Transcripts For CSPAN2 U.S. Senate U.S. Senate 20240711

James knapp to the u. S. District court judge for the Northern District of ohio. Votes expect around 5 30 p. M. Eastern time. You are watching live coverage of the u. S. Senate on cspan2. Ie senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Black, will open the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Sovereign god, you are you are wisdom without end and mercy without limit. We worship you. Lord, have compassion on our nation. Heal our physical, mental, and spiritual wounds. We are worn out from this challenging season. Restore us to the vision of a liberating freedom that enables justice to flourish. Hear the prayers of our senators and give them your peace. And, lord, thank you for the degree of resolution that has occurred in our nations election process. Remind us all of the wisdom of mark 3 25 that says a house divided against itself cannot stand. We pray in your mers sovereign name. Amen we pray in your sovereign name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. Grassley mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from iowa. Mr. Grassley one minute for morning business, please. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley this morning fisaer a pfizer announced positive results from its eagerly awaited vaccine trial, with early data saying that it is 90 effective. This trial is taking place at over 120 sites including at the university of iowa medical school. The university of iowas portion is led by dr. Patricia winiker, an Infectious Disease expert and associate dean. The are trial involved about 225 iowans. The trial is not yet complete but this is exciting news and an important step to halt the virus. Im proud of iowas role in making sure the vaccine is safe and effective. I yield the floor. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call mr. Grassley mr. President. 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 november is National Adoption month. Each november families across the country finalize adoption and celebrate the creation of new families and connections. On National Adoption day, which is celebrated on the saturday before thanksgiving, a special effort to made to finalize as many pending adoptions as possible. Last year over 4,000 adoptions were finalized on that day. While im sure that this day will look a little different this year due to the coronavirus, im confident that family courts and Child Welfare agencies will still make a special day for many, many families. Happy families because theyll be able to bring a new one into their family. The pandemic has created significant challenges for the children and families in our Child Welfare system. With travel restrictions and limits on visitors in hospitals, adoptive parents are meeting their children for the First Time Ever over video chat instead of in person. Kids in foster care are having to wait longer for placements and foster parents are facing the added stress of school closures, Court Proceedings are taking place on zoom. Despite the challenges, both new challenges and old challenges, that can accompany adoption, parents in iowa and across the country are still making the choice to open their hearts and homes to children in need. Congress has worked in the past to reduce barriers that would be that wouldbe adoptive parents would face. I will continue my efforts to make sure Adoption Remains an option for children in foster care who cant be reunited with their family. Women facing an unexpected pregnancy and all parents willing and able to provide a safe and loving home for kids in need. There were over 100,000 children in the foster care system waiting for adoption in 2019. That 100,000 is approximately onefourth of the number of kids that are in foster care. Congress must work in a bipartisan way, as it has for many years, to make sure adoption can become a reality, not just a dream, for all of these kids. We must also make sure that Child Welfare agencies have the tools and flexibilities that need to serve that they need to serve the families in their communities. For years in the senate i have worked to elevate the voices of youth in the foster care system. These young people are their best own best advocates, and they can tell you that the thing they want most is a caring and lovely family and a permanent home. What would you expect from any of these young people that are moved from home to home, maybe two or three times, in a different year. As i continue to work in congress towards the goal of adopting of helping all children find their forever family, i will always keep the best interest of children at the forefront. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call mr. Leahy mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from vermont is recognized. Mr. Leahy i thank you, mr. President. I ask for the quorum call to be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Under the 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, James Ray Knepp ii of ohio to be United States district judge for the Northern District of ohio. Mr. Leahy mr. President. The presiding officer the senator is recognized. Mr. Leahy mr. President , i see the majority leader on the floor. While i have i have the floor, of course, as a matter of courtesy, i will yield to him if he has some comments he wants to make and ask that i then be recognized for mine. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Leahy before i do yield, i understand senator schumer is coming, so i will i tell you what i will do. I will just yield the floor to accommodate our two leaders, but then i would ask i be recognized. The presiding officer without objection. The majority leader is recognized. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President , in the last week, record numbers of americans exercised the right which generations risked everything to hand on to us. I want to spend a few minutes this morning talking about what we saw last week, where we are now, and where our great country will go from here. There is one aspect of last week that has gotten lost that i want to single out right at the start. By every indication, the 2020 election appears to have been free from meaningful foreign interference. There is no suggestion that our foreign dwairs adversaries were allowed to undermine the integrity of our process. According to the director of the cybersecurity and infrastructure security administration, quote, we have no, no evidence any foreign adversary was capable of preventing americans from voting or changing vote tallies, end quote. General paul nakasoni, the head of the n. S. A. And u. S. Cyber command reported tuesday night, quote, the actions weve taken against adversaries have ensured they are not going to interfere in our elections, end quote. The Trump Administration and the senate spent four years supporting the state and local election authorities on the front lines. New tools and informationsharing partnerships, unprecedented coordination, hundreds of millions in new funding, new painful consequences for bad actors like russia if they interfere, the absence of any reports of foreign interference is a ringing endorsement, a ringing endorsement of our bipartisan work, and it slams the door on the embarrassing, irresponsible rhetoric that some washington democrats spent four years broadcasting. Too many voices tried to talk down our progress. Urged americans actually not to have confidence, and smeared anyone as unpatriotic who opposed farleft proposals to rewrite election laws. Well, mr. President , the people who pushed this hysteria could not have more egg on their face than they do right now. None of their demands became law, none of them. The speaker of the house did not get to personally rewrite election law. And yet because of the sensible bipartisan steps that some of us championed, our defenses and countermeasures proved to be in radically better shape than back in 2016. So its time lets talk about where we are now. According to preliminary results, voters across the nation elected and reelected republican senators to a degree that actually stunned prognosticators. Likewise, the American People seem to have reacted to House Democrats radicalism and obstruction by shrinking the speakers majority and electing more republicans. And then there is the president ial race. Obviously, no states have yet certified their Election Results. We have at least one or two states that are already on track for a recount. And i believe the president may have legal challenges under way in at least five states. The core principle here is not complicated. In the United States of america, all legal ballots must be counted. Any illegal ballots must not be counted. The process should be transparent or observable by all sides, and the courts are here to work through concerns. Our institutions are actually built for this. We have the system in place to consider concerns, and President Trump is 100 within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options. Lets go back 20 years ago. 20 years ago, when florida came down to a very thin margin, we saw Vice President gore exhaust the legal system and wait to concede until december. More recently, weeks after the media had called president