Congressional Record Senate — SAFE TO WORK Act Introduction Day

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PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 116th CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION
∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.
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S4491 
Vol. 166 
WASHINGTON, MONDAY, JULY 27, 2020 
No. 132 
Senate 
The Senate met at 4 p.m. and was 
called to order by the President pro 
tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). 
f 
PRAYER 
The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of-
fered the following prayer: 
Let us pray. 
Eternal Lord God, we again thank 
You for the life and legacy of Rep-
resentative John Robert Lewis. 
Lord, accept our gratitude for his 
ethical congruence that motivated him 
to find a moral way to get in the way. 
We are grateful that his passion for 
freedom summoned our Nation to em-
brace our best hopes and not our worst 
fears. Inspired by his exemplary pil-
grimage, may our lawmakers strive to 
live with such integrity that they will 
stand on the right side of history. 
Lord, help our Senators to strive to 
see You more clearly, to love You more 
dearly, and to follow You more nearly 
day by day. 
We pray in Your sovereign Name. 
Amen. 
f 
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 
The President pro tempore led the 
Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: 
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the 
United States of America, and to the Repub-
lic for which it stands, one nation under God, 
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. 
The 
PRESIDING 
OFFICER 
(Ms. 
ERNST). The Senator from Iowa. 
Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, I 
ask unanimous consent to speak for 1 
minute in morning business. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 
objection, it is so ordered. 
f 
FILIBUSTER 
Mr. GRASSLEY. Former Vice Presi-
dent Biden and Minority Leader SCHU-
MER have indicated a willingness to end 
the so-called filibuster if Democrats 
gain a majority in the U.S. Senate 
after this year’s election. 
Meanwhile, Democrats used the same 
rule to prevent even taking up Senator 
SCOTT’s very thoughtful police reform 
legislation. The rule in question is the 
cloture rule, which brings debate and 
amendments to a close so we can get to 
the finality of a bill. What Democrats 
blocked was ending debate on pro-
ceeding to police reform and starting 
to consider any amendments that 
wanted to be offered, but it would have 
taken yet another cloture vote to get 
to final passage. 
The cloture rule ensures that no po-
lice reform bill could be passed by the 
U.S. Senate unless at least 60 Senators 
were satisfied with the outcome of the 
amendment process. In other words, it 
guarantees that the concerns of the mi-
nority party—whether that be Repub-
lican or Democrat—would have to be 
addressed. There was no excuse for pre-
venting the Senate from even begin-
ning the legislative process on this ex-
tremely important and timely issue of 
police reform. 
There is also no excuse for Demo-
crats who claimed to oppose the 60-vote 
requirement to cut off debate on prin-
ciple when they were last in the major-
ity, who then immediately began using 
cloture to block bills that had majority 
support when they lost their majority, 
and who still continue to use cloture to 
block progress on important issues 
today, but who now fully admit that 
they will change the Senate institu-
tion—the protection for the minority— 
if it suits their partisan purpose in the 
future. 
I yield the floor. 
I suggest the absence of a quorum. 
The 
PRESIDING 
OFFICER. 
The 
clerk will call the roll. 
The senior assistant legislative clerk 
proceeded to call the roll. 
Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, 
I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 
objection, it is so ordered. 
RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY 
LEADER 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma-
jority leader is recognized. 
f 
REMEMBERING JOHN LEWIS 
Mr. 
MCCONNELL. 
Today, 
as 
we 
speak, the U.S. Congress confers a rare 
and high honor on a national hero who 
richly deserves it. Our distinguished 
late 
colleague, 
Congressman 
John 
Lewis, is lying in state in the Rotunda. 
I had the honor to speak at this 
afternoon’s ceremony—how amazing to 
reflect on John’s incredible American 
life. It began deep in the segregated 
South, ran through lunch counters in 
Nashville, jail cells in Mississippi, 
across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, up 
the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and 
brought him to the halls of Congress. 
He made heroic contributions to our 
Nation’s march toward racial justice. 
He also brought an unforgettable ex-
ample of moral urgency, respect, and 
love to Washington that left an impact 
on everyone he met. His example will 
be missed here in the Capitol. He will 
be remembered forever by a grateful 
Nation because, as far as I am con-
cerned, it is not really the rest of us in 
Congress who are conveying an honor 
upon John Lewis today, not this time. 
Rather, it is John who is bringing 
greater honor to us, to this Capitol, 
with his presence, one final time. 
f 
HEALS ACT 
Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, 
COVID–19 has killed nearly 150,000 
Americans. It has caused massive lay-
offs on a historic scale and left 17 mil-
lion people out of work. It has thrown 
the lives and the trajectories of our Na-
tion’s children and young adults into 
uncertainty. 
Our Nation stands now at an impor-
tant crossroads in this battle. Amer-
ican 
families’ 
historic 
sacrifices 
brought our medical system through 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
S4492 
July 27, 2020 
the springtime intact. The very early 
stages of our economic recovery have 
been promising and our Nation needs 
to continue to proceed with a smart 
and safe reopening. 
At the same time, the virus is still 
with us. It is still spreading, and it 
does not care about our fragile eco-
nomic progress or our frustration with 
restrictions, or anything else, besides 
infecting as many people as possible. 
So we have one foot in the pandemic 
and one foot in the recovery. The 
American people need more help. They 
need it to be comprehensive, and they 
need it to be carefully tailored to these 
crossroads. 
That is what this Senate majority 
has assembled, and that is what Chair-
men ALEXANDER, BLUNT, COLLINS, GRA-
HAM, GRASSLEY, RUBIO, and SHELBY, 
and Senators CORNYN and ROMNEY are 
introducing today. They will be coming 
to the floor shortly to introduce their 
components. 
Together, their bills make up the 
HEALS Act—health, economic assist-
ance, 
liability 
protection, 
and 
schools—health, economic assistance, 
liability protection, and schools. 
Just like in March, with the CARES 
Act, Senate Republicans have authored 
another bold framework to help our 
Nation. Now we need our Democratic 
colleagues to reprise their part as well. 
They need to put aside the partisan 
stonewalling we saw on police reform 
and rediscover the spirit of urgency 
that got the CARES Act across the fin-
ish line, and quickly join us around the 
negotiating table. 
It will take bipartisan cooperation to 
make the HEALS Act into law for the 
American people. The Senate will not 
waste time with pointless partisanship. 
There is a reason why even Speaker 
PELOSI
and Leader SCHUMER
them-
selves have publicly downplayed the 
multitrillion-dollar socialist manifesto 
they published a few weeks back and 
have suggested the real, serious discus-
sion would begin when Republicans re-
leased our outline. 
We have produced a tailored and tar-
geted draft that will cut right to the 
heart of three distinct crises facing our 
country—getting kids back in school, 
getting workers back to work, and win-
ning the healthcare fight against the 
virus—kids, jobs, and healthcare. 
First, our Nation’s kids. Chairmen 
ALEXANDER, BLUNT, and SHELBY will be 
introducing a sweeping package to help 
schools and universities reopen safely. 
We are talking about more than $100 
billion—more for an education fund 
than House Democrats put aside in a 
bill that spent multiple trillions. There 
are policies to help childcare providers 
and schools have the flexibility they 
need to function. 
Second, jobs. Since our Nation has 
one foot in the pandemic and one foot 
in the recovery, our economic policies 
have to acknowledge both sides of that 
coin. Chairman GRASSLEY will intro-
duce another round of direct checks for 
households at the same amount as be-
fore, with even more support for fami-
lies who care for vulnerable adult de-
pendents. 
Chairmen COLLINS and RUBIO have 
designed a sequel to their historic PPP 
to help prevent more layoffs of Amer-
ican workers. 
Republicans want to continue a Fed-
eral supplement to State unemploy-
ment insurance. In fact, we will pro-
pose a weekly dollar amount that is 
eight times what Democrats put in 
place when they controlled the White 
House and Congress during the great 
recession. But we have to do it in a 
way that does not slow down reopen-
ing. 
We are also going to help this coun-
try pivot into recovery. The American 
people don’t just want relief; they want 
opportunity so long as the reopenings 
can be safe. So Chairman GRASSLEY 
will walk through strong economic in-
centives to boost worker retention, get 
Americans rehired, and help small 
businesses buy the PPE, testing, and 
supplies that will protect employees 
and customers alike. 
Senator ROMNEY has legislation to 
help a future Congress ensure our crit-
ical 
national 
trust 
funds 
remain 
strong. 
In looking to our long-term jobs fu-
ture, there is no question this pan-
demic has America and our allies reex-
amining our degree of dependence on 
China. Chairman GRAHAM
is intro-
ducing a package of legislation that 
will incentivize PPE manufacturing 
right here at home. It will ensure that 
our efforts to rebuild our national 
stockpile of protective gear actually 
benefit American workers instead of 
just stimulating China, and it will 
bring a heightened focus to other key 
concerns, such as high-tech semicon-
ductor manufacturing, critical min-
erals, and intellectual property theft so 
that the lessons of this pandemic do 
not go unlearned. 
Finally, healthcare. Chairmen ALEX-
ANDER, GRASSLEY, and others I have al-
ready named have legislation to keep 
America on offense against this virus 
for diagnostics, treatments, vaccines, 
hospitals and healthcare workers, and 
protecting seniors who rely on Medi-
care from premium spikes. Our legisla-
tion supports all of it at continued his-
toric levels. 
In tying kids, jobs, and healthcare all 
together, Senator CORNYN has authored 
strong legal liability protections so 
that nurses, doctors, charities, school 
districts, colleges, and employers can 
spend their next months actually re-
opening rather than fighting for their 
lives against frivolous lawsuits. We 
will preserve accountability in the 
event of gross negligence or intentional 
misconduct, but we are not going to let 
trial lawyers throw a party on the 
backs of the frontline workers and in-
stitutions that have fought this new 
enemy on the frontlines. 
Health, economic assistance, liabil-
ity, 
and 
schools—another 
historic 
package for the next phase of this his-
toric national fight. 
To make a law, bipartisan talks need 
to come next. So there is one big ques-
tion facing the country right now: 
Which version of our distinguished 
Democratic colleagues are the Amer-
ican people about to get? Are we going 
to get the Democratic Party we got in 
March, when our colleagues met us in 
good-faith negotiations and worked 
with us to turn our framework into a 
bipartisan 
product—the 
Democrats 
who helped us pass the largest rescue 
package in American history without 
one dissenting vote—or will the coun-
try get the Democratic Party we saw 
in June, when our colleagues refused to 
suggest amendments or improvements 
to Senator TIM SCOTT’s police reform 
bill and chose to block the issue alto-
gether? 
Their actions last month left some 
observers 
wondering 
whether 
the 
Democrats 
had 
made 
this 
cynical 
choice to give up on bipartisan legisla-
tion altogether right through Novem-
ber, whether the Democrats had deter-
mined that strengthening our Nation 
with bipartisan action might hurt their 
political odds and, therefore, it might 
suit their fortunes better if pain and 
chaos simply continued. I hope that is 
completely off base. I know our Demo-
cratic colleagues know this crisis is 
still urgent. I know they know Amer-
ican families need more help. 
I hope this strong proposal will occa-
sion a real response, not partisan cheap 
shots, not the predictable, tired, old 
rhetoric as though these were ordinary 
times and the Nation could afford ordi-
nary politics. We cannot have a Senate 
minority decide in June it is done leg-
islating until November. The pandemic 
is not finished. The economic pain is 
not finished, so Congress cannot be fin-
ished either. 
f 
RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under 
the previous order, the leadership time 
is reserved. 
f 
CONCLUSION OF MORNING 
BUSINESS 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning 
business is closed. 
f 
EXECUTIVE SESSION 
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under 
the previous order, the Senate will pro-
ceed to executive session and resume 
consideration of the following nomina-
tion, which the clerk will report. 
The senior assistant legislative clerk 
read the nomination of William Scott 
Hardy, of Pennsylvania, to be United 
States District Judge for the Western 
District of Pennsylvania. 
Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, 
I suggest the absence of a quorum. 
The 
PRESIDING 
OFFICER. 
The 
clerk will call the roll. 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
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The senior assistant legislative clerk 
proceeded to call the roll. 
Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I 
ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 
objection, it is so ordered. 
RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY LEADER 
The 
PRESIDING 
OFFICER. 
The 
Democratic leader is recognized. 
REMEMBERING JOHN LEWIS 
Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, a 
short time ago, a ceremony honoring 
the life of the great Representative 
John Lewis was held in the Capitol Ro-
tunda—the first time in our Nation’s 
history that an African-American law-
maker had laid in state. 
Last week, I shared my reflections on 
the life and legacy of John Lewis here 
on the floor. In the story of America, 
John was one of those special heroes 
whose moral clarity shown out like a 
beacon for others to follow, a North 
Star who inspired his fellow Americans 
to join him in the glorious work of per-
fecting our Union. 
Today, as we honor his extraordinary 
life here in the Capitol, many of us— 
his friends, his colleagues—are filled 
with a deep sense of loss, but I want to 
share a short message of hope. It seems 
easy to forget that John Lewis was just 
a teenager when he started the work of 
‘‘redeeming the soul of America,’’ as he 
put it. He was 18 years old when he 
first met Dr. King, 21 when he was ar-
rested as a freedom fighter, 25 when he 
was beaten bloody on a Sunday in 
Selma. 
The fight for civil rights has always 
been driven by the righteous indigna-
tion of our young people, and our time 
is no different. Once again, young peo-
ple across the country are rising in a 
mighty 
movement 
for 
justice 
and 
equality, supported by the vast major-
ity of Americans. The memory and leg-
acy of John Lewis’s life lives on in each 
and every one of them, and that fills 
me with hope. 
CORONAVIRUS 
Madam President, on a very different 
subject, over the past several months, 
Senate Democrats have been appalled 
that our Republican colleagues have 
refused to work with us in any signifi-
cant way to help defeat COVID–19 or 
provide relief to Americans during 
these unprecedented times. 
We do not understand how, faced 
with the greatest economic threat in 75 
years and the greatest public health 
threat in a century, the Senate Repub-
lican majority was content to do al-
most nothing for 3 long months, as 
more people died, more were thrown 
out of work, more small businesses 
went under. 
Last week, finally, our Republican 
colleagues said they were coming out 
with a plan, but even after all the 
delay, even after Leader MCCONNELL 
put the Senate on pause for 3 months, 
Senate Republicans and the White 
House were so unprepared and so di-
vided, they couldn’t even agree on a 
proposal 
among 
themselves. 
Ten 
weeks—ten 
weeks 
after 
Democrats 
passed a comprehensive bill through 
the House, Senate Republicans couldn’t 
even agree on what to throw on the 
wall. 
Last week was a slow-motion train 
wreck on the Republican side. It 
couldn’t have come at a worse time, 
and it will cause immense and, poten-
tially, irrevocable damage to our coun-
try. 
Protections against evictions expired 
last week, at a time when over 12 mil-
lion persons lived in households that 
missed the rent payment last month. 
Enhanced unemployment benefits for 
20 to 30 million Americans out of work 
expire this week, without a proper so-
lution. 
No matter what we do, States will 
not be able to quickly restart any en-
hanced unemployment benefits because 
Senate Republicans dithered for what 
seems like an eternity. 
We are on the precipice of several 
cliffs—destructive cliffs—for one rea-
son and one reason only: The White 
House and Senate Republicans couldn’t 
get their act together and wasted pre-
cious time. 
These issues could have been solved 
months ago, but the lack of any ur-
gency and understanding and empathy 
for people who need help from Senate 
Republicans has led us to a very pre-
carious moment. 
Today, it seems, we may finally see 
the Republican proposal on the next 
phase of COVID relief. Who knows if we 
will see legislative text or just an out-
line. It also appears the Republican 
proposal will not be an actual, coher-
ent bill but rather a series of small, 
piecemeal ideas. That is a metaphor for 
their first 100 days: lack of unity. They 
can’t even put one bill together—they 
are so divided—so a few Senators put in 
this one, a few Senators put in that 
one, a few Senators put in another one. 
Not only do we not know if the Presi-
dent supports any of these proposals, 
we don’t even know if Senate Repub-
licans fully support them. 
Yesterday, the Republican chairman 
of the Judiciary Committee said half of 
the Republican caucus will vote no on 
any additional stimulus. 
The greatest crisis America has faced 
in close to a century on health, 75 
years on the economy, and our Repub-
lican 
colleagues 
can’t 
even 
agree 
among themselves about what to do 
and have put out a few piecemeal 
pieces that don’t come close to doing 
the job. 
We have waited months—months for 
the Republican COVID relief bill, and it 
turns out we will not even get a bill, 
and Republicans probably will not sup-
port it. 
Worse still, based on reports and 
Leader MCCONNELL’s speech just now, 
the Republican legislative response to 
COVID–19 is totally inadequate. It will 
not include food assistance for hungry 
kids—kids, whose parents can’t feed 
them. They say no relief. How hard- 
hearted. How cruel. Is it that those 
wealthy, rightwing people who don’t 
want to pay any taxes say kids 
shouldn’t eat? Because the private sec-
tor ain’t doing it. You need the govern-
ment. 
Hazard pay for essential workers, 
risking their lives for us—what about 
funding for State and local and Tribal 
governments? Their budgets are in the 
tank. 
We 
are 
approaching 
a 
new 
month. Many, many, many essential 
workers will be laid off—busdrivers and 
sanitation workers and firefighters. 
