Colleagues have come to the floor and spoken here or elsewhere about the importance of providing assistance to state and local governments, and that if that doesnt happen that theyre there are going to be police officers, First Responders and people who have essential jobs that we rely on every single day and for whom were so grateful, that wouldnt be able to get paid. I would just point out that already as part of the Coronavirus Relief measures that congress has passed, there was 150 billion sent to state and local governments, much of which has yet to be spent. And, frankly, much of which we dont know what the actual need is out there until we have a better sense for what the revenue loss is to a lot of our state and local governments. Clearly they are sounding the alarm and are justifiably worried about what happens if the downturn in the economy continues and what that might mean to their revenues. And so they are looking to washington, d. C. For assistance, and i think that as i said earlier, in the cares package there was 150 billion that went out to state and local governments. And there have been concerns about how those funds can be used. They were stipulated they had to be used for covidrelated expenses, and many state and local leaders were concerned that that did not give them the flexibility that they needed to meet other types of needs. The Treasury Department has in the past few days, madam president , come out with an interpretation that would allow those dollars, the 150 billion already appropriated, to be used to pay firefighters, to pay police, to pay First Responders, to help with Unemployment Insurance accounts at the state level, to help with Health Care Costs for people who Lose Health Care at the state level, and a range of other things to dramatically broaden the eligibility of uses for the dollars that have already been allocated to state and local governments. And so i think its important for us to make sure as we look at any additional assistance that we might provide to determine how well the dollars that are already out there have been used and to in fact see what the actual means are before we add to that. We had a number of pronouncements around here. The speaker of the house, Speaker Pelosi has come out and said we need 1 trillion in addition for state and local governments. Its hard to see how you can make a Statement Like that not knowing what the 150 billion has been used for or whether it has been used at all. The fact that we have 150 billion in the pipeline, the eligibility and uses of which have been dramatically broadened by the Treasury Department to enable states to use it for all the very things that many of the democrats have been coming down here and saying if we dont help state and local governments, dont pay essential workers, that flatout isnt true. Those dollars can be used for that purpose. It makes sense for us as policymakerses as custodians and stewards of the peoples tax dollars to ensure that the tax dollars that weve already put out there are having a desired effect and to figure out whats working and whats not working and to figure out, frankly, madam president , what the actual need is before we send more money out. And, by the way, more money that is all borrowed. Every dollar of the 2. 8 trillion that weve already distributed, and all for good reasons and everybody here was supportive and agreed that we needed to do it. We needed a dramatic, bold response to an extraordinary circumstance. And so that was done. But every one of those dollars was borrowed. And any dollar we put out Going Forward will be borrowed, which means at some point somebody has to pay for it. And its going to be our children and our grandchildren. Theres an argument being made that Interest Rates are low, this is a good time to borrow. You want to borrow when Interest Rates are low if you have to borrow. If we continue to borrow there is a point when Interest Rates by virtue of supply and demand will start to go up and when ney do you will see a dramatic increase in terms of dollars we have to use here just to pay the interest on the debt, which if Interest Rates ever normalize would be north of about 1 trillion a year and represent literally about 28 of all federal spending. So point one, every dollar we spend is a borrowed dollar. Point two, its important, i think, for us to have, to see what the needs are to be able to put money out there. Point three, theres already 150 billion in the pipeline to state and local governments to help with many of the things that the democrats have been complaining about. And point four, madam president , it seems to me at least that we ought to have a discussion about whether or not weve done already is working before we decide to added to it and to see if we are getting a good return on the tax dollars that have put out there. I dont think theres any resistance here to giving states more flexibility with those dollars. There is no, i dont think, resistance to doing everything and anything we have to to get through this crisis. I think our members are prepared for that to make the necessary votes and to do whats necessary fo get through it. Remember also there is no amount of money in washington,d. C. , that can substitute for a dynamic, vibrant, active economy where jobs are being created, investments are being made. Thats