bushs reelection in 2004, democrats baselessly disputed ohios electors and delayed the process during congress. In 2016, election law saw recounts or legal challenges in several states. If any major irregularities occurred this time of a magnitude that would affect the outcome, then every single american should want them to be brought to light, and if democrats feel confident they have not occurred, they should have no reason to fear any extra scrutiny. We have the tools and institutions we need to address any concerns. The president has every right to look into allegations and to request recounts under the law. And notably, the constitution gives no role in this process to wealthy media corporations. The projections and commentary of the press do not get veto power over the legal rights of any citizen, including the president of the United States. Now, more broadly, mr. President , lets not have any lectures, no lectures about how the president should immediately, cheerfully accept preliminary Election Results from the same characters who just spent four years refusing to accept the validity of the last election. And who insinuated that this one would be illegitimate, too, if they lost again, only if they lost. So lets have no lectures on this subject from that contingent. In late august, secretary Hillary Clinton said, quote, joe biden should not concede under any circumstances. I think this is going to drag out, and he will win it if we dont give an inch. That same month, Speaker Pelosi and the democratic leader both stated, quote, President Trump needs to cheat to win. In october, when Speaker Pelosi was shopping some Conspiracy Theory about the postal service, she recklessly said, quote, listen to this i have no doubt that the president will lie, cheat, and steal to win the election. Now, does this sound like a chorus that had any credibility whatsoever to say a few legal challenges from President Trump represents some kind of crisis . At this time last week, Small Business owners in cities across america were boarding up their windows in case President Trump appeared to win and farleft mobs decided to reprise their summer rioting. Suffice it to say, a few Legal Inquiries from the president do not exactly spell the end of the republic. Heres two professors from Fordham Law School and new york law school. This is how they put it. Quote, for centuries, we have asked people who are unhappy with their fellow citizens or Government Agencies and institutions bring their claims to court. President trump is, quote, a traditional response that affirms rather than undermines american institutions, end quote. This process will reach its resolution. Our system will resolve any recounts or litigation. In january, the winner of this election will place his hand on a bible, just like it has happened every four years since 1793. What we know for sure is that the outcome is guaranteed to delight tens of millions of americans and disappoint tens of millions of americans. But we also know that we will wake up on january 21 still blessed to live in the greatest nation the world has ever seen, and in no small part, that is because we respect the rule of law, we trust our institutions, and neither of those things is outweighed by pronouncements from partisans or the press. Now on an entirely different matter, mr. President , mr. Mcconnell the last several days have brought huge good news in our fight to beat the terrible virus. This morning, one drug manufacturer announced that ongoing trials suggest their candidate for a covid19 vaccine may be more than 90 effective. 90 effective. This is a huge testament to the ingenuity of the American Private sector and their Global Partners and to the historic efforts of congress and the Trump Administration. Weve flattened regulatory roadblocks, we sped up trials, and laid groundwork to buy and distribute a vaccine as fast as possible. Last week we learned the Unemployment Rate has fallen to 6. 9 . 6. 9 . With more than 630,000 new jobs added just in the month of october. Now remember back in the springtime, many experts estimated we would still be saddled with doubledigit joblessness through the end of this year. Turns out the news is a whole lot better. Another testament to the Strong Economic Foundation that congress and the Trump Administration spent three years laying before the pandemic struck. And most of all, to the resilience, the incredible resilience of the American People. So to be clear, our work is not finished. Too Many Americans are still suffering economically. And infections are climbing across the country. We cannot give up on commonsense measures like Wearing Masks just because weve grown tired of them. The senate is going to have a busy few weeks. I hope our democratic colleague will finally put aside their all or nothing obstruction and let the targeted pandemic relief, targeted pandemic relief is what we need, let it move forward. In any event, we will need to fund the government, Reach Agreement with the house on the National Defense authorization act, and confirm more thoroughly qualified nominees. So i welcome all my colleagues back to the chamber and i look forward to finishing this year strong. Our states and our country are counting on us. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call mr. Schumer mr. President . The presiding officer the minority leader is recognized. Mr. Schumer are we in a quorum . The presiding officer we are. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer now, mr. President , last tuesday our country conducted the most sacred process in our democratic system of government, a national election. It was an election unlike any other in modern history. Much of the voting was done before election day itself. As a Global Pandemic forced states to adjust their balloting and voting procedures. The counting of the vote took a little longer than most americans might have expected or hoped. Indeed some of the final tabulations are not yet complete. It is still to be determined which party will hold a majority in this chamber. But we do know a few things. First and most importantly, former Vice President joseph biden will become the 46th president of the United States. Our dear colleague, the distinguished senator from california,Kamala Harris will be adVice President of the United States. On january 20 the unwill finally, finally turn the page on one of the most divisive and kay yoltic chaotic chapters in our history. President elect joe biden has told the country its time to come together and heal, to unify once again, to fight not our political opponents but our common enemies, disease, impoverty and injustice. Theres no person better suited to the task than the former Vice President. He will be a great president for all americans. Vice president elect harris meanwhile has just made history four times over. She will be the first African American woman, the first Asian American woman, the first biracial woman, and the first woman, period, to ever serve as Vice President of these United States. I congratulate the former Vice President , his wife jill, our colleague senator harris and her husband doug on their hardfought victory. More americans voted for president elect biden and Vice President elect harris than any ticket in our nations history. They have given them an enormous burden, a decisive mandate to take the reins of the executive branch and marshal this government into action for they will assume the high offices of the presidency and the vice presidency at a time of unprecedented challenge. Our great nation faces the greatest economic crisis in 75 years. The greatest Public Health crisis in a century. Extraordinary inequalities of wealth and income strike at the heart of the idea of america as a land of equal opportunity. Racial disparities in our society strike at the heart of the idea of america as a place of equal justice. Climate change threatens the very future of our planet. The American People have placed their faith in president elect biden to confront those challenges headon, to relieve their suffering, to repair our democracy, to recover our economy, and rebuild a country and a planet for this generation and for the next. I have no doubt their faith will be rewarded. But i also have no doubt that the task ahead is daunting. While the country prepares for a change in administration, it must also brace for the darkest days of the covid19 pandemic. Over the weekend the United States recorded its ten million t case. Were confirming a hundred thousand new cases of covid per day on track to eclipse more than a million new cases per week. As exhausted and impatient as we all are for our lives, our livelihoods to return to normal, experiments are warning us that the worst phase is still ahead. The pickest way to turn the tide, crush the virus and get back to normal is to do what we should have been doing all along. Take the virus seriously. Listen to the sin tises and dead scientists and dedicate the necessary resources to get the job done. President elect biden is already preparing to do just that. Today he named several Health Experts and scientific advisers to serve on a covid19 task force. It sends the right signal that while the president elect will not assume office for a few