The Republican proposal will ignore 
not one or two or three but scores of 
major crises in America right now. 
In addition, based on what the leader 
has said, the Republican proposal will 
not go nearly far enough, even in the 
pieces they try to do something with— 
the small number, the disparate num-
ber, the unaggregated number—since 
each piece seems to be separate be-
cause they can’t seem to get agreement 
among themselves. 
When it comes to our schools, the Re-
publican proposal does not provide 
enough resources for them to reopen 
safely. 
Major League Baseball, an organiza-
tion with vastly more resources than 
the average school district, has taken 
great pains to restart its season safely, 
and yet we learned today that 13 play-
ers and staff on 1 team alone have con-
tracted the coronavirus. 
How can Republicans ask our schools 
to protect the safety of our children 
without the necessary resources or 
guidance, when multibillion-dollar in-
dustries like baseball are having trou-
ble doing it? And are they just afraid of 
President 
Trump, 
who 
wants 
the 
schools to open without any help, for 
whatever is in his own head, which 
isn’t about the safety of America? The 
plan is totally inadequate. 
It appears that Senate Republicans 
have finally come around to the fact 
that the Democratic position on ex-
tending the moratorium on evictions 
or it may be just the moratorium on 
foreclosures—we will see what is in the 
proposal. They have come around to 
that, but they don’t support helping 
Americans actually afford the rent or 
their next mortgage payment. That 
makes no sense. 
We can prevent landlords or banks 
from kicking Americans out of their 
homes for another 6 months, but what 
then? Those same Americans may be 6 
months behind on their rent or mort-
gage. They will have no hope of making 
up the difference. 
And what will the landlords do? Not 
all landlords are big companies. Some 
of them, just like in my neighborhood, 
are landlords of a two- or three-family 
house. If no one can pay the rent, that 
hurts them too. How are they going to 
pay for heat or electricity? 
It is essential that we do what is in 
the Democratic Heroes Act and provide 
money to pay the rent or the mort-
gages for those thrown out of work, 
through no fault of their own, with no 
income. 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
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July 27, 2020 
The Heroes Act provides $100 billion 
to help renters pay the rent; $75 billion 
to help homeowners pay the mortgage. 
The Heroes Act would prevent another 
housing crisis in America. The Repub-
lican proposal, assuming they even ad-
dress housing issues, would only delay 
a catastrophe a few months. 
The greatest deficiency in the Repub-
lican proposal may be their plan for 
unemployment insurance. According to 
reports, the White House and Senate 
want to extend the enhanced unem-
ployment benefits the Democrats se-
cured in the CARES Act but only pro-
vide a percentage of a worker’s former 
wage. 
There are four reasons this is a ter-
rible policy. 
First, it would hurt the unemployed. 
If you lost your job through no fault of 
your own, Republicans want you to 
take a 30-percent pay cut. Can you be-
lieve that? You have lost your job; you 
can’t get to work; the administration 
has bungled this crisis; and now they 
want to take $1,600 out of your pocket 
every single month, blaming the vic-
tim—blaming the victim. 
Maybe, again, some of those Repub-
lican, hard-right money people who 
don’t want to pay taxes to help any-
body, don’t want the Federal Govern-
ment to help anybody. Let me tell you, 
my Republican friends, you can’t do 
this without the Federal Government 
and the Federal Government’s re-
sources. The private sector can’t take 
care of this on their own. That is one 
reason. 
Second, it would exacerbate poverty. 
A recent study showed the enhanced 
benefits have prevented 12 million 
Americans from slipping into poverty. 
It has probably been the greatest anti- 
poverty program that we have had in a 
very, very long time. Why on Earth 
would we slash and burn benefits keep-
ing American families out of poverty? 
Third, it will devastate our economy. 
One of the few things that has this 
economy not getting worse is that peo-
ple have money in their pockets to buy 
goods. Consumer spending is going up. 
Do you know why, my Republican 
friends? In large part because of the 
generous benefit in the pandemic un-
employment insurance. Mark Zandi 
and other great economists have said 
just that—just that. 
Consumer purchases are helping the 
economy from getting worse. There is 
money in the pockets of consumers to 
help them pay the bills and shop in 
stores and more. What do our Repub-
lican friends want to do? Cut the bene-
fits to Americans who are spending the 
money as soon as they get it, taking 
one of the few policies stimulating the 
economy off the table. 
That is why an analysis from re-
spected 
economic 
forecasters 
at 
Moody’s—hardly a political organiza-
tion—say that reducing these benefits 
or letting them expire could cost over 
a million jobs—a million more jobs this 
year. 
And 
fourth 
and 
finally, 
the 
ideologues here get together and come 
up with a plan, and it doesn’t work. It 
is going to be impossible to implement. 
Republicans, at the last minute, 
while they waited and waited and wait-
ed—3 weeks ago Speaker PELOSI and I 
wrote to Leader MCCONNELL and said: 
Sit down and talk to us now. We heard 
nothing. 
So they waited and waited and wait-
ed until they are up to the cliff, and 
now they come up with an entirely new 
system, where States would have to 
calculate a different benefit for each 
individual worker. Well, the implemen-
tations will be a nightmare. 
Let me read you—my office called 
some 
State 
unemployment 
offices 
about this Republican proposal. 
A medium-size State on the west 
coast: It would take months. We don’t 
even have a way of calculating the 
wages of individuals. We are not 
equipped to do anything but a flat 
amount. Need a serious transition pe-
riod. Even changing the dollar amount 
would take 2 to 4 weeks—2 to 4 weeks 
where people have no money. 
Another Southeastern State, medium 
size again: Very difficult. This State 
said: We need public statements from 
the Feds that people will not be able to 
get benefits for many weeks or months. 
Need to be realistic so our offices 
aren’t overwhelmed. Even if you do a 
clean $600, you have to reapply in our 
State. 
From a small State in the North-
east—these are workers, people in the 
Governor’s offices or the unemploy-
ment offices: 
Even clean extensions of FPUC [that is 
pandemic uninsurance] will take weeks to 
implement. Can’t even speculate how long it 
would take to do wage replacement. Will not 
have to reapply for a clean $600, but it will 
take weeks to do retroactive payments. 
From three States—a very big State 
in the West, a big State in the Mid-
west, and a smaller State in the West: 
It would take many months. This 
would cause chaos with our constitu-
ents. 
From a Great Plains State: 2 months 
minimum to implement. 
From a big State in the Northeast, 
smaller State in the West: 8 weeks or 
more to implement. 
From a small State in the West: 
We have turned off the $600 FPUC effective 
benefit week ending July 25, per law. Any 
claims not decided prior to that date will 
still have benefit of [the] FPUC if found eli-
gible. Any claims filed yesterday forward 
would not. As for options, another flat 
amount is best. 
From a large State in the East: 
Extension of $600, could be seamless. Lower 
flat, will take time. Percentage of wages is 
impossible. 
Chaos. Chaos. If you change the un-
employment benefit, it is going to take 
weeks if not months for most people to 
get it. The economy crashes. People 
are hurt. They get kicked out of their 
homes, and they can’t feed their kids. 
What are you doing? 
The Republican proposal on unem-
ployment benefits, simply put, is un-
workable. It will delay benefits for 
weeks, if not months, as we slide into 
a greater degree of recession. 
By the way, the idea that we need to 
drastically reduce these benefits be-
cause workers will stay home other-
wise 
is 
greatly 
exaggerated. 
Most 
Americans are not going to quit their 
jobs, forgo benefits and a steady salary 
in order to receive temporary unem-
ployment benefits. That is what lead-
ing economists have said. These bene-
fits are a lifeline to tens of millions 
who want to work, are ready to work, 
but can’t find work because there 
aren’t jobs for them. The vast majority 
of these people don’t have a job to go 
to. 
Let’s face it, folks. Our country is in 
the middle of multiple crises. Tens of 
millions of Americans are jobless. 
American families are struggling to 
keep food on the table and a roof over 
their heads. Nearly 150,000 Americans 
have 
died—a 
stunning 
and 
heart-
breaking loss of life—and, in response, 
Senate Republicans have presented us 
with a half-hearted, half-baked legisla-
tive proposal. 
In short, the Republican plan is too 
little, too late. The Republican plan is 
weak tea when our problems need a 
much stronger brew. 
I heard Leader MCCONNELL’s ‘‘Alice 
in Wonderland’’ interpretation of what 
happened in the last 3 months. The 
first bill, he says, was the way we 
should go. Well, let’s remember what 
happened. Republicans put their own 
bill on the floor; Democrats said no. 
Then, finally, you folks came to the 
table, negotiated with us, and the bill 
is far more a Democratic bill than a 
Republican bill. You know that, and we 
know that. 
On the other hand, the other alter-
native, which the leader referred to as 
the Justice in Policing Act, was totally 
partisan. 
Sometimes I am amazed at the words 
the Republican leader can use. He says 
that he wants to be nonpartisan, and 
our bill is a socialist manifesto. Well, 
which one is it? Which one is it? 
Here is what we should do. Repub-
licans should scrap their approach. We 
don’t even know how many are for— 
and what pieces. They should use the 
Heroes 
Act—comprehensive, 
strong, 
and bold for negotiations—and start 
talking with Democrats in a serious 
way about the real problems our coun-
try is facing. 
Again, this is a serious, serious cri-
sis. It is the biggest health crisis in 100 
years, the biggest economic crisis in 75. 
The Republican mantra to let the pri-
vate sector do it is just not going to 
work. You have to understand that the 
times are different. The crisis is real. 
We need an active, bold series of gov-
ernment programs—not just cutting 
and cutting and eliminating and elimi-
nating—to solve our health problems 
and get the economy out of the morass. 
We Democrats have been waiting to 
negotiate with our Republican col-
leagues for more than 2 months. I am 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
S4495 
July 27, 2020 
bitterly disappointed and frustrated by 
their delay and now by the inadequacy 
of their product. We need to imme-
diately 
enter 
into 
bipartisan, 
bi-
cameral negotiations to develop a bill 
that actually matches the scale of the 
crisis and the needs of the American 
people. 
Speaker PELOSI this morning called 
on Leader MCCONNELL
and Leader 
MCCARTHY and representatives of the 
President to join me and her in the 
Speaker’s office half an hour after the 
Republican bill is released. Repub-
licans in the House and Senate must 
join us. We are running out of time. 
The Senate Republicans just ran down 
the clock and tossed an air ball. 
I yield the floor. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
ator from Iowa. 
Mr. GRASSLEY. About half an hour 
ago, Leader MCCONNELL gave an out-
line of the bill that will be before the 
Senate in regard to carrying on where 
the CARES Act left off. Those of us 
who are chairmen of various commit-
tees or have input into this process 
would like to go into some detail—but 
not in-depth detail—of our parts of the 
bill. I am chairman of the Senate Fi-
nance Committee, and within our juris-
diction, our proposals take on several 
issues facing Americans during the cri-
sis. 
For unemployment insurance, we 
boost the Federal Government’s reim-
bursement to local governments and 
nonprofits to 75 percent, up from 50 
percent in the first CARES Act. We do 
that to prevent further layoffs from 
local governments and nonprofit orga-
nizations. 
In the same legislation we maintain 
some of the current boosted benefits, 
but we must also responsibly hone 
those programs to target help where it 
is really needed. 
Our bill transitions from a flat rate 
to a replacement of 70 percent of lost 
wages for people who have become un-
employed. This is a much more respon-
sible approach that we didn’t have time 
to work out in the first CARES Act. 
Regardless, the boosted unemployment 
benefit is significantly more than 
Democratic Senate and Democratic 
Presidents approved in the 2009 eco-
nomic crisis, which, by the way, was 
only an additional $25 a month when 
we had the worst recession in this 
country since the Great Depression of 
the 1930s. 
So I heard people cry just a few min-
utes ago about our not doing enough. It 
doesn’t make sense to do what we knew 
we were doing wrong, but we had to do 
it to get help out to the people who 
were 
unemployed. 
For 
the 
last 
4 
months, we were paying out of the Fed-
eral Treasury $600 a week, in addition 
to what each State would pay for those 
unemployed. In other words, we have 
learned what we knew at the time— 
that when you pay people more not to 
work than they would get working, 
what do you expect? People will not 
work. 
What this country needs is more 
workers. If we are going to get this 
country turned around, it is not going 
to come from money from unemploy-
ment to individuals because govern-
ment doesn’t create wealth; it only 
consumes wealth. If you want to create 
a bigger economic pie for everybody, 
more workers are going to be necessary 
for a bigger economic pie. 
Going to our tax provisions in this 
same bill, our tax provisions aim to 
help Americans get back to work and 
help businesses safely open. We expand 
access to the CARES Act employment 
tax credit for small and medium-sized 
businesses. We expand the work oppor-
tunity tax credit for larger employers 
hiring people currently receiving un-
employment compensation. We also 
provide a new credit for expenses, like 
personal 
protective 
equipment 
and 
cleaning needed to maintain a safe and 
healthy workplace for employees and 
for customers. The Republican plan 
provides for another round of $1,200 
economic impact payments for most 
American adults, but we also include in 
the additional $500 for each depend-
ent—some people we didn’t intend to 
leave out last time, but we did. So re-
gardless of age, some of these depend-
ents will now be helped. 
For healthcare providers we relax the 
terms of loans received from Medicare. 
We ensure that Medicare telehealth op-
tions don’t expire before Congress can 
determine what should be made perma-
nent. We extend for 5 years the CARES 
Act provision that pays clinics and 
health centers for telehealth to provide 
a downpayment on meeting healthcare 
needs in rural America, and we help by 
freezing Medicare premiums at 2020 
levels to head off a predicted spike 
next year that would otherwise happen 
to senior citizens. We also assist nurs-
ing home patients and workers. 
State and local governments have 
also asked for Federal help. Our pro-
posal extends the timeframe in which 
governments can utilize the $150 billion 
in funding provided under the first 
CARES Act by also providing more 
flexibility and allowing some funds to 
be used to cover revenue shortfalls. 
This proposal sets out a responsible, 
holistic approach to address the prob-
lems our country faces. I hope my 
Democratic colleagues are interested 
in compromise and solutions for the 
benefit of all of the American people. 
I yield the floor. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
ator from Texas. 
Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, as 
we continue to work on supporting our 
country’s recovery from the COVID–19 
crisis, one critical piece of the CARES 
2 legislation is liability reform. 
Across the country we are seeing 
lawsuits rolling in, targeting the very 
healthcare workers who are on the 
frontlines performing essential work 
for patients suffering from the COVID– 
19 virus. We are seeing lawsuits focus-
ing on nursing homes, universities, 
nonprofit 
businesses—you 
name 
it. 
Without action from Congress, the liti-
gation epidemic will potentially sink 
the very businesses and enterprises 
that 
we 
hoped 
we 
could 
sustain 
through this crisis. 
Today, Leader MCCONNELL and I in-
troduced the Safe to Work Act, which 
will ensure that those operating in 
good faith and following all the rel-
evant guidelines cannot be sued out of 
existence. 
To be clear, this is not a blanket li-
ability shield. It will not prevent bad 
actors from facing the consequences of 
their actions when they are intentional 
or reckless. It will not ban coronavirus 
lawsuits, and it will not give anyone a 
‘‘get out of jail free’’ card. 
What it will do, though, is put safe-
guards in place that will prevent oppor-
tunistic lawsuits from harming the 
workers and institutions we are de-
pending on to see us through this cri-
sis. 
First and foremost are protections 
for our incredible healthcare heroes 
who made the tremendous physical and 
mental sacrifices over the last few 
months. This legislation sets a willful 
misconduct or gross negligence stand-
ard for coronavirus-related medical li-
ability suits to ensure that only meri-
torious cases are brought against our 
healthcare workers. 
I would add that the costs of litiga-
tion itself can be enough to put some-
body out of business, even though you, 
in the end, ‘‘win’’ the lawsuit. The cost 
of defending a case that you ultimately 
win can be so big that it will put you 
out of business by itself. 
In 
addition 
to 
protecting 
our 
healthcare heroes, we need to ensure 
that fear of lawsuits does not prevent 
our schools, nonprofits, small busi-
nesses, and a range of other organiza-
tions and institutions that are vital to 
our communities from opening their 
doors. This will spell out in black and 
white that these entities will be pro-
tected from COVID–19 exposure claims 
as long as they have made a good-faith 
effort to comply with mandatory pub-
lic health guidelines. 
By the way, a number of States have 
already provided similar protections, 
including the minority leader’s State 
of New York, and it is time we extend 
these liability limitations to the rest 
in the country. This is not a red State 
or blue State issue. We are all in this 
together, and that is why red State and 
blue State legislators and Governors 
have already acted in a similar fashion 
to what I am describing here. 
In order for our country to recover, 
the workers and institutions we depend 
on now need to know with confidence 
that if they are operating in good faith 
and obeying health guidelines, they are 
not going to become victims of a feed-
ing frenzy. This legislation will provide 
that confidence, and I hope my col-
leagues on both sides of the aisle will 
join me in supporting these common-
sense reforms. 
I yield the floor. 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
S4496 
July 27, 2020 
The 
PRESIDING 
OFFICER 
(Mr. 
BOOZMAN). The Senator from South 
Carolina. 
Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina. Mr. 
President, as we continue our efforts to 
tackle the effects of COVID–19, both in 
terms of healthcare and the economic 
fallout, CARES 2 could be a critical 
piece to the puzzle. 
