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

Procedural vote will take place this morning on the nominee. The confirmation vote later this afternoon. And the negotiations are continuing on a coronavirus aid package. Live coverage now here on cspan2. The president pro tempore the senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Black, will open the senate with prayer. The chaplain let us pray. O god our shield, we rejoice in the gift of your salvation. Look with favor upon our senators today, delivering them from fear and guiding them around the obstacles that hinder their progress. Lord, unite them for the common good of this great land. Lord, manifest your purposes to them, making clear your plans and guiding them with your love. Give them the wisdom to have confidence in your power, as you inspire them to use their talents as instruments of liberation and healing. Almighty god, have compassion upon our nation and world. We pray in your holy name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in 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 mr. President . The presiding officer the gentleman from iowa. Mr. Grassley one minute for morning business. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley i want to speak about a native american tradition in the state of iowa. Its about the masquaky nation, the only federally recognized tribe in iowa. This year many more than Community Events have been canceled due to covid19 pandemic. Each year the the masquaky powwow serves as an opportunity to bring the tribe together with fellow iowans to share, learn, and honor the mas unique contribution to our state. This is important to preserving the masquaky heritage and sharing it with the next generation. In light of the cancellation, they are posting a number of Educational Resources on their Facebook Page at masquaky nation to honor their annual powwow week. I encourage iowans to visit and learn. I yield the floor. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President . The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell its been one week since Senate Democrats forced the additional federal benefit for jobless americans to expire. Senate republicans tried everything to prevent the lapse. That monday we rolled out a comprehensive proposal for another rescue package that would have kept extra federal benefits flowing. Democrats refused to act so we tried to force the issue. One of our senators requested unanimous consent to continue the benefits through the end of the year at a still historically generous level. This plan would have also corrected the bizarre choice facing American Workers whom the system was actually paying more to stay home than to resume working. But that wasnt good enough for the democratic leader and he objected. Another republican senator then asked unanimous consent to extend federal support exactly as it has been for one more week, one more week so the jobless americans didnt have to bear the cost of democrats leisurely negotiating pace. Once again the democratic leader objected. Finally, republicans forced a floor vote to demonstrate whether senators were enwilling to debate the even willing to debate the issue, whether senators would even consider extending these benefits, and every single democrat present voted no. The week since then has been seen what weve seen is plenty of talk, plenty of stalling from the Democratic Leaders who have insisted on handling this themselves. But no Significant Movement toward progress. They still kept their ranking members and more reasonable voices locked up. The speaker and the democratic leader continue to obstruct the kinds of committeelevel discussions that deliver the cares act are no longer in style. Only they are allowed to speak. Only they among democrats are allowed to have an opinion. Day after day theyve stonewalled the president s team. Day by day theyve tried to invent new euphemisms to create the illusion of progress. Yesterdays contribution from the speaker was this. Theres now a light at the end of the tunnel. But how long that tunnel is remains to be seen. Well, there are a lot of struggling americans who could tell Speaker Pelosi exactly how long this tunnel has been. And that will continue to be endless unless the democrats let us provide more relief to the country. Their second week of inaction has brought the country to a second cliff in coronavirus aid. Last week it was the extra federal benefit for laid off workers. This week its the enormously popular Paycheck Protection Program that has kept millions more americans off the unemployment rolls in the first place. The p. P. P. Was written and designed in march by chairman rubio and chairman collins as main street america was hurdling toward a cliff. Their innovative policy has saved Small Businesses at a massive scale. Hundreds of billions of dollars have gone out in emergency loans to more than 600,000 Small Businesses. I hear constantly from kentuckians whose local businesses and jobs would not have survived the last several months without this program. From distilleries to medical device suppliers to Domestic Violence advocates, the p. P. E. Has helped p. P. P. Has helped institutions weather the storm and keep more kentuckians on the payroll. This Emergency Program hasnt been perfect but it has been a huge, huge success. It has remained a success because back in april we finally got democrats to let us provide another wave of funding after a pointless delay and pointless brinksmanship. You may detect a pattern here. But now many of these businesses are reaching the end of their rope. Their p. P. P. Money is dwindling but since the virus remains with us, even where shutdown orders have been lifted, commerce has not roared all the way back. One survey found one in four workers who were hired back and kept getting paid because of p. P. P. Have now been warned, warned they might be let go again. And you can bet that number will increase. Heres how one Business Owner explained the looming danger to reporters. If there is another round isnt another round of stimulus, well start cutting past the fat and to the bone. And thats our people and our people are hard, hard to replace. Congress should be strengthening the p. P. P. Instead the democrats have put it in jeopardy. This saturday, august 8, is the official deadline for anyone who hasnt yet gotten a loan to apply. The door closes the day after tomorrow. And many firms that did receive the assistance are getting nearer to the bottom of the well. This is why Senate Republicans blueprint for another major rescue package would put 190 billion into a second draw of the p. P. P. For the businesses that most need help. The House Democrats 3 trillion, 3 trillion wish list totally left that out. They ignored the p. P. P. We want to reup it. This is just one of the many ways our serious proposal beats the absurd farleft wish list the democrats own moderate members laughed out of town. While they focus on unrelated liberal demands like tax cuts for rich people in blue states, were focused on Serious Solutions for the problems facing americans right now. But instead of getting serious, the Democratic Leaders have chosen instead to misrepresent and even lie about whats all at stake. The Democratic Leaders repeated misstatements about the Legal Protections that Senate Republicans and the white house want for schools, doctors, nurses, charities, and employers have earned him three pinocchios from the Washington Post and a mostly false rating from another factchecker. Let me say that again, mr. President. The Democratic Leaders repeated misstatements about the Legal Protections that Senate Republicans and the white house want for schools, doctors, nurses, charities, and employers have earned him three, three pinocchios from the Washington Post and a mostly false rating from another factchecker. He doesnt even seem to realize that we model our medical malpractice reforms on the covidrelated protections that his fellow democrats put in place in new york. So this is where we are, mr. President. Another week that the speaker of the house and the democratic leader have spent stonewalling the hims team in talks and holding out for ideological pet projects with no relationship whatsoever to the covid crisis. And now, now as a result, struggling americans are facing another cliff with another important form of relief on its last legs. A second straight week of political theater from our democratic colleagues with no result except more pain for families, more uncertainty for workers, and more evidence to suggest that perhaps Democratic Leaders were never serious about getting something accomplished in the first place. All across america, small Business Owners are hurting and hoping the democrats get reasonable and allow another major package to move forward. Unemployed americans need these endless talks to finally bear fruit. So do School Principals and working parents and Senior Citizens and nurses and doctors and University President s and students of all ages. Thats why i will not be adjourning the senate for our august recess today as has been previously scheduled. Ive told republican senators theyll have 24hour notice before a vote but the senate will be convening on monday and ill be right here in washington. The house has already skipped town. But the senate wont adjourn for august unless and until the democrats demonstrate they will never let an agreement materialize. A lot of americans hopes, a lot of americans lives are riding on the democrats endless talk. I hope theyre not disappointed. Now, mr. President , i understand theres a bill at the desk due a second reading. The presiding officer the clerk will read the title of the bill for the second time. The clerk s. 4461, a bill to provide for a period of continuing appropriations in the event of a lapse and so forth. Mr. Mcconnell in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule 14, i would object to further proceedings. The presiding officer objection having been heard, the bill will be placed on the calendar. Under itself previous order, the leadership time is reserved. Morning business is closed. Under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination which the clerk will report. The clerk nomination, the judiciary, John Peter Cronan of new york to be United States district judge for the Southern District of new york. Mr. Mcconnell i suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call quorum call quorum call mr. Schumer madam president . The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer now, madam president , over the past week and a half, Speaker Pelosi and i have been engaged in serious discussions and negotiation in negotiation with the white house over another round of emergency relief for the American People. Our motivation is simple. Americans are crying out for relief. Cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to climb. The snowball of Economic Impact continues to roll downhill. This morning we learned that another 1. 