of reconciliation. I often said, quote, when i started going up through the ranks that if i had a chance, if i ever became police chief, that i was going to try to write that right that wrong, said murphy, now the Deputy Sheriff for montgomery county, alabama, in an interview. He went on to say, a lot of my peers didnt want to talk about it. They didnt want to face the truth. But because of that gesture, john lewis and kevin murphy struck up a friendship and john lewis invited murphy to the white house to meet president barack obama. Then the two of them traveled both lewis and murphy, to ireland and Northern Ireland to talk with catholics and protestants about bridging the religious divide. Murphy said he was awed by lewis capacity to walk through the world where an with an open heart. You could just tell with everything he had been through, he wasnt a bitter man. He truly had tried to put a lot of what happened, the injustices behind him. That was john lewis. Its a miracle that he didnt die when angry klansman klansmen torched that bus carrying john lewis and other freedom riders in 1961. Its mazing that he survived the Edmund Pettus bridge on bloody sunday in 1965 when the Alabama State troopers nearly beat him to death. Clearly there was a purpose in his life that had to be served. I had the honor to serve with congressman lewis in the house for ten years and i called him my friend for nearly 40 years. For a man who had witnessed the depths of hatred and dispair, john lewis was one of the most hopeful people i have ever met. He once said the only time he came close to giving up was after the murder of Robert Kennedy in 1968. Martin luther king had been assassinated two months earlier. And when Bobby Kennedy died, it seemed for a few weeks that any hope for justice and equality had died, too. Thats what john lewis said. But he didnt allow despair to overcome him. He didnt spend his life hoping for better. He spent his life making the world better. He still had hope. And he had a profound belief in the future of this nation. I was reminded this week of a story that captured so well john lewis humility and his enormous redemptive influence on america. It was january 20, 2009, a day i will never forget. Barack obama was sworn in to be the first African American president of the United States. As he was leaving the podium, john lewis stepped forward to the new president and asked him to sign his inauguration program. The president hesitated, pulled out a pen, and wrote the following encryption. Because of you, john, barack obama. John lewis was an conof the American Civil Rights movement. If he confined his lifes work to only ending racial injustice, he would still be in the participant yum of heroes but his vision and faith was bigger than justice for just one group. His commitment was to genuine democracy and equality and he said so many times, quote, you cannot build a wall when it comes to equality. It must be equality for all and not for some. He told us we must be headlights, not taillights. And for john being a headlight, meant going out ahead and shining a light so that people could see that living in the cold shadows of discrimination, there were those who needed the warmth of americas promise. He challenged us always to expand our concepts of justice and equality, to respect the dignity and worth of every human being, black or white, latino or asian, immigrant, native american, gay, straight, muslim, christians, jews. John spoke for all of them. How many times did he tell us we are one people, one family. We live in one house. One of the great injustices of our times was overly harsh drug laws passed in the 1980s and 1990s that disproportionately harmed people of color. Many of us worked for years to replace the biased laws. John lewis was deeply committed to our cause. About two years ago a proposal was offered that would have shifted the focus of our efforts and really walked away from a commitment to criminal sentencing reform. It was john lewis who stepped up. His steadfast insistence made a difference and it resulted in the First Step Act signed into law. Rosa parks was one of john lewis heroes. When she died in october 2005, her body laid in the rotunda of the u. S. Capitol. Tens of thousands of people filed past to pay their respects to this great heroin of justice who had the courage to refuse to sit in the segregated portion of that bus. They came all night and the next morning. Late at night john lewis walked quietly into the rotunda. He waited in line with every other mourner. Accompanying him were a handful of blind men and women using white canes. That was john lewis showing the way, a quiet and powerful example. He showed us that the promise of america is the promise of dignity for everyone. In johns eyes, none of us is free until all of us is free. Born in troy, alabama, the son and grandson of share croppers, he saw the injustice of jim crow even when he was a young boy. When he was 15, he discovered a man who became and iconic leader and his personal mentor. At that age john bought a comic book. It was entitled Martin Luther king and the story of montgome montgomery. 14 pains long it cost him a dime. But at such disheart inspired his life. That thin dime had yielded arguably the greatest return on investment of any purchase in the history of our nation. Now we are asked how should we honor this man. It was a little over ten years ago that i joined the faith in politics pilgrimage and made a trip to alabama. It was a weekend that john had led for so many years where we visited the shrines in the American Civil Rights movements. We saw the monument and tribute to rosa parks. We went to the church where those little girls were killed in birmingham. But unfortunately, my schedule was such that i had to leave before we actually visited selma. That was to occur at noon on sunday. And i went to john and said im sorry i cant be there. I always wanted to be on that selma bridge and to hear your story and in your own words. And he said, youve got to come. Well make a special trip. Ill meet you in the lobby of the hotel at 6 30 in the morning. Well drive over and well see it. Ill take you on that tour. How can i possibly say no. I said ill be there at the lobby. Lets go. And off we did. We talked all the way over about his memories of what led to that march on selma. He was the one who told me personally how much federal judge Frank Johnson meant, how this man had been often overlooked but were it not for his rulings that allowed that march to go forward, it might never have happened. It was an inspirational visit for me to be there in the early sunday Morning Hours that misty day standing on the Edmund Pettus bridge right next to john lewis. And he pointed down just to the foot of the bridge and said, thats where i fell. Thats where they hit me. Theres a lot of talk about what to do next to honor john lewis. Theres been talk of renaming the Edmund Pettus bridge in his honor. Im not opposed to that. I think that humble bridge has become a defining piece of american history. But john lewis did not risk his life on bloody sunday for the right to rename a bridge. He risked his life for the right of every man and woman in america to vote