And finally, another element and im just describing some of the elements, mr. President , but i wanted to highlight some of these things is getting more resources to the men and women on the front lines of this pandemic who are every day out there in the Health Care Industry trying to keep americans, alaskans healthy and alive. How much . Theres a lot in it, but the number is 100 billion. For hospitals. For health care providers. Let me say that again. 100 billion. Now, the minority leader was on the floor the other day. I was kind of stunned when he said something along the lines of this partisan bill by the way, its not partisan, okay. This was written by republicans, democrats. A lot of these ideas are from both sides. It doesnt do anything to help hospitals. We need a Marshall Plan to help them. I think 100 billion is a constituent good start. Thats in the bill. So, mr. President , as i mentioned, i was proud i have been proud of the work of this body. I have been proud of my colleagues, both sides of the aisle. No ones got wisdom on how to fix all of this. No one knows whats coming in the future, but i think all of us know that we need to act, and we need to act boldly and we need to act in a bipartisan way. And we did it. We did it. Again. In less than a week. Not a perfect bill, thats for sure, but its going to provide help to my fellow alaskans, to americans. Its massive. Its bold. Its bipartisan. Its timely. And as of yesterday, i thought we were going to go another bill out to the American People quickly. Hope. Thats what they need. Yes, the senates working. And if for whatever reason and im not going to point fingers the wheels started to come off. On this one, the one that we really need. And the bill has been filibustered. That means we cant even get on the floor to debate it. We cant start debating it. Now, look, i have been listening to my colleagues, both sides of the aisle. There has been a lot of anger on this floor. A lot of back and forth. My good friend from nebraska just talked about this idea that somehow my colleagues on the other side filibustered this bill that the senate has been working on to make room for speaker pelosis bill. I really, really, really hope thats not true. I really hope thats not true. I dont think theres one member of this body, republican or democrat, who could defend that, what senator sasse just read on the floor. And then there started to be talk about, well, the bill that we had that were focused on is all about bailouts. Thats a charged term, mr. President , as you know. But you could talk about the 20082009 tarp bill. I wasnt a member of the senate then in the financial crisis as a bailout. I think thats a good description. Why was that a bailout . Because you had people on wall street taking risky actions that eventually cratered the Financial System by the way, they made a ton of money doing it cratered the economy, and then they had to be bailed out because the banks were going to go under and it was going to ruin the u. S. Economy. Thats a bailout. Thats a classic bailout. But, mr. President , what were seeing right now is much more like a natural disaster, much more like a war. Theres no one to be blamed right now. The airlines arent being shouldnt be blamed for happening whats happening right now. This is a pandemic. So this term being thrown around, oh, its a bailout, what were trying to do is help the american worker, help the american family. Its not a perfect bill. But we are dealing with a natural disaster. Something came over from overseas onto our shores, and were now all trying to deal with it. Mr. President , im going to conclude by saying im on this side of the aisle. Im a republican with principled views on certain issues. I certainly have strong views about protecting my state. But i have also tried to work throughout my time in the senate with my colleagues on both sides. Some of my closest friends are my democratic friends, and im proud of that work. Thats how you get things done in this body. Some i have been working with all weekend. This issue should not be about partisan politics. So my point was not to come down here on the floor and make this a partisan speech. We are facing one of the most unprecedented challenges in the history of the United States of america. We certainly need to move beyond politics. And if you looked at what was going on in the senate, until yesterday, thats exactly what we have been doing for the past three weeks. Are there areas of compromise in this bill . That hopefully can unlock things . Sure. Two that i have been working on and supporting, again with my democratic colleagues, pressing my colleagues on. Could we have more transparency on this federal Facility Program . Sure. Absolutely i would be very much in support of this. Are there ways to help shore up the stressed pensions for the great working men and women who build things in america . Yes. But, mr. President , were running out of time. We are running out of time. We need to pass this bill now. And why do we need to pass this bill now . Because its going to help the people we represent. Its going to help people in connecticut and virginia and colorado and montana and alaska. And they need hope. They need hope right now. And again, this bill isnt perfect, but its got a lot of hope. And once we pass it, then all of us are going to need to do the hard work to making sure that the implementation of this bill goes as effective and smoothly as possible. And then when we see mistakes in it which there will be we need to come back here and act to correct those. Thats what we need to do. We are these are exceptional times for our country, mr. President. We had an influenza outbreak in 1918 that ravaged the world, and it particularly ravaged my state. As senator murkowski said earlier today, one of the