months, his administration will hit the ground running and his policy on covid19 will refreshingly be dictated by facts and by science. Its a major turning point that soon we will have an administration that actually acknowledges that this is a health care crisis, that knows our economy wont fully recover until we solve it. Im confident that a Biden Administration will do that, but Congress Must play its part, too. Nearly 15 million americans have lost Health Insurance through their employer. Democrats have a solution to that problem. Lets get it done and make sure those families have health coverage. Medicaid programs across the country are experiencing a huge influx of new enrolees while state budgets struggle to bear the added costs. The heroes act ensures that medicaid is strengthened and secured for the duration of this pandemic. Lets get that done, too. And today we received news that the entire world has been waiting for, a u. S. Company has developed a vaccine for covid19 that according to the preliminary research in the news reports is 90 effective. The f. D. A. Said it would approve a vaccine that was 50 effective. So while the f. D. A. Needs to review the vaccine, to have a vaccine that is 90 effective is about as good as it gets. We democrats will do everything we can to make sure this vaccine or any vaccine is distributed quickly, fairly, equitably, and the challenges are one of scale and one of delivery. Congress should fund a National Vaccination program and the Administration Whether its the Trump Administration or the Biden Administration must do everything to reach minority and underserved communities, combat Vaccine Hesitancy, and ensure that the vaccines are free to everyone. This will be a massive and complex undertaking unlike anything that our country has seen. And we must all Work Together from the president to congress down to local Community Health departments to ensure it gets done right and it gets done fairly and it gets done equitably. So while the Incoming Administration prepares to take on the surge of covid19, congress should pass a strong comprehensive covid relief bill that actually meets the needs of the American People. When it comes to health care, education, testing, trissing, unemployment tracing, Unemployment Benefits and many other critical issues, this republican majority has proposed totally inadequate solutions. As the disease surges across our country once again, there is no time for inadequate solutions. I hope now that the election is behind us our colleague are ready to come together in a search for an adequate bipartisan solution rather than the partisan stuntvoting legislating weve suffered for the past few months. Now i must spend a moment on something that will garner too much attention over the next few weeks. Baseless claims by the president and his supporters that theres been widespread voter fraud and that the election was somehow rigged or stolen from President Trump. That kind of rhetoric is extremely dangerous, extremely poisonous to our democracy. As in any campaign, the president has a right to bring legal challenges or request recounts where state law allows. However, there is no legal right to file frivolous claims. Lawsuits must have basis in facts and evidence and make no mistake, there has been no evidence of any significant or widespread voter fraud. Joe biden won this election fair and square. The margins of his victory are growing by the day. And former president george w. Bush commendably acknowledged that fact when he congratulated president elect biden and Vice President elect harris on their victory. Now Republican Leaders in congress should also do the right thing. Republican leaders must unequivocally condemn the president s rhetoric and work to ensure the peaceful transfer of power on january 20. I have been heartened to see a few of my republican colleague. Its three i believe congratulate the Winning Ticket but too many including the republican leader have been silent or sympathetic to the president s fantasies. Even some nonpartisan members of the Current Administration have refused to move forward with the formal process for an Incoming Administration. According to the Washington Post, the administrator of the General Services administration has declined to sign a letter allowing president elect joe bidens Transition Team to formally begin its work. It does not matter whether the president is happy about the results of the election. The peaceful transfer of power is a hallmark, the bedrock, of our demesnes it must of our democracy and it must proceed. The g. S. A. Administrator must sign the paperwork immediately in order to allow the important work of the president ial transition to proceed. America remains in the middle of a worsening health and economic crisis, and theres no excuse none for the Outgoing Administration to impede the new administrations preparations to deal with these urgent challenges. There is no law or requirement that President Trump concede the election or leave the office of the presidency with grace, but as history prepares to right the final few sentences on the trump presidency, it will surely note how this president and his republican allies here in congress treated our democracy on his way out the door. I yield the floor. The presiding officer the senator from vermont. Mr. Leahy mr. President , i believe under our original agreement im recognized next . The presiding officer yes, sir. Mr. Leahy and i appreciate what the democratic leader has said, and i was willing to step aside earlier when i had the floor because i understood the two leaders were coming to speak, and as a matter of courtesy to them and i know the democratic leader at least appreciated that. So let me agree with what he said. You know, i came here when the president of the United States was an unelected president , been an unelected Vice President , jerry ford, and then under our change in our laws since president kennedys death was able to pick an unelected Vice President. I remember democrats and republicans alike welcoming him and saying, lets go forward. And ive been here with each president some reelected, some not and in every instance, id see the outgoing president welcoming the incoming president , republican or democrat. And theyve done it to try to make a smooth transition, not for their own political purposes, but for the good of the United States of america. Everyone has done that. I think of george h. W. Bush welcoming bill clinton, who had defeated him. I remember al gore graciously concede to george w. Bush. I remember Hillary Clinton, with well over 2 million more votes than donald trump, but saying, heres what the Electoral College says and conceding. Now we see joe biden with more votes than any candidate has gotten in the history of the United States for president and the incumbent president goes off golfing again and again, pretends he doesnt have to step back. And, in fact, actually does Everything Possible to make it difficult for the new president to handle the transition. Thats wrong. Just as ive encouraged both democrats and republicans, as president , you help the incoming president with transition, not for your political reasons or their political reasons but for the good of all of us as americans. And to say, oh, no, were going to hold the key to the door of the Transition Office every republican, every democrat voted for the money for that Transition Office so that whoever is president could step forward and not hurt the country by coming in without doing the necessary preparation. And theyre like a little child in a playground, no, weve got the key, weve got the key, were not going to share the key. Oh, come on. You know how this makes us look to the rest of the world . You know how it makes us look in my state of vermont, where some republicans voted for donald trump, some voted for joe biden. The majority voted in this case for joe biden. But ive been hearing from vermonters all over both parties, whats going on . Its over. In that regard, let me just speak briefly about the president elect and the Vice President elect. When i came to this body, i was the most Junior Member of the United States senate and the second youngest. The youngest was a senator from delaware whod been elected just two years before, joe biden. And i think the fact that we were the two youngest, we bonded over that. And i got to know his familiment i knew the tragedy he had with when his first wife was killed, hire daughter was killed. Hed go home every day to make sure he could put his sons to bed, be there with them. I dont know how many times, mr. President , wed be standing down in the well, hes looking at his watch and say, what time do you think the next vote is going to be because the next train to delaware is at such and such time. He was like a marathon runner going out the door to make sure he caught the train which he did to be home to take care of his children. And i remember how happy marcelle and i were when he met jill. What a wonderful woman. Dr. Biden was everything youd want in a first lady in this country. We had the privilege of traveling with both of them, seeing the love and the joy they had in each others company, the love and the joy theyve shown in their children and grandchildren