how you ultimately start to get things back on track in this country. As we get ahead of the Health Emergency and of course obviously this week we celebrate nurses week and im so grateful for the many contributions theyre making not only during the pandemic, but year round and the people who are on the front lines of this emergency to ensure were doing everything we can to support them to beat this Health Emergency. And when we do, as the economy starts to open up, thats where well see the jobs come back. Thats where well see the growth come back, and thats where well see the standard of living and the quality of life in this country that people have lost over the past few months start to return. Thats the best way to get things back on track here. Madam president , i want to just make some comments this morning about another area of our economy, and note that it has been an incredibly tough couple of months for american businesses and american workers. Virtually every sector of our economy is suffering as a result of the coronavirus. And the ag industry is no exception. Farmers and ranchers have taken a huge hit. The coronavirus has caused significant market volatility, sending many commodity futures prices complumenting. Reap reduced capacity at meatpacking plants diminished the demand for livestock. This aggravated an already difficult situation for farmers and ranchers. Unlike the majority of the economying, the agricultural economy has been struggling for awhile. Low prices, extended trade disputes, and natural disasters have meant a tough few years for farmers and ranchers before the coronavirus hit. Now theyre suffering more. Agriculture is the lifeblood in my state of south dakota. Supporting farmers and ranchers is one of my Top Priorities. I fought to get agriculture relief money included in the coronavirus aid relief and Economic Security act or the cares act which was signed into law in late march. The final bill included 14 billion to replenish the Credit Commodity Corporation to allow the department of agriculture to provide income and price support for farmers and ranchers plus an additional 9. 5 billion in Emergency Support for Agricultural Producers affected by the pandemic. Days after the bill passed, i led a Bipartisan Group of senators and representatives in a letter to agriculture secretary sunny perdue urging him to use a portion of the funds to provide support for hardhit cattle producers. I am pleased that in mid april, the u. S. Department of agriculture announced that it would issue 16 billion worth of payments to ag producers affected by the virus. Mr. President , those payments are expected to reach farmers and ranchers in late may or early june. I have been monitoring the progress of this relief, and i will continue urging the usda to issue these payments as soon as possible. Agricultural producers can also take advantage of the Paycheck Protection Program included in the cares act. This Program Provides forgivable loans to Small Businesses, including selfemployed producers to help them cover payroll costs during this difficult time. 75 of the loans must be used for worker salaries and benefits, including the salaries of selfemployed workers, while the remaining amount can be used for other qualifying expenses like mortgage, interest, rent and utilities. The loan can be forgiven completely as long as borrowers follow the requirement that at least 75 of the loan be used to cover worker salaries and benefits and the remainder is spent on other qualifying expenses. And as of this week, farmers and ranchers can now take advantage of the Small Business administrations Economic Injury disaster loan program, thanks to Legislation Congress passed two weeks ago. Mr. President , im continuing to monitor the Cattle Market. Livestock producers have taken a dramatic hit on the prices that they are getting for their cattle. At the same time, however, the price of packaged meat has risen and meatpackers are seeing record profit margins. This raises real concerns about potential instances of price manipulation and other unfair practices within the beef industry, especially considering that four meatpacking Companies Control more than 80 of the beef supply in the United States. In march, i called secretary perdue to urge the department of agriculture to take action to ensure the integrity of the Cattle Market during the coronavirus pandemic. I followed it up with a letter requesting that the agriculture departments packers and Stockyards Division look into the volatility in the Cattle Market and that secretary perdu, i should say, has agreed to investigate. I also sent a letter to attorney general william barr requesting an investigation into potential price manipulation or other anticompetitive activities in the beef market. Our pork industry, mr. President , is also struggling due to the coronavirus pandemic. The temporary closure of the smithfield plant in sioux falls created significant challenges for the 550 independent pork producers from south dakota and surrounding states and for our nations food supply system. In the wake of the smithfield plant closure announcement, i wrote a letter to secretary perdue requesting Financial Assistance for pork producers, and i have been closely monitoring the situation. Im pleased that the smithfield plant is in compliance with