and to have a voice in our democracy. John said so many times the right to vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have. The Voting Rights act of 1965 has been weakened and whittled down by recent Supreme Court and other Court Decisions and the actions of this department of justice. In december the house of representatives voted to restore the Voting Rights act. John lewis presided over the u. S. House of representatives on the day of that important vote. That bill, restoring the Voting Rights act, has been sitting on senator mcconnells desk for more than 225 days. Words of praise for john lewis are fine. But theyre not enough. This senate should honor the life and the sacrifice of john lewis by voting to restore the Voting Rights act. There are some who are trying mightily to diminish americans faith in our democracy and our elections. We can honor john lewis by protecting the right to vote. Lets do it and do it now. Let me close with another story i learned about john lewis this weekend. Weve seen those iconic photos of the 23yearold john lewis leading the marchers across the Edmund Pettus bridge in 1965. A young man dressed in a tan trench coat with a backpack. John lewis had been arrested before for nonviolent protests and he just had a hunch that he was going to be arrested again that day and jailed. So in his backpack he put his toothbrush, toothpaste, an apple, an orange, and two books. One book was seven Story Mountain by the catholic monk thomas murton. It spoke about the power of hope that one day wed be willing to sacrifice and even die for if necessary. The other book in john lewis backpack that day was entitled the american political tradition. It opened with a quote from the writer john despossus. Heres what it said. In times of change and danger, when there is quick sand of fear understand mens reasoning, a sense of continuity with generations gone before can stretch like a lifeline across the scary present. John lewis was the bridge that connected the civil rights generation with what we see today in the streets of america. Again a common effort to make sure we fulfill the promise of equality for everyone. John lewis was heartened by the black lives matter movement. His last public appearance was here in washington in the area that they have reserved for speaking their mind about this important issue. In this time of change and loss, maybe we honor the legacy of john lewis and find within us the hope and courage to continue his work as he reminded us the cause of justice and equality is the cause of a lifetime. Madam president , i ask consent that the next statement i make be placed in a separate part of the record. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Durbin madam president , let me start by saying that there is no place for violence or vandalism in the exercise of any constitutional right. The use of force against Peaceful Protesters or members of Law Enforcement and the reasonable exercise of their responsibilities is unacceptable. In recent days President Trump has indicated that he wants to send federal agents into cities including chicago to conduct policing activities that are traditionally handled by local Law Enforcement. The Chicago Tribune reported the department of Homeland Security is developing a plan to send an additional 150 agents to chicago as soon as this weekend, though details have not been public as to what theyre going to do. I join governor j. B. Pritzker of illinois and chicago mayor lightfoot in urging the Trump Administration from refraining from taking any action that resembled what occurred in portland, rg oregon. Any action must be conducted in coordination with the approval of local Law Enforcement officials. Nblg time of height nblg time of heightened tension we cannot have local Law Enforcement operating in crosspurposes with local leaders. In recent days the Trump Administration deployed federal Law Enforcement agents in the streets of portland, oregon. They have arrived without any visible identifying information. These federal agents have reportedly used Excessive Force against Peaceful Protesters and detained residents in unmarked vehicles. Such conduct is unacceptable anywhere in the United States and certainly unacceptable in the city of chicago and state of illinois. Im joining senator jeff merkley of oregon this week in introducing legislation to prevent President Trump from taking this action in chicago or any other american city. The bill we jointly are offering would require federal officers to wear identifying insignia. There is no place in america for secret police. The bill also would limit federal forces to the immediate vicinity of federal property unless theres been a written request by local leadership or the insurrection act has been invoked. There is no question that federal protective service and other federal Law Enforcement does have the responsibility for federal facilities, but what weve seen in portland has gone far beyond that location into the community at large. Our bill would also prohibit arrests or apprehensions in unmarked vehicles and render any arrests made in violation of this act unlawful. How in the world can we explain that in the year 2020 the Trump Administration would follow the example of Vladimir Putin in his invasion of ukraine with these socalled green monsters who would arrive without any insignia or any indication of who they were fighting for. These little green men turned out to be agents of russian government. We dont need anything like that or even close to it in the United States. Finally, the bill would require notice to the public in the event of crowdcontrol related deployments that include information about the agencies involved, the number of personnel, information related to requests and other details. Thats what you come to expect in a democracy. On february 2017, senator Tammy Duckworth and i sent President Trump a letter suggesting how he could help, how the federal government could come forward to give us assistance in fiefg crime and guns violence in the city of chicago. The letter noted that Public Safety is primarily a local responsibility, but the federal government can be a partner in Public Safety efforts alongside community stakeholders. We recommend the administration take steps to assist local violence prevention efforts including enhancing the department of justice principals that improve community policing, directing the department of justice to promote mentoring and job training programs, improving mentoring and violence prevention initiatives and booftion boosting funding for recidivism recidivism, closing the gaps in the f. B. I. Gun background check system, and in federal firearm laws that enable straw purchasers of gun traffickers to flood chicagos streets with illicit guns, prioritize career and Youth Training programs to address lack of economic opportunity, redirecting resources that are devoted to the construction of his border wall to making our cities and communities across the United States safer. Now thats the way the Trump Administration can show that it really cares about Law Enforcement in the city of chicago and across this nation and can help us move forward in reducing the incidents of violence. I join mayor lightfoot in making it clear to President Trump that we have no need and will not tolerate tyranny by the federal government on the streets of chicago. If the president truly wants to cooperate with Law Enforcement efforts, we can find ways to find Common Ground and make it a safer city together. But sending in secret police with unmarked vehicles to snatch people off the streets is not only unacceptable, its unamerican. Madam president , i ask consent that the next statement im about to make be placed in a separate part of the record. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Durbin madam president , i listened carefully to senator mcconnell this morning as he came to the floor and talked about the situation which we currently face. Make no mistake, we are still in the midst of this pandemic. Covid19 is taking its toll on many parts of america. In the last week more than 40 different states who decided to open their economies early, many of them did, have found that it was not a wise decision, that in fact many more people are becoming infected and dying. Over 140,000 have died in the United States so far. Over three million have been infected. Im afraid there are more to follow. I wish that were not the case. The question is what can we do. First, what can we do when it comes to covid19 . I listened the other day when dr. Anthony fauci of the National Institutes of health was interviewed, and he and dr. D why does it take so long to get results when people go in for testing for covid19 . Theres no explanation and no good reason. Sadly, that delay is causing a problem. People are uncertain of their status as to whether theyre positive or otherwise for days on end waiting for the results of the test. It is time for us to develop a test that is timely in its results and widely available to americans. We cannot realistically open the economy or even conceivably open our schools back to normal until we have that testing. Why then does the white house resist putting money in the next covid19 bill for additional testing . That is fundamental to the question of dealing with the future of this covid19 virus. Fundamental to it. In addition, im joining with a number of my colleagues, krysten gillibrand, michael bennet, chris coons and others, in an effort to try to expand the medical and Health Care Personnel necessary to make sure that we finally bring this virus to bay. We are going to try to include this in the covid19 legislation. I have legislation that senator rubio, republican of florida, and i have cosponsored that would enhance the training of National Health service, doctors, nurses and dentists and medical professionals, Mental Health counselors and the like. I think our bill is a step forward because it provides scholarship assistance to those who will pledge years of service to the National Health Service Corps once they have graduated and are licensed. We need that chris coons has talked about expanding the opportunity for americans to step forward and serve their nation, doing Contact Tracing and other things essential. It would create thousands and thousands of jobs across the United States at a time when we desperately need them for a cause that we must concur ultimately. These are good things to include in this legislation, but there are more immediate things on the economic side. Do you realize that this, this coming saturday will be the last day that we will be sending out unemployment checks with the federal supplement that we voted on march 26 in the cares act . Yes, this week, before next sunday the last check will be mailed. Because you see our effort under the cares act expires on july 31. The last week, the last payment will be made on saturday. And then what . And then what . For the millions of americans who depend on this federal supplement to feed their families, pay their rent, pay their mortgage, pay the utilities, pay their Health Insurance premiums, what are they going to do next . I listened to senator mcconnell say, well, were going to have to take a look at what thats going to be in the future. Lets do it senator, but lets do it quickly. Why have we waited . Its been since march 26 that weve taken up any legislation on the subject and we knew this day would come. Why did we wait until the last minute. Eight weeks ago the house of representatives did their measure, the heroes act, one which i think is sound in principle and i would have supported. Senator mcconnell has come to the floor regularly to say its so bad, its inadequate, its wrong, and yet we still dont have a proposal from the republicans who are in the majority in the senate, about what they would do to move forward from this point in the next covid19 bill. One of the areas that i want to address specifically is the fact that almost two months ago, maybe longer, senator mcconnell came to the floor and said theres a red line here. If the covid19 bill that were considering in the future does not include a provision giving immunity, legal immunity to businesses across the United States, it has no chance. Were not going to consider it. Well, many of us have a lot of questions about this legal immunity that senator mcconnell is asking for. What is it . How far does it go . It turns out there was a memo describing it that was leaked to k street, thats where the lobbyists offices are for special Interest Groups in washington. That memo found its way into a newspaper and weve read it, and theres still many unanswered questions. We have been waiting for months for the language, this red line immunity language that senator mcconnell is insisting on. He has described the number of lawsuits and litigation that have been filed under covid19 as being a tsunami, overwhelming in number. Completely false. The numbers of claims that have been filed are few across the United States with more than three Million People that has so far been infected. Should we have a standard of conduct . Of course we should. The Senate Judiciary committee almost three weeks ago had a hearing, a texas businessman came forward and said i want to do the right thing, but what standard should i be following here . Something local, something state, something federal . Give me the standard and ill do my best to live up to it. That sounded like a goodfaith effort by a businessperson who wants customers and employees to be safe when they come into his establishment. He has every right to ask for that standard, and we have every responsibility to provide it. Based not on the politics of the moment but on Public Health, on medical certainty, on science. Thats what the standard should be drawn to. And the notion that any standard published by any one, whether by a town, a city, a township, county, a state, whatever it might be, is sufficient to absolve any business from any liability goes way too far. Unfortunately its going to be misused, im afraid, by those who do not, as this businessman was clearly not going to do, those who do not want to live up to their responsibility. What that texas businessman said at the Senate Judiciary Committee Gave me good belief and strong faith that the Business Community wants to do the right thing, just wants guidance. It would be amazing if the c. D. C. Stepped forward and provided those standards so that businesses and others across the United States knew exactly what to do in terms of social distancing and masks and the like. We need that, but first we need the lablg from senator mcconnell. This so the language from senator mcconnell. This socalled red line has been promised for months. Lets see the details and move forward from there. The notion of immunity for businesses by he any standard that will not protect employees and customers is unacceptable. It would not make america safe. It would make the situation even worse. Madam president , i yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call a senator madam president. The presiding officer the senator from oklahoma. Mr. Inhofe madam president , i ask unanimous consent the quorum call in process be vitiated. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Inhofe thank you. We have three groups of speakers having to do with the vote that will take place at, i think its 11 45. Is that correct . 11 45. During that time i will take the first 15 minutes. Then it will take place by the other members that have the amendments. It will be two amendments, the schatz amendment and my amendment. I did have the intention of having more time and was going to kind of rejoice a little bit because right now i understand were about to get the information on the suggestions that the secretary of defense has had after working over a realignment of some of our resources, particularly in europe, and its kind of interesting because this is something that 18 years ago right now, 18 years ago this year, i tried to do unsuccessfully when jim jones was the supreme allied commander. And we were not able to get it done. So now after 18 years, were going to try it again. I will be talking at 4 00 today about that issue. Its a very significant one. Let me today we are considering amendments to our National Defense authorization bill, and were still working on a managers amendment, but as i previously noted, we have already agreed to more than 140 bipartisan let me be more specific than that, because this is the first time that we have done this to a lesser degree in the past. This is the first time that the entire bill has been put together by members of the United States senate. And to demonstrate that, the total number of amendments to date of of july 21 includes our requests prior to the floor. This is prior to coming to the floor. 818 amendments, of which 440 were republican and 428 were democrats. Then adoption of the substitute we all remember what happened then. We had 79 amendments. Those amendments were 34 democrat, 34 republican, and 11 were joint. Then amendments we adopted with the managers package was 34 and the republicans and democrats, the republicans were only 15, democrats were 18, and the amendments on the second managers package were 28, and the third were 34. So what im saying is we had all these amendments. This is the first time there has been a bill thats just entirely written by the members, and thats why we are to the point now where we can get our amendments. Its been important to both senator reed and myself that we try to vote on at least a few individual amendments. This is something that we havent been able to do in the last several years. We made this arrangement two weeks ago. Two weeks ago, we have set up some six amendments that will be voted on. We will start in just a few minutes voting on the first two which will be senator schatz and mine. So im glad we are doing this within the hour. The first two amendments will be by senator schatz on the 1033 program. I am strongly opposed to the schatz amendment to end the 1033 program. I hear people talking about this. I guess they dont realize what we have done in the state of oklahoma. Our sheriffs, our Law Enforcement officers just were quite upset when they thought it might be in jeopardy. The 1033 program is an effective use of the taxpayers money by taking equipment that is not being used by the military and allowing it to go into the Law Enforcement sector, and its something that all kinds of precautions have taken, but were talking about adding a few more precautions. That program is an effective use of the taxpayers money. In fact, since the programs creation in 1990, more than 7 billion worth of vehicles, deaths, computers and more have been recycled into Law Enforcement. The equipment the military no longer needs that these agencies would be purchasing anyway, the equipment is always demilitarized so that its appropriate. And for Public Safety use. For years, local Law Enforcement has asked to do more with less, and now they face the liberal cause to deepen to defund the police. We need to be continuing this transparent, responsive program. You know, there are a lot of us that have a hard time believing thats going on today. The people are trying to play down Law Enforcement, trying to break the law, trying to say its acceptable. This has never happened before in america, but thats what were seeing right now. That makes this program one that is even more valuable. Senator schatz amendment would place such stringent limitations on the 1033 program that it would make the program virtually impossible to use. Further, it adds only burdensome certification and reporting requirements. I would just have to say and i dont say this critically of senator schatz. He doesnt like the program. He wants to kill the program. Were not going to allow this to happen. Lets say just as an example, lets say that a Sheriffs Office in my in my state of oklahoma or any other state decides that they want to receive sleeping bags at the that the department of defense no longer needs. Under the schatz amendment, that Sheriffs Office would need to, number one, put the request for sleeping bags out for Public Comment 30 days prior. Secondly, receive approval from local and state authorities. And third, then file reports on how the sleeping bags will be used and what kind of training officers will have to receive in order for them to have the sleeping bags. Sheriffs offices are too busy working to keep our communities safe to file numerous reports on sleeping bags that they receive from d. O. D. , and to put it bluntly, i think it would just this amendment would kill the program, the 1033 program. Again, these are allowing Law Enforcement, trained Law Enforcement officers to use surplus equipment thats not going to be used, has no value to it because its not going to be used by the military. So this is why both the National Sheriffs association and the National Fraternal order of police strongly oppose senator schatz amendment, and i ask unanimous consent at this point to include their recommendations , that one would be from the National Sheriffs association, the other from the National Fraternal order of police, along with other consents and letters noting the opposition be inserted into the record at this point. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Inhofe however, i support strong oversight of the 1033 program and understand the intent behind my colleagues amendment. We want to make sure the wrong kind of equipment does not get in the honduras of people who cannot properly use it. I think this program needed to be. So we have actually put into an amendment that will be voted on. This would be voted on. It would be the inhofe amendment right after the schatz amendment. Thats another 30 minutes from now. So and thats why we are offering an alternate an alternative to the schatz amendment. Now, what it would do is place more narrow limitation on the transfer of department of defense equipment. It includes weapons that cannot be used by state and local enforcement, and were talking about weapons you hear this all the time weapons like weaponized track vehicles and drones and lethal grenades. Well, they are not being used anyway, but lets go ahead and put them on a list so that they cant be used, and that should satisfy a lot of peoples concern. Also make sure that those who receive this equipment also get necessary training in how to protect citizens Constitutional Rights and deescalation techniques. During defunding the defunding and deequipping our Law Enforcement agencies simply dont fix anything, so making sure that they have the right equipment and the right training, it will. So this is what i request. I request that my colleagues vote no on the schatz amendment and recognize the value of this program and vote yes on my amendment putting new safeguards into the 1033 program. And with that, i have used the first ten minutes. I would like the second the five minutes for senator cramer. Mr. Cramer madam president. The presiding officer the senator from north dakota is recognized. Mr. Cramer thank you. I thank chairman inhofe for his leadership and his eloquence. I, madam president , rise today in defense of the heroes on the thin blue line and in opposition to the amendment numbered 2252 to the National Defense authorization act, which chairman inhofe just spoke to. Over the past few months, america has watched as we have seen a rise in civil unrest turn to violence in cities all across our country. Anarchists and domestic terrorists have exploited the peaceful protests of millions of wellintentioned americans in order to inflict chaos and instill fear in our communities. Standing on the front lines as a shield from absolute anarchy are our local Law Enforcement officers who by and large have deployed the force required, the appropriate force required to protect American Families as well as First Amendment rights. Unfortunately, some have made the political calculation that they would benefit more from chaos than from peace. They believe defunding and abolishing Police Departments and restricting their access to protective gear is politically better than an honest look at what our Justice System really needs to succeed. Madam president , the 1033 program has been utilized for years to provide state and local Law Enforcement with valuable tools already purchased by the federal government to promote Public Safety. It would be the epitome of waste to gut this program and let these valuable tools rust in a pile or a closet someplace. As the chairman said, the police and Sheriffs Association oppose amendment numbered 2252, and for good reason. Patrick yoza of the federal order of police says, quote, it is important for senators to understand that equipment received through the 1033 program is demilitarized and repurposed for Public Safety use. Simply because a piece of equipment was originally purchased with our tax dollars by the department of defense does not make it military equipment. A tool is defined by its use. The equipment is used to defend and protect officers and civilians from threats and to carry out Law Enforcement and Public Safety objectives, end of quote. It is stunning to me, madam president , that my colleagues some of my colleagues are more appalled at where Law Enforcement gets some of their tools and their equipment than they are at the violence which our Police Officers have to endure every day. The amendment offered today would bury Law Enforcement, especially those from poor communities, in unnecessary bureaucracy, effectively preventing them from procuring the equipment needed to keep our communities and its citizens safe. It is an unworkable messaging employ borne out of democrats belief that vilifying the police will somehow help them win the election in november. Thankfully, there is an alternative. Amendment numbered 2411 offered by the chairman from oklahoma. Its a thoughtful, commonsense approach with a focus on training, prevention, and deescalation. It puts the right equipment in the right hands and places commonsense restrictions on what transfers can occur, all while saving the taxpayers money. I urge my colleagues to support amendment numbered 2411 and call on the members of this body to reject any attempts to prevent these brave men and women from doing their job to safely secure our communities. I yield back. Mr. Schatz madam president. The presiding officer the senator from hawaii is recognized. Mr. Schatz i call up amendment number 2252. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk the senator from hawaii, mr. Schatz, for himself and others proposes amendment numbered 2252 to amendment numbered 2301. Mr. Schatz i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schatz madam president , senators murkowski, harris, paul, and i are offering a bipartisan amendment that proposes reasonable commonsense reforms to the 1033 program. Groups on the left and the right support it, including the naacp, the National Urban league, our street, freedom works, concerned veterans for america, the american conservative union, campaign for liberty, americans for tax reform, and the faith and freedom coalition. And so people on the left and the right agree. It is time to start to demilitarization the police. Our amendment will permanently prohibit the transfer of lethal military weapons to Police Departments. This includes heavy ammunition, bayonets, grenade launchers, explosives, stripped down tanks, tear gas, and weaponized drones, among other things. Think about that list. Weaponizeed drones, bayonets, is anybody under the impression that a Police Department needs a weaponized drone or bayonet . But our amendment also ensures Police Departments can still get access to the equipment that actually helps them to protect the public under the 1033 program, like first aid kits, cold weather gear, flashlights, highwater vehicles to respond to flood disasters. The last month has made clear that weapons of war dont belong in Police Departments. Weapons of war have no place in Police Departments. We saw the terrifying images, police in military gear storming the streets, combat vehicles rumbling down city blocks, rounds and rounds of tear gas shot at Peaceful Protesters, frequently without warning and often unprovoked. None of this helps anyone deescalate a crisis. Madam president , our communities are not battlefields. The American People are not enemy combatants. If our troops cant use tear gas while overseas, Police Departments shouldnt use it on american citizens. Its really that simple. Across the country more than 8,000 Police Departments are stockpiling weapons of war at no cost. The research plainly shows that outfitting our police for war does not help keep the peace. Militarized equipment actually leads to more silence disproportionately impacting communities of color. More militarized Law Enforcement is associated with civilians killed more civilians killed each year by police. One study found that when a county goes from having no military equipment to receiving about 2. 