and continue to. I watched joe biden with a sense of dignity as he ran as he ran for election to the presidency, an office he had hoped to hold but probably thought he never would. I know that he had wanted to run four years ago, but it was too close to the time of losing his son beau. And i had the privilege of knowing beau. In fact, the last time i talked to him, he was on one of the battlefields in iraq where he was serving in combat for our u. S. Military. And i told him at that time, you know, back on the plane im going to call your father. I always do this if i meet a vermonter, ill call your dad. I got on the plane and connected with the white house operator. I remember then Vice President biden coming on, laughing saying, i know what youre going to say. I got an email from beau. I remember when marcelle and i stood there, tears running down our face, as we listened to president obama when i eulogized beau at his funeral. We all felt as part of that family. And so the joy in the leahy household when he was elected, not just a joy for the good of the country but the joy of seeing a person who we know, love, and respect elected as president. And add to that the added advantage of Kamala Harris, one of our Senate Colleagues here. I remember when senator harris came to the senate and i was so happy that she was going on the Judiciary Committee because shed been such a good prosecutor, such a good attorney general. She is a woman who didnt need to have much of an orientation. She now exactly what she was doing. Weve gotten to know her and her husband and admire her so. And then when she spoke to accept the fact that they were president and Vice President elect, when she spoke and said how proud she was to be there with president elect biden, but how proud she was to speak to her background immigrant parents coming here, different races shown in her background, and what shes saying as he said women everywhere. But i would say also what she shows to young women, those not old enough to vote, like my granddaughters. They can look at that and say, that shows everything is open. You know, i come from a state where its unusual to be elected the first time because, well, im the only democrat ever elected to the u. S. Senate in the history, the youngest also. I wasnt supposed to win. We were overwhelmingly a republican state then. Weve become now our last election, for example, our republican governor this year the last few days our republican governor won overwhelmingly. Molly gray, a young woman that started out as an intern in my office went to the university of vermont, she won comfortably by a comfortable margin as a democrat. But also our republican governor said on election day, for the good of the country to stop the dissension, to lower the kind of rhetoric we were hearing. He was going to vote for joseph biden. Now, i mention that just as a microcosm in our state. But to go back to just a purely personal thing, marcelle and i prayed for that day. We were so happy to see our friends. We were so happy to know they were there. And as one whos known joe biden from the day i came into the senate and i still remember to this day him coming over to agree to me on the coming over to greet me on the floor and say, im glad to see us young people here. We were sitting in the junior row. And that friendship has lasted ever since. I know joe biden. I know jill biden. I know the United States of america. And as a time when we are so torn apart, these are two people who can bring us back together. And i know Kamala Harris, and we know her wonderful husband. And here, my goodness, what a Broad Spectrum right there. In one way unique, in another way not the least bit unique. Its the face of america. Its the face of america. The diversity in our country of race, religion, everything. Its reflected in this ticket. You couldnt be better for the beginning of this century to have such a wide spectrum shown in the president and Vice President of the United States. I think of how what the mayor of paris said. She issued a statement to the effect of, welcome back, america. Well, this is an america that represents all of us. We should all get together to try to make them successful. If senators disagree son a particular issue disagree on a particular issue, vote up or down. But have the courage to vote. Have the courage to vote. Dont do what weve done this past year, refusing to vote on covid as thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people die in our country. Have the courage to get up and vote. Vote yes or no. Were here with sixyear terms. We ought to have the courage to vote yes or no. And lets take a pause and say these are the two who will be the face of america from noon on january 20. From a personal point of view, that face reflects very much our family. Our children, our grandchildren. I can see them in these four people and im proud of that. I will admit that ive gotten a few emails from my irish friends saying how much they are looking forward to President Biden coming to ireland and theyve forgiven me, my italian have, with that. But i know when i hear joe biden quoting shamus kenny by memory, he knows those irish roots. But he and his family are foremost americans, like his late wonderful son beau, first and foremost americans. When Kamala Harris speaks of her family, her ancestors coming here, her mother and father coming here, coming not to be anything other than americans, and they are americans as she is. She is as american as any of us. As i will close with this, mr. President. Isnt it a time when the United States of america, a country that has become as diverse as you can imagine can show their face to the rest of the world and say, this is who we are. And my grandchildren, white grandchildren, my black grandchildren, can look and say, yes, thats who we are. Joe and kamala, in a few days ill call you mr. President and madam Vice President and ill do it with great pride. But i say to my great friends, joe and kamala, congratulations. Im very, very happy. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum call. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call the presiding officer the senator from tennessee. Mrs. Blackburn are we in a quorum call . The presiding officer yes, we are. Mrs. Blackburn i ask that we dispense with the quorum call. The presiding officer without objection. Mrs. Blackburn thank you, madam president. We may be back to work carrying out what should be the normal business of the senate, but from what i have observed, the American People really dont see this as just another day. They are a little bit anxious. And i really think that it is because over the past week, they have witnessed some of the most divisive news cycles in recent memory. Allegations of voter fraud are running rampant. These have been unanswered and ignored by most media outlets. Liberal operatives have sent up test balloons on the creation of official enemies list. Now, think about that. We have them making enemies lists, wanting to execute a campaign of personal destruction against people with whom they disagree. What does that say about treasuring free speech . And the most popular social media platforms, oh, madam president , the social media platforms have honestly just outdone themselves by making matters worse, by slapping the scary labels on content that is meant to inform and to spark bipartisan debate. And then you got you have got email services that are locking down access to email lists because the distribution is something with which they disagree. This is what has happened to millions of americans, and they gasp every time they see these markers on content, when they cant get to an email list, when they hear about a group that they belong to, they cant hear from, communicate with. Yes, it is censorship and it is something that has divided people, families, neighbors, friends, coworkers, colleagues. And i will tell you, many of them remain divided, but i think that we have to say they have been engaged, and according to the pew research center, americans participated in this election cycle at the highest rate in 120 years. Election officials still havent finished their counts and already we know that more than 144 million ballots were cast this cycle. And i would venture to say that many of those millions of individuals are watching us. They want to see what were going to do next. How were going to conduct ourselves. And they dont really care if it takes a little multitasking. They are saying it is time for congress to do its job. You can look at all of the exit polling on the Favorability Ratings of congress, and i will say its discouragingly low. The regard in which the American People hold their elected representatives collective body. So its time for us to get some things done. Judging by the footage of demonstrations in many of americas major cities, you might not remember that were still dealing with the effects of a Global Pandemic. It seems for a few days people forget that there was a pandemic. Democrats in the house and the senate have wasted months of precious time obstructing the passage of targeted covid relief legislation that tennesseans and new yorkers and californians and every other american who owns a business or supports a