Americans continue to mask up, so-
cial distance, and do what we can do as 
individuals to slow the spread of the 
virus. Here, in the Senate, we know 
that we must find additional ways to 
keep our people as healthy as possible 
while we reopen our economy as safely 
as we can. 
We also know that low wage and 
service industry workers have taken 
the hardest economic hit from the 
virus. This stems, in part, from res-
taurants either being closed or oper-
ating at a limited capacity. In April, 
one out of four individuals to lose their 
jobs lost their jobs in the restaurant 
industry. That is 5.5 million Americans 
who lost their jobs in the restaurant 
business. 
While those losses have certainly 
begun to recover, and even as our res-
taurants adjust and innovate to find 
new ways to serve customers, there is 
no doubt they need some additional 
help. That is why I worked on the pro-
vision in this legislation that will pro-
vide a 100-percent deduction for busi-
ness meals—up from 50 percent. 
We know that through outdoor din-
ing, carryout, delivery, and, in some 
places around the country, limited in-
door dining, we can keep folks safe. 
This incentive will lead to more orders 
that will translate into more take- 
home pay and more hours for wait staff 
and kitchen staff and more revenues 
for millions of small businesses. That 
is a great thing and an easy thing to 
accomplish with this simple provision. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
ator from Maine. 
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, the 
Paycheck Protection Program of for-
givable loans has been a lifeline to mil-
lions of our small businesses and their 
employees. According to a recent cen-
sus survey, more than 76 percent of 
Maine’s small businesses reported re-
ceiving a PPP loan. An estimated 
240,000 Maine jobs have been supported 
by this critically important program, 
which has brought more than $2.2 bil-
lion to our State. Nationwide, more 
than 5 million small employers have 
received PPP loans. 
When Senators RUBIO, CARDIN, SHA-
HEEN, and I developed this program 
back in March, we had no idea how 
long economic closures to mitigate the 
spread of COVID–19 would last. Many 
small businesses have made consider-
able investments in personal protective 
equipment and facility modifications 
to operate safely during the pandemic 
and yet are still only able to operate at 
a fraction of their previous capacity. 
In fact, I talked to an innkeeper in 
Maine just this morning who told me 
that in normal times, at this point in 
the summer, his inn would be nearly 
full every single night, but this July 
his business is down by 93 percent. 
The bill that Senator RUBIO and I are 
introducing would allow the hardest 
hit small employers—those whose rev-
enue has declined by 50 percent or even 
more—to receive a second PPP forgiv-
able loan. And to ensure that we are 
targeting assistance to the employers 
that need help the most, we limit those 
second loans to small businesses with 
300 or fewer employees. 
Our bill would also expand forgivable 
PPP expenses to include investments 
needed to protect both employees and 
customers, such as masks, plexiglass 
shields, and improved HVAC systems. 
This could include, for example, the ex-
pense of expanding outdoor seating, 
which is especially important to res-
taurants that are still under dining re-
strictions. 
We include a number of other impor-
tant provisions, such as allowing sea-
sonal businesses more flexibility in cal-
culating their loan amounts and sim-
plifying the loan forgiveness process 
for smaller borrowers. 
I hope that our proposal will help ad-
vance bipartisan negotiations to ex-
tend this vital program before August 
8, when applications will no longer be 
accepted. There are so many small em-
ployers and their employees who have 
been kept afloat by the first PPP loan 
they received but need a second one to 
survive this persistent pandemic. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
ator from Florida. 
Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, to follow 
up on Senator COLLINS’ outline of the 
second round of PPP, I think it is im-
portant, first, to remind everybody 
how we got to this place. 
The goal, when we did it the first 
time, was to not only allow small busi-
nesses to survive what was then uncer-
tain as to how long it would take but 
also to keep their workers attached to 
employment. We know how devastating 
it is to a family and to an individual 
when they get disconnected from em-
ployment, and, by and large, we believe 
the program has been incredibly suc-
cessful. But it has room for improve-
ment, and we have learned from those 
things along the way with some of the 
different changes that were made in 
providing more flexibility and the like. 
This new program comes at a timely 
moment because we are now beginning 
to see that as the PPP funds are being 
exhausted, some companies are having 
to face, once again, the potential of 
having to lay off some of their workers. 
That is why it is time for a second 
round of PPP assistance. 
A lot of the provisions will be very 
familiar. You have heard them al-
ready—the 21⁄2 percent payroll and so 
forth—but some are new because we 
really wanted this to be more targeted. 
That is why there is the 300-employee- 
or-less standard, and you have to have 
50 percent or more of revenue reduc-
tion. 
We also understand that some com-
munities have been harder hit, for a va-
riety of different reasons, and espe-
cially the sort of microbusinesses—the 
smaller ones. Some of these funds will 
be set aside for employers that have 10 
employees or less, to make sure that 
the money doesn’t run out without 
that group of small businesses getting 
the assistance they need. 
In addition, we know that minority 
and underserved small businesses have 
been disproportionately impacted by 
the lockdowns that we have seen. Many 
of them, obviously, often lack signifi-
cant cash reserves. They historically 
face challenges being able to get tradi-
tional means of capital. So, as part of 
this proposal, separate from PPP and 
in addition to it, we are proposing an 
additional type of loan that would be 
longer term, more targeted, and at low 
interest, designated for small busi-
nesses that are either seasonal employ-
ers or located in low-income commu-
nities and have 500 or fewer employees. 
It provides them flexible long-term 
working capital to help ensure that 
these most vulnerable and underserved 
small businesses don’t go out of busi-
ness because of the pandemic but al-
lows them to borrow up to two times 
their annual revenues on a 20-year loan 
term at 1 percent interest. 
Again, don’t confuse that with PPP. 
This is a separate target product to try 
to help those who are in low-income 
neighborhoods, as defined by their cen-
sus track. So, consider, for example, a 
small business with $400,000. A 5-year 
loan at 71⁄2 percent interest rate, that 
today would be equal to $8,000 monthly 
payments. But if they are able to refi-
nance that existing loan at 1 percent, 
the payments fall to $1,840. So it is an 
additional amount of assistance. 
The bottom line is that we all recog-
nize the importance of small business. 
We should all recognize that this is not 
a bailout. These are viable businesses, 
and the only reason they are struggling 
is because the government has stepped 
in—like it does, for example, in emi-
nent domain—and said: For the public 
good, it is important for us to infringe 
upon your right to make money and 
conduct business. 
I think when government does that 
in the public good, just like in eminent 
domain, the government also has an 
obligation to step forward and help 
these companies from going out of 
business. Otherwise, we will lose not 
just the backbone of our economy but 
the millions of jobs that come with it, 
and the impact would be catastrophic. 
I yield the floor. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
ator from Utah. 
(The remarks of Mr. ROMNEY
per-
taining to the introduction of S. 4323 
are printed in today’s RECORD under 
‘‘Statements on Introduced Bills and 
Joint Resolutions.’’) 
Mr. ROMNEY. I yield the floor. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
ator from Alabama. 
Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, today I 
introduced legislation that provides 
$306 billion in additional resources to 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
S4497 
July 27, 2020 
fight the coronavirus and to mitigate 
its 
impact 
on 
American 
families, 
schools, and businesses. I want to brief-
ly highlight some of the main provi-
sions. They have probably been talked 
about already this afternoon. 
First, $6 billion goes for States to 
ramp up testing, with a particular em-
phasis on schools, employers, childcare 
facilities, and nursing homes. 
Second, $26 billion goes for the devel-
opment and distribution of vaccines, 
therapeutics, and diagnostics. We have 
made meaningful progress on each of 
these fronts, but we haven’t gotten 
there yet, as we all know. 
Third, there is $105 billion for the 
Education Stabilization Fund to help 
schools adapt to the circumstances 
they face, which are extraordinary. 
The CDC has emphasized the impor-
tance of getting kids back into school 
and has issued guidelines on how to do 
so safely. That is why this legislation 
provides additional funding for K–12 
schools to get kids back into the class-
room at least 50 percent of the time, 
which would be a big start. We recog-
nize they will incur additional expense 
if they reopen safely, and we have to 
try to provide for that. 
The fourth point I want to highlight 
briefly here is $20 billion in additional 
assistance for our Nation’s farmers and 
our ranchers. 
The fifth and final point: nearly $30 
billion to bolster the U.S. defense in-
dustrial base, which is important to all 
of us. We must never take our eyes off 
the ball there. These resources will pre-
vent furloughs of thousands of employ-
ees from across the country who help 
Americans stay safe. 
I can go on and on, but time is mov-
ing on here this afternoon. We realize 
this is just the first step. We have to 
work together. We have to work in a 
bipartisan fashion here and put Amer-
ica first. 
We know the House has some high 
numbers. We have good numbers, I be-
lieve. I look forward to some bipartisan 
help on this and moving these bills 
along. 
I yield the floor. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
ator from Tennessee. 
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I 
thank Senator WYDEN for his courtesy 
in allowing me to go next. I will be suc-
cinct. 
The way to get back to work and 
back to school is to put politics aside 
and work together, as we have been 
doing, on the COVID–19 response and 
see whether we can get a result for the 
American people in the next couple of 
weeks. 
The part of the Safely Back to Work 
and Back to School Act that I am in-
troducing today does four things. 
First, if you are one of 43 million 
Americans with a student loan, it helps 
you manage your debt. This is the way 
it does it: If you have no income, you 
have no monthly payment. If you re-
member, in March, we said to the 43 
million Americans with student debt: 
You can defer your payment until Oc-
tober 1. Well, that is just around the 
corner. What we would propose is, you 
don’t have to pay it after October 1 if 
you have no income. If you do have in-
come, your monthly payment will 
never be more than 10 percent of your 
income after deducting the necessities 
of life, such as rent, mortgage, or food. 
No. 2, if you are a parent, this bill 
gives your child more choices of 
schools, provides scholarships so that 
your child can return to the private 
school he or she attended before the 
pandemic, and gives other students a 
new opportunity to attend private 
school. Senator TIM SCOTT introduced 
that legislation earlier. I am a cospon-
sor. 
No. 3, if you are a working mom or 
dad, it helps you find childcare so you 
can go back to work. A lot of our 
childcare centers operate on a very 
thin margin. They have reduced rev-
enue because they don’t have as many 
clients these days. Senator BLUNT’s bill 
and Senator SHELBY’s appropriations 
bill will provide money so that they 
can stay open and provide safe environ-
ments to two-thirds of the children in 
the United States under age 6 who have 
parents in the workforce. 
Finally, our bill—the part I am intro-
ducing—improves the Strategic Na-
tional Stockpile so that we can main-
tain 
adequate 
supplies 
of 
masks, 
gloves, protective equipment, as well 
as onshore manufacturing capacity for 
tests, treatments, and vaccines that we 
are building now. We want to make 
sure that it doesn’t go away and we 
have to rely on other countries in 
other parts of the world. 
This legislation is about children, 
jobs, and healthcare. 
As far as schools go, there are 100,000 
public 
schools 
and 
35,000 
private 
schools in our country. There are about 
5 million students in the private 
schools and 50 million in the public 
schools. Every one of those children is 
a treasure. I have worked with Senator 
BLUNT
to help the country’s 135,000 
schools and 6,000 colleges have the 
money they need to open with as many 
students physically present as is con-
sistent with safety. 
The Safely Back to Work and Back 
to School Act poses making $70 billion 
available for schools; another $30 bil-
lion for colleges. That means roughly 
$1,200 per student for public and private 
schools across the country. One-third 
of the money would be distributed 
automatically to all 135,000 schools. 
That is probably about $400 a student— 
a significant amount of money. Two- 
thirds of the money would go to 
schools that are opening with students 
physically present to help pay for the 
extra costs of providing that instruc-
tion in a safe environment. If they are 
trying to open with students physically 
present, it makes logical sense to say 
that if they have to have more buses, if 
they have to hire more teachers, if 
they have to have more protective 
equipment, then those schools need 
more help paying for that. 
There will be more funding, as Sen-
ator SHELBY mentioned, to help con-
tain this sneaky, dangerous virus and 
give Americans more opportunity for 
access to healthcare. There is more 
funding in this overall legislation for 
testing, for the National Institutes of 
Health, community health centers, the 
distribution of vaccines, and to extend 
the expansion of teleservice activities 
that has happened during the pan-
demic. 
This legislation reflects our Nation’s 
priorities, which are safely back to 
school, safely back to childcare, and 
safely back to work. 
I yield the floor. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
ator from Oregon. 
UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT 
Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I ask 
unanimous consent that following the 
remarks of my Republican colleagues, 
Senators BROWN, MURPHY, and I be per-
mitted to speak for up to 7 minutes 
each and that the previously scheduled 
votes occur following the remarks of 
those listed. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there 
objection? 
Without objection, it is so ordered. 
The Senator from South Carolina. 
Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, it is 
my pleasure to introduce the Restoring 
Critical Supply Chains and Intellectual 
Property Act. 
China looms large in this debate 
about the coronavirus. That is where 
the virus originated. The lying and de-
ceptive behavior of the Chinese Com-
munist Party has brought this pan-
demic to the world. It is the third pan-
demic to come out of China. I think it 
is now time for us to get serious about 
our dependency on China. 
What does this legislation do? It has 
four components. 
The protective equipment that our 
nurses and doctors and all healthcare 
workers use to protect themselves on 
the frontlines—90 percent of it is made 
in China. We are going to try to bring 
it back home. We have a ‘‘Buy Amer-
ican’’ requirement in this bill—a $7.5 
billion tax credit to reenergize Amer-
ican production of PPE equipment. 
We are trying to get PPE under the 
Berry amendment of the Defense bill. 
We require our uniforms for our mili-
tary to be made in America to the ex-
tent possible. We are going to try to 
create PPE in the same category as a 
national security item. 
There will be a $7.5 billion tax credit 
to jump-start this industry. A lot of 
good jobs will come from this, and we 
will be less dependent on China when it 
comes to protective equipment. 
I will discuss Senator PORTMAN’s leg-
islation, Safeguarding American Inno-
vation Act, which is included, Senator 
CORNYN’s CHIPS for America Act, and 
Senator MURKOWSKI’s American Min-
eral Security Act very quickly. 
Senator CORNYN’s CHIPS for America 
Act creates tax incentives to return 
and grow a domestic semiconductor in-
dustry. A Taiwanese firm made a big 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
S4498 
July 27, 2020 
decision to come to America—I think 
in Texas—a Taiwanese semiconductors 
company. We are trying to incentivize 
their relocation into the United States 
and jump-start a semiconductor indus-
try that has left the country. It is very 
important for the future of our econ-
omy. 
Senator 
PORTMAN’s 
Safeguarding 
American Innovation Act creates a 
Federal research council and institutes 
penalties for bad actors who come to 
the United States or are here to steal 
important 
intellectual 
property. 
I 
think we all know who we are talking 
about here. China leads the pack there, 
and you saw what happened in Hous-
ton. 
Senator MURKOWSKI’s American Min-
eral Security Act promotes secure and 
robust domestic supply chains of crit-
ical minerals by streamlining the per-
mitting process for extraction and em-
phasizing R&D into critical mineral re-
cycling and development. 
These four things together will pro-
tect our supply chain. It will bring it 
back to the country at a time when we 
need to have more say about our des-
tiny. The pandemic has been a wake-up 
call all over the board. There is noth-
ing more important to me than relo-
cating the medical supply chain and 
protecting the innovation that we are 
known for as a country. 
With that, I yield. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
ator from Oregon. 
Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, Senate 
Republicans and the White House have 
finally come forward with an unem-
ployment insurance proposal. The Re-
publican proposal is not just mis-
guided; the Republican proposal is a 
punch in the gut and a slap in the face 
for the 30 million Americans relying on 
lifeline unemployment insurance bene-
fits. It adds insult to infection. 
Unemployment benefits—the ones we 
developed that ensure that people can 
pay the rent or buy groceries—are al-
ready expiring. The last payments 
went out Saturday. Senate Republicans 
and Donald Trump sat on their hands 
for months instead of working with 
Democrats, so now it appears that a 
lapse in benefits is inevitable. 
Republicans apparently have a pro-
posal that is just unworkable. You 
don’t have to take my word for it; the 
nonpartisan experts who run the State 
workforce agencies have told the Fi-
nance Committee that any changes, 
even simple ones, can take months to 
implement. Now Republicans are talk-
ing about cutting those lifeline bene-
fits—the ones that actually made it 
possible for folks to make rent and buy 
groceries and cover the cost of medi-
cine and car insurance. They are talk-
ing about cutting those benefits by 
two-thirds. They want States to make 
complicated changes to the unemploy-
ment insurance program that could 
hold up benefits until 2021. Some 
States are indicating that it is almost 
impossible to manage this altogether. 
The Republican proposal is cruel. In 
my view, it is legislative malpractice. 
For the life of me, I don’t know how 
anyone could possibly look at the state 
of our economy and decide that what is 
needed is even more economic pain for 
30 million Americans. It is especially 
insulting to America’s unemployed 
workers that Republicans want to cut 
their economic lifeline in the same bill 
that is going to give a taxpayer subsidy 
to power lunches for lobbyists. 
My colleagues have been warned that 
State unemployment systems are al-
ready struggling to keep up. Some peo-
ple who were laid off months ago are 
still waiting to receive benefits. I read 
about one today who is following all of 
this from their hospital bed, where 
they are suffering from COVID–19. 
There are news reports about people 
sleeping in their cars just to have a 
shot at being at the head of the line at 
the workforce agency. 