5 million worth of weaponry, civilian deaths at the hands of police are likely to double. To make matters worse, some Police Departments are misusing this program by selling, trading, or pawning equipment. And often county and city officials dont even know what weapons and equipment Police Departments are acquiring because equipment like armored track vehicles are very expensive to store and maintain. This program is blowing up local buckets across the country because these buckets across the country because these tanks are blowing up the streets. We have an opportunity to fix it. But this amendment is the result of a bipartisan compromise wherein we worked with each member who was willing to engage. Former governors who serve in the senate. Former prosecutors who serve in the senate. Members of both parties. And they specifically came to our office and said, you know, that specific item has important civilian use. Can you exempt it from the list of prohibited transfers. So we worked and we worked and this is the compromise measure. By passing this amendment, we can prevent the abuse of the 1033 program. We can limit the amount of dangerous military weapons in local precincts. To be clear reforming this program is not the only thing we need to do. No single amendment will End Police Brutality and violence. And alleviating the deep mistrust between police and the communities they are sworn to protect is not easy work and it will not be solved by one vote. But this amendment is meaningful and it is bipartisan. There is simply no evidence to support the idea that police are outgunned. Criminals are not rolling around with i. E. D. s and armored vehicles. This is an opportunity. Given the failure of us to do anything about the relationship between police and communities, anything at all in this congress, in this historic moment, this amendment is an opportunity to actually get something done. We have bipartisan cosponsors. This will be a bipartisan vote. We have organizations frankly on the far left and the far right supporting this amendment. This is an opportunity for the senate to actually get something done and so i urge my colleagues to vote yes. I yield the floor. Mr. Leahy madam president . The presiding officer the senator from vermont. Mr. Leahy madam president , i appreciate the words of the distinguished senator from hawaii. Those of us who served in Law Enforcement know the temptation to seek out this kind ever military hardware of military hardware and the basic uselessness and cost of it when its done. I would just be very brief in mentioning we had a small, very safe, very Quiet Community and the police chief was in my office when i was states attorney and the chief Law Enforcement officer of the county, all excited because he was going to get an armored personnel carrier. I said what are you going to do with it . Well, just in case theres an uprising. I said an uprising is whether somebody is shouting too much on your 4th of july parades. I said if you get that, i can assure you that if its used, i will have an inquiry into why it was used and no cases from your jurisdiction will be allowed in the court. He said he could find better uses of i said besides youre going to get laughed out of town if you got it. Madam president , i have spoken many times about the need for another covid19 supplemental. We see the frightening trend, the terrible human suffering, loss, and economic devastation its causing families, businesses, Public Services in every state and municipalities in this country. Its greatly accentuated the urgency, the need, and the coronavirus continues to outpace the white house appalling belated, id say incompetent, inadequate, incoherent efforts to contain it. And while they keep trying to make a sound bite, the number of americans becoming sick and dying continues to rise. That they ought to be worried first and foremost about Americans Health and americans safety far more than what might be a political sound bite for this falls election. And id remind those who are running this fall, if you want to make sound bites about this and not do anything, as of yesterday the virus has infected more than 3. 8 million americans. Its killed more than 143,000. And those are not numbers. Those are people. 30,000 more americans have been killed by this virus in the past five months than died in vietn vietnam, korea, iraq, afghanistan combined. Whats the president s response . Well, the virus will soon just go away. And after dismissing the virus as nothing to worry about, predicting the u. S. Economy would come roaring back in june, our selfproclaimed wartime president has for all intents and purposes left the battlefield. Unfortunately the people who are fighting covid have not left the battlefield. These are friends of mine. I know people who have died from this. We all do. We should hopefully we all know doctors and nurses and others who work on the front lines of this. And after months of the president belittling those who wear masks to protect themselves and others, almost nothing is said about this pandemic has turned out to be accurate or worse yet helpful. At this point priority appears to be keeping the Confederate Flag flying and honoring those who fought to defend slavery and its appalling even for this divisive president who wants to protect the names on forts of people who were traitors to the United States and fought against the United States. Why not put names of people on those forts and those military bases who actually defended the United States and fought for us. But back to covid, we know the virus toll in this country is staggering. Unlike many countries where governments quickly put in place effective controls and the virus has receded and those countries have put the controls i and ther economies largely have reopened, here it is getting worse. We also need to be aware of what the virus is doing in other parts of the world because that would determine how long its going to take to defeat this pandemic and how long before life returns to normal in our own country. Any virus is only an airplane trip away from our shores, but thats been ignored by the white house. Last week the World Health Organization which the white house blames for favoring china at the same time incidentally President Trump was praising xi jingping for chinas response to the virus, reported more than 14 million confirmed infections, more than 600,000 deaths worldwide. The virus has spread to 216 countries and territories. In fact, the entire world. Countries with the most advanced Health Care Systems in the world are struggling to cope with the flood of sick people. And as bad as that is, the situation is far worse in developing countries where billions of people have no access to quality medical services. For that matter, even safe water and sanitation. Their governments had minimal ability to stop the spread of the virus or to shore up the failing