2 million americans filed for unemployment, far more than at any time during the Great Recession that began in 2008. Our two parties dont agree on many things. Thats no secret. The Trump Administration has bun galled this crisis from the very beginning. And even now is careening from one selfinflicted crisis to the next. Democrats believe that congress has a moral obligation to step into the breach, to help americans put food on the table and keep the roof over their heads, to save our economy from a deeper recession, and longer recovery, and fight this disease with all the resources and wherewithal a great nation can bring to bear. So after the Senate Republican majority failed in spectacular fashion to put together a bill even its own members could support, democrats have engaged in arduous negotiations with the white house trying to impress upon them the gravity of the situation. We have made some progress this week but not enough. And the biggest reason is that President Trump and his aides and his party in congress are not truly awake to whats happening in this country. The Trump Administration and Senate Republicans have badly mauled the body politic, the american economy, and American Health care. We democrats believe the patient needs a major operation while republicans want to apply a band aid. And we wont let them just pass the band aid, go home, and still leave america bleeding. Thats the difference right now on so many issues. Our republican counterparts refuse to acknowledge that americans who have lost their job through no fault of their own might need some assistance with rent. The republican leader warns of an epidemic of lawsuits that hasnt materialized. What will materialize soon is an epidemic of evictions unless we extend the moratorium and pass rental assistance. Between 19 and 23 million households, one in five rental households will be at risk of eviction by the end of september, unless we do something, unless our republican colleagues wake up. Our republican counterparts refuse to acknowledge that state, local, and tribal governments who the Trump Administration abandoned in the early days of this crisis might need federal support to prevent teachers, firefighters, bus drivers from being laid off. And Public Services from being slashed at the worst possible time. Leader mcconnell just states, just states that states should go bankrupt. Thats not acceptable. Our republican counterparts refuse to acknowledge that running an election in the middle of a pandemic is going to be difficult, that state election systems are going to need more resources, and our post office must be well staffed and prepared to manage an election that see more voting by mail than any before. Yesterday the republican leader scoffed at the idea of extended enhanced Unemployment Benefits because it would mean that some americans without work would be paid more than our essential workers. Conveniently the republican leader did not mention that democrats have proposed for months that we give our essential workers additional hazard pay and that he and his party continue to block it. If our friends on the other side are finally worried about how little many of our essential workers are making as we are, id hope they put their money where their mouth is and support our proposal to give them hazard pay. When it comes to elections and education, Food Assistance for hungry children, and mind bogglingly when it comes to health care, tracing and medicaid, our republican friends continue to pinch pennies during a national emergency. Again this is the reason that our negotiations with the white house have been so difficult. The president and his aides and his party in congress are not even awake to the crisis in our country. President trump doesnt have a plan, doesnt engage in negotiations, and still manages to undercut the negotiations at every turn. There is no leadership from the white house at a time of great crisis. Historians will look back and say this is one of the greatest crises america has felt and the white house is nowhere to be found. Its never happened before. Way back in march after we passed the cares act, the Senate Republican majority made a dangerous gamble. Leader mcconnell said he was putting the senate on, quote, pause to see what would happen. Senate republicans swallowed the president s ridiculous fantasy that the disease would just disappear. Hoping they wouldnt have to do anything, the republican majority put the senate on ice for four long months, four months. Only yesterday leader mcconnell admitted that his delay, quote, allowed us to learn the coronavirus didnt mysteriously disappear. So look, at this late stage, after months of republican delay, as the country got worse and worse, after republicans in the senate failed to generate a proposal that even their own caucus or president could support, democrats are now in the room, were the ones in the room trying to negotiate a bill that would meet the countrys needs. And while some of my friends on the other side of the aisle are just looking for an outcome, any outcome so they can vote on something and go home, we are not going to agree to an inadequate bill that doesnt address the challenges in our country. And we are not going to give up. We are going to keep fighting until we achieve the caliber of legislation the American People during this time of great crisis need and deserve. Were going to keep working until we get it done. I yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call the presiding officer the senator from illinois. Mr. Durbin plant, i ask consent the quorum call be suspended. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Durbin thank you, madam president. Madam president , the news this morning about the actions taken by facebook and twitter in relation to statements made by President Trump is incredible. We now have a decision by these two major sources of social media to draw down and to remove statements made by the president of the United States on the issue of the National Health emergency which we currently face. They believe and certainly on its face its clear that these statements by President Trump misrepresented medical fact in terms of the immunity of children to the covid19 and the state of play in america when it comes to this pandemic. The numbers 5 and 25 tell a real story. America has roughly 5 of the worlds population and, sadly, 25 of the covid infections in the world. How could how could a great and strong nation like ours have reached this point where this medical crisis has reached a point where many parts of america are facing record had breaking infection levels recordbreaking infection levels . Part of it has to do with a lack of leadership. A president who has refused to acknowledge experts like dr. Fauci and others who when they say things that disappear him are banished from appearing on television with him or making public statements in contradiction of his bizarre point of view. We also know as well that the president has downplayed from the start the threat of this covid19. One of the reasons that facebook and twitter removed his statements is that the president continues to diminish the severity of this crisis. We know as well that he has failed to tell us the truth and has speculated on medical theories that are just pure quackery. Who can forget the president s famous press conditions talking about ingesting disinfectants, his theories about ultraviolet lights and this hydroxychloroquine fantasy that he continues to enjoy, telling the American People. We know he failed to take action as well when it was needed. Initially governors, including my own in the state of illinois, were desperate for the equipment that they needed to protect Health Care Workers and to save the lives of those who were infected with the coronavirus. At this moment in time, many people are asking me basic questions on my website. One of the questions from a lady this morning said, why is it that the United Kingdom has a rapid test and we dont in the United States . I wish i could answer that, but i cant. The fact is that if youre taking a test to see if youre positive for the coronavirus and the results arent available for five days or even 12 days, theyre almost pointless. At that point in time, its just a data point in history, not something that you can rely on in terms of your own conduct. And how do the republicans in the senate explain the nonchalance that many of them have displayed . This is the worst National Health crisis that we have faced in 100 years. We know that people are dying. Over 150,000 have died already in this country, and we know that number is likely to grow. And despite that, when it comes to putting money into testing, democrats have called for a dramatic investment to make that happen and the republicans just 16 billion for a nation that needs so much more. When it comes to the economy, i cant understand the position of the republicans. They refuse to come forward with their own plan to rescue our economy, to help unemployed families and to putbitions back in and to put businesses back in business, and they seem to lack a sense of urgency as to the situation we currently face. The American People take this situation very, very seriously. Weve recently done surveys and found that they overwhelmingly believe that we still have major challenges ahead, and they start with the coronavirus. Why hasnt this president used the resources of this government to come up with a quick, rapid results test so that people can learn whether or not theyre positive for coronavirus in a quick fashion . We cant realistically expect to open the economy or open our schools until we have that available across the United States of america. And yet the president doesnt seem to want to take on that responsibility. For those who believe that we can say to the unemployed, if you just work a little harder, youll find a job well, they ought to face the reality. The reality is that we have four unemployed workers in america for every job opening. The reality as well is that employers who wish to fill their positions are doing it at a faster pace than at any time since 2012 and this notion that if youre receiving an unemployment check youre going to stay home and not go back to work, in the last few months, the people who have returned to work in america 70 of them were being paid more on unemployment than they did on the jobs they were returning to. But they wanted to get about a being to work. They know that unemployment is temporary help and they got to get back on their own feet as quickly as possible. Plus, there are benefits to working. One of them is Health Insurance. Many people return to work to get about a being to the Health Insurance that they think is particularly helpful for their family. So why would the republicans be suggesting a reduction in the weekly benefit of some 400. They ought to sit down and talk to these people receiving these unemployment checks, like did i last friday in chicago. Let them tell their stories. What are they spending them for . Overwhelmingly you the basics of life. Food, rent and mortgage payments. People arent salting this money away. Almost half have exhausted all of their savings. Some of them have resorted to telling some piece of property they own, some goods or articles that might raise enough money to help them pay their bills. Its a desperate situation for the 30 million americans who are unemployed. I dont understand why the republicans dont engage with us in addressing this problem directly. How can we possibly explain that in the negotiation over the next rescue package for america, we have the president s chief of staff, the secretary of the treasury, the speaker of the house, democrat nancy pelosi, chuck schumer, the democrat leader of the senate, and two empty chairs. Senator mcconnell does not participate in this negotiation, nor does leader mccarthy from the republicans in the house. They should be there. Thats their job. This notion that they can stand off on the sidelines and just criticize things that are, discussed is not that are being discussed is not productive. Americas americans need more. America needs a better approach when it comes to it. Another issue that comes up every time i open any Conference Call to questioning