Now Senate Republicans come for-
ward with a proposal that throws even 
more sand in the gears. They have been 
warned that this kind of proposal will 
be a disaster to implement. I know be-
cause I was in the Senate Finance 
room when they were told about it. 
My colleagues on the other side also 
are arguing that the biggest problem in 
America now is that there are all these 
lazy workers sitting at home collecting 
unemployment checks instead of going 
back to their jobs. There is no evi-
dence—not a shred—that this is hap-
pening in large numbers around the 
country. Come to me with one single 
story about somebody turning down 
work, and I will tell you about a dozen 
out-of-work Oregonians I have spoken 
to, folks who cannot wait—cannot 
wait—to get back to work, Oregonians 
and Americans who believe in the dig-
nity of work. 
There was a nationwide townhall 
meeting on Thursday last, with people 
who were unemployed, and people who 
were unemployed volunteered that, if 
they were told in the evening that they 
could work the next day, they would be 
there at the crack of dawn. It is insult-
ing to American workers to suggest 
they are a bunch of lazy freeloaders 
looking for a handout, but we have 
been hearing that time and again from 
those on the other side of the aisle who 
were simply unwilling to write any 
proposal at all. 
I believe the Republican proposal is 
also a prescription for disaster for our 
economy. Supercharged unemployment 
benefits 
may 
be 
the 
single 
most 
impactful 
program 
that 
Congress 
passed in response to the pandemic. 
What does it mean to cut it? The Re-
publican plan cuts unemployment ben-
efits by more than $10 billion per week. 
That opens up a terrible economic 
wound. It will be a huge setback right 
when the recovery seems to be stalling, 
even going in reverse. 
One new analysis says cutting bene-
fits down to $200 per week is going to 
lead to a loss of 3.4 million jobs. And 
Senate Republicans want Americans to 
believe that it is unemployed workers 
holding back the economy. 
I will close by saying it is long past 
time for my Republican colleagues to 
get serious about working with Demo-
crats on a proposal that has a pathway 
to actually becoming law and to help-
ing 
people. 
This 
Republican 
plan 
doesn’t do that. 
Just as I said on Thursday, we have 
been ready for months. The other body, 
the House of Representatives, passed a 
bill 2 months ago ensuring that Ameri-
cans have those funds to make rent, 
pay groceries, and pay for essentials. 
Leader SCHUMER and I introduced our 
plan: the American Workforce Rescue 
Act. 
So we were all set over here to go to 
work with Republicans before the ma-
jority leader sent everybody home on a 
2-week recess, when we thought it was 
important to be here and to work on 
these crucial economic issues I have 
mentioned. 
Benefits have lapsed. Tens of mil-
lions of Americans now walk an eco-
nomic tightrope every single week, bal-
ancing the rent bill against the food 
bill, the food bill against healthcare 
costs. 
There is no time to waste. Senate Re-
publicans need to work with us now on 
a proposal that ensures that Americans 
do not face yet another economic hit, 
as I mentioned, with some of them ac-
tually sitting in hospitals suffering 
from COVID–19 and wondering how 
they are going to pay the bills. 
I yield the floor. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
ator from Ohio. 
Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, Senator 
WYDEN is so right here. He fought back 
in March for $600 a week for unem-
ployed workers, which kept our econ-
omy going, which kept us from going 
into a worse recession, which made all 
the difference in the world for all these 
workers. 
Think about this. If we were to adopt 
their proposal—I think they have a 
proposal. We haven’t really seen very 
much yet. 
As Senator WYDEN said, the House 
passed a bill back in May. It has been 
May, June, and almost all of July. We 
have waited and waited and waited. 
Unemployed workers know that their 
unemployment expires at the end of 
July, yet Senator MCCONNELL sent us 
home, as Senator WYDEN said. They 
wait. We wait. We wait. Then they 
come up with this half-baked proposal 
that they don’t even know what it is 
exactly. 
But we do know one thing. We do 
know that workers who were laid off 
through no fault of their own, they 
want to work. Most Americans want to 
work. Those workers, their unemploy-
ment is cut from $600 to $200 a week. So 
we are essentially taking $400 from 
millions of workers in Connecticut and 
Pennsylvania, 
West 
Virginia, 
New 
York, Oregon, Ohio, Arkansas, and 
Utah. We are taking $400 a week from 
these workers at the same time that 
the moratorium on eviction expires, at 
the same time that eviction courts in 
the States open up. 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
S4499 
July 27, 2020 
In Columbus, OH—my State’s largest 
city—they are holding eviction courts 
in an arena because there are so many 
people who will be evicted if their un-
employment expires. In the middle of a 
pandemic, we are going to evict people, 
and they are going to go to over-
crowded homeless shelters; they are 
going to go to sleep in their cousins’ 
basements—in the middle of a pan-
demic. What is that going to do? 
I know the President just doesn’t 
think much about the pandemic. He 
has moved on to accusing who knows 
what, calling names, dividing and all 
that, and isn’t paying much attention 
to this pandemic. But, in the middle of 
a pandemic, to cut unemployment is 
just unbelievable. 
We know that, in their plan, there is 
a major cut in unemployment benefits; 
there is no rental assistance that will 
help people pay their rent; there is no 
expansion of the eviction moratorium. 
There is nothing. 
Senator MCCONNELL has had months 
to 
extend 
expanded 
unemployment 
benefits. He has had months to figure 
out what we are going to do on evic-
tions. Yet nothing. I don’t know, when 
I look down that hall—I don’t really 
know—I see lobbyists running out of 
there, asking Senator MCCONNELL to 
get what they get, and they do very 
well every time, apparently. 
Americans want to go back to work. 
People want to go to work, but they 
want to go back to work when it is 
safe. I want our schools to open, but I 
want our schools to open safely. 
President Trump, months into this 
pandemic, still has no plans to protect 
workers. There is one reason people are 
still out of work: President Trump’s 
failure to get this pandemic under con-
trol. 
Now, as they suggest we drop unem-
ployment from $600 to $200—it is not 
alarmist—people can lose their homes. 
A wave of evictions in the middle of 
this pandemic will set back millions of 
families. 
I know it is not something that Sen-
ators do very often, but try to put 
yourself in the shoes of someone who is 
laid off in Akron, OH, or in Eugene, 
OR, or in Hartford, CT. Someone is laid 
off. They get that $600. They can stay 
in their apartments—barely, but they 
can. 
They are paying attention—sort of— 
to what we do here. They do know that 
their unemployment expires at the end 
of July. Then they hear of no plan. 
The Democrats have said: Let’s ex-
tend the unemployment. Let’s do pro-
tections. Let’s do emergency rental as-
sistance. Let’s help our schools. Let’s 
help our local governments. Let’s make 
sure people have enough food on their 
tables. 
They hear nothing from the majority 
party, and people are now beginning to 
understand that maybe the Senate is 
not going to do its job, maybe the 
President really doesn’t care about 
these unemployment benefits. 
Think about the anxiety a family 
faces, the uncertainty of: Is my unem-
ployment going to be there? Am I 
going to be able to stay in my apart-
ment? What am I going to do? How am 
I going to feed my kids? What is going 
to happen with schools? We don’t know 
if they are going to be protected, if my 
kids are going to be safe at school. 
Essentially, 
the 
Trump-McConnell 
plan tells people: You are on your own. 
It is time that we, as a body—it is 
time that the Republicans work with 
Speaker PELOSI, work with us, that the 
President pays attention for a moment, 
and we actually take care of people in 
their homes; we take care of workers; 
we take care of people in our schools— 
instead of turning our backs. 
It is time to help families stay in 
their homes. It is time to get people 
the help they need through this pan-
demic. It is time that this body lead 
when the President has failed. 
Their plans don’t come close to being 
enough. 
I yield the floor. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
ator from Connecticut. 
Mr. MURPHY. Mr. President, when 
people talk about this body being fun-
damentally broken under Republican 
leadership, this is exhibit A. This is ex-
hibit A. 
This body has had 2 months to con-
sider legislation that would stand up a 
national effort to squash this pandemic 
once and for all and to make sure that 
people don’t die, don’t go hungry, don’t 
get pushed out into the street at a mo-
ment when unemployment is higher 
than at any time in this country’s his-
tory since the Great Depression. 
We didn’t consider any legislation for 
all of the last work period. We went on 
recess for 2 weeks. Now we are 3 days 
before unemployment benefits expire— 
the additional unemployment bene-
fits—and we are now getting the intro-
duction of what appears to be a dozen 
different pieces of legislation from Sen-
ate Republicans tonight. 
We still don’t have the details, but it 
looks as though there is not one bill 
being introduced but that there are 
about 13 bills being introduced. We 
don’t have enough time before the expi-
ration of unemployment benefits to ne-
gotiate 1 bill—1 bill—never mind 7 or 
10. 
We wasted months of time when 
Democrats 
and 
Republicans 
should 
have been talking together. Instead, 
Senate 
Republicans 
were 
talking 
amongst themselves and have now 
waited until the zero hour to come out 
with a piece of legislation which calls 
for a $400-per-week cut in unemploy-
ment benefits for people who are out of 
work. 
That is the economic stimulus plan: 
a $400-per-week cut for families in this 
country who have been relying on un-
employment benefits because the econ-
omy is not coming back. 
But I come to this floor tonight to 
tell you why the economy is not com-
ing back. It is not because we haven’t 
appropriated enough money. It is be-
cause we are losing the fight against 
the virus. In 15 days, this country has 
gone from 3 million cases to 4 million 
cases, and there is not enough funding 
in these proposals that were just out-
lined in order to help States beat the 
virus. 
We are, once again, experiencing a 
PPE shortage in this Nation. Doctors 
at Memorial City Medical Center in 
Houston are using single-use N95 res-
pirator masks for 15 days before throw-
ing them out. 
Schools are, right now, planning to 
spend $25 billion in order to buy masks 
and cleaning supplies that are esca-
lating in cost. 
There is nowhere close to enough 
money in this legislation to help 
schools get ready. There is nothing in 
this 
bill 
that 
requires 
the 
operationalization of the Defense Pro-
duction Act to make sure that we are 
producing enough PPE in this country. 
There are still States in this Nation 
that are refusing to open up the health 
insurance systems so more people can 
get access to health insurance. There is 
nothing in these proposals to require 
open enrollment periods in States, to 
make sure that everyone who is con-
tracting this virus has the chance to 
get health insurance. 
The reality is that the States are the 
ones on the frontlines, standing up 
these responses. My State has done 
pretty well, but we are going bankrupt 
in the process. From what I can tell, 
listening to these speeches tonight, 
there is nothing significant in this 
package of bills to help States like 
mine stand up responses. 
So I grieve for families who are going 
to listen to the news tonight and hear 
that Senate Republicans’ stimulus plan 
is to cut their unemployment benefits 
by $400 per week. I also grieve for this 
Nation, knowing that nothing in these 
proposals is significant enough to allow 
States and hospitals and healthcare 
systems to turn around this damaging 
trajectory on the virus, to produce 
enough PPE necessary to do the job, 
and to fix the dangerously broken test-
ing system in this country. 
I plead for my Republican colleagues 
to finally come to the table with 
Democrats in the House and the Senate 
so we can craft something together 
that does the job for families and does 
the job to fix this very, very broken 
healthcare system amidst an advancing 
pandemic. 
VOTE ON HARDY NOMINATION 
The 
PRESIDING 
OFFICER. 
The 
question is, Will the Senate advise and 
consent to the Hardy nomination? 
Mr. ROMNEY. I ask for the yeas and 
nays. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a 
sufficient second? 
There appears to be a sufficient sec-
ond. 
The clerk will call the roll. 
The legislative clerk called the roll. 
Mr. THUNE. The following Senators 
are necessarily absent: the Senator 
from Nebraska (Mr. SASSE) and the 
Senator from North Carolina (Mr. 
TILLIS). 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
S4500 
July 27, 2020 
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the 
Senator from Vermont (Mr. LEAHY), 
the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. 
MARKEY), 
and 
the 
Senator 
from 
Vermont (Mr. SANDERS) are necessarily 
absent. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there 
any other Senators in the Chamber de-
siring to vote? 
The result was announced—yeas 65, 
nays 30, as follows: 
[Rollcall Vote No. 142 Ex.] 
YEAS—65 
Alexander 
Baldwin 
Barrasso 
Blackburn 
Blunt 
Boozman 
Braun 
Burr 
Capito 
Carper 
Casey 
Cassidy 
Collins 
Cornyn 
Cotton 
Cramer 
Crapo 
Cruz 
Daines 
Enzi 
Ernst 
Feinstein 
Fischer 
Gardner 
Graham 
Grassley 
Hassan 
Hawley 
Hoeven 
Hyde-Smith 
Inhofe 
Johnson 
Jones 
Kaine 
Kennedy 
King 
Lankford 
Lee 
Loeffler 
Manchin 
McConnell 
McSally 
Moran 
Murkowski 
Murphy 
Paul 
Perdue 
Portman 
Risch 
Roberts 
Romney 
Rounds 
Rubio 
Scott (FL) 
Scott (SC) 
Shaheen 
Shelby 
Sinema 
Sullivan 
Tester 
Thune 
Toomey 
Warner 
Wicker 
Young 
NAYS—30 
Bennet 
Blumenthal 
Booker 
Brown 
Cantwell 
Cardin 
Coons 
Cortez Masto 
Duckworth 
Durbin 
Gillibrand 
Harris 
Heinrich 
Hirono 
Klobuchar 
Menendez 
Merkley 
Murray 
Peters 
Reed 
Rosen 
Schatz 
Schumer 
Smith 
Stabenow 
Udall 
Van Hollen 
Warren 
Whitehouse 
Wyden 
NOT VOTING—5 
Leahy 
Markey 
Sanders 
Sasse 
Tillis 
The nomination was confirmed. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. SUL-
LIVAN). The Senator from Alabama. 
Mr. JONES. Mr. President, I ask 
unanimous consent that the motion to 
reconsider be considered made and laid 
upon the table and that the President 
be immediately notified of the Senate’s 
action. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 
objection, it is so ordered. 
REMEMBERING JOHN LEWIS 
Mr. JONES. Mr. President, today 
marks the third day after a pretty 
emotional weekend for the folks of 
Alabama, for the folks of America. 
Earlier this afternoon, we had a cere-
mony in the Capitol Rotunda to pay 
our respects to the late John Robert 
Lewis, a true American hero. 
A native of Alabama, John grew up 
in the cotton fields of Pike County, 
AL, in Troy, to become one of the most 
influential Members of Congress and, 
perhaps, one of the most influential 
Americans this country has ever seen. 
He was a remarkable human being 
whose life and work are examples to us 
all. It is now up to us to carry on, to 
make ‘‘good trouble,’’ to fulfill the 
dream, the promise of a more equal and 
just nation. 
As a son of Troy, AL, John Lewis 
loved our country with all his heart, 
and he set out to make it a stronger, 
more democratic, more equal, more 
just nation for every person. 
To persevere toward that end in the 
face of the hate and violence he so 
often faced is a testament to the 
strength of both the character and the 
heart of John Lewis. 
John was a dear friend to my wife 
Louise and me, and we are both pro-
foundly grateful to have had him in our 
lives. 
John’s long life represented an un-
broken thread from a very painful past 
to a more hopeful future. He gave us all 
reason to hope. More importantly, he 
gave us the courage to pursue the 
bright future we all want for ourselves 
and for our children and for our grand-
children. 
You know, it struck me earlier 
today, as we had one of the most emo-
tional things that I have been a part of 
with John in the Capitol Rotunda: I 
was 
in 
Selma, 
AL, 
on 
Saturday 
evening—my last trip with John; I 
have had many—at Brown AME Chap-
el, historic Brown Chapel, for a service. 
Martin Luther King III was there. Con-
gresswoman TERRI SEWELL, a daughter 
of Selma, was there. So many of the 
foot soldiers who marched with John 
were there. I was struck by his passion, 
by his courage, and I thought to my-
self: What can I say that has not al-
ready been said about John Lewis? The 
words just escaped me. 
The following day, we were in Mont-
gomery. John took one last journey 
across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 
Selma, AL. This time, on the other side 
of that bridge, he was met again by 
State troopers from the State of Ala-
bama, but instead of tear gas and billy 
clubs, he was met with salutes as peo-
ple lined the streets, shouting: We have 
got this John. We will carry on. 
Then he went to Montgomery along 
the same path that they marched in 
1965 to make sure that Americans 
could vote, and vote easily, without 
paying a poll tax, without having to 
count jelly beans or guess at the num-
ber of jelly beans in a jar or take an-
other kind of test. 
John marched, and he walked all the 
way from Selma to Montgomery. In 
Montgomery yesterday afternoon, his 
body was placed in the capital of the 
State of Alabama, Montgomery, which 
was the birthplace of the Confederacy, 
the capital of the Confederacy. He had 
to ride past all of those monuments 
that are along the way—and the 
names. 
But on that sunny afternoon, John 
Lewis was brought into the Capitol Ro-
tunda for the State of Alabama—the 
first African American to lie in state in 
the State of Alabama at the capitol. 
Ironically, the last person to lie in 
state at the Alabama capitol was 
George Wallace. What an interesting 
bookend for John’s life—that unbroken 
thread—from a Governor who declared 
‘‘segregation now, segregation tomor-
row, and segregation forever,’’ who in-
stilled lawlessness, all the way to John 
Lewis, who instilled hope and love. 