things that has got a lot of us troubled in alaska was 100 years ago when the influenza came through, it did finally get to some of our alaska native villages. I have over 200 communities not connected by roads with very limited Health Care Facilities, and during the spanish influenza, many of these communities were completely wiped out. Scary times. A scary time. But were going to get through it. Were going to get through it stronger, more resilient, and the way were going to do it is if were all working together, which we had been until about 24 hours ago. So i think the provisions outlined in this bill, while not perfect, are what the American People are looking for. They can help minimize the damage done by this pandemic, and i certainly hope that we come together the way we have been for the last three weeks in a bipartisan way to get this voted on, passed as quickly as possible because every hour of delay imperils the incredible American People that we represent. I yield the floor. Mr. Blumenthal mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from connecticut. Mr. Blumenthal thank you, mr. President. Im pleased to follow my friend and colleague and fellow marine from alaska. We are separated by about as far a geographical distance as can be in this nation, alaska and connecticut. And im also pleased to be followed by a colleague from colorado who is almost smack in the middle. And we are united, despite our geographic differences and despite our political differences. And i want to assure the American People that the contention they have seen on this floor in no way reflects the reality of our hope and desire to move quickly and to move big to address this unprecedented, historic crisis. A Health Care Emergency and an economic emergency in this country. The reality is that right now, less than 25 yards from us, the minority leader, the democratic leader, chuck schumer, and perhaps the secretary of the treasury or his representatives and also representatives of the white house are literally working on a better bill, a bill that better protects workers, workers and families should come first. Not corporate interests. Small businesses should be a priority. They are the economic backbone and major employers in our country. And it will be a better and a bigger bill in addressing the medical surge that this country must confront. The imminent soaring of numbers of cases, the potentially fatal infections that are about to deluge our hospitals and Health Care Facilities and the need for ventilators, masks, tests, gowns, all kinds of equipment that will help to save lives. I think all of us could do well by listening to the American People about the need for a bigger, better, bolder bill, and i have been inspired by how resolute and resilient the people of connecticut have been. Over the last two or three weeks, i have talked to them around the state of connecticut before we were restricted in our meeting, and then by talks on the telephone, by teleconferences, and conversations. I have spoken to them within the last few days to the Greater Danbury Chamber of commerce and Small Businesses that they assembled and large ones, the Northwestern Chamber of commerce, meetings of Small Businesses from the hartford area, the federally qualified Health Centers of connecticut, hospitals, executives, doctors, and professionals who are dealing with this crisis now on the front lines, and of course local officials, just today, the South Central council of governments with mayors and local officials from up and down the coast of connecticut, great nonprofits, americare, food banks like food share, and what they are telling me is do it urgently, do it big, but do it right. We need to do it quickly, but we need to get it right. And that is why this additional time is absolutely the right thing when were talking about almost 2 trillion in taxpayer money, and a crisis that demands the kind of careful and deliberate thought. I was a critic of the last bailout because it insufficiently protected workers and consumers, and we know that we can do better than they did then, and we will because we are putting workers first. And what i have heard in listening to the people of connecticut, talking to Small Businesses who are fearful about closing their doors and going broke, workers who are scared about losing their jobs, and nonprofits who are frightened about failing in their missions, for lack of resources, is that they are hurting, they are fearful about being crushed by this health care and economic crisis. And thats why we need to Work Together to protect the men and women who own those small h. And mediumsized is abouts with a general just loan and grant program. We should take care of their workers with expanded Unemployment Compensation program and guarantees that those Small Businesses will in fact maintain their payrolls. And if were going to provide money to big industries, like the airlines, we must include conditions, Strings Attached that put workers first. No layoffs, no salary cuts for workers or salary increases to the corporate executives, and no stock buybacks and treat consumers fairly. That the should be the set of principles. Right now all across america and in connecticut, working families are worried about whether theyre going to the see another paycheck. Theyre worried about how theyre going to pay their rent and utility bills, put food on the table, clothe their children, and Small Businesses are watching years of hard work, years of risktaking and Entrepreneurial Energy potentially teeter on the brink of absolute collapse. We face calamity and catastrophe, not the fault of any of them or workers or large or small executives. But we must respond to the magnitude of this moment. I spoke on a Radio Program this morning on wplr. Is it bipartisan . The