Another emergency funding bill, the need to address the covid crisis. It is clear that theres something we actually could have done in july if we had been willing to actually do our job and vote on the Appropriations Bills after the house of representatives had had already shown the way. But four weeks ago, the Trump Administration and the Senate Republican leadership walked away from the negotiating table. Democrats had offered compromise. Republicans said my way or the highway and left town. Just walked away from the capitol when we had all of these things that needed to be done. And here we are, were back four weeks later, the situation better . Of course not. Across the country families are sending their children back to School Without the necessary resources to ensure theyre safe. And some are learning from home, but often without reliable access to the internet. Evictions are rising. Families are struggling to find child care. Unemployment is at the highest level i can remember and certainly unacceptable levels. States are preparing for novembers elections without the resources they need to make sure people can safely vote. The Postal Service needs a serious injection of funding to deliver mail in a timely manner. Inaction has consequences. Now im here to negotiate. I was four weeks ago. Ive been throughout the time the senates been out of session. Ive been prepared to come back and negotiate. But now we find now Republican Leadership wont negotiate. And senator mcconnell says hes prepared a socalled skinny covid bill to put before the senate. He put it before us on a take it or leave it. No amendments, no debate, this proposal isnt skinny, its anemic. Why are they afraid to vote . Lets have the members vote them up or down. Can you is there any question why the American Public wonders whats going on when the Republican Leadership will not even allow a vote. What are they so afraid of . Its democracy, vote up or down. Republicans have a majority. If they dont like the amendment to come up, vote them down, but at least vote them. Dont hide behind platitudes, tweets, campaign ads which you can do because you never actually have to take responsibility. You dont have to vote. Now, the bill hasnt been made public, but details are beginning to emerge. And the details have emerged and its woefully inadequate for the country. And in fact, less relief than what the Trump Administration put forward before the senate adjourned a month ago. Now, i dont know where republicans spent the last month, but i know where i was. I was all over the state of vermont talking to the republicans and democrats and independents, hear whats on peoples minds. Not lobbyists, not special interest, but the people who have to pay the bills, who have to face the consequences. And i became even more convinced, not less, that we had dire needs in this country because of the coronavirus pandemic and we have to address them soon. Now, how any senator went back to his or her own home state and convinced that less assistance was needed than when we left last month is baffling to me. Thats why every senator can say where they stand, but the way they prove where they stand is to vote. Lets have the courage to stand up and vote, yes or no. Not a take it or leave it package that will be decided by one person and nobody else able to vote any differently. What are we . What are we . A bunch of ducks in a row . Or are we u. S. Senators . And adding insult to injury we now find, the bill also provides sweeping liability shields for corporate bad actors who fail to do their part to keep consumers, employees and patients safe. It tells you everything you need to know about the priorities of this republican package. Big corporations come ahead of struggling american families. Instead of the person who is trying to pay the bills, send their children back to school, who is making out in this bill . Why, the lobbyists for multibillion dollar insurance companies. Theyre already making billions of dollars. They dont have to worry about paying the bills. They dont have to worry about their children going back to school. They dont have to worry about jobs and this bill gives them one more gift . How can we possibly say we support that and then go back home and say were on the side of our people. If the majority leader wants to put the socalled skinny bill, including with the give away to the multibillion dollar insurance companies, well, do it the right way. Bring it here, set up a real debate on the bill. Debate that the country deserves and i think the majority of republicans and democrats would want. Let the process work, not a process that only rewards high paid lobbyists from multibillion dollar corporations. That allows senators, both sides of the aisle, to say here is where i stand with the people in my state, the people of my state have to pay the bills, who have to send their kids back to school. Who are trying to keep their jobs or keep their going or whatever it might be. Let members raise issues important to their constituents from any of the 50 states. Those issues, funding for state and local governments are facing the brunt of the covid response. Money for schools so we can safely education our nations children. Rental ainstance and eviction protections to help keep people in their homes. Food assistance for hungry familiar so they dont go hungrien 0 the wealthiest nations on earth and so that people can safely vote and we can trust the results of the vote. And Big Investments in testing and in Contact Tracing because we know we cant begin to do the