John Lewis was 25 years old when he 
led a peaceful march across the Ed-
mund Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL. It 
was in 1965. As he got to the other side 
and was met by Alabama State troop-
ers, he had his skull fractured. He was 
called lawless. They all were. That day 
is now forever known as Bloody Sun-
day. 
You know, change doesn’t wait for us 
to become settled and comfortable, and 
even if we are both of those things, it 
just doesn’t allow us to look the other 
way when justice is on the line. If there 
is one lesson from John Lewis’s exem-
plary life—one from so many—that we 
should heed today, it is that we should 
look to the youngest Americans to 
make good on America’s promise and 
show the rest of us how to fight to 
eradicate injustice. 
When George Floyd took his last 
breath, it was young men and women— 
White, Black, and Brown—who rose up 
and said enough is enough, just like 
1965, following the death of Jimmie Lee 
Jackson, when John Lewis and others 
rose up and said enough is enough; just 
as John did as a 21-year-old Freedom 
Rider, risking his life, traveling by bus 
throughout the South. The ride or 
march—that 
journey 
for 
freedom— 
never ended for him, and it can’t end 
for any of us until we make it right. 
Although John truly believed that 
the moral arc of the universe bends to-
ward justice, he knew that it does not 
bend on its own. John certainly did his 
part to bend that moral arc, but as sig-
nificant as his individual efforts were, 
it was his enlistment of others to join 
him that is going to leave his lasting 
legacy. 
We are all here today in some meas-
ure, in some way, because we joined his 
fight for justice. No matter what side 
of the political aisle you are on, no 
matter where you come from, no mat-
ter what your background, we are all 
here today, in part, because of John 
Lewis, to join a fight for justice. We 
join because it is the right thing to do, 
but also because John showed us the 
way. He showed us the way by his cour-
age, by his determination, and, more 
importantly, by his love. 
John Lewis lived to see the genera-
tion that I believe will lead this Nation 
to our ideals and to fulfill a promise to 
all. Like him, this younger generation 
is protesting peacefully, nonviolently. 
They love this Nation. They love this 
Nation as much as John, and they want 
this Nation to fulfill its obligation of 
equality and justice. 
Some have painted them as lawless 
thugs. They would be wrong. They, too, 
like John, are patriots who want Amer-
ica to move forward to a nation of 
equals—that long dream of a nation of 
equals—and move forward together as 
a nation, together as one. 
In Alabama we saw firsthand the di-
visions that John sought to heal and 
the violence that rose up in opposition 
to his peaceful efforts to make right so 
many wrongs. He loved this country so, 
so much. May his love and his moral 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
S4501 
July 27, 2020 
courage ripple from this place in Wash-
ington, DC, the floor of the Senate, the 
floor of the House of Representatives, 
from 
Selma 
and 
Birmingham 
and 
Montgomery, Portland and Seattle, 
Minneapolis, Washington—everywhere. 
Let the love and moral courage rip 
through the hearts of young Ameri-
cans—White, Black, and Brown—to 
reach beyond the current chaos and di-
vision, just as John did, and lead us to 
come together as a community to end 
injustice and inequality. 
It is the young among us in Alabama 
and across this Nation who can heal 
what we have failed to heal in our life-
times, no matter how hard John Lewis 
tried. 
I truly believe that with the events 
of the last few weeks, as John saw the 
thousands of new recruits for his quest 
to bend the moral arc of the universe 
toward justice, he confidently looked 
around and said: All is well. It is time 
for the torch to be passed. It is time for 
me to go. 
But it is not just the young in this 
country. As Members of Congress, we 
also have an obligation to act, to bend 
that moral arc toward justice, just as 
John did his entire life. 
As we begin to grapple with a world 
without him, we must face the chal-
lenges of the moment with the same 
grit and perseverance he embodied. We 
are charged—we in this body are 
charged with continuing the fight for 
justice and equality that in his life’s 
work meant so much. 
John was called ‘‘the conscience of 
Congress.’’ May the conscience of all in 
Congress—all of us, each of us, the Sen-
ate, the House—be awakened by his 
passing to finish John’s efforts to re-
store integrity to the Voting Rights 
Act. 
Later, after the reception today, the 
memorial service, the House of Rep-
resentatives voted unanimously, by 
unanimous consent, to change the 
name of H.R. 4 to the John R. Lewis 
Voting Rights Act of 2020. 
We can talk about naming roads, and 
we can talk about renaming bridges, 
but if there is one thing that John 
Lewis would ask us to do, it is to pass 
the Voting Rights Act of 2020; restore 
the Voting Rights Act to where it is 
supposed to have been. It is a good bill 
that passed the House of Representa-
tives, but it has languished over here 
in the bowels of an office somewhere. 
As we approach the election in 2020, we 
need to send that message that every 
vote in this country can count. Every 
person who is eligible should be able to 
vote and not only cast the ballot but 
cast it with ease, cast it at a time 
when it is convenient with them, cast 
it by mail in the privacy of their home 
if possible, but cast a ballot to raise 
the level of participation. That is what 
John Lewis stood for. That is what 
John Lewis meant. That is what we 
need to do for John Lewis. 
In the program here, I was so pleased 
that this program reprinted a painting 
of John Lewis that is housed in the Bir-
mingham Civil Rights Institute. Below 
it is a quote from John: ‘‘When you see 
something that is not right, not fair, 
not just, you have to [stand up], speak 
up.’’ Speak out and find a way to ‘‘get 
in good trouble, necessary trouble.’’ 
I have to tell you, folks—I have been 
here for 21⁄2 years now, and there are 
just not enough people who will stand 
up and speak out when they see things 
that they know are unfair and unjust. 
It is our job, our duty. We owe it not 
just to our constituents but to the peo-
ple of America to stand up, to speak 
out, and to get in the way, to make 
good trouble. 
It is time that we do that with regard 
to the Voting Rights Act. It is time 
that we do that with regard to the po-
lice reforms and law enforcement re-
forms that are out there as well that 
we know need to exist. So let’s do it, 
folks. Let’s remember John for who he 
was and know more because he was 
that kind of icon. He was that Amer-
ican hero who will last—his legacy will 
last for generations. 
Let’s remember the charge that John 
gave us in the final passage of his auto-
biography, where he quoted the old Af-
rican proverb ‘‘When you pray, move 
your feet.’’ 
John gave us the charge: 
As a nation, if we care for the Beloved 
Community, we must move our feet, our 
hands, our resources to build and not tear 
down, to reconcile and not to divide, to love 
and not to hate, to heal and not to kill. In 
the final analysis, we are one people, one 
family, one house—the American house, the 
American family. 
We must carry John with us every 
step of the way every day and finish his 
life’s work—patriots for equality and 
an America that lives a reality closer 
to its ideals. 
Rest in peace, our old friend John 
Robert Lewis. We have many bridges to 
cross, but we got this. 
I yield the floor. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
ator from Delaware. 
Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I rise to 
pay tribute to my colleague, my friend, 
to our American hero who lies in state 
just now in the Rotunda of this Cap-
itol, Congressman John Lewis of At-
lanta, GA. 
Born in Troy, AL, the arc of his life 
is known to us all. He gave himself 
completely to the fight for the dignity 
of every American and every human 
being. I wanted to take a few minutes 
today, if I could, and just reflect a lit-
tle bit on what made John so special 
and so different. 
There are many in this Chamber in 
the Senate and in the House of Rep-
resentatives who have fought for equal-
ity and justice. There are many who 
have marched or who have sacrificed, 
who have fought or who have led in 
many causes over many years, but 
John was both fierce in his passion for 
equality and humble in his spirit, 
gentle and kind. 
One of the great blessings of my dec-
ade here has been to get to travel with 
a group called the Faith & Politics In-
stitute on an annual congressional 
civil rights pilgrimage. Many Members 
of the House and Senate have done so. 
Through five different trips I got to 
travel with John—to Selma and Bir-
mingham, 
to 
Memphis 
and 
Mont-
gomery, to Charleston and Cape Town, 
to South Carolina and South Africa, to 
Alabama and to Delaware—I most 
treasure the memory of hosting John 
in Delaware in 2015 when he came and 
spoke to a whole school full of eager el-
ementary school kids. He spoke to a 
whole auditorium full of young com-
munity leaders and then held a town-
hall for a discussion about equality and 
equity and civil rights. 
John dedicated his life to fighting for 
others and principally fighting for vot-
ing rights. When John, in his child-
hood, was confronted with the ugly re-
ality of Jim Crow and the legal seg-
regation of apartheid in the United 
States, he couldn’t follow the advice he 
was given by family and friends to 
‘‘stay out of trouble. Don’t get in the 
way.’’ He lived his life by the credo: If 
you see something wrong, act like it. 
He was dedicated to getting ‘‘into good 
trouble,’’ into ‘‘necessary trouble,’’ and 
into doing the hard work of redeeming 
the soul of America. 
Long before America came to believe 
in John Lewis, he believed in the prom-
ise of America. That he today lies in 
state on the catafalque that also held 
the remains of the slain President 
Abraham Lincoln; that he, this week, 
will lie in state in the State capital of 
Alabama; and that he will be honored 
by millions nationwide and worldwide 
is just a reminder that he was on the 
right side of history all along. He was 
arrested more than 40 times in the 
course of his activism for civil rights, 
and he proved that courage, as has 
been often said, is not the absence of 
fear but the triumph over it. 
With many others, I had the blessing 
of being at the Edmund Pettus Bridge 
with John on several reenactments of 
that memorable Bloody Sunday march 
and was with him at Brown Chapel 
AME Church for a service of inspira-
tion, gathering before that reenact-
ment of the march. He stopped halfway 
across the bridge and asked each of us 
to just take a moment and pause at the 
bridge, which has a crest to it. He re-
counted how, as they cleared that 
crest, this line—two by two—of peace-
ful protesters, marchers seeking to go 
from Selma to the State capital to 
make their plea for access to that most 
fundamental of rights in our democ-
racy—the ballot box—he could see that 
line of State troopers, of deputies, and 
a ragtag crowd of those who had gath-
ered to do violence to those protesters 
and marchers. He was not gripped with 
fear. He was determined to go ahead 
even though he said he was certain 
that might be his last day. 
You see, John is someone who under-
stood the redemptive power of suf-
fering, someone whom I described as a 
living saint, someone who was willing 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
S4502 
July 27, 2020 
to take onto himself the violence vis-
ited upon millions of others in sus-
taining the brutality and the repres-
sion of racial segregation in our coun-
try. And by taking on and believing in 
and living a philosophy, a theology, an 
activist stance of nonviolence, John 
brought alive the conscience of a na-
tion. 
I will just say that in my own life, 
John was someone who made me be-
lieve in the possibility of forgiveness, 
of redemption, and of healing. If a man 
who had suffered as he did at the hands 
of so many bigots, so many acts of vio-
lence and disrespect, from the lunch 
counter sit-ins, to the freedom riots, to 
that march on Bloody Sunday; if that 
man could be as hopeful, as kind, as 
generous in spirit, and as forgiving as 
he was to all who met him, holding on 
with fierceness to his commitment to 
justice and equality, yet openhearted 
and openhanded to all he met; if that 
man could have walked among us, then 
I am one step closer to believing in the 
possibility of forgiveness for us all. 
I want to express my deepest condo-
lences to his son, John Miles Lewis, 
and his family and to all who knew and 
loved and served with him. It is my 
hope that his legacy will be a blessing, 
a challenge, and an inspiration for 
every American. 
There is now on the floor of this Sen-
ate the Voting Rights Advancement 
Act, renamed for John Lewis. On the 
50th anniversary of the march across 
the Edmund Pettus Bridge, I carried a 
copy of that exact bill of that Con-
gress, named the ‘‘John Lewis Voting 
Rights Restoration Act,’’ and asked a 
number of my colleagues if they would 
join in cosponsoring it. One Republican 
did—a Senator from Alaska—and many 
Democrats. What matters is not the 
party but the purpose. 
I will close by saying that we should 
never give up on John’s pursuit of a 
more fair and equal America. 
Mr. President, I was going to proceed 
to make remarks on another indi-
vidual, but I will gladly yield to the 
majority leader. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma-
jority leader. 
Mr. MCCONNELL. I thank my friend, 
the Senator from Delaware. 
ORDER OF PROCEDURE 
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I 
ask unanimous consent that notwith-
standing the provisions of rule XXII, 
the Senate vote on the motions to in-
voke cloture on the Joseph and Wade 
nominations at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow in 
the order listed; further, that if cloture 
is invoked on the nominations, the 
postcloture time expire at 2:30 p.m. to-
morrow and the Senate vote on con-
firmation of the nominations in that 
order. I further ask unanimous consent 
that, if confirmed, the motions to re-
consider be considered made and laid 
upon the table and the President be im-
mediately notified of the Senate’s ac-
tion; and finally, that the cloture mo-
tions with respect to the Kaplan and 
McFerran nominations ripen following 
the disposition of the Wade nomina-
tion. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there 
objection? 
Without objection, it is so ordered. 
f 
LEGISLATIVE SESSION 
Mr. MCCONNELL. I move to proceed 
to legislative session. 
The 
PRESIDING 
OFFICER. 
The 
question is on agreeing to the motion. 
The motion was agreed to. 
f 
EXECUTIVE SESSION 
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR 
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I 
move to proceed to executive session to 
consider Calendar No. 770. 
The 
PRESIDING 
OFFICER. 
The 
question is on agreeing to the motion. 
The motion was agreed to. 
The 
PRESIDING 
OFFICER. 
The 
clerk will report the nomination. 
The senior assistant legislative clerk 
read the nomination of Derek Kan, of 
California, to be Deputy Director of the 
Office of Management and Budget. 
Thereupon, the Senate proceeded to 
consider the nomination. 
CLOTURE MOTION 
Mr. MCCONNELL. I send a cloture 
motion to the desk. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clo-
ture motion having been presented 
under rule XXII, the Chair directs the 
clerk to read the motion. 
The senior assistant legislative clerk 
read as follows: 
CLOTURE MOTION 
We, the undersigned Senators, in accord-
ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby 
move to bring to a close debate on the nomi-
nation of Derek Kan, of California, to be 
Deputy Director of the Office of Management 
and Budget. 
Mitch McConnell, Chuck Grassley, Joni 
Ernst, John Cornyn, Lindsey Graham, 
John 
Boozman, 
Lamar 
Alexander, 
Cindy Hyde-Smith, Marsha Blackburn, 
Richard Burr, Mike Crapo, Pat Rob-
erts, James E. Risch, Shelley Moore 
Capito, Michael B. Enzi, Mitt Romney, 
John Barrasso. 
Mr. MCCONNELL. I ask unanimous 
consent that the mandatory quorum 
call be waived. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 
objection, it is so ordered. 
f 
LEGISLATIVE SESSION 
MORNING BUSINESS 
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I 
ask unanimous consent that the Sen-
ate proceed to legislative session for a 
period of morning business, with Sen-
ators permitted to speak therein for up 
to 10 minutes each. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 
objection, it is so ordered. 
TRIBUTE TO JACK AND DIANA 
BERGER 
∑Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, today I am 
pleased to recognize Jack and Diana 
Berger, who are being inducted into the 
Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame. 
Every year since 1992, Wyoming has 
recognized individuals who have made 
substantial 
contributions 
to 
agri-
culture in our great State. I am proud 
to say that Jack and Diana Berger 
more than meet these qualifications 
and are well deserving of this honor. 
Natives of Saratoga, WY, Jack and 
Diana Berger remain committed to 
Wyoming’s agriculture industry and 
the Saratoga community. Jack is cur-
rently serving as president of the Wyo-
ming Natural Resource Foundation, 
which is dedicated to conserving Wyo-
ming’s natural resources, heritage, and 
culture. He has been instrumental in 
providing the necessary support to 
fund a variety of water quality initia-
tives and rangeland and wildlife habi-
tat improvement projects. Jack is also 
the past president of the Carbon Coun-
ty Stock Growers. Diana was elected to 
serve on Carbon County School Dis-
trict No. 2 for two terms. In 2018, she 
was appointed by then-Wyoming Gov-
ernor Matt Mead to serve on the Wyo-
ming State Fair Advisory Board and 
elected to serve as chair in 2019. As a 
member of the Wyoming Stock Grow-
ers Environmental Stewardship Com-
mittee, Diana played an intricate role 
in selecting members of the Wyoming 
agricultural community who exhibit 
outstanding stewardship ethics. These 
are just a few of the organizations Jack 
and Diana have dedicated their time 
to. 
Perhaps 
more 
inspirational 
than 
their achievements, however, is the 
Bergers’ commitment to the Saratoga 
community. Jack and Diana have a 
passion for the agriculture industry 
and their fellow producers, and want to 
see these people succeed right along-
side them. They genuinely enjoy ranch-
ing and making a living off of the land. 
The Bergers also firmly believe, like 
myself, that the most effective policy 
decisions are made at the State and 
local level, especially when concerning 
critical industries like agriculture. 
Like most folks in the great State of 
Wyoming, the Bergers know that hard 
work, proper stewardship of the land, 
and a commitment to your neighbor go 
a long way in ensuring a strong agri-
culture 
industry 
and 
happy 
and 
healthy communities. 
Fortunately 
for 
Wyoming, 
the 
Bergers also truly understand the im-
portance of passing their knowledge on 
to the next generation of Wyomingites. 
