Secretary with the procedural vote later this afternoon. Off the floor negotiations are continuing on a coronavirus aid package. Now to live Senate Coverage here on cspan2. The president pro tempore the senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Black, will open the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Our father, as we think of those so desperately in need of legislative action, give our lawmakers the wisdom and courage needed for these challenging times. Use them to empower all americans, particularly those on lifes margins. Lord, help our senators today to discern your voice, as they seek your will in all they do. Give them the ability to differentiate your guidance from all others, permitting you to lead them to your desired destination. Speak to them through your word, guide them with your spirit, and sustain them with your might. We pray in your great name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States
I want to start by expressing my sympathy for the Defense Department contractor who passed away this saturday after contracting coronavirus earlier this month. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends as they mourn his tragic loss. Over the weekend the department of defense continued to take aggressive action to surge personnel, capabilities, and equipment in support of trumps whole nation response to the covid19 pandemic. On the frontlines of this fight are over 7,000 National Guardsmen, operating across all 54 states, territories and the district of columbia who continue to assist state and local authorities in their response efforts. In new york, washington, and california, the president has approved mobilizing National Guard troops under title 32 status, which provides them full access to federal resources, but still allows them to be managed by the state government. To be clear, this is not a move towards martial law as some have erroneously claimed. Our great National Guard
On the frontlines of this fight over 7,000 National Guardsmen, operating across all states, territories and the district of columbia who continue to assist state and authorities in their response efforts. In new york, washington, and president hase approved mobilizing National Guard troops under title 32 them fullich provides access to federal resources, but still allows them to be managed government. To be clear, this is not a move towards martial law as some have erroneously claimed. Our great National Guard troops are performing tasks, such as drivethru testing sites, conducting food delivery to protect vulnerable populations and helping states coordinate their local responses. Allowing states to maintain control over their National Forces is the most effective way to manage their efforts as it permits each the guardstailor activities the best support the needs of their state. The president announced yesterday, the hospital ship tocy will deploy this week los angeles working closely
The u. S. Special representative for iran has defended sundays air strikes on iraq and syria that killed 25 people brian hook insists that the attacks are a deterrent against the rain in the aggression and has more from new york. The u. S. State department has defended the decision to conduct air strikes in iraq and syria saying that this was done to deter the influence of iran in the region now 25 people were killed in the raids and dozens were injured one of the things we want to emphasize is that this was a defensive action that was designed to protect American Forces and american citizens in a room. In the mission city of restoring deterrence against me and aggression now its important to point out that the target of these strikes was an iranian backed militia and according to washington the patience of donald trump regarding tehran and its activities in the region is starting to run out what we did was to get a decisive response that makes clear what the president has said for mon
Mouth, he admitted in a press conference just like this of course we did. It happens all the time, get over it, no mention of the president s chief of staff. My final point before i turn it over. To look away from the fact the president s own chief of staff has admitted to the most pernicious part of the scheme to get ukraine to do these why would they make no mention of that. It gets back to something they argued in the first two minutes of their presentation when they were attacking the house managers, that the goal should be to give you all of the facts. That is our goal. But it is not there is because Mick Mulvaney has some of these facts. Another name you didnt hear was john bolton. John bolton has some of these facts. You didnt hear the name duffy or blair or other witnesses that the president who is so confident that this was about corruption and not trying to smear an opponent want you to hear, the one question they did not address at all is why they dont want to give the Ameri