family needs not tomorrow or today. They needed it yesterday, last week, last month. Ive spent the past several months coming to this floor to tell the stories of tennesseans. Tennessee Small Business people, tennessee employers that are desperately in need of relief. Trying to help my colleague on the other side of the aisle understand that there is fear and pain in certain sectors of our economy and it is really so inappropriate that those fears and that pain is something that they have chosen to ignore. To be frank, its been like talking to a brick wall. There has been no response. Just last week i met with the board of the academy of Country Music for a very hard discussion about the future of their industry. Madam president , not one single venue or one studio musician or one sound engineer, their whole engineer shut down. This is an industry that has been shut down. They did nothing wrong, mind you. They showed up for work. They built businesses. They hired people. They used independent contractors. They paid their bills. They paid their taxes. They did nothing wrong. But the entertainment industry, Live Entertainment is shut down. Now, this isnt the huge record labels and big Entertainment Companies that many people think are the music industry. These are the mom and pops. These are the Small Businesses, the sole proprietors, the independent contractors. These are the people who set up and tear down stages, and they put on these amazing sound and light displays that people get so excited about seeing that really make music and entertainment come to life. They produce the music that you walk around listening to in your ear buds. And the support staff at the venues, they clean up your beer cans and ticket stubs after youve enjoyed a show. And i tell you they also are the artists, the story tellers, and i really think our creative and cultural historians. And this industry is absolutely dying. Theyre not the only ones. There are so many other sectors of our economy. They are at a standstill. Theyre suffering and so many other people have been suffering. And theyre tired of what they see as posturing here in d. C. Using the hurt and the suffering of people in order to be a political bargaining chip. And you know what . Theyve noticed. Theyve been watching over the past few months. And they know that very little has been accomplished and they think that it is time to stop putting politics over people. It is time to stop saying we want the issue. It is good for us. Because people, they are looking for solutions. They were waiting for a mandate, our friends over on the left, a mandate they were sure was going to come their way on november 3. But the American People refused to deliver them a mandate. You see it in elections that took place at the local and the state level. You see it in the Congressional Elections and certainly here in this chamber. So far Speaker Pelosi has refused any offer to compromise. Every offer and gesture that has been made by the white house or this chamber has been refused. And she has clung to that 3 trillion parody of a relief bill that she has stuffed to the brim with millions for liberal pet projects that have nothing to do with covid recovery. Nothing at all. Isnt it interesting, madam president , that her pet project is not the American People. Wouldnt you think she would want to solve some of these problems . But, no, shed rather play politics and this absurd delay has come at great cost. We have so men tennesseans so many tennesseans indeed across this country, many in Small Businesses that will tell you they are in damage control mode because democrats refuse to allow them the dignity of hope that targeted relief would provide. Dignity. Thats a nice word. And we have so many people that are grasping, trying to keep their businesses alive. And i will say our friends across the aisle twice, twice, madam president , twice they have declined to vote for targeted relief. Its not too late to step up on behalf of those who have lost just about everything and those who still have a shot at coming out on the other side of this pandemic with their livelihoods intact. Its not too late to pass legislation that would provide better unemployment insurance, more help for Small Businesses, resources for schools and universities and Vaccine Research funding and testing funding and Liability Protection. Targeted relief that millions of americans have said this is what we need in order to keep people employed and to keep our businesses open. The legislation is written. All that needs to happen is our friends across the aisle need to say were ready to vote on this package. Lets do another round of p. P. P. Lets do a plusup in unemployment. Lets do that money for vaccines and testing and resources for schools and universities and lets give companies the Liability Protection they need to open their doors. Lets give these Entertainment Venues the Liability Protection they need in order to again get on the road, have concerts, play that music that americans love to listen to. It is there. So to my friends, lets have no more filibusters, no more distractions, and no more extravagant wish list of pet projects. For goodness sakes, put your politics aside and lets put the people first. Lets provide the relief that they are seeking. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call mr. Durbin madam president . The presiding officer the senator from illinois. Mr. Durbin thank you, madam president. Madam president the presiding officer were in a quorum call. Mr. Durbin i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be suspended. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Durbin thank you very much. Madam president , before i think make my remarks, i want to take a moment to on the floor of the senate formally and officially thank the people of illinois to electing me for another term to the United States senate. On Election Night when the results were apparent, i went and stared into an ipad to announce my victory speech. It is unlike anything id ever experienced and i said so. It was an Extraordinary Campaign experience made even more difficult and challenging because of the pandemic crisis. I want to thank the people of state for standing by me and giving me the chance to serve again. I am honored to serve, especially during this time of transition in america and transition around the world. Together with the trust and science that the biden and Harris Administration will return to our national agenda, im eager to continue my work to help the families, Small Businesses, schools, hospitals, and constituents in my state and help all of us in this country endure this pandemic together. Covid19 did not take a day off for the election. While election week was brewing and all of us were glued to our television screens, most of the country was unaware of the fact that the covid19 pandemic was worsening. Cases of the virus and hospitalizations in the United States have been spiking for weeks now. On saturday we hit the highest daily total of new cases, 126,000 new cases on saturday. In illinois we are approaching half a million cases and the state has tragically seen 10,000 of our neighbors and friends die from this covid19. The country is on a pace to hit one million new cases every week by the end of this career. This is disastrous and it demands action. Thankfully president elect biden has announced an extraordinary task force of truth tellers, real leaders, like n. I. H. s dr. Fauci. I trust david kessler, dr. Maria who serves in the city of chicago, dr. Kwandi, one of my heroes today. I spent a lot of money on his books and never regreted it. Surgeon general and others who are part of the team. Need to continue to stay safe and remember that this virus is no not anywhere near being gone. 10 million americans have now contracted the virus. Weve lost 288,000 american lives. My heart goes out to everyone who lost someone in this pandemic and those still suffering due to this virus. In addition to the health and safety of the American People, weve also been struggling to deal with economic uncertainty, job loss, food insecurity, stress and child care. Its a long list. Despite the urgent needs, families, Small Businesses, workers, Health Providers and you employed americans and unemployed americans across the country, the leadership here has offered a few weak measures. Thats why americans have not received another round of Economic Impact payments, rental assistance or enhanced employment assistance and why hospitals are not receiving additional funding. Speakers pelosi and House Democrats passed the heroes act in may, a 3. 4 trillion relief package after negotiating with the white house, they passed another version of that, a 2. 