They continue to share their passion 
for agriculture with their children 
Jace, Aubrey, Kyle, and Kirby. Jack 
and Diana remain active in the Carbon 
County Fair with 4–H and FFA. It is 
truly inspiring to see Wyomingites who 
understand the importance of passing 
their knowledge on to those who come 
next, so they too can have a positive 
impact on Wyoming’s agriculture in-
dustry like Jack and Diana have. 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
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July 27, 2020 
The Bergers’ values, dedication, and 
work ethic exemplify the Wyoming 
way of life. I want to extend my con-
gratulations to them and thank them 
for their service and years of hard 
work. Jack and Diana Berger truly live 
the Cowboy way of life, and I am proud 
to have the opportunity to recognize 
their achievements as inductees into 
the 
Wyoming 
Agriculture 
Hall 
of 
Fame. Wyoming is well served by their 
lasting and continuing contributions to 
our great State.∑ 
f 
TRIBUTE TO BRAD BONER 
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, at 
the 108th Wyoming State Fair, Senator 
ENZI and I will have the pleasure of in-
troducing Brad Boner as one of the 2020 
inductees of the Wyoming Agriculture 
Hall of Fame. He is a man of honesty, 
hard work, and strong leadership. I am 
proud to say Mr. Boner exemplifies the 
ideals of the Wyoming way of life 
through his immense contributions to 
Wyoming agriculture. 
Mr. Boner has demonstrated his deep- 
rooted commitment to the Wyoming 
community and, above all, his family. 
He is supported by his wife Laurie and 
three children, Braden, Meghan, and 
Ryan. After graduating from the Uni-
versity of Wyoming with an ag busi-
ness 
degree, 
Brad 
returned 
to 
Glenrock, WY, where he still ranches 
at the M Diamond Angus Ranch along-
side his two brothers, Rob and Jeff, and 
their father, Bob. 
Mr. Boner’s involvement in agri-
culture goes far beyond production. In 
fact, his dedication and passion for the 
industry are evident through his active 
involvement in both cattle and sheep 
industries on local, State, and national 
levels. Brad is the current American 
Sheep Industry Association secretary 
and treasurer, as well as president of 
both the Wyoming Wool Growers and 
Wyoming Angus Association. Brad has 
served in various capacities whenever 
he has been called upon, often sacri-
ficing valuable time on his home 
ranch. Brad serves as the supervisor of 
the Converse County Conservation Dis-
trict, Wyoming Animal Damage Con-
trol Board, and American Sheep Indus-
try ‘‘Let it Grow’’ committee. Brad’s 
dedication to the State and the indus-
try has not gone unnoticed. In 2014, he 
was recognized as a University of Wyo-
ming College of Agriculture ‘‘Out-
standing Alumni.’’ 
In addition to serving in many capac-
ities to the benefit of Wyoming’s sheep 
ranching community, Brad steps up 
and serves as an articulate spokesman 
on moving the sheep industry forward. 
One of the most noteworthy accom-
plishments is Brad’s active role in 
forming the Mountain States Lamb Co-
operative, including serving as MSLC’s 
first chairman and current chairman. 
Mr. Boner is not only a leader in Wy-
oming’s strong agriculture community, 
but a wonderful mentor to the youth 
across our State. He believes sharing 
his love for agriculture with students 
is the best way to ensure the continu-
ation of this great industry for genera-
tions to come. I would agree. I think 
that the greatest accomplishment is 
the mentorship that we can provide to 
the young folks of this country, and 
this is exactly what Mr. Boner con-
tinues to do. Through the Future Cat-
tle Producers of Wyoming program, he 
donates a heifer to a student applicant 
that wants to learn about the industry. 
This program assists students in be-
coming involved in cattle production 
and helps them establish their own 
herds. 
In addition to assisting many stu-
dents on the agriculture front, for 
more than 30 years, Brad has dedicated 
his time to his community by ref-
ereeing basketball games from middle 
school to intermural college games. He 
also helped coach the boys and girls 
traveling teams to support his chil-
dren. As Peter Camino, former presi-
dent of the Wyoming Wool Growers As-
sociation, observed, ‘‘He has worked 
diligently to solidify a future not only 
for himself, but the future of genera-
tions to follow.’’ 
Brad’s humble character and dedica-
tion to agriculture have truly made an 
impact and helped grow our agriculture 
community. I think I speak for many 
when I say I am truly grateful for his 
leadership, contributions, and caring 
demeanor 
that 
has 
so 
graciously 
blessed our State in many ways. 
With Brad Boner’s constant diligence 
to improve and impact his community, 
it is with my great honor to induct him 
into the Wyoming Agriculture Hall of 
Fame. He represents every positive at-
tribute of a leader in Wyoming agri-
culture and the Code of the West. He 
has represented Wyoming’s interests 
with dedication and honor. It is be-
cause of people like him that the agri-
cultural community in Wyoming has a 
bright and productive future. My wife 
Bobbi joins me in congratulating the 
outstanding individual, Brad Boner, 
who is a 2020 inductee into the Wyo-
ming Agriculture Hall of Fame. 
f 
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS 
TRIBUTE TO DR. NATE SMITH 
∑Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I rise 
today to recognize Dr. Nate Smith, 
whose expert medical guidance and 
strong leadership will be deeply missed 
following his departure from the Ar-
kansas Department of Health. 
Dr. Smith launched his career with 
the Arkansas Department of Health in 
2009. His extensive medical background 
and dedication to the department’s 
mission allowed him quick advance-
ment through the agency ranks. He ini-
tially served as State epidemiologist 
and subsequently served as branch 
chief for infectious diseases and deputy 
director for Public Health Programs. 
However, Dr. Smith’s more recent and 
notable appointments to director and 
State health officer in 2013 and sec-
retary of health in 2019 presented him 
with even greater responsibility in 
maintaining 
and 
protecting 
public 
health in the State of Arkansas. As a 
member of Governor Asa Hutchinson’s 
cabinet, Dr. Smith crafted and imple-
mented the State’s response to the 
COVID–19 emergency. He has worked 
diligently alongside the Governor’s 
team to provide medical and scientific 
reasoning for pandemic-related deci-
sions. Dr. Smith’s commitment to the 
health and well-being of Arkansans has 
always been evident. We are especially 
grateful for that commitment as he 
navigated unprecedented times on be-
half of our State. 
Dr. Smith’s distinguished career with 
the Arkansas Department of Health 
comes after years of education and 
preparation, including over a decade of 
comprehensive medical schooling, four 
degrees, and two board certifications. 
After graduating from Rice University 
in 1986, Dr. Smith claimed home to 
Texas and its classrooms for the next 
10 years. By 1991, Dr. Smith had earned 
two more degrees: a doctor of medicine 
from Baylor College of Medicine and a 
master of arts from Dallas Theological 
Seminary. In 1996, Dr. Smith earned a 
master of public health from the Uni-
versity of Texas School of Public 
Health, focusing on disease control. He 
completed two infectious disease fel-
lowships at Baylor College of Medicine 
before pursuing a degree in tropical 
medicine and hygiene from the Liver-
pool School of Tropical Medicine and 
Hygiene in England. 
What emerged as an area of interest 
for Dr. Smith in medical school led to 
an expansive, acclaimed career in in-
fectious disease medicine. After years 
of education and training, Dr. Smith 
took his knowledge to Africa at the 
height of the AIDS epidemic. While si-
multaneously serving as a medical mis-
sionary with his wife, Dr. Smith 
worked at Kijabe Hospital in Kenya in 
the roles as chief of internal medicine, 
medical intern program director, and 
infectious disease consultant. He found 
himself back in Kenya in 2006 under the 
direction of the University of Maryland 
School of Medicine, this time working 
with the Kenya Institute of Human Vi-
rology as a senior medical technical 
adviser and country medical director. 
His expertise in infectious disease is 
well-respected and has led to his par-
ticipation and leadership in several 
medical advisory groups. Dr. Smith 
served as chairman of the infection 
control committee for the Arkansas 
Department of Health, chairman of the 
Arkansas AIDS Drug Assistance Pro-
gram Formulary Advisory Committee, 
and chairman of the Infectious Disease 
Policy Committee for the Association 
of State and Territorial Health Offi-
cials, ASTHO. He sat on the National 
Vaccine Advisory Committee for the 
U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services for several years before an ap-
pointment to the CDC Advisory Com-
mittee on Immunization Practices. 
Further, Dr. Smith has published more 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
S4504 
July 27, 2020 
than 25 scientific papers with the ma-
jority citing infectious disease studies. 
It is clear that Dr. Smith’s passion 
for service and selfless dedication to 
public health has brought tremendous 
value to Arkansas, its institutions, 
and, most importantly, its 3 million 
citizens. The University of Arkansas 
for Medical Sciences is one such insti-
tution that will undoubtedly feel Dr. 
Smith’s absence, as he has held several 
academic appointments alongside his 
career at the Arkansas Department of 
Health. What began as a voluntary po-
sition in 2009 became a mainstay en-
deavor for Dr. Smith. He has since held 
several professorships at the university 
in the division of infectious diseases 
and 
the 
epidemiology 
department. 
When Dr. Smith is not teaching, work-
ing or spending time with his family of 
five, he can be found donating his time 
and service to St. Andrew’s Anglican 
Church in Little Rock, where he works 
with the leadership team and missions 
team. His robust professional and com-
munity impact have earned him the 
following awards: the Arkansas AIDS 
Foundation’s Compassion Award, the 
Arkansas Public Health Association’s 
Director’s Award for Science, and the 
Living and Affected Corporation’s Dis-
tinguished Service Award. 
I want to graciously thank Dr. Smith 
for his tireless commitment to improv-
ing the health and wellness of Arkan-
sans. I appreciate his friendship and ex-
ample for us all as a true public serv-
ant. His transition to the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention is bit-
tersweet, and we are full of gratitude 
and pride for Dr. Smith and his dedica-
tion to our State over the past two dec-
ades.∑ 
f 
TRIBUTE TO MARGARET DAGMAN 
∑Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I want 
to honor a very special North Dakota 
resident who turned 100 years old on 
July 17. Margaret Michalski Dagman 
has been a lifelong resident of the 
Nome and Enderlin, ND, area. She and 
her late husband, Vernon, raised two 
children and farmed for many years 
near Enderlin. They were active in 
their community, and Margaret sup-
ported Vernon during his years rep-
resenting Ransom County in the North 
Dakota Legislature in the early 1960s. 
Throughout the decades of her life 
across the past century, Margaret has 
experienced great moments in North 
Dakota’s 
history. 
She 
shared 
her 
memories 
of 
attending 
the 
Nome 
Schoolhouse in a recent video produced 
about the restored building. She re-
called bringing lunch to school in 
syrup pails, the many poems she and 
her classmates were required to memo-
rize, and some of her favorite teachers. 
Although a large celebration did not 
happen on Margaret’s birthday, the 
community of Enderlin drove by her 
home and honked with birthday wish-
es. I hope she will be able to celebrate 
this great milestone with friends and 
family at other opportunities through-
out the year. 
North Dakota is home to more than 
200 centenarians, and we consider them 
among our most treasured residents. 
Their pioneer spirit, dignity, and hard 
work have brought them through many 
challenges and personal achievements. 
On behalf of all North Dakotans, I wish 
Margaret a happy 100th birthday and 
hope this is the start of a year filled 
with happiness and joy.∑ 
f 
TRIBUTE TO JOHN ‘‘MIKE’’ 
CROTEAU 
∑Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, today I 
would like to congratulate Mr. John 
‘‘Mike’’ Croteau of Newbury, NH, on 
his retirement from the Newbury Fire 
Department after a remarkable 75 
years of service. 
Mike’s father, George, was a long- 
time member and chief of the Newbury 
Fire Department, and in 1945, 15-year- 
old Mike, joined the department too. 
At first, Mike helped put out brush 
fires caused by trains that ran from 
Boston to Newbury Station. When 
Mike was 18, he fought the fire on 
Mount Sunapee that claimed 1,700 
acres. Hundreds of firefighters worked 
for 7 days straight to battle the fast- 
moving fire during one of the worst fire 
seasons ever recorded in New Hamp-
shire history. 
Beyond his work at the fire depart-
ment, Mike was an engineer for the 
New Hampshire Department of Trans-
portation for 33 years, and the Town of 
Newbury often called upon his exper-
tise for site work and design. While 
working for the State, he continued to 
serve the fire department, serving as 
the fire chief, as well as forest fire war-
den. 
Mike has dedicated many hours of his 
time to the Newbury Fire Department 
in addition to firefighting by helping 
with fundraising efforts, including the 
annual bingo nights and auctions. His 
dedication to his community also went 
beyond his exemplary fire department 
service; he also volunteered for many 
town groups, boards, and activities and 
has always stepped up when something 
needs to be done. 
In 2012, Governor John Lynch com-
mended Mike for 67 years of service as 
a firefighter, and in 2015, he received 
the Fire Service Lifetime Achievement 
Award from the New Hampshire Police, 
Fire, and EMS Foundation. 
Mike’s commitment to his commu-
nity and the Newbury Fire Department 
is a shining example of the spirit of 
New Hampshire, and he serves as a role 
model for all Granite Staters. He has 
been a critical part of the department 
for 75 years, and he has put himself at 
risk day after day to protect his fellow 
citizens. His town, State, and country 
are better because of his dedicated ef-
forts. 
I hope you will join me in honoring 
an exemplary Granite Stater, Mike 
Croteau.∑ 
TRIBUTE TO CARTER MANSON 
∑Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I am 
proud to honor Carter Manson of Man-
chester as July’s Granite Stater of the 
Month. Carter’s efforts to encourage 
Granite Staters and all Americans to 
get outside and help clean up their 
communities has made a true dif-
ference in a difficult time. 
Carter, who is only 5 years old, has 
wanted to be a garbage man since he 
was 3. For Halloween last year, he even 
dressed up as a trash collector to show 
his appreciation for his heroes. Now, 
due in part to the COVID–19 pandemic, 
Carter has taken his passion for gar-
bage collection one step further. 
One day in April while the stay-at- 
home orders for New Hampshire were 
in place, Carter asked his mom, Kelly, 
if he could go outside and pick up some 
trash. Kelly obliged and took some 
photos of her young son cleaning up his 
neighborhood and posted them on her 
Facebook page. 
Much to her surprise, the photos 
Kelly posted of Carter’s efforts re-
ceived a lot of attention from her 
friends and family. In response, she de-
cided to build on the momentum Carter 
had inspired by creating a group called 
Carter’s Clean Up Crew. 
The ‘‘Crew’’ now has nearly 800 mem-
bers from across the United States and 
Canada. The group has also received 
support from 22 businesses and raised 
$1,400 to help get members of the group 
the supplies that they need to clean up 
their communities, including trash 
grabbers and gloves. 
The Crew is planning their first big 
cleanup day at the end of August, and 
Carter and Kelly have been rallying 
members of their community to join 
them in Manchester for the big day. 
In the meantime, Carter has been 
diligent in his clean up regimen and 
goes out with his mom at least once a 
week to pick up 5 gallons of trash in 
neighborhoods across Manchester. 
Carter’s passion for cleaning up his 
environment and encouraging others to 
do the same represents the best of our 
State and our all-hands-on-deck spirit. 
It also represents how eager people are 
to strengthen and improve their com-
munities even during this pandemic. I 
applaud Carter for his efforts and look 
forward to seeing what he accomplishes 
next.∑ 
f 
TRIBUTE TO JAMES ‘‘RUSTY’’ 
MITCHELL 
∑Ms. SINEMA. Mr. President, I rise 
today to congratulate Lt. Col. (Ret.) 
James ‘‘Rusty’’ Mitchell on his retire-
ment from the Community Initiatives 
Team—CIT—at Luke Air Force Base in 
my home State of Arizona. 
Rusty first joined the Air Force in 
1976 and spent years serving his coun-
try around the globe. Rusty also spent 
a significant amount of his Air Force 
career at Arizona military installa-
tions, serving as an A–10 jet instructor 
at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
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July 27, 2020 
having several different roles at Luke 
Air Force Base involving the F–16 
fighter jet. He retired from the Air 
Force in 1998 after 22 years of service to 
his country. 
Rusty still had a desire to fly, so 
after his retirement from the Air 
Force, he became a captain for United 
Airlines, a career that he enjoyed and 
continued for 21 years before retiring 
from that role last year. 
But despite becoming a pilot for 
United, it became clear that Rusty 
wasn’t ready to end his service to the 
Air Force. In 2003, Rusty became the 
director of the Community Initiatives 
Team at Luke Air Force Base. In this 
role he served as a liaison between the 
U.S. Air Force, Luke Air Force Base, 
the State of Arizona and 11 of the local 
cities and municipalities surrounding 
the base. He played a vital role in help-
ing Luke Air Force Base secure the F– 
35 training mission, bring critical jobs 
to the State and boosting the local 
economy. Furthermore, Rusty has been 
personally helpful to me and my staff 
in our official visits to Luke Air Force 
Base, numerous inquiries and countless 
requests for information. 
Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Mitchell 
has served this country, the Air Force, 
and Luke Air Force Base as an airman 
and civilian for almost 40 years, and he 
will be missed. On behalf of the U.S. 