amount of testing and Contact Tracing we need to do today. Our economys only going to come back when the American People are confident the virus is no longer a threat. I know the president said last winter that of course, the virus will go away in the spring. Well, everybody in this chamber, republican and democrat, know he wasnt telling the truth on that. Of course it didnt go away. Were not going to make a recovery until we have confidence that the virus is no longer a threat. And my friend senator mcconnells skinny bill doesnt provide that confidence. So i say put these issues up for a vote. Take each one of those issues and vote them up or down. Let the American People see where each member of this chamber stands. I know where i would stand. Do as the Republican Leaders in the past have done. Howard baker, bob dole and other great leaders, and might not like the amendments, say okay, vote them up, vote them down. Why dont we do that. Thats the way the senate was designed, but this majority leader will not do what his predecessors have. And why . Because on many of these issues he know he would lose. Not too many to vote for his giveaways to the lobbyists for the large insurance companies. So a vote simply to move this bill is just for show. It doesnt provide an opportunity for real debate. It doesnt solve the problems facing the country. Show votes do nothing to combat the virus or give the American People the confidence to reopen the economy. In fact, i suggest just the opposite. The American People will see us doing just political show boating votes here. Theyre going to have even less confidence that things will come back. But after the real debate in the senate, which is clearing to the other side of the aisle. Republicans have to come back to the negotiating table. We start bipartisan, bicameral talks in a comprehensive covid relief package and it could pass both chambers. I hear the senators say, well, we cant vote on this, cant vote on that, because it might not be popular at home. My response in a case like that is why do you want to be here . Weve had nearly 2000 senators in this country. Senator who voted the most in the nations history was senator bob bird. He voted around 18,000 times. Now those 2000 senators, the senator comes in second for the most votes is the senator from vermo vermont. Not just for longevity, but i voted for things i knew would hurt me politically, but i thought it was the right thing to do. I was willing to state to the people of vermont, here is where i stand. You can agree or disagree with me, but you know where i stand. Why have we one of the reasons the senate is held in such disfavor this this country, we dont vote. We dont have a real debate. One way or that way alone. After the real debate in the senate which clearly the Republican Leaders afraid of. Why dont republicans come back to the negotiating table . We start by bipartisan, bicameral comprehensive covid relief in both chambers. And we did this in july and why dont we bring those up and the republicans have the majority and they can vote them down if they dont like them. Lets have a vote on them. One way or the other. No, we couldnt do it. Now, senator mcconnell says he wants to do this process peace piecemeal. Pass a little bit now, a little later. Trust me, we can do that. Well, Ronald Reagan would say, trust, but verify, lets have a real vote, lets vote on all of it. Because we know that the majority leader will adjourn the senate later this month to go home and campaign. Appears all he wants is a showboat. Woefully inan adequate bill he knows would never become law and get out of here. Thats not a plan for action. Thats not a real plan to pass a bill for the American People. Its not acceptable. Why dont we admit the most important thing before us is what happening with covid and how we address it. I know a lot of republicans have a lot of very good ideas, and i know a lot of democrats have very good ideas to address it. Lets bring them up, lets vote on it. Vote for or vote against it. Dont say were not going to allow a vote because we dont have time. We have plenty of time. We have plenty of time. Lets just stay here. Every day, go through the weekend if need be and just vote, vote up or down. Were running out of time. Right now the majority leader intends to adjourn the senate in a few weeks. Well, the American People dont have that luxury. They cant just go home for a few weeks, knowing their bills are being paid, their salaries are being paid. They need our help. Why dont we do our job. Vote these things up or down. Have the courage to say what you stand for. We could have easily 40 or 50 amendments, realistic amendments with both republicans and democrats, vote them up or down and then have a bill that can go to conference. Every one of us knows we should have done that in july. We didnt. We could have done that in august. We didnt. Its september. Lets at least now do our job, update hold our oath of office and pass the bill. Lets not be afraid of how we vote. I know in my own vote, all of those 16,000 plus, somebody can find votes they disagree with. So what . I had the courage the vote. I call my fellow senators, have the courage to vote. Were supposed to be the conscience of the nation. Lets try to be. Madam president , i see other senators on the floor eagerly awaiting a chance to give us their views, so i would yield the floor. Madam president , each year during the month ever august i look forward to travelling across my state, my very big state to spend time with my constituents. Its the best way