from an audience is on our Postal Service. In july postmaster general dejoy eliminated overtime for postal employees even though parcel volumes were up almost 60 in june compared to last year. Usually about 20 of all the workbymail handlers, city carriers and drivers is done by memo. In july, the new postmaster acknowledged that employees listen to this quote may see mail left behind or mail on the workroom floor or docks, which is not typical, close quote. Postmaster general dejoy routinely compares the Postal Service, a 245yearold Government Agency that performs a service, to United States steel as a need adapt to the new market realities. Postmaster dejoy does not seem to understand the Postal Service a an essential Service Provided by the government, not a luxury and certainly not a routine business. Americans rely on the u. S. Postal service to deliver needed packages, medications, Social Security checks, and other benefits. Many Small Businesses would absolutely fold if they couldnt use the u. S. Postal service and its dale lay operations. And Rural Americans know that many forprofit Delivery Services wont come to their addresses in smalltown america. The Postal Service will be there. We are less than 100 days from an election where mailin ballots delivered by the Postal Service will be vital to ensuring people of all political persuasions that they can safely exercise their right to vote while following Public Health experts recommendations to reduce the spread of covid19. When contacted to schedule a call with the postmaster general, his offices response was, currently hes not taking calls or meetings as hes focusing on understanding the organization. Understanding the organization . The heroes act that passed the house of representatives 11 weeks ago included 25 billion in emergency funding to cover revenue losses over the next two years. Madam president , i believe in the Postal Service, and i thank the employees. My own mail carrier in my neighborhood back in springfield, greg, works later hours, usually delivers our mail at 7 00 p. M. Tells me he is delivering a the although of packages now. He said, senator, i just delivered a package of duct tape to one of your neighbors. I want to make sure i deliver your mail every single day, as promised. He is a dedicated public servant. You can tell it in his manner and his gait and his attitude. He takes his job very, very seriously, and he does it well and so many do. We need to support our Postal Service. This is not something we can afford to skimp on at this moment in american history. I hope the republicans will join us in believing that the Postal Service is worth an investment today, and i hope that we can include that in anything that we move forward. Theres another provision id like to id hope to include in any rescue package, and it addresses an issue which we all feel intensely. Across america, many communities routinely face the harsh reality of too few doctors or nurses or dentist or Behavioral Health providers. It means delayed health care in many communities, gaps in accessing lifesaving services and ultimately worse health outcomes, especially in lowincome, rural, and urban areas. Our nation is projected to face a short arming of up to a shortage of up to 120,000 doctors. If you ask the question, youll find that many hospitals and clinics in smalltown america retort to contract nurses. These are nurses thatter available in an emergency that are available in an emergency but theyre suspension expensive, sometimes charging two or three times. That was before the coronavirus rampage across our nation. This pandemic has mag any tied the shortages in our system. In my state of illinois, Governor Pritzker had to call doctors out of retirement while fourthyear medical students at the university of chicago graduated early so they could go to work. Over the past six months, americas heroic Health Care Workers have faced incredible strains on the front lines of our fight against the coronavirus. Hundreds of Health Care Workers have tragically died from covid19. Tens of thousands have been infected. Countless more have endured trauma and burnout from patient care. The crisis has caused alarming outbreaks for hispanics and latinx. Health professionals of color contributes to this unconscionable inequity. In 20189 only 4 of incoming medical students in illinois were black men. A recent study found that there are fewer black male medical students today than there were in 1978. Thats 42 years ago. The simple economics of american medical education pose a barrier to our Health Workforce theyds. We take our most promising students, put them through years of rigorous education and training, license them after a backbreaking residency on one condition they have to be prepared to assume a student debt, of average, of more than 200,000 to be a doctor in america. The burden of paying off these loans steers some of our best and brightest minds in higherpaying competitionties, leaving many areas with gaps and vulnerable to the challenges were facing today. To address these Health Workforce challenges and medical disparities and to bolster Surge Capacity for future emergencies, i have partnered with senator marco rubio of florida. Together weve introduced strengthening Americas Health care readiness act. Immediately restoring or pipeline of doctors, nurses, and other providers. How do we do it . We provide scholarships and loan repayment funding through the National Health Service Corps and nurse corps to those who serve in needy areas. More than 70 of inpatient hospital beds are full. One of the major issues with this capacity strain is the lack of providers to actually staff these health units. Our bill would help to surge tens of thousands of clinicians into these communities. To narrow disparities that i mentioned earlier, our legislation would emphasize recruitment from populations historically underrepresented in health care and our bill would enhance our Emergency Preparedness by providing loan repayment for clinton in additions who serve in a for clinicians who serve in a reserve capacity similar to our national guard, who could be deplied to serve in disaster deployed to serve in disaster locations. Representative Jan Schakowsky from chicago is our partner in the house. Were pleased to have the support of the american medical association, the association of american medical colleges, the National Association of Community Health centers, and many more. Senator rubio and i are working to include this policy in the next Coronavirus Relief package. We urge our colleagues to support it. Madam president , i ask that the statement i am about to make be placed in a separate part in the record. The presiding officer without objection. Durbin on a different issue. The other. Mr. Durbin the other day the chicago newspaper ran this story. Her husband jailed, an exteacher is running for president. Shes trying to beat europes last dictator. The story went on to explain the courageous effort of svetlana sviskonsa to run in belarus for president. In that country victor lieu lushenko ran strong armed elections. Her husband, a popular commentator, he disqualified and jailed other candidates and harassed and detained protesters including those from radio free europe. Im not surprised by what i read in the tribune. Ten years ago i went to belarus after the equally appalling december 2010 president ial election in which the same dictator lukashenko jailed the opposition candidates. When i arrived there after the election, i had a meeting ill never forget. It was with the family members of many of these jailed candidates. They were deeply concerned for the safety of their loved ones who had been rounded up by lukashenkos k. G. B. , and yes, madam president , he still calls his secret police the k. G. B. They spoke movingly, members of the family did, about admiration for their loved ones who risked so much just to run in an election and lose against lukashenko. They spoke of the fear of what would happen at the hands of lukashenkos henchmen. I told their stories on the floor of the senate. Shortly thereafter the Senate Passed a resolution i introduced with senators mccain, lieberman and others, that said what was the announced result of this election in belarus was neither credible nor sustainable since they jailed the political candidates who opposed lukashenko. Eventually all of them were released but it took time. Here we go again, witnessing the same brutality and deprivation of the most basic democratic freedoms on the european continent. Clearly lukashenko knows he cannot win a Fair Election, so he turns to the usual autocrats playbook, harassing and jailing opposition, rigging and discrediting the electoral process and unleashing brutality on anyone who resisted. Im here to say to mr. Lukashenko no one in the west is fooled. Thats why im pleased to introduce a resolution with senators rubio, cardin, and others. It calls for the release of those disgracefully jailed during the belarus election period. It calls for basic International Election norms to be adhered to, including the allowing of international and local election observers and for the peaceful exercise of basic democratic rights. I want to thank my colleagues who joined me on this measure. I believe that this matter has been passed by live consent, and i thank my colleagues for giving me the opportunity to let them know about this violation of Democratic Values in belarus. Madam president , i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call the presiding officer the senator from iowa. Mr. Grassley i ask that the calling of the quorum be suspended. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley every day we can see that this public Health Crisis is also an economic crisis. During the shutdowns, some employers shuttered completely and others were forced to lay off workers. Tens of billions of jobs were saved thanks to the Paycheck Protection Program and other cares act provisions, but millions of other americans lost their jobs and remain unemployed. While jobs numbers have improved since the more dire days of march and april, there are still Many Americans facing unemployment. Talks are continuing to determine how best to modify and extend a federal supplement to state Unemployment Insurance programs, but those talks are going miserably slowly. These state programs and the actual federal aid have been important safety nets for folks who have lost their income. But they are only a piece of what we can and should do and what a bill before the United States senate lays out. Its called the heals act, put forth by our leader. And as the leader said yesterday, we know that these programs shouldnt pay someone more to stay home than essential workers are making by working hard. We also know that most people would prefer to have a reliable job and avoid layoff entirely. Thats why republicans, as part of the heals act, have put forward several additional proposals to help already unemployed americans and prevent others from getting laid off in the first place. And thats why these talks ought to speed up so we can get some of these other things in place as well as the unemployment issues that were talking about. We extend and significantly expand the Employee Retention tax credit that would include, was included in the cares act so that employers can keep more people on the payroll instead of laying them off, and it supports businesses that hire more workers as the economy continues to improve. We expand the work opportunity tax credit to support employers that are helping those currently receiving Unemployment Insurance find a new safe and steady