Congress and the State of Arizona, I 
want to thank Rusty for his service 
and congratulate him on a well-de-
served retirement.∑ 
f 
MESSAGE FROM THE HOUSE 
At 4:03 p.m., a message from the 
House of Representatives, delivered by 
Mr. Novotny, one of its reading clerks, 
announced that the House has agreed 
to the following concurrent resolu-
tions, in which it requests the concur-
rence of the Senate: 
H. Con. Res. 105. Concurrent resolution per-
mitting the remains of the Honorable John 
Lewis, late a Representative from the State 
of Georgia, to lie in state in the rotunda of 
the Capitol. 
H. Con. Res. 106. Concurrent resolution di-
recting the Architect of the Capitol to trans-
fer the catafalque situated in the Exhibition 
Hall of the Capitol Visitor Center to the ro-
tunda of the Capitol for use in connection 
with services conducted for the Honorable 
John Lewis, late a Representative from the 
State of Georgia. 
ENROLLED BILLS SIGNED 
The messages also announced that 
the Speaker has signed the following 
enrolled bills: 
H.R. 886. An act to direct the Attorney 
General to establish and carry out a veteran 
Treatment Court Program. 
H.R. 3504. An act to amend title 38, United 
States Code, to provide for improvements to 
the specially adapted housing program and 
educational assistance programs of the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs, and for other 
purposes. 
H.R. 4920. An act to amend title 38, United 
States Code, to provide for an exception to 
certain small business contracting require-
ments applicable to the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs procurement of certain goods 
and services covered under the Ability One 
program, and for other purposes. 
The enrolled bills were subsequently 
signed by the President pro tempore 
(Mr. GRASSLEY). 
f 
MEASURES DISCHARGED 
The following bill was discharged 
from the Committee on Environment 
and Public Works, and referred to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation: 
S. 4187. A bill to establish the Intercity 
Passenger Rail Trust Fund to ensure a safe, 
sustainable, convenient transportation op-
tion for the people of the United States, and 
for other purposes. 
f 
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES 
The following reports of committees 
were submitted: 
By Mr. MORAN, from the Committee on 
Veterans’ Affairs, with an amendment in the 
nature of a substitute: 
S. 785. A bill to improve mental health care 
provided by the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs, and for other purposes. 
f 
INTRODUCTION OF BILLS AND 
JOINT RESOLUTIONS 
The following bills and joint resolu-
tions were introduced, read the first 
and second times by unanimous con-
sent, and referred as indicated: 
By Mr. CORNYN (for himself and Mr. 
MCCONNELL): 
S. 4317. A bill to lessen the burdens on 
interstate commerce by discouraging insub-
stantial lawsuits relating to COVID–19 while 
preserving the ability of individuals and 
businesses that have suffered real injury to 
obtain complete relief; to the Committee on 
the Judiciary. 
By Mr. GRASSLEY: 
S. 4318. A bill to provide assistance to 
American workers, families, and employers 
during the COVID–19 pandemic; to the Com-
mittee on Finance. 
By Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina: 
S. 4319. A bill to amend the Internal Rev-
enue Code of 1986 to temporarily expand the 
deduction for business meals provided at a 
restaurant; to the Committee on Finance. 
By Mr. SHELBY: 
S. 4320. A bill making emergency supple-
mental appropriations for the fiscal year 
ending September 30, 2020, and for other pur-
poses; to the Committee on Appropriations. 
By Mr. RUBIO (for himself and Ms. 
COLLINS): 
S. 4321. A bill to establish the Paycheck 
Protection Program Second Draw Loan and 
amend 7(a) loan guaranty program for recov-
ery sector business concerns, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Small Busi-
ness and Entrepreneurship. 
By Mr. ALEXANDER: 
S. 4322. A bill to help Americans safely get 
back to school and back to work, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions. 
By Mr. ROMNEY (for himself, Mr. 
MANCHIN, Mr. YOUNG, Ms. SINEMA, 
Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. JONES, Mr. ALEX-
ANDER, Mr. KING, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. 
WARNER, Mr. PERDUE, Mr. CORNYN, 
Ms. MCSALLY, Mr. ROUNDS, and Mr. 
SULLIVAN): 
S. 4323. A bill to save and strengthen crit-
ical social contract programs of the Federal 
Government; to the Committee on Finance. 
By Mr. GRAHAM (for himself, Mr. 
BURR, and Mr. DAINES): 
S. 4324. A bill to facilitate the availability, 
development, and production of domestic re-
sources to meet national personal protective 
equipment and material needs, and ensure 
American leadership in advanced research 
and development and semiconductor manu-
facturing; to the Committee on Finance. 
By Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina (for 
himself and Mr. MANCHIN): 
S. 4325. A bill to amend the Consumer Fi-
nancial Protection Act of 2010 to clarify the 
authority of the Bureau of Consumer Finan-
cial Protection with respect to persons regu-
lated by a State insurance regulator, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Bank-
ing, Housing, and Urban Affairs. 
By Mr. ENZI (for himself and Ms. COR-
TEZ MASTO): 
S. 4326. A bill to require the Secretary of 
the Treasury to honor the 100th anniversary 
of completion of coinage of the ‘‘Morgan Dol-
lar’’ and the 100th anniversary of commence-
ment of coinage of the ‘‘Peace Dollar’’, and 
for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. 
By Mr. RUBIO (for Mr. MARKEY (for 
himself and Mr. RUBIO)): 
S. 4327. A bill to establish the Taiwan Fel-
lowship Program, and for other purposes; to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations. 
By Mr. SCHUMER (for himself, Mrs. 
MURRAY, Mr. BROWN, Ms. BALDWIN, 
Mr. DURBIN, Mr. CASEY, Ms. ROSEN, 
Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. REED, 
Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Ms. SMITH, Mrs. 
FEINSTEIN, 
Mr. 
BLUMENTHAL, 
Ms. 
KLOBUCHAR, Mr. KAINE, Ms. WARREN, 
Mr. 
HEINRICH, 
Ms. 
HARRIS, 
Mr. 
UDALL, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MERKLEY, 
Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, 
Mr. 
CARDIN, 
Ms. 
STABENOW, 
Mr. 
BOOKER, Mr. WYDEN, Ms. DUCKWORTH, 
Mrs. SHAHEEN, and Mr. BENNET): 
S. 4328. A bill to require the Comptroller 
General of the United States to conduct a 
study and report on data quality, sharing, 
transparency, access, and analysis; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions. 
By Ms. MCSALLY (for herself, Mr. 
DAINES, Mr. CORNYN, and Mr. SUL-
LIVAN): 
S. 4329. A bill to provide premium assist-
ance for COBRA continuation coverage, 
church plan continuation coverage, and fur-
loughed continuation coverage for individ-
uals and their families; to the Committee on 
Finance. 
By Mr. KENNEDY: 
S. 4330. A bill to provide for the collection 
of death information from States for pur-
poses of the Do Not Pay Initiative, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Fi-
nance. 
By Ms. WARREN (for herself and Ms. 
HIRONO): 
S. 4331. A bill to preserve Indian Tribes’ 
and Native Hawaiian organizations’ auton-
omy of access to spectrum over Tribal lands 
and expedite immediate deployment of tele-
communications services for critical govern-
ment services, including national emer-
gencies, natural disasters, public health and 
biohazard threats, safety, education, oppor-
tunity to participate in the broadband econ-
omy, self-governance, access to Federal, 
State, and Tribal voting and elections, and 
the Federal census count, for the protection 
of life and property in furtherance of the 
Federal trust responsibility, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation. 
By Ms. MCSALLY: 
S. 4332. A bill to provide for the use of addi-
tional funds for transportation projects that 
were affected by Coronavirus Disease 2019 
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(COVID–19), and for other purposes; to the 
Committee 
on 
Commerce, 
Science, 
and 
Transportation. 
f 
SUBMISSION OF CONCURRENT AND 
SENATE RESOLUTIONS 
The following concurrent resolutions 
and Senate resolutions were read, and 
referred (or acted upon), as indicated: 
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. 
CARDIN, Mr. RUBIO, and Mrs. SHA-
HEEN): 
S. Res. 658. A resolution calling for a free, 
fair, and transparent presidential election in 
Belarus taking place on August 9, 2020, in-
cluding the unimpeded participation of all 
presidential candidates; to the Committee on 
Foreign Relations. 
f 
ADDITIONAL COSPONSORS 
S. 53 
At the request of Mr. INHOFE, the 
name of the Senator from Georgia 
(Mrs. LOEFFLER) was added as a cospon-
sor of S. 53, a bill to appropriate 
$25,000,000,000 for the construction of a 
border wall between the United States 
and Mexico, and for other purposes. 
S. 997 
At the request of Ms. WARREN, the 
name of the Senator from Arizona (Ms. 
SINEMA) was added as a cosponsor of S. 
997, a bill to recognize and honor the 
service of individuals who served in the 
United States Cadet Nurse Corps dur-
ing World War II, and for other pur-
poses. 
S. 2059 
At the request of Mr. TILLIS, the 
name of the Senator from Georgia 
(Mrs. LOEFFLER) was added as a cospon-
sor of S. 2059, a bill to provide a civil 
remedy for individuals harmed by sanc-
tuary jurisdiction policies, and for 
other purposes. 
S. 2165 
At the request of Mr. HEINRICH, the 
name of the Senator from Nevada (Ms. 
CORTEZ MASTO) was added as a cospon-
sor of S. 2165, a bill to enhance protec-
tions of Native American tangible cul-
tural heritage, and for other purposes. 
S. 2292 
At the request of Mr. INHOFE, the 
name of the Senator from Georgia 
(Mrs. LOEFFLER) was added as a cospon-
sor of S. 2292, a bill to require asylum 
officers 
to 
conduct 
credible 
fear 
screenings 
before 
admitting 
aliens 
seeking asylum into the United States, 
to direct the Secretary of Homeland 
Security to establish an alternatives to 
detention pilot program, and to clarify 
that aliens transiting through third 
countries on the way to the United 
States are ineligible for asylum, and 
for other purposes. 
S. 2680 
At the request of Mr. RUBIO, the 
name of the Senator from Delaware 
(Mr. CARPER) was added as a cosponsor 
of S. 2680, a bill to impose sanctions 
with respect to foreign support for Pal-
estinian terrorism, and for other pur-
poses. 
S. 3176 
At the request of Mr. RUBIO, the 
name of the Senator from Delaware 
(Mr. CARPER) was added as a cosponsor 
of S. 3176, a bill to amend the Foreign 
Assistance Act of 1961 and the United 
States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act 
of 2014 to make improvements to cer-
tain defense and security assistance 
provisions and to authorize the appro-
priations of funds to Israel, and for 
other purposes. 
S. 3419 
At the request of Mr. INHOFE, the 
name of the Senator from Arkansas 
(Mr. COTTON) was added as a cosponsor 
of S. 3419, a bill to amend the Packers 
and Stockyards Act, 1921, to provide 
for the establishment of a trust for the 
benefit of all unpaid cash sellers of 
livestock, and for other purposes. 
S. 3487 
At the request of Ms. BALDWIN, the 
name of the Senator from South Caro-
lina (Mr. GRAHAM) was added as a co-
sponsor of S. 3487, a bill to amend the 
Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to provide 
for the compensation of elderly victims 
of property damage, to provide in-
creased funding for the crime victim 
compensation fund, and for other pur-
poses. 
S. 3612 
At the request of Mr. CORNYN, the 
name of the Senator from Georgia 
(Mrs. LOEFFLER) was added as a cospon-
sor of S. 3612, a bill to clarify for pur-
poses of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986 that receipt of coronavirus assist-
ance does not affect the tax treatment 
of ordinary business expenses. 
S. 3672 
At the request of Mr. WYDEN, the 
name of the Senator from Maryland 
(Mr. CARDIN) was added as a cosponsor 
of S. 3672, a bill to provide States and 
Indian Tribes with flexibility in admin-
istering the temporary assistance for 
needy families program due to the pub-
lic health emergency with respect to 
the Coronavirus Disease (COVID–19), to 
make emergency grants to States and 
Indian Tribes to provide financial sup-
port for low-income individuals af-
fected by that public health emer-
gency, and for other purposes. 
S. 3703 
At the request of Ms. COLLINS, the 
names of the Senator from Nebraska 
(Mrs. FISCHER), the Senator from Ohio 
(Mr. BROWN) and the Senator from 
South Carolina (Mr. SCOTT) were added 
as cosponsors of S. 3703, a bill to amend 
the Elder Abuse Prevention and Pros-
ecution Act to improve the prevention 
of elder abuse and exploitation of indi-
viduals with Alzheimer’s disease and 
related dementias. 
S. 3814 
At the request of Mr. BENNET, the 
names of the Senator from Minnesota 
(Ms. SMITH), the Senator from Mis-
sissippi (Mr. WICKER), the Senator from 
Connecticut (Mr. BLUMENTHAL) and the 
Senator from Alaska (Mr. SULLIVAN) 
were added as cosponsors of S. 3814, a 
bill to establish a loan program for 
businesses affected by COVID–19 and to 
extend the loan forgiveness period for 
paycheck protection program loans 
made to the hardest hit businesses, and 
for other purposes. 
S. 3998 
At the request of Mrs. HYDE-SMITH, 
the name of the Senator from Alabama 
(Mr. JONES) was added as a cosponsor 
of S. 3998, a bill to amend title XVIII of 
the Social Security Act to simplify 
payments for telehealth services fur-
nished by Federally qualified health 
centers or rural health clinics under 
the Medicare program, and for other 
purposes. 
S. 4077 
At the request of Mr. PORTMAN, the 
name of the Senator from Florida (Mr. 
SCOTT) was added as a cosponsor of S. 
4077, a bill to amend the Unfunded 
Mandates Reform Act of 1995 to provide 
for regulatory impact analyses for cer-
tain rules, and for other purposes. 
S. 4085 
At the request of Ms. ERNST, the 
name of the Senator from Mississippi 
(Mrs. HYDE-SMITH) was added as a co-
sponsor of S. 4085, a bill to make cer-
tain States and political subdivisions 
of States ineligible to receive Federal 
finance assistance, and for other pur-
poses. 
S. 4156 
At the request of Mr. INHOFE, the 
name of the Senator from Indiana (Mr. 
YOUNG) was added as a cosponsor of S. 
4156, a bill to require the Secretary of 
Agriculture to provide relief from 
hardship due to the COVID–19 pan-
demic to agricultural producers, and 
for other purposes. 
S. 4158 
At the request of Mr. HAWLEY, the 
name of the Senator from Florida (Mr. 
SCOTT) was added as a cosponsor of S. 
4158, a bill to examine the extent of the 
reliance of the United States on foreign 
producers 
for 
personal 
protective 
equipment during the COVID–19 pan-
demic and produce recommendations 
to secure the supply chain of personal 
protective equipment. 
S. 4172 
At the request of Mr. BROWN, the 
names of the Senator from Connecticut 
(Mr. BLUMENTHAL) and the Senator 
from 
Maryland 
(Mr. 
CARDIN) 
were 
added as cosponsors of S. 4172, a bill to 
provide emergency funding for child 
welfare services provided under parts B 
and E of title IV of the Social Security 
Act, and for other purposes. 
S. 4174 
At the request of Ms. COLLINS, the 
names of the Senator from Kansas (Mr. 
ROBERTS) and the Senator from Con-
necticut (Mr. BLUMENTHAL) were added 
as cosponsors of S. 4174, a bill to pro-
vide emergency appropriations to the 
United States Postal Service to cover 
losses related to the COVID–19 crisis 
and to direct the Board of Governors of 
the United States Postal Service to de-
velop a plan for ensuring the long term 
solvency of the Postal Service. 
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S. 4179 
At the request of Ms. KLOBUCHAR, the 
names of the Senator from Virginia 
(Mr. KAINE) and the Senator from 
North Dakota (Mr. CRAMER) were added 
as cosponsors of S. 4179, a bill to update 
the blood donation public awareness 
campaign of the Department of Health 
and Human Services to include public 
awareness on plasma donation. 
S. 4192 
At the request of Ms. WARREN, the 
names of the Senator from New Hamp-
shire (Ms. HASSAN) and the Senator 
from 
Arkansas 
(Mr. COTTON) were 
added as cosponsors of S. 4192, a bill to 
increase portability of and access to re-
tirement savings, and for other pur-
poses. 
S. 4201 
At the request of Mr. PORTMAN, the 
names of the Senator from South Caro-
lina (Mr. GRAHAM) and the Senator 
from Minnesota (Ms. SMITH) were added 
as cosponsors of S. 4201, a bill to direct 
the Federal Communications Commis-
sion to take certain actions to accel-
erate the Rural Digital Opportunity 
Fund Phase I auction, and for other 
purposes. 
S. 4233 
At the request of Ms. COLLINS, the 
name of the Senator from North Caro-
lina (Mr. TILLIS) was added as a co-
sponsor of S. 4233, a bill to establish a 
payment program for unexpected loss 
of markets and revenues to timber har-
vesting and timber hauling businesses 
due to the COVID–19 pandemic, and for 
other purposes. 
S. 4258 
At the request of Mr. CORNYN, the 
names of the Senator from Oregon (Mr. 
WYDEN), the Senator from Maine (Ms. 
COLLINS), 
the 
Senator 
from 
Con-
necticut (Mr. BLUMENTHAL) and the 
Senator from Michigan (Mr. PETERS) 
were added as cosponsors of S. 4258, a 
bill to establish a grant program for 
small live venue operators and talent 
representatives. 