centers for Disease Control and prevention and Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidance and will gradually resume operations starting today. Mr. President , no discussion of the challenges facing farmers right now would be complete without discussing biofuels. Ethanol, biodiesel producers buy up a significant amount of american corn and soy which adds value to each bushel. As demand for fuel has decreased as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, ethanol and biodiesel operations have come offline and are no longer buying up their normal amounts of corn and soybean oil. This has significantly diminished a crucial market for our farmers. There has rightfully been a lot of focus on the oil and Gas Companies that are facing a record loss in demand because of the coronavirus and because of an equally difficult oversupply problem driven by the saudirussian price war. Hardworking americans at these companies who have helped usher in our modern Energy Renaissance are now in limbo and Congress Needs to make sure we preserve our Energy Dominance and security. But its important to recognize that the ethanol industry, which provides over 10 of the nations gallon content, the cleanest 10 , i might add, is a part of that. Biofuels, too, have been a key part of americas Energy Renaissance and have also been hit hard by the sudden drop in demand which has been a devastating blow for workers in the industry and for the farmers who supply them. Half, mr. President , half of the nations capacity has been idled. More than 70 plants have closed, and just as many have idled, directly harming their local economies and again drying up that essential market for our farmers. This has brought a new problem. Many americans may not know it, but a substantial quantity of foodgrade carbon dioxide, the co2 used in carbonated beverages or to quickly chill Meat Products is an ethanol byproduct. This means that not only is ethanol part of our Energy Security and a foundation of our ag economy, it also plays an Important Role in our food supply. The 54 is already straining our Meat Processing industry. We should not allow a co2 shortage to deepen the problem. Mr. President , as Congress Addresses the numerous challenges facing farmers and energy producers, we must make sure that ethanol relief is a part of that discussion. Whether its through direct support or by advancing longstalled corn fiber applications at the Environmental Protection agency, we need to make sure that this American Energy success support survives these challenging times. Mr. President , as we move forward, i will continue talking to farmers and ranchers about their needs and what we can do to help them get through these difficult times. Supporting our nations farmers and ranchers will always be, always be one of my Top Priorities here in congress. The Coronavirus Crisis has reminded us all just how much we depend on our Agricultural Producers, and im grateful every day for the work they do to feed our nation. Mr. President , i will continue to do everything i can to strengthen our agricultural economy and to help our nations farmers and ranchers thrive. Mr. President , i yield the floor. Mr. Merkley mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from oregon. Mr. Merkley mr. President , i rise to address the debate were having today over whether to override the president s veto of the kaine resolution that reminds the president of the United States about the fundamentals of the constitution. About article 1, section 8 of the constitution that gives the enumerated powers of congress and says congress and congress alone has the power to declare war. No decision is tougher, more important than the decision to go to war. Thats why the Founding Fathers never intended for a Single Person to be able to make that decision. They explicitly, after intense debate and consideration, gave that power solely to congress, the Peoples Branch of our government. They didnt want anyone, any one individual, even the president of the United States, to be able to drag our nation to war for personal or political reasons or for misjudgments, inadequately vetted with the wisdom of the leaders of the country. Since President Trump came into office, we have come within a hairs breath of war with iran on more than one occasion because of his words and his actions. Its why back in february and march, the senate and then the house debated this resolution, reinstructing the president on the fundamentals of the constitution, reminding him that he does not have the power to take us to war in iran. It instructed him that any hostilities with iran need to come in accordance with the constitution. So the president of the United States has responded to our clear declaration of the essence of the constitution by tossing it aside, by vetoing that resolution, and so here we are debating whether to override that veto. The Founding Fathers were adamant about not having anything resembling a king in the new country they were building. The president was given the power to lead the Nations Armed forces as commander in chief, but article 1, section 8 of the constitution stated that Congress Shall have the power to declare war. If there is any real doubt about the founders intent, well, lets return to the comments they made at the time. James madison, father of t