job. Bringing in new employees and expanding the workforce can be complicated, especially in times of pandemic. Both employers and employees want to maintain safe working environments, so its important for employers to have the resources to keep their workplaces clean and their employees protected. Republicans then propose a new tax credit for these expenses, like additional cleaning expenses, personal protective gear, and even office reconfigurations that keep employees and customers safe. The heals act also provides for another round of Economic Impact statements, or payments. An average family of four would then receive 3,400 to help cover expenses. These payments will help any family or any individual whos had to deal with layoffs and are in addition to any Unemployment Benefits they may receive. These tax provisions serve as a complement to the Unemployment Insurance program thats being negotiated right now with no evidence of progress. There ought to be progress, but these programs do set up an extra layer of protection for workers and those already out of work. Together these proposals provide a responsible approach to help employers reopen businesses so that employees can safely and effectively return to work to continue fueling the nations economic recovery. Why cant we get these important issues resolved for the American People, particularly for the American People that are hurting, and theyre hurting because we were faced with a virus pandemic. And as a result of the virus pandemic, the government for the first time in 240 years shut down the economy of the United States, and then immediately in the middle of march after that happened, we made a point of passing the cares act to open up the economy, to give people confidence that what the government did that was bad for the economy and for the people and hurting people unemployed, that we were going to take a lead in getting them back. And were still in this situation. We shouldnt be debating as long as we are to get these issues taken care of. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call a senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from minnesota. Ms. Smith i ask consent that the quorum call be vitiated. The presiding officer without objection. Ms. Smith i rise today with millions of americans demanding Police Reform as a necessary step on the path towards Racial Justice in this country. The challenges in defeating systemic racism can seem insurmountable but there are clear next steps. We need to start by transforming or policing system to root out the culture of violence that is killing black and brown and Indigenous People. I want to talk today about four areas of this work that need our urgent attention. First, we need to bring justice, accountability, and change to Police Departments by passing the justice in policing act. Next, we need to invest in new models of Public Safety by supporting communityled reform and innovation. And im asking the senate to take up and pass my new bill to do just that. Third, we need to end the criminalization of poverty which happens when other social systems fail. And finally, we need to root out racism in our systems of education and health care, housing, and Economic Opportunity so that everyone in this country can have the freedom and the opportunity to build the lives that they choose. In order to bring justice, accountability, and change to Police Departments around the country, we need to start by passing the justice in policing act. Led by senator booker and senator harris, this bill is a comprehensive set of needed federallevel reforms to asystem designed to shield Police Officers from accountability and consequences and denies justice to victims of police violence. These reforms, like ending qualified immunity, establishing a national use of force standard, and creating a registry of Police Misconduct and banning dangerous practices like choke holds and noknock warrants, are long overdue. Indeed, communities and activists have pushed for many of these reforms, the reforms in this bill for decades. A few weeks ago i spoke on this floor about the urgent need to pass this bill, and unfortunately this critical legislation is still sitting on leader mcconnells desk. But i promise that i will keep fighting until the justice in policing act is signed into law. Policing needs other changes too like banning socalled warrior training which encourages Law Enforcement officials to see the public as hostile enemies. We need to intowr the Civil Rights Division of the empower the Civil Rights Division of the department of justice for Police Departments that violent the Constitutional Rights of our communities. And we need to reform federal sentencing to repeal 1994 crime bill provisions like mandatory minimums and draconian sentencing enhancements. And we need to prohibit Police Contracts that create unfair barriers to effective investigations, civilian oversight and holding Police Departments accountable to the communities they are sworn to serve. In our work to transform policing, the second step we need to take at the federal level is to support local communityled innovation and Public Safety. And all of congress has a responsibility to establish National Standards for justice accountability, federal level change can only go so far. State, local, and tribal governments are responsible for overseeing policing in their communities. And i believe that these communities know best, would will work, in their own cities and towns. The federal government, though, can play a catalytic role by supporting and funding innovative, antiracist policing reform. And so with this in mind, today i am introducing a bill, the supporting innovation and Public Safety act which would help state, local, and tribal governments reimagine policing in their communities by funding innovative projects, and best practices that will transform how we deliver Public Safety and other social services. So my bill would empower local governments to develop and implement projects to improve Public Safety through systematic change, not just by growing Police Department budgets. There are great examples of innovation already happening. Local jurisdictions are experimenting with new ways to provide mental Health Crisis response. Theyre addressing ways of dealing with gun violence as a Public Health issue. And even how to enforce lowlevel Traffic Safety violations without involving an armed police officer. Now i have long believed that those who are closest to the work know best how to get the work done and through these grants from the federal level, we will be able to help local communities adopt new approaches to Public Safety tailoring their needs and unique circumstances to what they need to do. Then we can develop robust evaluation of these communityled projects which will generate new data and new models of Public Safety and policing. And also sow the seeds of progress and broad transformation. The third thing we need to do at all levels of government is to Work Together to stop criminalizing poverty and using the criminal Justice System as the solution for every social ill. For decades we have dramatically underfunded effort to support housing, Mental Health and Substance Abuse and then we criminalize the results of this lack of support. We ask Police Departments to control behavior like loitering or trespassing, public intoxication and public nuisances, all offenses that largely dont threaten Public Safety. And then we put people in jail because they have a Mental Illness or lack a safe place to live. Poverty becomes the reason why people, especially people of color, get caught up in the criminal Justice System. Its time that we stop criminalizing poverty and start investing in solutions to get at the root causes of social problems. We need to refocus policing on violence prevention and Crisis Response which connects people to the services that they need. A good place to start is by dramatically reforming cash bail so that those who havent been convicted of a crime dont remain in jail just because they cant afford bail. Almost 60 of the nearly 750,000 people currently in jail have not been convicted of any crime. They are in jail just because they cannot afford bail and the data tells us that this is yet another burden that false disproportionately on communities of color. Indeed, when we criminalize poverty we facilitate the systemic racist harassment and surveillance and control of black and brown and indigenous communities. And thats why we need to ban the use of quotas for Law Enforcement officers to enforce socalled broken windows offenses. These offenses do not threaten Public Safety and they are disproportionately endorsed on communities of color. A recent New York Times investigation found that in many large Police Departments, serious Violent Crimes make up only about 1 of all calls for service, 1 . And many of those same departments are solving less than 30 of those serious crimes. So we could actually improve Public Safety by devoting resources to combating Violent Crime rather than overenforcing lowlevel offenses in communities of color. So lets think about what this means for marijuana offenses. The federal marijuana provision is a failed policy that contributes to mass incarceration and overpolicing of communities of color. White and black people use marijuana at roughly the same rate, but a black person is almost four times as likely to be arrested for a marijuana offense. The federal government is behind both state law and public opinion. 42 states and the District Of Columbia already allow some type of marijuana use despite the longtime federal prohibition. So it is time to legalize emergency and we should do it in a practical and common sense way that protects the health and safety and the civil rights of our communities. We need to take up and pass senator harris emergency harris marijuana it would address the devastating impact on communities of color on a war on drugs by expunging marijuanarelated convictions and then reinvesting in community. Also, i recently introduced a bill, the substance regulation and safety act which would ensure that marijuana is regulated to protect the health and the safety of youth, of consumers, and of drivers, and we do this without replicating the racist enforcement pat terse of our current drug policy. Finally, we need to recognize that Racial Justice is not only about policing and criminal justice reform. We need to root out racist policies that are built into our systems of housing and health care, education, and Economic Opportunity. The legacy the slavery, of oppression, and of discrimination is pervasive in these areas, and our communities bear the scars of these past crimes, even as new injuries accumulate. And this is why a black or a brown child living in the neighborhood where george floyd was murdered has fewer opportunities than a white child living just a few miles away. The impact of generations of stolen labor, of systemic violence, and exclusion from opportunity is revealed today in Health Disparities, achievement gaps, housing instability, and the dramatic difference in wealth and wages between white people and people of color. These challenges are crucial. Addressing these challenges are crucial to the unfinished work of Racial Justice in our country. This means that we need to implement antiracist practices and policies like ending the use of armed Police Officers in schools, eliminating discipline disparities and shutting off the school to prison pipeline. It means addressing the systemic exclusion of black and brown and Indigenous People from the wealthbuilding opportunities of homeownership. And it means tackling the root causes of Racial Health disparities, including environmental injustices and discrimination and health care. And it means supporting Economic Opportunity for all by removing racist barriers to employment, entrepreneurship, credit, and capital. Mr. President , the scale of the injustice that we see in our country can sometimes feel overwhelming and the path can seem very long. But these are some concrete steps that we can take on that path and they are necessary steps to fulfill our countrys promise of freedom and equity for all of us. Community leaders and activists are showing us the path forward. And following this path requires us to be courageous, requires us to be humble, and at times it requires that we be uncomfortable, but it is a path rooted in love and trust and hope. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. A senator mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from iowa. A senator if youre a person just watching politics back home, you probably see a common theme, talking. Ms. Ernst no matter the topic, people in d. C. Like to talk but not get much done. Theres one topic thats especially guilty of this, and thats immigration. Democrat or republican, conservative or liberal, we know our immigration system is broken. Thats an easy statement to make but nothing ever changes, and we need to start getting things done. In iowa weve learned this in a very tragic way. On january 31, 2016, the same day as her college graduation, sarah root was killed by an illegal immigrant named edwin mejia. He was drag racing with a glad alcohol level more than three times the legal limit. Despite repeated requests by local Law Enforcement, immigrations and Customs Enforcement failed to detain mejia. Because of a nonsensical policy that allows i. C. E. To use discretion when determining whether to detain a criminal alien charged with a violent offense. He posted bond. He was released. And he disappeared. Still more than four years later, he remains a fugitive. Denying sarahs loved ones any sense of justice or of closure. As a mother i cannot fathom the grief that her family and friends continue to feel after such a devastating loss. Sarah had her whole future ahead of her but her opportunity to make her mark on the world was tragically cut short. Yet even in death, she touched the lives of others saving six different individuals through organ donation. Sadly what happened to sarah is not an isolated incident. Weve seen this story play out time and time again in the more than four years since sarahs killing. Innocent lives taken by criminals that enter the United States illegally through a porous border but nothing ever changes. Although nothing can bring sarah back to her family, we can ensure that i. C. E. Never makes the same mistake again. Today i rise to call upon my Senate Colleagues to end this senseless madness, to do something and stop another tragedy like this from happening with a simple and clean fix. I am asking the senate to join 26 of their colleagues and pass my bill s. 285, sarahs law. Sarahs law is simple. It requires that i. C. E. Take custody of a person who is in the country illegally if they are charged with a crime that seriously injures another person. It also mandates a better victim notification system that lets victims and their families know what happened to their loved one. Sarahs law is about as commonsense a reform as there is. It recognizes the simple fact that all criminals should be held accountable for their actions. And not simply allowed to slip back into the shadows. If sarahs law is passed, people who are in this country illegally and murder another person would be prioritized for deportation if released. Who could be opposed to this . Heres a bit of good news. Trump implemented parts of sarahs law through an executive order in 2017, including directing the secretary of Homeland Security to prioritize the removal of violent criminals. Despite provisions of sarahs law being put into place by President Trumps order, it is critical that the senate codify these enforcement priorities so they cannot be removed by future administrations. This may seem crazy to those watching at home, but criminal aliens charged with homicide were allowed to escape detention in previous administrations. No family should ever have to endure such a tragedy, especially one that could have been prevented. I recognize that the immigration debate has been a political football, but justice for victims and their families is not a game. Mr. President , this bill isnt about the southern border or the wall or visa numbers or the larger immigration debate at all. This bill is about changing the system for the better and ensuring that families have the promise of justice. I intend to fulfill that promise a sarahs loving parents, michelle root and scott root. The promise that i will do everything i can to ensure that not one more parent has to go through what the roots have faced, the loss of both their daughter and the promise of justice. Mr. President , i yield the floor to my colleague from iowa, senator grassley. The presiding officer the senator from iowa. Mr. Grassley im here to join my colleague from iowa, senator ernst, in this effort. We ought to get this unanimous consent request accomplished, and we ought to get this bill passed because its just unjustified that we dont get the cooperation it takes to take a person who has committed a felony from the jurisdiction of the courts of the United States. I joined senator ernst in reintroducing sarahs law on january 31 of last year. And that was the third anniversary of sarah roots death. Sarah was from council bluffs, iowa, and as my colleague said, sarah was tragically killed in omaha, nebraska on the very night of her graduation. An illegal alien struck and killed her while driving drunk. He was three times over the legal limit of the amount of alcohol you can have in your blood and to be a safe driver. Its a travesty that the brief administration refused to take sarahs killer into custody because he was not considered a priority. Can you imagine that . Her killer then disappeared and obviously being a smart person in violation of the law is not going to be seen, so he remains at large. I have said before that sarahs senseless death is a tragic reminder of the serious improvements that we need in Border Security and interior Immigration Enforcement in our United States of america. Its outrageous that many innocent americans have been seriously injured and in some cases killed as a result of the actions of criminal illegal aliens. Now, its even more outrageous that the criminal illegal aliens like the one who killed sarah root are not subject to mandatory immigration detention. Sarahs law then would amend the immigration and nationality act to require mandatory detention of an illegal alien who is charged with a crime resulting in the death or serious Bodily Injury of another person. This bill is common sense, and a lot of times common sense doesnt prevail in washington, d. C. , and the long time to get this very important legislation passed is evidence of the lack of common sense, so this bill is long overdue. Im proud to be a cosponsor of the bill and to support senator ernsts unanimous consent request and to gladly thank her for her leadership in this area. I yield the floor. A senator as if in legislative session, i ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of s. 285, and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. Ms. Ernst further, that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. The presiding officer is there objection . The senator from new mexico. Mr. Udall thank you, mr. President , for the recognition. And reserving my right to object, this family has suffered a terrible loss and has my sincerest condolences. Too many families in my home state of new mexico have lost loved ones to d. U. I. s, and i have made reducing d. U. I. s one of my top priorities. As state attorney general, i worked to increase personalities and penalties and to get them off the roads. In the senate, i am working on a bipartisan basis to use technology to get us to the place where we can eliminate drunk driving and save thousands of lives per year. The presiding officer also knows we are working very well in a bipartisan way to tackle this issue. I have concerns that this bill uses a tragedy to paint immigrants as more dangerous than other people, which is a which is false by all available data. The immigration detention system is also in need of comprehensive reform. And this bill does nothing to improve our immigration system. Instead, the bill imposes judicially unreviewable detention on immigrants simply charged with certain crimes, not convicted. This is not consistent with due process. And importantly, this bill has not been subject to committee review. My understanding is that senior members of the Judiciary Committee have strong concerns with this bill. I also believe that we should not be legislating on immigration matters unless and until this body takes action to permanently protect dreamers and provide them with a path towards citizenship. So i object and yield back. The presiding officer objection is heard. Ms. Ernst mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from iowa. Ms. Ernst mr. President , once again, we are not talking an overall immigration debate. We are talking about justice for those families that have received none, just as scott root and michelle root have seen the death of their daughter at the hands of an illegal immigrant and have yet to see justice, because that illegal immigrant was allowed to evade justice. So the bill is not about immigration. It is about justice. And i would further argue that because this was an illegal immigrant and there was no detainer necessary by i. C. E. , is that that illegal immigrant who had no strong ties to the community and is operated under a number of different assumed names was able to slip away into the shadows. Most legal immigrants and citizens of the United States, they have roots somewhere. They have family somewhere. And they can be tracked and monitored until they are brought to justice. That is not true in this population. And because of that, sarah root will never have justice. Her killer will continue to evade authorities because he was simply not detained by i. C. E. We have the opportunity to correct this, and its very unfortunate that today in the United States senate, we have decided that michelle root and scott root should not see justice for their daughter sarah and that other families that lose children to Illegal Immigrants should not have the opportunity at justice. It is because certain criminal elements, whether illegal or illegal, can slip away, and thats exactly what edwin mejia did. He had no ties and he was able to slip into the shadows and leaves a family wondering how many others will be subjected to the pain and agony that they have gone through since the loss of sarah. How many other families will go through that . I yield the floor. The presiding officer the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. The clerk cloture motion we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of John Peter Cronan of new york to be United States district judge for the Southern District of new york, signed by 17 senators. The presiding officer which unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. The question is, is it the sense of the . That debate on the nomination of John Peter Cronan of new york to be United States district judge for the Southern District of new york shall be brought to a close . The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. The