2 trillion package, unfortunately the Senate Majority leader, senator mcconnell, refused to consider either of these proposals an refused to attend the negotiating sessions. The last republican response was inadequate, 500 billion may seem like a fortune until you look at a nation in the midst of a pandemic and an economy struggling to survive. If republicans are serious about negotiating real package and want to demonstrate to the American People what leadership looks like with Real Solutions for real problems that families face, then i call on senator mcconnell to show up at the negotiating table and give up passing halfhearted members. A conservative republican economist has repeatedly warned of potentially dire economic consequences if additional Fiscal Relief is delayed. Hiring has begun to pick up. Too many in the population, including African American workers and hispanic men and women are left behind. We need to help people through this pandemic. We need to do it now. This is a socalled lameduck session between the results of an election and swearing in of a new congress and senate. But shame on us if we dont use this time in washington if we dont do more than vote for a random republican judge. Cant we roll up our sleeves and realize whats happening across america as this pandemic heats up and more americans die every day. We need at least 75 billion for additional testing and Contact Tracing to slow the spread of the covid19. Far more than the 16 billion offered in the republican measure the we need to put money into the hospitals, clinics and Health Providers. A couple of weeks ago i was on the phone with these administrators. They are desperate. Were going to lose hospitals in our country if we dont step forward and do something. Whats wrong with increasing at least to some degree the amount available for food stamps, the socalled snap program, so hundreds of millions of americans going to food banks to survive get a helping hand. Is that too much to ask in the month of thanksgiving or the month of christmas . And we must include more economic support for households through a second round of impact payments an reinstating enhanced Unemployment Benefits. I continue to hear from hospitals on the brink, workers who have lost their jobs, Small Business owners desperately trying to keep their heads above water about their struggles. Fortunately unfortunately, the Senate Continues to waste time on proposals that place the need of big businesses ahead of the need of small families. History will judge this body on how we respond, not on the best speech given on the floor or how we failed to respond to the worst pandemic in a century and the deepest recession in 75 years. The American People are looking for leadership. We cannot let them down. Mr. President , theres another aspect to this that i would like to address for just a moment. After each president ial election there is a transition period when a new president is coming in where his team takes a look at the government as it stands and perhaps for the day of january 20 when that new president is about to be sworn in. All of the networks and major news sources have declared joe biden as president elect and Kamala Harris as Vice President elect. They are preparing for a smooth transition. Before that can happen, there must be something filed cause an ascertainment that ascertains that in fact there was an election and someone won. In most cases its very routine. Its just done automatically based on the reports from states that we already have as we sat busily by the tv day after day doing our emails an texting to and texting to friends and families waiting for the returns to come in. The announcement was made on saturday, the reaction was all across the country. You would think the administrator of the g. S. A. Would have the ascertainment necessary to really pull the trigger for a transition from the Trump Administration to the incoming Biden Administration. These are routine things that have gone on in past years without really much controversy, but lo and behold this year theres controversy. For the past 60 years since Congress Passed the president ial transition act to ensure a smooth orderly transfer of power, the g. S. A. Administrator has said the winner within 24 hours. Congress acknowledgeled how critical this is for the safety of the country. Once g. S. A. Makes this ascertainment, the executive branch can provide Crucial Services to the Transition Team to make sure there is a smooth transfer. Remember when i mentioned earlier, were in the midst of a pandemic with thousands of people dying. Why would we want to see a delay or some bureaucratic indecision that might jeopardize a persons health, a persons life in the midst of this pandemic . Once the g. S. A. Makes that ascertainment to provide critical services, it includes access to classified information for Incoming National security officials, background investigations and security clearance for potential nominees, state department facilitated foreign leader calls, access for discussions on personnel budget policy, access to 6. 3 million to support transition activities. Delayed ascertainment could prevent the Transition Team from meeting with Agency Officials responsible for the covid19 crisis. Shouldnt they get up to speed on operation warp speed and the announcement today by pfizer that they are on the verge of announcing a successful vaccine . Dont we want an orderly, peaceful, smooth, effective transition when it comes to the manufacturing and distribution of that vaccine . Of course we do. A delayed ascertainment will cause major harm to this transition to the new Biden Administration and to the American People. It could be a danger to our national security. Why would we ever risk that . Vice president elect dick cheney said on november 27, 2000, when there was an actual controversy in the states and in the courts over 500 or 600 votes in florida, for example, he said about the transition being delayed at all, quote, well pay a heavy price for the delays and planning and assembling of the next administration. Mr. President , its been a bitter campaign, a tough campaign. People still have very strong personal feelings about its outcomes. Some people are euphoric and others are angry and sad. And i know thats natural in an election campaign. I feel that way about some of the races back in my home state. But there comes a moment where we have to look to the best interests of this country and the best interests of this country say we should move forward on the transition at this moment. I believe that president elect joe biden will be sworn in on january 20 as our next president. The margins are so large they are not likely to be overturned by any recount. Why delay the transition . Why run the risk that we wont have a smooth, orderly and efficient passage from one administration to the other . Why in the middle of a pandemic, which has killed over 200,000 americans and threatens over 100,000 more before january 20, would we ever risk it over some bureaucratic delay . Its just unacceptable. The American People know the elections over. Now its time for us in washington to concede that point. Its time for the administrator of the g. S. A. To do her job and announce the ascertainment and move forward in an orderly, productive, and smooth transition. Mr. President , i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call quorum call the presiding officer the senator from west virginia. A senator i ask the quorum call be suspended. The presiding officer without objection. 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 James Ray Knepp ii of ohio to be United States district judge for the Northern District of ohio signed by 17 senators. The presiding officer by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. The question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of James Ray Knepp ii of ohio to be United States district judge for the Northern District of ohio 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 the yeas are 62, the nays 33, the motion is agreed to. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to legislative session. And be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i understand there are three bills at the desk due for a second reading en bloc. The presiding officer the clerk will read the titles of the bill en bloc. The clerk s. 4850, a bill to is 4800, a bill to provide coronavirus relief. S. 4805, a bill to create a point of view against legislation modifying the number of justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. Senate joint resolution 76 proposing an amendment to the constitution of the United States to require that the Supreme Court of the United States be composed of nine justices. Mr. Mcconnell in order to place the bills on the calendar under the provisions of rule have, i would object to further blowing en bloc. To further proceeding en bloc. The presiding officer objection having been heard you the bills will be placed on the calendar en bloc. Mr. Mcconnell now, madam president , i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 123 00 noon on tuesday, november 10, following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed. Further, following leader remarks, the senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the knepp nomination and then recess until 2 15 p. M. To allow for the Weekly Conference meetings. Notwithstanding rule 22, the senate vote on the nomination at 2 15. An if confidence to confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and with no intervening action or debate. And the president be immediately notified of the senates action. I ask that the National Stand adjourned under the previous order. The presiding officer the Senate Stands djourned until tomorrow. Ands