economies and stop the virus from going elsewhere. And without aid from the United States and other donors, the virus spreads out of country out of control. You know, we are not isolated from the rest of the world. Weve already seen this happening in our hemisphere. According to usaid and the World Food Programme, the Vaccine Alliance of gavi, the global fund, other Public Health and human tearian organization, covidrelated needs around the world are spiking in every area. Usaid says whatever amount of resources congress provides is not going to be enough. They describe massive gaps in what they see a tidal wave of need in the making at the same time as they are trying to stop the backsliding in other Infectious Disease programs which because were all on one globe, ultimately affect us. If the current trend continues, 270 Million People will be without adequate food by the end of this year, an increase of 150 mildew to the pandemic alone. The u. S. Peace program, title 2, has buildin been a life saver fr 60 years. People in more than 150 countries have received food aid and its been backed strongly by both republicans and democrats in this body. Its absolutely vital to the covid19 response. And the World Food Programme has undertaken the biggest humanitarian response in its history. How does that affect us in the United States . Of course it does because were interrelated and because if these problems continue in other parts of the world, ultimately they do affect us very, very much. In the United States we see it in our we see our agriculture economy is continuing to suffer. The trump trade wars have hurt our farmers. The pandemic has accelerated their decline. Actually additional funding would help address immediate Global Hunger needs, but it would also support americas Farm Community suffering from the Economic Crises caused by covid19. The u. N. Believes the number of covid19 infections are massively underreported. Its running out of funds to support the hundreds of passenger and cargo flights carryinger national aid workers food. Many of these haultian on humanitarian workers are themselves becoming ill and both usaid and u. N. Say you have to have United States leadership to get other countries to help. In fact, its widely understood apparently everywhere except at the white house that the less prepared we and other countries are for what lies ahead, then the worse it is going to be for them and for us. This is not just being good humanitarians on our part. We have an interest in this, too, in the world being healthy. And its not a problem thats going to be solved by an America First policy or by building a wall and saying somebody else will pay for it or by blaming others americans cant safely resume International Travel and commerce without a successful global strategy to reduce the number and rate of infections. As long as the virus is spreading in this hemisphere and beyond, americans will continue to become infected and die, and the u. S. Economy will suffer no matter how many tweets and sound bites come from the white house. The amount appropriated for the International Response to the virus and previous covid19 supplementals total 2. 4 billion includes less than 1 billion for food and other humanitarian needs. About. 5 of some total of those emergency supplementals. Ill put much of this in the record, these numbers, but there are billions needed for the cost of purchasing and distributing billions of doses of a Coronavirus Vaccine as soon as one is available. Protecting the world and protecting us because that distribution is going to be immensely difficult and costly, and we have to be prepared as soon as a vaccine is proven to be safe and effective. And the longer congress delays, then the more costly in lives and dollars and effective International Response to covid19 becomes. The president does not want to be the leader we need at this critical time, so its up to congress as an independent branch of government, to actually stand up and do our work. On july 10 the House Appropriations committee marked up its fiscal year 2021 bill for the department of state and foreign operations which included 10 billion in emergency funding to respond to covid19. Thats a good start, but we have a lot more to do. So i hope the proposal that will finally be unveiled by the majority leader will include funds for an International Response. Senator graham, a republican, and i have worked together on this foreign bill. Were in agreement we need strong United States leadership at this critical time. Im going to be making recommendations to other members of appropriations on this. But ill close on an entirely different matter. When i see a navy veteran come and ask masked, unidentified soldiers, Police Officers, nobody really said who they were, dis percenting a crowd in portland dispersing a crowd in portland and he stands there and says, look, who are you . What are you doing . Certainly not being in any way threatening. Whats their response to him . They start beating him and beating him, throwing tear gas at him. He simply ask who are you . Why are you in our town . What are you doing . Will you please tell me who you are . They start beating him and they break his hand. Hes a navy veteran who served our country. This is out of control as anything else. And to hear smug comments from members of the administration say we have to do this, no. Everybody knows theyre doing that hoping that somehow it will help the president s reelection. Frankly, madam president , i want to help the United States of america. I ask consent my full statement be made part of the record. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Reed madam president. The presiding officer the senator from rhode island. Mr. Reed thank you, madam president. I rise in support of the schatz amendment. It would make changes to one of the Defense Departments Surplus Property programs known as the 1033 program which allows the Defense Department to disburse equipment. It has provided the Defense Department with a way to reuse taxpayerfunded equipment it no longer needs by providing it to Law Enforcement agencies. This in turn saves state and local governments from having to buy new equipment. This program is almost 25 years old and it has been the subject of continued scrutiny and modifications. I would first like to review what is in place. D. O. D. Requires that all requests for equipment from Law Enforcement agencies include a justification of how the property will be used. This justification is a key factor in determining if a requisition is to be approved. Next, according to the Defense Department, 92 , 92 of the equipment transferred during f. Y. 2019 was in the category of uncontrolled property. Things like office equipment, first aid kits, hand tools, computers, and digital cameras. After one year from transfer, items in this category become the property of the Law Enforcement agency and are no longer subject to annual inventory requirements. The rest of proper transferred under the 1033 program is considered controlled property and is given to Law Enforcement agencies, given to these agencies on a conditional or loan basis. It includes small arms, demilitarized vehicles and nightvision