Comoimed. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell the senate spent the last few days, like all americans have, praying for quick healing and smooth recovery for President Trump and the first lady following their positive covid19 tests. I spoke to the president by phone twice this past weekend. Both times, his spirits were high. Both times, we talked about the peoples business, our nations fight against this pandemic, his exceptional nominee to the Supreme Court, judge barrett, as well as our efforts to continue rebuilding the economy for working families. Were also thinking of our friends and colleague, the senior senator for utah, the senior senator for wisconsin, and the junior senator from North Carolina who are currently working from home. The standard cliche would say that these past few days have provided a stark reminder of the dangers of this terrible virus. But the truth is that our nation did not need any such reminder. More than 209,000 of our fellow citizens have lost their lives. Millions have battled illness or had their lives disrupted by positive tests. This past weekend, my home state of kentucky just recorded its highest ever, highest ever oneday total for new cases. We all need to remain vigilant. We all need to remain careful. If the speaker of the house and the democratic leader had not spent months blocking another bipartisan relief package over unrelated farleft poison pills, we could have put hundreds of billions of more dollars for kids, jobs, and health care in the pipeline many weeks ago. For the sake of our nation, lets hope they finally lay down their partisan demands and let our country get back on offense against this disease. Now, in just a moment, i will move to withdraw the pending cloture petitions and recess the senate with pro forma meetings until two weeks from today. Members will receive at least 24 hours notice if any votes on urgent matters are scheduled before october 19. That would take bipartisan consent. Otherwise, the full senate will next meet on october 19. Obviously, the peoples business has not come to a halt in the absence of votes on the floor. The important work of our committees will go forward as each Committee Sees fit. Chairman graham has already northbound the Judiciary Committee will already announced the Judiciary Committee will meet as planned on october 12 to begin considering jurnlg barretts nomination to the Supreme Court. We are going ahead with the full, thorough, and timely confirmation process that judge barrett and the court deserve. The chairman has indicated the committee will use the same hybrid format with some participants appearing in person, others appearing over video that it has successfully used for more than 20 prior hearings this year. So let me say that again. The Judiciary Committee alone, just that committee, has held more than 20 hybrid hearings since the start of the pandemic. Many of these saw multiple senators participating via videoconference. Some of them saw nominees participating via videoconference. At times, the democratic members of the committee have gone literally out of their way to praise this technology and the chairmans flexibility with this format. Across all of our committees, weve had 150 hybrid hearings since the pandemic began. The senate has used this format no fewer than 150 times. We have continued performing our constitutional duties while protecting health and safety during the pandemic. Our democratic colleagues have largely welcomed this approach, and they have frequently taken advantage of it. So whatever mix proves to be the right decision at this time next week, it will be completely consistent with the committees own precedent and with the ways committees all across the senate have adapted and done their work throughout the pandemic. Our whole society is using these tools. Earlier today, the Supreme Court itself resumed conducting oral arguments via teleconference. As it has done since last spring. The senate has been using these process east processes for months. Just yesterday, the Ranking Member of the rules committee reminded the country that she helped set them up. Its nonsense for Senate Democrats to turn on a dime and now pretend these procedures are somehow no longer workable. Its nonsense to suggest that the tools that Senate Democrats have been happily using across all of our committees for months have suddenly gone bad overnight. Nobody is taking these disingenuous tactics at face value because the democrats have told everyone out loud about their real intentions. For weeks now, numerous Senate Democrats have publicly promised they would try every trick in the book, every trick in the book, every maneuver available to obstruct and delay a fair confirmation process. Weeks ago, the junior senator from hawaii pledged i will look for every procedural tool that i can to make sure this does not happen. Weeks ago, the senior senator from massachusetts we will need to use every tool. We need to think seriously about everything we can do to try to slow this down. The number two democratic senator, our friend from illinois, has said we will use whatever tools we have available to slow things down. Just yesterday, in the very same press conference where the democratic leader claimed that his latest calls to delay the hearings were rooted in health and safety concerns, he gave the game away just moments later. In that same press conference, he admitted, quote, we will use every tool in the toolbox to delay. So so much about health and safety concerns. Our democratic colleagues have admitted out loud what all these stalling tactics are about. Senate democrats have openly admitted they are grasping at straws to block this exceedingly wellqualified nominee from receiving a fair and prompt process. Look, we have months, months of experience. Governing this way while protecting health and safety here in the senate. This body will not cease to function just because democrats are afraid they may lose a vote. Chairman graham has all the options and procedures he needs to supervise a fair, thorough, and hopefully dignified confirmation hearing next week. And thats just what is going to happen. I look forward to seeing judge barretts brilliance and qualifications on full display starting one week from today. I. This is an hour. K from today. I. Nd an alumna. Ceo a i have the pleasure of being your moderator today and joining you from my home country of trinidad and tobago. Before i introduce our speakers, a few words about todays of. Covid19 has overtaken the world. It has
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