djourned until and congress is facing a midnight deadline on friday december 11 to extend current funding to avert a shutdown. Life sent with the gavel back in here on cspan2. Therefore senate races that remain undecided. Two of those races are georgia which are both heading to a january run operating couplets editor david perdue will face Democrat John because either cant receive 50 of the vote and last weeks election. The other georgia Runoff Election is between center Kelly Leffler democrat raphael parade that is a special election. Kelly leffler was appointed to that seat after johnny isons and retired. Votes are still being counted in North Carolina were incumbent senator thom tillis leads democrat cal cunningham. At a lot of belt selling to be counted in alaska were senator dan sullivan faces independent al gross. We continue to bring you Election Results here on cspan. Mr. President last week record numbers of americans exercise the right which generations to risk everything to hand on to us. I want to spend a few minutes this morning talking about what we saw last week, where we are now, and where our from here. There is one aspect last week that has gotten lost that i want to single out right at the star start. By every indication, the 2020 election appears to have been free meaningful foreign interference. There is no suggestion that our foreign adversaries were allowed to undermine the integrity of our process. According to the director of the cybersecurity and infrastructure security administration, quote we have no, no evidence any foreign adversary was capable of preventing americansin from voting or changing vote tallies. The head of the nsa and u. S. Cyber command reported tuesday night, because the actions of pain gets adversaries have ensured they are not going to interfere in our elections. They Trump Administration and the senate spent four years supporting the state and local election authorities on the front lines. New tools and information sharing partnerships on precedent and coordination, hundreds ofew millions of new funding, new painful consequences for bad actors like russia if they interfere, the absence of any reports of foreign interference is a ringing endorsement, a ringing endorsement of her bipartisan work. And it slams the door on the empire embarrassing irresponsible rhetoric that some washington democrats spent four years broadcasting. Too many voices try to talk down our progress. Urged americans to actually not have confidence and smeared anyone ase unpatriotic who opposed far left proposals to rewrite election laws. Well, mr. President , then people who push this hysteria could not have more egg on their face than they do right now. T ne of their demands became law. None of them. The speaker of the house did not get to personally rewrite election law. And yet because of the sensible bipartisan steps that some of us champion, our defenses and counter proved to be radically and radically better shape than back in 2016. So atac this time lets talk aboutss where we are right now. According to preliminary results voters across the nation elected and reelected republican senators to a degree that actually stunned prognosticators. Likewise, the American People seem to have reacted toad house a democrat radicalism and obstruction by shrinking the speakers majority and electing more republicans. And then there is the president ial race. Obviously, no states have yet certified their election h result results. We have at least one or two states that are already on track for aeg recount. And i believe the president may have legal challenges underway in at least five states. The core principle here is not ,complicated. In the United States of america all legal ballots must be counted. Any illegal ballots must not be counted. The process should be transparent or oe observable to all sides. In the courts are here to work through concerns. Our institutions are actually built for this. When the system in place to consider concerns and President Trump is a one had a within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options. Letslo go back 20 years ago. Twenty years ago in florida came down to a very thin margin, we saw Vice President gore exhausts the legal system and wait to concede until december. More recently, weeks after the media had called president bushs reelection in 2004, democrats baselessly disputed ohios electors and delayed the process here in congress. In 2016 election loss all recount or legal challenges in several states. If t any major irregularity occurred this time, of the magnitude that would affect the outcome than every single american should want them to be brought to light. If democrats feel confident they have not occurred they should have no reason to fear any extra scrutiny. We have the tools and the institution to address any concerns. The present has every right to relook into allegations and requests recounts under the law and notably the constitution gives no role in this process to wealthy media corporations the projections and commentary of the press do not get veto power over the legal rights of any citizen including the president of the United States. Now more broadly mr. President , lets not have any lectures nofu lectures about how the president should immediately, cheerfully accept preliminaryom Election Results from the same characters who justit spent four years refusing to accept the validity of the last election. And who insinuated that this one would be illegitimate too. If they lost again. Only if they lost. Sot lets have no lectures on this subject from that contention. In late august secretary Hillary Clinton said quote, joe biden should not concede under any circumstances. I think this is going to drag out and he will win it if we dont give anat inch. That same month, speaker policy and the democratic leader both stated quote President Trump needs to cheat to win. An october, when Speaker Pelosi was shopping some Conspiracy Theory about the postal service, she recklessly said quote, listen to disparate i have no doubt that the president will lie, cheat and steal to win the election. Now it does this sound like a chorus that has any credibility whatsoever to say a few legal challenges from President Trump represent some kind of crisis . At this time last week, Small Business owners in cities across america were boarding up their windows in case President Trumpef appeared to win. And mobs tried to reprise their summer rioting. Suffice to say a few Legal Inquiries from the president do not exactly spell the end of the republic. There are two professors from law school and new york law school, this is how they put it. Quotes,d for centuries we have asked people who are unhappy with their fellow citizens or Government Agencies and institutions to bring their claims to court. President trump is quote a traditional response that affirms rather than undermines the american institutions. This process will reach its resolution. Our system will resolveun any recounts or litigation. In january, the winner of this election will place his hand on the bible. Just like it happened every four years since 1793. What we know for sure is that the outcome is guaranteed to delight tens of millions of americans and disappoint tens of millions of americans. But we also know that we will wake up on january 21 still blessed to live in the greatest nation the world has ever seen. And in no small part that is because we respect the rule of law, we trust our institutions, and neither of those things is outweighed by pronouncements by partisans or the press. And now on an entirely different matter, mr. President , the last several days and brought huge good news and our fight to beat the terrible virus. This morning, when drug manufacturer announced that ongoing trials suggest their covidvaccine may be more than 90 effective. 90 effective. This is a huge testament to the ingenuity of the American Private sector and their Global Partners and to the Historical Efforts of congress and the Trump Administration. We have flattened regulatory roadblocks. We sped up trials, and laid groundwork to buy and distribute f a vaccine as fast as possible. Last week we learn the Unemployment Rate has fallen 6. 9 . 6. 