clerk will call the roll. Vote vote vote the presiding officer are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or wishing to change their vote . Seeing none. The yeas are 55, the nays are 42. The motion is agreed to. A senator madam president. The presiding officer the senator from missouri. A senator id like to make a few brief remarks today about tiktok. It has dominated the news in recent weeks and dominated the internet in recent years. Mr. Hawley tiktok is used to create short music videos and is one of the most popular apps in america. More than 80 million americans have tiktok on their phones. It may be easy to assume this app is harmless, music videos, but let me assure you, the security concerns surrounding t rch ik tiktok is a concern. It is a major Security Risk both to our Data Security and to our national security. Bytedance is based in beijing. We know that chinese corporations and the Chinese Communist party are in many ways the same thing. In fact, chinas National Intelligence law requires it to be so. Byte dance is obligated to collaborate with chinese intelligence services, including by sharing data. In fact, all of the data that tiktok and byte dance collect can be routed to the communist party. The company openly admits it tracks users locations, the key stroke pattern, the file names. Tiktok claims the right to peer straight through our phones into our lives. I could go on. Tiktok has censored uighur muslims and violated the childrens Online Privacy protection act. In light of all of this, in light of all we know, it is unthinkable to me that we should it be to permit federal employees, those workers entrusted with sensitive Government Data to access this app on their work phones and computers. The presiding officer quite in the chamber please. Mr. Hawley not only is it inappropriate, it is irresponsible. This app presents a clear and present Security Risk at a time when we need to be clear eyed about the threat from the Chinese Communist party. And that is why, madam president , i introduced legislation to remove tiktok from governmentowned phones and devices. This is just common sense, and it the presiding officer order in the chamber, please. Mr. Hawley and it follows steps that the pentagon has started to take on its own. But we badly need a uniformed standard that can apply across all federal agencies and government organizations. Now, over the last few days weve heard a lot about a potential acquisition or sale of tiktok in the United States, but no one can say yet what will come of those talks. Deals fall through all the time and tiktok is a threat to the security of federal devices right now. Every day we wait is a day byte dance can collect information on and about americans. Today is the day to take action. And even tiktok ends up being sold eventually, it will be the responsibility of this body, the responsibility of all of us to make sure that no trace of beijings influence remains, none at all. Madam president , i would like to thank my colleagues for their support and i particularly want to thank senator rick scott who has been my partner on this effort from the beginning. It is always a privilege to work with and collaborate with senator scott, and he has been at the forefront of this effort. Hes here today and i would like to yield to him to make a few remarks. Mr. Scott madam president. The presiding officer the senator from florida. Mr. Scott i thank my colleague from missouri. We got here at the same time. We saw the dangers of the communist party of china and of the dangers of xi. We have watched American Companies have their technology stolen, weve watched as american jobs have been stolen and we came up one of the goals we had was to stop this. We had the opportunity last year to visit the protesters in hong kong and we got to hear from them first hand the concern of what communist china would be doing to take away their rights in the turnover from Great Britain to china on paper. But, as we know, the communist party, the general secretary of the communist party, doesnt care about any of these things. We watched the communist party use drones to surveil us. We watched, as my colleague said, the tiktok become a worldwide phenomenon and it is an opportunity for the communist party of china to surveil all of our citizens who are using it. So i want to thank my colleague for his effort in this regard but not just this but all of his efforts to hold communist china accountable. There is a lot of work to do. As we know, this pandemic was way worse because of the actions of the communist party in china so this is a commonsense thick to do. We should not are have tiktok on federal government phones. This is a good first step, but theres a lot more to do to continue to hold communist china accountable and make sure we all, as americans, understand that we are now in a cold war. This is not a cold war that america started. This is a cold war that the comiewbist party of China Communist Party of china started led by xi. We will have to focus on how to prevent them from surveilling us. Another thing americans should do is make sure you buy American Products and not from communist china. You will hold them for accountable, the more you do things like that, it will change dynamics and hopefully maybe eventually communist china will stop being an adversary and merely a competitor. I yield back to my colleague from missouri. The presiding officer the senator from missouri. Mr. Hawley i thank the senator for his leadership on his efforts when it comes to standing up to communist china. I want to thank senator mcsally and all who have helped on this legislation. It was two weeks ago this legislation passed unanimously out of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee. I also want to thank my colleagues there and especially chairman johnson, who has been a champion on this effort and has worked hard here in the last couple of weeks to make sure that we could bring this bill to the floor. Madam president , im encouraged by the bipartisan support we have seen in this body to hold the Chinese Communist party accountable, and that includes, by the way, Holding Accountable those corporations who would just do chinas bidding. And if i have anything to say about it, we wont be stopping here. As if in legislative session, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar number 507, s. 3455. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk calendar number 507, s. 3455, a bill to prohibit certain individuals from downloading or using tiktok on any device issued by the United States or a government corporation. The presiding officer is there objection to proceeding . Without objection. Mr. Hawley i ask unanimous consent that the committeereported substitute amendment be agreed to, that the bill as amended be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Hawley i yield the floor. A senator madam president. The presiding officer the senator from maryland. Mr. Cardin madam president , the most recent count of confirmed americans that have died as a result of covid19 is 157,551 souls. In my state of maryland, that confirmed number is 3,402. They are the confirmed deaths. We believe the deaths are even higher. Although the United States only represents 4. 3 of the worlds population, we represent over 26 of the covid19 infections and almost 23 of the fatalities madam president , these numbers are continuing to grow every day. The Trump Administration was ill prepared, inadequate in its response, misleading in its messaging, missing in International Leadership time is reserved to deal with this in International Leadership to deal with the global pandemic. Congress took on its responsibility by passing major legislation. The passage of the cares act which was passed in march was the right response at that time to do what we needed to deal with the pandemic. But we knew by may that covid19 would have a much longer impact on our country, would be more difficult to control, and we had to take additional steps in congress in order to protect our nation. The house did the right thing in passing the heroes act on may 15. Its been almost three months, and the Republican Leadership in the senate has failed to respond. We need to take action thats equivalent to the challenge, this incredible challenge. This is the worst pandemic weve seen since the 1918 influenza pandemic, over 100 years. This is the greatest economic challenge that weve faced since the great depression. This requires bold action in order to protect the people of our country. The help provided by the cares act has ended. Unemployment benefits have terminated. State and local governments are out of resources. The Small Business tools have already been used by the Small Business. American families need additional help. The unemployed need help. State and local government need help. Our businesses need help. We need to act now and pass a comprehensive package to deal with this pandemic. So what should be included in a comprehensive package . Let me start first with the Health Challenge. I was pleased that the cares act provided for a Marshall Plan to deal with the health pandemic, but we have since learned that this Health Challenge has been different in different communities. And there is disturbing facts about the Health Disparities in the communities that have been particularly hard hit. Communities of color have had higher infection rates, higher hospitalization rates, higher deaths. We know that is in part because of systemic discrimination that weve seen in our system on health care. We need to take action. Let me just give you a few things we could do in this next round that could help deal with the disparity on the health impact. The fmap, the payment for medicaid by the federal government to the states, you see its been estimated that 12 million americans have additionally needed to rely on medicaid as a result of covid19. The states are unable to act because their budgets have been so badly hurt. There is a risk factor that they will in fact even cut back benefits because they dont have the funds to maintain the current benefits before covid19, let alone the additional number of people that have been thrown into the need for medicaid. We need to take steps and improve the fmap by the federal government. Telehealth has proven to be a very effective tool in dealing with covid19. We know that people cannot travel, cannot go to offices as easily as they could, and weve seen a natural desire to do as much telehealth as possible. And we passed legislation to expand the types of services and geography that can use telehealth services. Its very important for Rural America, very important for the underserved community, very important for the transportation challenged community. We need to make those provisions permanent. Ive introduced two pieces of legislation with my colleagues, the reach act with senator tim scott, and the covid19 Health Disparity act with senator menendez. These bills work on fundamental problems of why covid19 has had a disparate impact on communities of color. We want to make sure that we have a workforce that represents our communities. We want to make sure theres adequate funding. We want to make sure that testing is done, targeted to those communities that are most vulnerable. We want to make sure the vaccine when its developed is fairly shared. We want to make sure that we have outreach in education in all communities. And these bills deal with those issues. So the Health Challenges as it relates to the Health Disparities needs to be part of the legislation i hope we will be considering in the very, very near future. The legislation needs to include an extension of Unemployment Insurance benefits, which is a lifeline for individuals and our economy. Individuals desperately need these funds in order to take care of basic needs for their families, but our economy needs the influx of these resources in order to keep our economy afloat during covid19. The heroes act, which again was passed almost three months ago, extends the 600aweek payment through the end of january whereas the commonly bill, the heals act the mcconnell bill, the heals act, cuts it back to 200 and only through october, and sets up a test for local, on the percentage of your previous salary that our u. I. , Unemployment Insurance administrators in the states tell us is not administratable making a roadblock for those getting the money provided in the heals act, the bill introduced by senator mcconnell. We need to act boldly. The impact on our economy is here today and is showing no letup. We need to extend the 600 and we need to do it through at least january of next year. The impact of covid19 has been cruel on families meeting their basic obligations, including housing for both renters and homeowners. The moratorium on eviction and foreclosure has now expired. The protection is not there. Its been estimated that 12. 