answer is yes. Weve been on two relief packages and we will be 0en this one as earlly as tomorrow or the next day because no partisan plan will pass, as the creation of one party or another. Storefronts and inventory lists apparatus the backbone of our economy. Its the millions of men and women who go to work every day and even tomorrow will do their jobs, even in the face of the uncertainty and the fear that they confront, doing right by our economy means doing right by them, workings families of america. Theres much that the president could do if he uses, for example, the defense production act or similar kinds of power that so far he has resisted invoking. He could provide the medical tools that we will need to confront the coming crisis by taking advantage of the offers hes received from g. M. And other Major Companies to produce the ventilators or the private protective gear that will help to save lives. There is much that we all must do in continuing to observe the restrictions that will help save lives, not only restrictions physically in our homes but also the perspective that we must have that we are in for a long fight against this invisible foe. And it will be much longer than 15 days. It will be a matter of months, not weeks. And we must have the resilience and resoluteness that i have heard from the people of connecticut and their voices, as i have spoken to them. We live in no ordinary time, as Eleanor Roosevelt said about her era. And we must muster the same kind of determination, grit, and courage to face it. I know there is that transcendent sense of urgency to do it quickly and to do it right and a shared sense of purpose that ultimately will get us to the other side of this crisis. And we will be better and stronger and a bigger nation, not only in our economy. We will be a bigger nation because we have come together in meeting this crisis. So shared sacrifice must mean truly sharing the benefits with workers, with families, and with Small Businesses who will ultimately help us to save our nation and our economy. And my hope is that we will do it quickly, but we will do it right. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. Mr. Bennet thank you, mr. President. Im sorry. Mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from colorado. Mr. Bennet thank you, mr. President. Id like to thank my colleague from connecticut for his remarks tonight and for the hopefulness he has expressed. I a. Been here now for 11 years and i ive been here now for 11 years and i cant predict success and i cant say it is assured, but i can say that it is very likely that welcome together on a deem i hope we come together on a deal today and i think the American People will assess the progress thats been made for workers as a result of taking a little bit of extra time for hospitals as a result of taking a little bit extra time, for state and local governments who are going to benefit mightily because of the work that weve done. And so i rise tonight really not to get into this back and forth about this because i think we are going to address it. I think we are going to address it in a way thats meaningful and in a way thats bipartisan and in a way that can help give the American People a measure of confidence that were doing our job. For those of you that have heard me over the years on this floor, i dont always come here with a report that optimistic. But tonight given everything ive heard over the course of the day, i want to say this is a serious problem. Its an unprecedented challenge. We have to rise to this challenge together. And i believe that when the votes are counted on this bill, it will have been a better bill for the work thats been done and the vote will be a big bipartisan vote. Which would be a shot in the arm for the country and for the American People. I want to talk not about this backandforth. I want to talk about something thats confronting us, and that is the worst pandemic in a century. Just a month ago, just 30 days ago, nobody here would have imagined 30 days ago we had 30 confirmed cases in the u. S. Today there are over 41,000 cases. The most anywhere outside of china and italy. The president is right. He goes out and says, there are 140some countries that have this. Thats true. Were in the top three of those countries. 379 americans have died as were here tonight. And in the middle of the worst Public Health crisis in a century, our medical community doesnt have the basic supplies and equipment they need to respond. This matters, mr. President , because if we dont get our doctors and nurses protective gear, theyre going to get sick. And if they get sick, they cant help everyone else whos sick. That is a huge problem. And our medical professionals in colorado, as in the commonwealth of virginia, all across this country, have been begging for us to Pay Attention to this for months for months. The chief medical officer at Denver Health, which is our fabulous Public Hospital in denver, one of the leading hospitals in this country, the chief medical officer there says, they do not have enough tests or swabs to keep pace. And the turnaround time for toasts is taking much too for fests tests is taking much too long. Our u. C. U. Is full of people waiting for test results. We need faster testing. Hopefully those coming. Bits been a lopping time getting here. Every Single Health care worker whos tested in this country but doesnt get a result for five or six or seven or eight days, even if they dont have the coronavirus cant go back to work. And as a result of that, we face a severe shortage of Health Care Workers in this country. Denver health, they say, were burning through our professional protective equipment to the point that were on short suppliers as is every other Health Care Institution in denver and likely in colorado. If th