9 . With more than 600 30,000 new jobs added just in the month of october. Now remember back in the springtime many experts estimate would still be settled with double digit joblessness to the end of this year. It turns out the news is a whole lot better. Another testament to the Strong Economic Foundation that congress and the Trump Administration spent three years laying before the pandemic struck. And most of all to the resilience, the incredible resilience of the American People. So to be clear our work is not finished. Too Many Americans are still suffering economically. And its climbing across the we cannot give up on commonsense mention in gym measures like Wearing Masks just because we have grown tired of them. The senate is going to have a busy few weeks, help her democratic colleagues will finally put away their all or nothing obstruction let the target pandemic release is what we need. Let it move forward in any event wanting to fund the government, Reach Agreement with the house on the National Defense authorization and confirmed more qualified nominees. I welcome all my colleagues back to the chamber. And i look forward to finishing this year strong, our states and our country are counting on us. Now mr. President , last tuesday our country conducted the most sacred process in our democratic system of government. A national election. It was an election like any other in modern history. Much of the voting was done by election day itself is a Global Pandemic for states to adjuster balloting and procedures. The counting took longer than it merits expected or hoped. Indeed some of the final tabulations are not yet complete. It is still to be determined which party will hold the majority in this chamber. But we do know a few things. First and most importantly, former Vice President joseph biden will become the 46th president of the unitedhe state. Our dear colleague, the distinguished senator fromro california Kamala Harris will be the next Vice President to the United States. And on january 20, the country will finally, finally turn the page on one of the most divisive and chaotic chapters in our history. President elect joe bidens told the country that the time to come together and heal. To unify once again. To fight not our political opponentsus but our common enemies, disease and poverty and injustice. There is no person better suited to the task that the former Vice President. He will be a great president for all americans. Fisa president elect harris meanwhile has just made history four times over. Shell be the first africanamerican woman, the first asianamerican woman, the first biracial woman, and the first woman. Too ever serve as Vice President of these United States. I congratulate the former Vice President , his wife jill, our colleague senator harris and her husband doug on their hard fought victory. More americans voted for president elect biden and Vice President elect harris and any ticket in our nations history. They have given them an anonymous t burden, a decisive mandate to take the reins of the executive branch and marshall this government into action. For they will assume the high offices of the presidency and the vice presidency at a time of unprecedented challenge. Our great nation faces the greatest economic crisis and 75 years. The greatest Public Health crisis in a century. Extraordinary inequalities of wealth and income strike at the heart of the idea of america, the land of equal opportunity. Rachel disparity in our society strike at the heart of the idea of america as a place of equal justice. Climate change threatens the very future of ourth planets. The American People place their faith and president elect biden to confront those challenges head on. To relieve their suffering to repair our democracy, to recover our economy, and rebuild the country and a planets for this generation and for the next. I have no doubt their faith will be rewarded. But i also have no doubt that the task ahead is daunting. While the country prepares for a change in administration it mustov also brace for the darkest days of the covid19 pandemic. Over the weekend, the United States record its 10 millionth case. We are now confirming nearly 100,000 new cases off covid per aday. On track to eclipse more than a million new cases per week. As exhausted and impatient as we offer our lives, our livelihoods to return to normal. Experts are warning us the worst days are still ahead. The quickest way to turn the time, crush the virus and get back to normal is to do what we should have been doing all alon along. Take the virus seriously. Listen to the scientists. And dedicate the necessary resources to get the job done. President elect biden is arty preparing to do just that. He named several Health Experts in scientific advisors to serve on a covid19 task force. That sense he writes eco that while the president elect will not assume office for another few months, his administration will hit the ground running. And his9 policy on covid19 will refreshingly be dictated by fact and by science. It is a major turning point that soon we will have an administration that actually acknowledges that this is a healthcare crisis. That knows our economy will not fully recover until we solve it. I am confident that a Biden Administration will do that. But Congress Must play its part two. Nearly 15 million americans have lost Health Insurance to their employer. Democrats have the solution to thatge problem. Lets get it done and make sure those families have health coverage. Medicaid programs have influx will state budgets struggled to bear the added cost. The heroes act ensures medicaid to strengthen and secured for the duration of this pandemic. Lets get that done too. And today wen received news that the entire world has been waiting for. The u. S. Company has developed a vaccine for cover 19 that according to preliminary research and news reports is 90 effective. The fda said it would approve a vaccine that is 50 effective. While the fda needs to review the vaccine to have a vaccine thats 90 effective is about as good as it gets. We democrats will do everything we can to make sure this vaccine or any vaccine is distributed quickly, fairly, equitably. And the challenges is one of scale and delivery. Congress should fund a national fox nation program. And the Administration Whether it is a Trump Administration or the Biden Administration must do everything to reach minority and underserved communities. Combat Vaccine Hesitancy and ensure the vaccines are free tobe everyone. Thisll be a massive and complex undertaking unlike anything our country has seen. And we must all Work Together from the president to congress to local Community Health departments to assure a gets done right and gets done fairly and get sent equitably. So while the Incoming Administration prepares to take on a surge of covid19 congress should pass a strong comprehensive covid relief bill that actually meets the needs of the American People. Excuse me. When it comes to healthcare, education, testing, tracing, Unemployment Benefits and many other critical issues, this republican majority has proposed totally inadequate solutions. As the disease searches across our country once again, there is no time for an adequate solutio solution. I hope, now that the election is behind us, our colleagues are ready to come together and search for an adequateha bipartisan solution rather than the partisan stunt voting legislation that we have suffered for the last few month months. Now i must spend a moment on something that will garner too much attention over the next few weeks. Baseless claims by the president and his reporters that that there is been widespread voter fraud. And the election was somehow rigged or stolen from President Trump. That kind of rhetoric is extremely dangerous, extremely poisonous. To our democracy. As it any campaign the president has a right to bring legal challenges request recounts were states allow for it however theres no right too have frivolous claims. Law suits must have basis in facts and evidence and make no mistake there has been no evidence of any significant or widespread voter t fraud. Joe biden won this election fair and square. The margins of his victory are growing by the day. And former president george w. Bush commendably acknowledge that fact when he congratulated president elect biden and Vice President elect harris on their victory. Now Republican Leaders in congress should also do the right thing. Republican leaders must equivocal bully condemned the president s rhetoric work to ensure the peaceful transfer of power on january 20. Ive been heartened to see a few of my republican colleagues, its three i believe, congratulate the waiting ticket. But too many, including the republican leader have been silent or sympathetic to the president s fantasies even some non artisan partisan members of the administration have refused to move forward with the formal process for an Incoming Administration. According to the Washington Post the administrator of the General Services administration ive declined to sign a letter allowing president elect joe bidens Transition Team to formally begin its work. It does not matter where the president is happy about the results of the election. The peaceful transfer of power is a hallmark, the bed mark of our democracy. In must proceed unimpeded. The gsa administrator should sign the paperwork immediately in order to allow the important work of the president ial transition to proceed. America remains in the middle of an economic crisis. There is no excuse, none that the Outgoing Administration to impede the administrations urgent challenges. There is no law or requirement that President Trump concede the election or leave the office of the presidency with grace. But it is history prepares to write the final sentences on the trunk presidency it will surely note how this president and his republican allies here inye congress treated our democracy on his way out the door. I appreciate with the democratic leader has said. And i was willing to step aside earlier but i had the floor when i understood the two leaders are coming to speak. It was a courtesy in at least the democratic leader appreciated that. I agree with what he said. I came here and the president of the United States was