3 million american households are now at risk of eviction. We need to act now. We need to provide help against eviction and foreclosure, including direct assistance to renters and homeowners. It will not only be, again, the right thing to protect American Families during this pandemic, but will also help deal with stability in the real estate market, making sure that we can maintain financial viability of that critically important industry. Its a winwin situation. But look at the contrast between what was done in the house and what were asking, the democrats are asking to be considered on the senate floor, the heroes act, provides 100 billion to assist renters and 75 billion to assist homeowners the legislation authored by senator mcconnell, the heals act, provides zero assistance. We need to do whats right for American Families and make sure that they have a roof over their heads. That needs to be part of our comprehensive response. State and local governments are in desperate need. You see, madam president , they have balanced budget requirements. They have to balance their budget, and now theyre juggling with two fiscal years, one for most states that ended on june 30 and another that started on july 1. In both of those fiscal years, they are projected large deficits. I can tell you in maryland alone, the fiscal year june 30 deficit is now projected to grow by 1 billion. Now heres the challenge, its up to our state and local government to fund things such as First Responders and Public Safety and schools and Public Health and critical essential services, but they dont have the resources to do it without help from the federal government, without help in this round, were going to see additional layoffs and services that are essential in our community not being able to be carried out. The cares act helped, but the cares act did not deal with the loss of revenue sustained by state and local government. Now lets just use our common sense here. Where do you think the sales tax revenues are looking at by our state and local government . With so much consumer activity that has not taken place. Lets take a look at our Income Tax Revenues by our state and local governments. With income being so severely restricted, those revenues are dramatically reduced. And in recent years weve seen state and local government rely more and more on specific taxes generally with hospitality, dealing with hotel and car rentals and parking. Those revenues are nonexistent. We need to the act. So it was for good reason that Governor Hogan, the republican chair of the National Governors association from maryland, and governor cuomo, the vice chair, the democratic governor from new york, came together with all of our governors in saying you need to help us so that we can help our constituents. And, by the way, their constituents are our constituents. Its the same individuals that are served by state and local government and by us in the congress. The heroes act, once again, provided robust help, recognizing that this pandemic will have an impact not only on the fiscal year that ended june 30, but the fiscal year that began july 1. They provide 900 billion to help the state and local governments, providing for the use for revenue loss and providing direct assistance to our larger subdivisions. The legislation that was suggested by senator mcconnell on behalf of the republicans contains zero, no help for state and local government. One of the essential functions that state and local government needs to carry out is educating our children in our schools. Now, madam president , there is different needs in different communities. Our aid has to be flexible to allow the local School Districts to do what is right for children as it relates to Public Safety and to education. Thats our responsibility. I recently met with educators in maryland and looked at their chal ex and they chal ex and they went over with me the cost challenges they face this fall whether they are doing inclassroom, distant learning or hybrid approach. It is costly, following the c. D. C. Guidelines to make sure they have the cleaning supplies and protective equipment and infrastructure changes that are necessary to safely have students in the classroom and educators in the classroom. How bus routes need to be changed, which is going to be more expensive to deal with distant learning, the telling thats needed, the tutoring and special Education Needs that are going to be more challenging, the training of teachers. All of this is going to cost more funds and the state and local have less funds to operate with. The digital divide, i want to particularly want to mention of we knew before covid19 that if you did not have access to broadband highspeed internet in your household, you were at a disadvantage. It puts your children at a disadvantage because even though they learn at school, learning does not end at the end of a school day and access to a highspeed internet is critically important to students but its also important for their parents and for everyone to be able to get access on the internet and that has really come to light during covid19. And, yes, we have a digital divide. We know that Rural America its more difficult to get broadband. We also know the economic circumstances of many families that cant afford internet. We need to take steps to remove that digital divide. We need to do that now. We need to do that in this legislation so that our children can get the maximum opportunities this fall through distant learning, those that are going to be participating in distant learning and that we do everything we can so children dont fall further behind because of lack of access to broadband. So the heroes act provides robust funding for the state and local government but also dedicated to education. Thats what we need to do to make sure its part of a robust response. In november well be having our national elections. Theres nothing more important to our democracy than protecting the free and Fair Election process in america so that every eligible voter in our country can cast their ballot safely, that they can do it without fear to their Public Health and that we can make sure its done without influence from foreign actors. That requires Additional Resources. I was on the phone with the head of our election board in maryland talking about the challenges that they have, Governor Hogan suggested a hybrid approach to the elections. It will costs 1 million or more to conduct that election. The local governments dont have those funds. The heroes act provides fund to protect the integrity of our election system. It needs to be part of it. And, madam president , we all know that there are foreign actors trying to interfere with our election. We need to take steps to make sure that it is protected. Once again, the bill brought to us by the republicans, the heal act, provides no help. Heroes act, 3. 6 billion. This week i was on the phone with several of my constituents concerning United States Postal Service. The United States Postal Service is mentioned in the constitution as one of the primary functions of the federal government. It is essential, as seniors depend on the Postal Service to get their medication in a timely way and it is important for the election process. We are seeing delays in service. We are seeing compromises to worker safety. Were seeing unreasonable restrictions imposed by the postal system and we have desperate need for Additional Resources. Lack of overtime, lack of being able to pick the hours that you make your delivery so that you can get your mail delivered promptly and in the most Public Safety way considering the weather and covid19. All that has been compromised because of lack of resources and i would also add the management of the postmaster. We need to provide additional help. We knew that before covid19. Its now even more critical post covid19. Heroes act provides 25 billion for our postal system. We need to make sure thats done, once again contrasting that to the offer that was made by senator mcconnell, no money was provided for those services. Nutrition, the snap program all critically challenged as a result of covid19. We need to make sure that we make more resources available. The heroes act provides more resources to make sure that our families receive the nutrition they need. One of the things we deliver meals when students are in the classroom they usual get their food there and its a lot more efficient to do it that way, when they are not in a classroom, it has to be delivered, its most costly, we have to provide more resources to make sure our children are protected. We need to provide for child care. The heroes act provides for help there. We talk about essential workers all the time. About how we applaud them. They are our heroes. What do we do for them . Well, the house bill deals with hazardous pay to show our appreciation through compensation. Thats what we should do. As we pass comprehensive legislation, that should be part of it. Let me say, we should do that in regards to our own federal workforce, we should make sure there is adequate resources to make sure that every federal worker has the resources they need to stay safe from covid19 and we should do everything we can to encourage telework when it makes sense for our federal workforce. Let me conclude with the area that i probably have spent the most time with and thats Small Business. In regards to Small Business, weve had a Bipartisan Working Group that has made tremendous gains on behalf of tools to help Small Businesses. So, yes, i do want to acknowledge senator rubio and senator collins on the and on the democratic side, senator shaheen. The four of us have worked together in the cares act to produce the Paycheck Protection Program, which was successful. Getting money out quickly to Small Businesses so they stayed alive. The problem with the p. P. P. Program is we thought by now the economy would be back on track and Small Businesses could continue without additional help from the federal government. Thats not the case. Secondly, we learned in the p. P. P. Program that the underbanked community, the minority Small Businesses, the smaller Small Businesses were left behind when it started because they didnt have the priority relationship with the lenders as the more sophisticated Small Businesses had. As a result, they were denied help