Transcripts For CSPAN2 U.S. Senate Sens Durbin Risch Brown O

Transcripts For CSPAN2 U.S. Senate Sens Durbin Risch Brown Others On Coronavirus 20240713

Forces outside the chamber, and others who are invisible to those comingf and going that are part of the ordinary business of the United States senate. We didwe today, with the president has told america we should not do. What medical experts of tolls we should not do. We u have taken on necessary Airline Flights to come here to washington d. C. I was on a plane this morning from springfield illinois to chicago. There were six passengers on the plane. Most people are listening to the advice of the medical experts and avoiding unnecessary travel. But unfortunately, we were required to come back today, from across the United States. Some member stated over the weekend because her homes are too far away. Some tried to drive this morning to be externally safe. The factac is we were asked to airlineecessary flights to come a back here today this week, and frankly expose ourselves to the possibility of some Public Health risk. And ask our staff to do the same. In addition to that, we have been counseled by the leaders, both at the state and federal level to not gather in groups of ten. T there are two, four, six, eight, ten, looks like we are breaking that rule right here on the floor of the senate. The obvious question is why . Why a do we put ourselves at risk . Why do we puto our staff at risk and their families to come back here. P the first issue was a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act which was brought up on floor the United States senate last thursday and senator lee and senator leahy offered the extension of this act for a period of time in return for a few amendments to be debate debated on the floor. That was rejected. Just minutes ago, what was rejected last thursday was accepted. We made this trip back here and it was not necessary. You have to ask yourselves, are we being respectful of ourselves, our family, our staff, or are we a being respectful of ourur responsibility of setting a model for the rest of america. Im afraid not. There is remaining this bill that just passed the house of representatives, the families of first coronavirus legislation, can i ask consent that the senate be in order . The senate will be in order. Go ahead sir. Thank you,as mr. President. The coronavirus act was one that was negotiated by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the president of the United States through mr. [inaudible] that went on for a week the bill is a great student hosupported by both. The president even o tweeted his support for it so that shows his level of commitment i suppose. Speaker pelosi supported it as well. Its a measure that should have passed by voice vote over the weekend with the senate but instead we are still talking about it today. There are measures included in that that are critical for Public Health. May give you one example . When the state of illinois in the city of chicago asked for protective masks for healthcare workers so they could avoid infection, they sent us an allotment of 25000 masks. Estate of 12 and a half Million People, 25000 masks. Those would protect the people working at one Major Hospital in chicago for months. Totally inadequate. Thee last time we faced any kind of epidemic threat like this we received a million and a half masks from the stockpile. Whats holding up the masks . Whats holding up the test kits . Those are legitimate questions. One of the provisions of this bill that is still sitting here, somewhere in senate limbo, would authorize a new masks to be released, across the United States to my state and others. So while we talked, the masks are not being delivered. Why then arent we taking up this bill tonight . The coronavirus bill should be takenhit up by at this moment by unanimous consent. Let this come to the floor ifif they object in explain why. If they have ant amendment to offer than say it. If they just want to let ordinary course happen, and we take care of it wednesday or thursday, shame on us. This is a National Emergency and a Public Health crisis in this country, what kind of exemplary setting by coming back to this chamber putting ourselves at risk, our family, we have members self courting team in themselves and going inandout only are acting like its business as usual we will get around to it sometime this week. What are we waiting for . This is an emergency. We need to come to the floor, not this empty chamber, do our job tonight. Theres our excuse for. If someone has a substantive object into the bill, stated on the floor, you have plenty of time to do it, offer an amendment or just about no. But for Goodness Sakes, the American People expect us to do our work. We are here at risk to ourselves and others, we should do our work into it quickly. If this is going to end up in some voice vote that is quietly registered tomorrow, and number of us are going to be very upset because we have made this trip here, because we had to to represent our people who elected us and sent us here, thinking we wouldld have to vote. If we can do this without a vote, so be it. But could this have been done without exposing all of the staff people and all of the protective forces and everyone else to the obvious pandemic that we think is threatening our country in a massive way. I take this very seriously, because i love my family and friends. I would not want any of them to be hurt because of something that i have picked up. I some virus that i have picked up. I have increased my exposure today to be here on this floor, and tonight we are going to quietly sneak away, and maybe come back tomorrow next to do some work. We should do it tonight. This coronavirus emergency should be taken seriously by both parties and taken seriously by the united state senate. It is time for us to act. We have thats what we her to do, lets do it. Could the senator