equipment. Typically small arms weapons only make up about 5 of the property transferred in the 1033 program. And when a Law Enforcement agency no longer wants or needs this controlled property, it must be returned to the department of defense. To ensure that this program is done responsibly and effectively, the Government Accountability office provided several reviews of this program that has been helpful in the 1033 program. The Committee Bill accompanying the report before us contains another g. A. O. Review of military disposed vehicles which could inform additional reforms when we receive results of the review. I also know that the Defense Logistics Agency requires annual audits of participating agencies to ensure they are accountable for the equipment they have received. And if an agency is delinquent or doesnt meet the requirements, then they can be suspended or terminated from the 1033 program. While this program is an effective way of reusing equipment that taxpayers have already paid for, we continually need to ensure that our civilian Law Enforcement agencies do not end up looking like or acting like our military when they patrol the streets. Given some of the incidents that have occurred in recent months, i believe that additional modifications are necessary. The schatz amendment adds some reasonable requirements and limitations to the 1033 program. For one thing, it would codify the prohibition of certain items from being transferred under the 1033 program. Things like certain kinds of ammunition, grenades and drones. This amendment would also prohibit the use of transferred equipment against First Amendment protected visitors, such as the right to peaceably assemble and petition the government for redressive grievances. I know that the Defense Department has some concerns about how this amendment would be implemented, but i believe these concerns can be addressed during conference with the house and in implementation. I particularly believe it is important and timely to make such changes to the 1033 program today. I support the schatz amendment and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of it. Thank you, madam president , and i would yield the floor. A senator madam president. The presiding officer the senator from wyoming. Mr. Enzi i come to the floor today to urge my colleagues to support amendment 2411 offered by the senator from oklahoma and oppose amendment 251 1 offered by the senator from hawaii. Ive heard from Law Enforcement in my state, they use this program to get critical search and rescue equipment that saves lives. In sweetwater county, the sheriff used equipment from the 1033 program to rescue 22 people in just five months. In bighorn county equipment from the program rescued a family that was kayaking when sixfoot waves arose. A boat from this program was the only equipment that could break through the waves to rescue the family. Without the 1033 program they would not be able to afford this lifesaving equipment. Sometimes the equipment is not used, in which case we are pleased that theres no need for a secialg and rescue that year or some of it is converted to Fire Protection equipment. The burdensome paperwork required by the amendment offered by the senator from hawaii would effectively end access to the program for local Law Enforcement in my state whose departments are small. Our towns are small. The activities have to be combined between fire and police protection. And senator inhofe has attempted to find the middle ground. His amendment requires reforms and training without an egregious paperwork burden that could end this important program. Again, i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of amendment 2411 offered by senator inhofe. I yield the floor. Mr. Schatz madam president. The presiding officer the senator from hawaii is recognized. Mr. Schatz thank you very much, madam president. Just by way of rebuttal to the senator from wyoming, just to make clear what the schatzmurkowskiharrispaul amendment does, we were very thoughtful and deliberative and collaborative with members of the senate to ensure that the problem that he is describing would not occur under this new statute. So let me just be specific. Search and rescue equipment, boats, things like that which clearly have a virtuous civilian use are not prohibited transfers under my amendment. Thank you. I yield the floor. Mr. Schatz madam president. The presiding officer the senator from hawaii is recognized. Mr. Schatz i ask for the yeas and nays. The presiding officer is there a sufficient second . There appears to be. The yeas and nays are ordered. Mr. Schatz madam president , i ask that we start the vote now. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Under the previous order the question occurs on the schatz amendment number 2252. The yeas and nays were ordered. The clerk will call the roll. Vote vote vote vote vote the presiding officer are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote . If not, on this vote the yeas are 51. The nays are 49. Under the previous order requiring 60 votes for the adoption of this amendment, the amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Inhofe mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from oklahoma. Mr. Inhofe mr. President , i call up my amendment number 2411 and ask that it be reported by number. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk senator from oklahoma mr. Inhofe proposes an amendment number 2411. The presiding officer under the previous order, the question occurs on the inhofe amendment number 2411. Is there a sufficient second . There appears to be. The clerk will call the roll. Vote vote vote the presiding officer are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote . If not, the yeas are 90, the nays are 10. Under the previous order requiring 60 votes for the adoption of this amendment, the amendment is agreed to. Under the previous order, the Senate Stands in recess until Senate Stands in recess until to save lives, meet the needs of our states, our healthcare workers. Along with briefings onto coronavirus pandemic. Supreme Court Oral Arguments and decisions. Thanks for coming out to say hello. And the latest from campaign 2020. Recalls and comments welcome. Be a part of the conversation everyday with our live callin Program Washington journal. If you missed any of our live coverage watch anytime ondemand at cspan. Org or listen on the go with the free cspan radio app. Booktv on cspan2 has top nonfiction books and authors every weekend. Coming up this weekend sunday at 4 30 p. M. Eastern Princeton University professor, author of begin again. Hes joined with author, activist and Harvard University professor cornel west. Watch booktv on cspan2 this weekend. U. S. Attorney general william barr appears before the house judiciary committees general oversight hearing on the Justice Department on tuesday, july 28. Watch live coverage on cspan, watch anytime on cspan. Org or listen on the go with the cspan radio app. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh Mcenany held briefing earlier. She talked about the violence in portland and other cities and the federal governments response to ongoing coronavirus pandemic