in the early stages their loans are not as large. They didnt get the same type of attention. So, madam president , as we look at a second round, we need to make sure that it is targeted targeted to those Small Businesses that need the help, that have had the revenue loss as a result of covid19, that is targeted to the smaller of the Small Businesses. They are the ones that dont have the same degree of resiliency and they need attention at this particular moment and, yes, we need to build up the capacity and make sure that mission lenders, those that are most sensitive to the underserved community, have the capacity and the volume of loans necessary to reach out so that we dont make the same mistake on the next round that was initially made in the p. P. P. Program. I think we can get that done. Theres been strong bipartisan talk about these issues. I think we can make progress and get this done. But theres another program that was left out of the Heals Program by senator mcconnell that i was very disappointed, and thats the Economic Injury disaster loan and grant program, the idle program. You see, p. P. P. Provided help to Small Businesses to deal with their payroll expenses and some utility expenses, but it didnt deal with the longterm Capital Needs of a Small Business. We know that they need help in addition to just the paycheck issues. Thats where the idle program came in. And you can make both an idle loan and a p. P. P. Loan, but, yet, we ran out of idle funds very early and instead of issuing loans up to 2 million, the s. B. A. Was only 150,000. It was 150,000 cash, it doesnt have to be paid. They are the ones that use the idle program. They are the smaller of the Small Businesses. But the s. B. A. Had a cap so they didnt get the full amount of the loan, full amount of the grant. Weve got to make sure that we provide Additional Resources to deal this these issues so the idle program that can provide longterm financing to Small Businesses, coupled with the p. P. P. Program, can keep Small Businesses alive because we all know they are the Growth Engine of america, they are the heart of our economy, and we need to make sure thats part of the next legislation. So, madam president , covid19 is a once in a lifetime challenge for us. Pandemics, once in 100 years, has happened impacted our economy similar to the Great Recession. So let us rise to the challenge. Let us pass a bipartisan i would say a nonpartisan bold bill to deal with the challenges that are before us. And let us stay here and get it done now. With that, madam president , i yield the floor. Mrs. Loeffler the presiding officer madam president. The presiding officer the senator from georgia. Mrs. Loeffler madam president , i come to the floor today to ask the senate to pass a resolution honoring the 50th anniversary of the federal Law Enforcement Training Center that is hawrtd in my home state headquartered in my home state of georgia. This is a center that trains federal Law Enforcement officers that President Trump has helped to restore law and order in communities across the country faced with dramatic increases in violence. As part of legend, the f. D. A. , u. S. Marshal service and Homeland Security have been deployed to kansas city, albuquerque and descroit to reduce descroit to detroit to reduce Violent Crime across america. Sadly, our brave men and women of Law Enforcement are under attack. Rioters have thrown rocks at them and more causing countless injuries. The recent surge in violence has been driven in part by a lack of leadership from leftwing politicians who refuse to prosecute crime and endorse defunding the police. They are clearly intent on politicizing and demeanizing our Law Enforcement. Today im asking the senate to recognize the Critical Centers that train dedicated officers. For half a sent fletze has trained the next generation of highly qualified Law Enforcement. Headquartered at the air station in georgia, it has been instrumental in getting violent criminals off the streets an protecting our communities for five decades. Every year flexi trains nearly 70,000 officers from 95 federal Law Enforcement agencies as well as state, local, and tribal Law Enforcement agencies. This includes agents from f. B. I. , d. E. A. , a. T. F. , customs and border protections agencies. And others, secret service, park police, u. S. Capitol Police Officers who keep all of us here safe every day. In georgia flexi is a cornerstone of our Coastal Community where agents train in a mock town complete with banks, shops, and motels to mimic realworld scenarios. There are other, active shooter threats. As Thomas Walters recently said, f lexi is the only institution in the u. S. That has the capability and capacity to train the new federal officers that will replace thousands of officers that retire from federal Law Enforcement in a typical year. At a time when Law Enforcement is under more scrutiny, more pressure than ever, its important that we take this opportunity to recognize the hard work that goes into training and preparing our federal Law Enforcement officers, particularly in my home state of georgia. So, madam president , as if in legislative session, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the consideration of s. Res. 668, submitted earlier today. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk Senate Resolution 668 commemorating the federal law sphermt Training Centers enforcement Training Centers 50th anniversary. The presiding officer is there objection to proceed to the measure . Without objection. The senate will proceed. Mrs. Loeffler i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mrs. Loeffler id like to note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call ell mr. President . The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell its been one week since Senate Democrats forced the additional federal benefit for jobless americans to expire. Senate republicans tried everything to prevent the lapse. That monday we rolled out a comprehensive proposal for another rescue package that would have kept extra federal benefits flowing. Democrats refused to act so we tried to force the issue. One of our senators requested unanimous consent to continue the benefits through the end of the year at a still historically generous level. This plan would have also corrected the bizarre choice facing American Workers whom the system was actually paying more to stay home than to resume working. But that wasnt good enough for the democratic leader and he objected. Another republican senator then asked unanimous consent to extend federal support exactly as it has been for one more week, one more week so the jobless americans didnt have to bear the cost of democrats leisurely negotiating pace. Once again the democratic leader objected. Finally, republicans forced a floor vote to demonstrate whether senators were enwilling to debate the even willing to debate the issue, whether senators would even consider extending these benefits, and every single democrat present voted no. Quorum call the presiding officer the senator for ohio. Mr. Brown i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the quorum call. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Brown the public Health Crisis and economic crisis happening right now are not happening in a vacuum. All the damage caused by the coronavirus, the president s failures all layered on top of the existing problems in our country, including the crisis we have been facing for years in a multiemployer Pension System, more than a million American Workers and retirees were already in danger of losing the Retirement Security that they earned. These are people who did everything right. They spent years working on assembly lines, bagging groceries, driving trucks, working hard to keep this economy going and to provide for their families. Money came out of every single one of their paychecks to pay into a Pension System. People in washington dont understand the collective bargaining process. People give up dollars today they either dont understand it or dont care to understand it. People give up dollars today at the bargaining table in promise of a secure retierlt with retirement with health care and a pension. This affects thousands of ohioans andeanian, and indiana, and the brick layers, the ohio southwest carpetters pension plan and on and on. It touches every single state in the country. Were talking about a multiPension System. Current workers will be stuck paying into pensions theyll never receive. Small businesses will be left drowning in pension liability they cant afford. Small businesses have been in the family for generations could face bankruptcy. I have seen those companies in spangler candy in welcomestowny in Williams County ohio, we have seen Family Companies paying into this pension plan for generations, and workers lose jobs and businesses close up shop. The effect will ripple through the entire economy. Its not all Union Businesses that participate in these plans that would close their doors. It would devastate Small Businesses across the heartland. They already hurt because of this virus. These Pension Plans were in danger prior to february or march or even april or may when the president decided that this was a crisis. Now the economic emergency were in has put them in a worse position. The house did its part repeatedly. First they passed the butch lewis act. More than two months ago they passed the heroes act, which includes a pension solution. But under senator mcconnell, the senate has done nothing. Its time for us to do our part. Lead mcconnell has refused to do anything on pensions. We could have fixed this last year. He chose not to. He didnt address it in the heals act, he didnt address it in the cares act. The president who reports to be a friend of workers, was fine with including a multipension fix in the cares act if leader mcconnell wanted it, but leader mcconnell stopped and the pre wasnt willing to step in. Hes supposed to lead the country but hes outsourced his decisionmaking to senator mcconnell. The Senate Must Act if the entire multiemployer Pension System collapses, it will make the economic crisis worse. We knew before the pandemic that it could collapse. It is more likely to fail now. If that happens, we know who will get hurt, its no its not the wall street banks. Their liveslihoods livelihoods will be devastated if congress doesnt do our job. Retirees in ohio have rallied around the name of butch lewis, he passed away far too soon fighting for his fellow workers. His wife rita lewis has continued his fight, has become pa leader and inspiration to has become a leader and inspiration to so many of us. She said that workers and retirees struggling with this crisis feel like they are invisible. They are not invisible to me or this body. They are not invisible to Speaker Pelosi or senator schumer or senator smith or senator peters who has spoken out, for chairman neil in the house for chairman scott from virginia in the house, and everybody trying to find a bipartisan solution. Were not giving up. It comes back to the dignity of work. When work has dignity, we honor the Retirement Security people earn. When you love this country, you fight for the people that make it work. I urge my colleagues in this body, colleagues with health care in retirement plans paid for by taxpayers, i urge my colleagues to think about these retired workers and on top of this stress on the coronavirus, the stress they are facing us. Join us, lets pass a solution that honors their work and honors the dignity of work and keeps our promise. I note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call