from illinois yield to an inquiry . I yelled. Mr. President i am told that Speaker Pelosi has not sent the bill to the senate yet. Is that your understanding customer. I understand the bill has been sent. Parliament or increments are present . Has the bill been sent by Speaker Pelosi to the senate yet . The chair is unaware that the bill has arrived. Its probably tough for us to vote on a bill that has not arrived yet. Let me defer to thett senate from idaho ive been explained to my staff theres an enrollment correction that was supposed be taken up on the house of the floor today and sent over with the bill. I dont disagree with you. Us understandst republican member of the houses objected to a point. Is been held up there because of his objection. Thank you, mr. President. I think you just watched what is wrongng with this place. Senator durbin comes here, talks about doing something, last thursday, when Speaker Pelosi and secretary mnuchin or close to coming up with a deal about what we have to do, what we have to do to stop this virus. Keep in mind, the president of the United States first mentioned this in an answer to a question with all of the elites and davos switzerland, the first answer the question saying oh this virus is nothing, it will mean nothing. He has known of it, it took him one, two, three, four, five, six, eight weeks before he declared an emergency. Then last thursday, we were supposed to start working on this. I asked senator mcconnell on this floor, i opened this door, mr. President , and i pointed down the hall and i said senator mcconnell should come back here and lets work on this bill. Whether or not they finished in the house down the hall doing it or not we should be working on it. Now it had four more days. Senator mcconnell had to go back to kentucky. I dont know what he would back for. We asked him to stay and negotiate and do it to take care of stopping this virus, to take care of all the people in my state, it illinois, and senator markey state, senator kuhn state, and senator bozeman state, to take care of all these people who are losing their jobs and dont know what to do. Senator mcconnell went back to kentucky, wasted three days, make that four days, today is another day we are wasting. Again, i dont know why he went back. Its three more days ofe people worrying, three more days of people self quarantining, its three more days of businesses and columbus, dayton shutting down. It is the anguish that t o you feel when you think one of your loved ones is sick, all of that, empty airplanes, all the things that are happening. And we just wasted another day. I appreciate always a senator from idaho bringing a parliamentary technical question of, but why redoing this customer wireless into it centered durbin said. It has been three days since passed the comprehensive package. Its three days and counting for people worried about how they are going to take time off from work if they get sick. Look at all the people. Think about this, you know all kind of Service Workers in arkansas. Senator durbin knows him in illinois, senator i know all kinds of workers that are feeling sick. Theyre making 12 an hour. They dont have any sick days. So what are they due . They think to i go to work, do i getec sick or maybe and i maybe infect my neighbor. Poor joy stay home and give up that 12dollar an hour, that hundred dollars i need to make my rent. And tomorrow faces in question and the day after. Thats what we are forcing. Instead we are just playing games. Weow are three days wasted and now were wasting another day. That is such a waste and mechange this quick. People are scared at home, they are looking for leadership, leader mcconnell, President Trump have failed the people they serve. We need to get help to people today. Let us immediately get to work on the next round of support. Let me tell you what that next round of support iss sprayed we should pass a bill today, to help people with Unemployment Insurance. To help peoplee with sick days. To help people with medicaid. We should do all of that, it means putting our workers first appeared we should not be bailing out wall street, you can bet senator mcconnell will hurry when the Airlines Come for their bailout package. And hurry when the banks come for their bailout package. And hurry when the Big Hotel Chains come for their bailout package. Weve got to put money in the pockets ofls individuals first. First, the irs need to send an initial check of at least 2000 directly to every single workingclass low income middleclass family who could use it so they wont get evicted, or wont get foreclosed on. We dont need a corporate middleman to do that. We need to make sure every worker who needs Unemployment Insurance can get it. I have spoken to my governor whos done a good job on this. He served here with senator markey and was senator durbin. And ive talked to him three times this week. Hey will help us speed up the unemployment checks so they get to workers. We need to make sure all workers whobl are eligible, including independent contractors and selfemployed workers. Secondly need a temporary expansion of the earned income tax credit and the child t tax credit for the next several years. Third, we need to hold any county Company Getting taxpayer dollars accountable. If we are going to help the airlines, and i think we should mr. President , it means the airlines can do no stock buybacks, no sending jobs overseas, it means no outsourcing jobs to independent, usually lowpaid contract workers, foodservice, custodial, security workers, it means no golden parachutes for executives. It means no using taxpayer dollars that we are bailing them out with the bust unions that are trying to organize in the workplace. If they want taxpayer money, you commit to using it to help people who make this country work. Fourth, we need to prevent a convictions an and provide emergency rental and mortgage assistance to make up for lost wages. Millions of americans are one lost a paycheck away from eviction or foreclosure paired you all know the numbers. 40 of americans dont have 400 extra to fix their car. Well if they live their paycheck, they cant pay thehe rent. Weve got to make sure we look at canceling l some amount of student loan debt. We know millions of americans are not going to be able to we know millions of americans are not going to build make student loan payment through no fault of their own. Canceling debt will allow people to back on their feet. President a trump, since january 22, has had chance after chance after chance to get out of this Public Health crisis. In fact two years ago i sent him a letter saying why did you fire admiral ziemer, why did you eliminate the office that was in charge, 40 people in the white house that was in charge of surveilling the world to look for potential pandemic . Why did you fire them . Please reinstate them. He ignored the letter, he has not explained why he eliminated that office but he would have known way before january about this potential pandemic and he might have at the urging of that office, if it still existed, it might have done some thing about it. The president has failed in this, congress cannot make the same mistakes. Wayne to get ahead of the crisis facing Family Budgets before its too late. Sarah from illinois. R two i would like to ask senator from idaho raised a parliamentary issue. Give god to the heart of the matter. The question is how families are going to survive in the midst of a pandemic andst what it. Senator from idaho but a parliamentary issue and we are guided by rules around here. The senate has entered into agreement on bills posted in the house before the papers have actually arrived in the senate in the past . In center from illinois. If you want to get something done we get something done. We find a way to unanimous consent to all of us agree. Who can say anything but this is a national crisis. We are going to make our unwillingness to do anything contingent upon parliamentary trick . We are paid to do this job. Justst because senator mcconnell taken 40s and not done it does not mean we shouldnt. We should work. Thankdn you. I think the senator. With the center from illinois saying, with the center from ohio said, we are in a National Emergency. We should have already finish this phase of dealing with this crisis. Because there are many more phases to deal with. We should ensure, as part of this debate, but there is sickly for every single worker in our country. That is not in this package. Less is coming through right now. We have to make sure everyone is covered. We need Unemployment Insurance and we need to ensure that extends to workers and the dig economy, chip economy, contractors, with got to cover people so they stay home. Weve got to let them know that Unemployment Insurance is going to extend to them during this crisis. We cannot allow our inaction our thinking through what we have to do to shut down and ate that this crisis grows to a level that we are seeing in other countries. We can do it, but its the senate that has to be s here. The senate that has tofi deliberate on these issues, find the solutions and deliver them to the American People. They are desperate for answers right now. Theyre being told to go home right now. Waiters, bartenders, contractors they are told just go home. What was going to happen to them if they drop sick time . Whats going to happen to them if they do not have Unemployment Insurance . What are they going to be doing in terms of caring for their families . We should be here, this week, taking care of the a package that is already been agreed to and begin the debate immediately on Everything Else we have to do. I will give unit example. Lets just take the hospitals of our country. For most of the major cities and america, a High Percentage of the revenue for those hospitals come from foreign patients. Who fly in from around the world into our major cities. That revenue stream is going to be cut off. For an indefinite amount of time. Hospitals depend upon elective surgery, that is going to be cut off for an indefinite period of time. Thats the revenue flow that goes into the hospitals that then allows them to take care of the poor people in each and every one of our communities. And if they dont have that revenue stream, its going to place an enormous pressure on them to lay off doctors, to lay off nurses, to laugh other key personnel because that industry will not be there. We are the ones were going to have to provide the revenue stream. We cannot have a Hospital System in crisis in our country at this time. We should be here deciding whether we are going to provide a funds of 100 billion or 200 billion, or 300 billion to ensure our Healthcare System stays robust at this time, of all times in our history. So we are heading into issue after issue, that this senate has to deal with if we are here we are back, we should do with it. Which deals that this week. We should deal is that on the emergency basis that we are telling every family that they should build this crisis. But every other family is dependent upon us to provide the answers to them and their families. So i wrote the senators, this is something that requires our attention. We arere here, we are the answers for them. If we dont give them, then there will w be no answers. We know the 8 billiondollar bill but we made sure that extra funding was going into each and every one of our states. We know this bill that was just negotiated with the speaker and the president last week is being held up by a republican on a procedural obstacle. We have to deal with this we are dealing with an invisible enemy that is moving into every single city and town, every single part of our economy as we speak right now. De and if we dont provide the defense for our families, then we

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