S. 4262 
At the request of Mr. MENENDEZ, the 
name of the Senator from Michigan 
(Mr. PETERS) was added as a cosponsor 
of S. 4262, a bill to direct the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services to de-
velop an action plan, make targeted 
grants, and develop public awareness 
campaigns with respect to COVID–19 
and the disproportionate impact of the 
COVID–19 pandemic on racial and eth-
nic minorities and other vulnerable 
populations. 
S. 4275 
At the request of Mr. THUNE, the 
name of the Senator from Pennsyl-
vania (Mr. TOOMEY) was added as a co-
sponsor of S. 4275, a bill to require re-
cipients of Pandemic Unemployment 
Assistance to provide employment doc-
umentation, and for other purposes. 
S. RES. 524 
At the request of Mr. CARDIN, the 
name of the Senator from Mississippi 
(Mr. WICKER) was added as a cosponsor 
of S. Res. 524, a resolution condemning 
the practice of politically motivated 
imprisonment, calling for the imme-
diate release of political prisoners in 
the Russian Federation, and urging ac-
tion by the United States Government 
to impose sanctions with respect to 
persons responsible for that form of 
human rights abuse. 
f 
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED 
BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTION 
By Mr. ROMNEY (for himself, 
Mr. MANCHIN, Mr. YOUNG, Ms. 
SINEMA, 
Mrs. 
CAPITO, 
Mr. 
JONES, 
Mr. 
ALEXANDER, 
Mr. 
KING, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. WAR-
NER, Mr. PERDUE, Mr. CORNYN, 
Ms. MCSALLY, Mr. ROUNDS, and 
Mr. SULLIVAN): 
S. 4323. A bill to save and strengthen 
critical social contract programs of the 
Federal Government; to the Committee 
on Finance. 
Mr. ROMNEY. Mr. President, I rise 
today to propose the TRUST Act of 
2020. This is bipartisan legislation. It is 
sponsored by 14 other Senators, both 
Democrats and Republicans, and sup-
ported by 30 Members from each party 
from the House. 
Its purpose is to preserve the Social 
Security and Medicare trust funds, 
among others, both of which have been 
pushed closer to bankruptcy due to the 
pandemic. The Committee for a Re-
sponsible Federal Budget projects that 
Medicare Part A will now become in-
solvent in only 4 years, and the Social 
Security retirement trust fund by 2031. 
Under the law, insolvency would trig-
ger drastic benefit cuts, or, if approved 
by a future Congress, draconian tax 
hikes. Our TRUST Act is designed to 
save these trust funds in addition to 
other vital Federal trust funds. 
The TRUST Act also addresses our 
ballooning national debt, a burden 
which has become even greater due to 
the COVID–19 crisis. The CBO projects 
that the Federal budget deficit will be 
$3.7 trillion this year. Our national 
debt will exceed $27 trillion. That could 
eventually mean backbreaking interest 
payments, runaway inflation, or na-
tional financial calamity. 
Modeled loosely after the Simpson- 
Bowles fiscal commission, the TRUST 
Act would create a process to rescue 
these funds. Under the bill, an indi-
vidual rescue committee would be cre-
ated for each of the trust funds. Each 
committee would be tasked with draft-
ing bipartisan legislation that would 
provide for its solvency. 
Members of the rescue committees 
would come equally from the House 
and the Senate and equally from each 
party. If the majority of a committee 
supported a solvency plan and if at 
least two members from each party en-
dorsed that plan, it would be brought, 
on an expedited basis, to the floor. 
The TRUST Act has strong bipar-
tisan consensus among Senators and 
Members of the House, as well as policy 
advocates across the political spec-
trum, from Freedom Works to the 
Brookings Institution, as well as from 
Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles. 
This is the right time to act. Our 
trust funds are approaching insolvency 
even more rapidly due to the pandemic. 
More importantly, if we don’t act now, 
it will never happen before we face an 
overwhelming crisis. One of the lessons 
the COVID–19 crisis has taught us is 
that it is far better to prepare and 
hopefully prevent a crisis than to wait 
for a crisis to fall upon us. 
The TRUST Act is the only bipar-
tisan, bicameral solution that has been 
proposed to save our trust funds and to 
restore fiscal stability. I urge this body 
to work in good faith to advance this 
proposal as part of additional pandemic 
relief. 
By Mr. SCHUMER (for himself, 
Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. BROWN, Ms. 
BALDWIN, 
Mr. 
DURBIN, 
Mr. 
CASEY, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. MENEN-
DEZ, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. REED, Mr. 
VAN HOLLEN, Ms. SMITH, Mrs. 
FEINSTEIN, 
Mr. 
BLUMENTHAL, 
Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. KAINE, Ms. 
WARREN, 
Mr. 
HEINRICH, 
Ms. 
HARRIS, Mr. UDALL, Mr. MAR-
KEY, Mr. MERKLEY, Mrs. GILLI-
BRAND, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. 
CARDIN, 
Ms. 
STABENOW, 
Mr. 
BOOKER, 
Mr. 
WYDEN, 
Ms. 
DUCKWORTH, Mrs. SHAHEEN, and 
Mr. BENNET): 
S. 4328. A bill to require the Comp-
troller General of the United States to 
conduct a study and report on data 
quality, sharing, transparency, access, 
and analysis; to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pen-
sions. 
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask 
unanimous consent that the text of the 
bill be printed in the RECORD. 
There being no objection, the text of 
the bill was ordered to be printed in 
the RECORD, as follows: 
S. 4328 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep-
resentatives of the United States of America in 
Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. PROTECTING DATA QUALITY, SHAR-
ING, TRANSPARENCY, ACCESS, AND 
ANALYSIS. 
(a) INQUIRY AND SUBMISSION OF FINDINGS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 7 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Comptroller General of the United States 
(referred to in this section as the ‘‘Comp-
troller General’’) shall initiate an inquiry 
into any changes or interruptions in data 
quality, sharing, transparency, access, and 
analysis resulting from the changes to 
COVID–19 hospital data reporting require-
ments 
initiated 
by 
the 
White 
House 
Coronavirus Task Force and the Department 
of Health and Human Services on July 13, 
2020. 
(2) SUBMISSION
OF
FINDINGS.—Not later 
than 45 days after initiation of such inquiry, 
the Comptroller General shall present its 
findings to the Committee on Health, Edu-
cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce of 
the House of Representatives, and the De-
partment of Health and Human Services, in 
oral briefings, which shall detail— 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
S4508 
July 27, 2020 
(A) what is known about any changes or 
interruptions in data quality, sharing, trans-
parency, access to data, and analysis or ac-
cess to relevant analytics, including whether 
such changes increased, decreased, expe-
dited, or delayed such quality, sharing, 
transparency, access, and analysis or access 
to relevant analytics, for— 
(i) the public; 
(ii) State, local, Tribal, and territorial 
health departments; 
(iii) hospitals; or 
(iv) Federal agency officials, including offi-
cials within the Department of Health and 
Human Services and Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention; and 
(B) what is known about whether there was 
any impact to, or interruptions in, delivery 
of supplies, including personal protective 
equipment, ventilators, and COVID–19 thera-
peutics, to States or other entities resulting 
from changes to COVID–19 hospital data re-
porting requirements described in paragraph 
(1). 
(b) ACCESS
TO
REPORTING
SYSTEM.—For 
purposes of the review required under this 
section or any other audit, evaluation, or in-
vestigation authorized by law, the Secretary 
shall, within 7 days of the date of enactment 
of this Act, provide the Comptroller General 
with direct access to the systems used for 
the reporting of information referred to in 
this section, including to all information 
collected, stored, analyzed, processed, or pro-
duced in or through such systems used for 
such purposes. For purposes of this sub-
section, the term ‘‘direct access’’ means se-
cured access to the information technology 
systems maintained by the Department of 
Health and Human Services that enables the 
Comptroller General to independently ac-
cess, view, download and retrieve data from 
such systems. 
(c) ADDRESSING ISSUES.—Not later than 7 
days after the Comptroller General submits 
the findings to Congress under subsection 
(a)(2), the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services shall address data quality, sharing, 
transparency, access, and analysis, and ac-
cess to relevant analytics for the public; 
State, local, Tribal, and territorial health 
departments; hospitals; and Federal agency 
officials, including officials within the De-
partment of Health and Human Services and 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
to fully correct any decreases or delays re-
ported under subsection (a)(2) by the Comp-
troller General and ensure that data quality, 
sharing, transparency, access, and analysis 
or access to relevant analytics are equal to 
or better than they were as of July 12, 2020. 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Comptroller General shall submit to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions of the Senate and the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives, a report regarding the im-
pact of changes to COVID–19 hospital data 
reporting requirements initiated by the 
White House Coronavirus Task Force and the 
Department of Health and Human Services 
on July 13, 2020. In preparing such report, the 
Comptroller General shall collect informa-
tion from relevant stakeholders, as appro-
priate. Such report shall— 
(1) detail any known changes or interrup-
tions in data quality, sharing, transparency, 
access, and analysis or access to relevant 
analytics for the entities described in sub-
section (a)(2)(A), including whether such 
changes ultimately increased, decreased, ex-
pedited, or delayed data quality, sharing, 
transparency, access, and analysis or access 
to relevant analytics; 
(2) describe challenges faced by hospitals, 
States, localities, Indian Tribes (as defined 
in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination 
and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 
5304)), urban Indian organizations (as defined 
in section 4 of the Indian Health Care Im-
provement Act (25 U.S.C. 1603)), territories, 
Federal agencies, and the public resulting 
from such changes; 
(3) describe the extent to which such 
changes may allow for manipulation of the 
data in a manner that results in hospitals, 
States, localities, Indian Tribes (as defined 
in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination 
and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 
5304)), urban Indian organizations (as defined 
in section 4 of the Indian Health Care Im-
provement Act (25 U.S.C. 1603)), territories, 
Federal agencies, and the public receiving 
different information than what was pro-
vided to the Department of Health and 
Human Services; 
(4) assess the extent to which such changes 
increased or decreased the number of hos-
pitals reporting data and the completeness 
and quality of data reported by hospitals; 
(5) determine whether any States deployed 
the National Guard to assist in hospital data 
reporting, as suggested in communications 
from the White House Coronavirus Task 
Force and the Department of Health and 
Human Services on July 13, 2020, and wheth-
er any such deployment had a measurable ef-
fect on the speed, content, or quality of such 
reporting; 
(6) describe the decision-making process 
within the Department of Health and Human 
Services that led to the changes initiated on 
July 13, 2020, including— 
(A) the role of the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention in such decision-making; 
(B) any analysis conducted by the Depart-
ment of Health and Human Services or the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
that assessed the quality and completeness 
of different data streams (including the Na-
tional Healthcare Safety Network, Tele-
Tracking, data reported by States to the 
Protect System of the Department of Health 
and Human Services), prior to July 13, 2020; 
(C) any external input into the decision- 
making process, including from other Fed-
eral 
agencies, 
States, 
localities, 
Indian 
Tribes (as defined in section 4 of the Indian 
Self-Determination and Education Assist-
ance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)), urban Indian orga-
nizations (as defined in section 4 of the In-
dian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 
1603)), territories, or hospitals; 
(D) the public health justification for the 
changes; and 
(E) 
any 
other 
justification 
for 
such 
changes; and 
(7) assess the process used to address any 
decreases or delays in data quality, sharing, 
transparency, access to data, and analysis 
and access to relevant analytics as required 
under subsection (c). 
(e) INTERIM
REPORT.—Not later than 6 
months after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions of the Senate and the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce of the 
House of Representatives an interim report 
providing information on initial findings 
under subsection (d). 
SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS 
SENATE 
RESOLUTION 
658—CALL-
ING FOR A FREE, FAIR, AND 
TRANSPARENT 
PRESIDENTIAL 
ELECTION IN BELARUS TAKING 
PLACE ON AUGUST 9, 2020, IN-
CLUDING THE UNIMPEDED PAR-
TICIPATION 
OF 
ALL 
PRESI-
DENTIAL CANDIDATES 
Mr. 
DURBIN 
(for 
himself, 
Mr. 
CARDIN, Mr. RUBIO, and Mrs. SHAHEEN) 
submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Relations: 
S. RES. 658 
Whereas long-term president Alyaksandr 
Lukashenko has ruled Belarus as an undemo-
cratic dictatorship since the first presi-
dential election in Belarus in 1994 and is run-
ning for a sixth term in office; 
Whereas 
the 
presidential 
elections 
in 
Belarus have been neither free nor fair and 
have been rejected by the international com-
munity as not meeting minimal electoral 
standards; 
Whereas Belarus abolished presidential 
term limits in a referendum in 2004, and 
Lukashenko affirmed in November 2019 that 
he plans to run again in 2025; 
Whereas, in the most recent 2010 and 2015 
presidential 
elections, 
Lukashenko 
arbi-
trarily disqualified or jailed key opponents 
ahead of and after the elections; 
Whereas, in March 2011, the United States 
Senate unanimously passed a resolution con-
demning the Belarusian elections as illegit-
imate and calling on the Belarusian regime 
to immediately release all political pris-
oners; 
Whereas, according to the Department of 
State 2019 Country Report on Human Rights 
Practices for Belarus, Lukashenko has con-
solidated his rule over all institutions since 
his first term as president and undermined 
the rule of law through authoritarian means, 
including manipulated elections and arbi-
trary decrees, such that all subsequent presi-
dential elections fell well short of inter-
national standards; 
Whereas the law of Belarus provides citi-
zens the ability to choose their government 
in free and fair periodic elections held by se-
cret ballot and based on universal and equal 
suffrage, but the Government of Belarus has 
consistently denied citizens that ability; 
Whereas flawed referendums in 1996 and 
2004 amended the Constitution of Belarus to 
broaden the powers of Lukashenko, extend 
his term in office, and remove presidential 
term limits; 
Whereas appearances by opposition politi-
cians on state media have historically been 
limited and such restrictions have been 
strongly criticized by the Office for Demo-
cratic Institutions and Human Rights of the 
Organization for Security and Co-operation 
in Europe (OSCE/ODIHR), which has not rec-
ognized any elections in Belarus as free and 
fair since 1995; 
Whereas authorities in Belarus routinely 
impede the activities and legal status of op-
position political parties by refusing to reg-
ister them, while allowing approximately 6 
largely inactive but officially registered pro- 
Lukashenko political parties to operate free-
ly; 
Whereas the Central Election Commission 
of Belarus (CVK) disqualified the majority of 
potential candidates from the upcoming Au-
gust 9, 2020, presidential election for politi-
cally motivated purposes; 
Whereas, on June 30, 2020, the Central Elec-
tion Commission barred Valery Tsepkalo, a 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
S4509 
July 27, 2020 
former Ambassador to the United States and 
First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and 
one of the major challengers to Lukashenko, 
from running in the presidential election; 
Whereas, on May 6, 2020, popular blogger 
Syarhey Tsikhanouski was arrested and 
jailed for 15 days prior to a rally he had 
planned for May 9, 2020, to challenge the de-
cision by Lukashenko to hold a Victory Day 
military parade despite the coronavirus pan-
demic; 
Whereas, between May 6 and June 16, 2020, 
courts in Belarus convicted 97 individuals as 
part of a new wave of political persecution 
for ‘‘illegal protesting’’ and sentenced those 
individuals to various terms of detention for 
a total of 1,246 days, while 105 individuals 
were fined a total of 90,000 rubles, approxi-
mately 40,000 United States dollars; 
Whereas, on May 15, 2020, the Central Elec-
tion Commission rejected the registration 
documents submitted by Tsikhanouski for 
his candidacy for the presidential election; 
Whereas, on May 19, 2020, the Central Elec-
tion Commission rejected the candidacy of 
opposition politician Mikalay Statkevich, 
who previously challenged Lukashenko in 
2010 and was incarcerated for 4 years and 8 
months for protesting the disputed election, 
allegedly on the basis of his ‘‘criminal 
record’’; 
Whereas Statkevich was subsequently sen-
tenced on June 1, 2020, to 15 days in jail for 
taking part in an ‘‘unauthorized’’ opposition 
event in Minsk to collect signatures for his 
candidacy, was sentenced to another 15 days 
on June 15, 2020, and still remains incarcer-
ated as of July 27, 2020; 
Whereas, on May 22, 2020, Human Rights 
Watch reported that between May 6 and 13, 
2020, authorities in Belarus ‘‘arbitrarily ar-
rested over 120 peaceful protesters, opposi-
tion bloggers, journalists, and other critics 
of the government in 17 cities,’’ including 
Youth Block movement activists concerned 
about human rights and rule of law in 
Belarus, which ‘‘is particularly disturbing in 
light of the COVID–19 pandemic’’; 
Whereas, on May 29, 2020, Tsikhanouski 
was arrested again in Hrodna while col-
lecting signatures for the presidential can-
didacy 
of 
his 
spouse, 
Svyatlana 
Tsikhanouskaya, who is running in his 
stead, and Tsikhanouski was subsequently 
charged with ‘‘the organization and prepara-
tion of actions that severely violated public 
order’’; 
Whereas, on May 31, 2020, Belarusian 
human rights group Viasna (Spring) reported 
that 50 opposition activists were arrested by 
police while they were gathering signatures 
to allow opponents to participate in the pres-
idential election; 
Whereas, 
on 
June 
8, 
2020, 
Paval 
Sevyarynets, co-chairman of the opposition 
Belarusian Christian Democratic Party, was 
sentenced to 15 days in jail for supporting 
independent presidential candidates in ral-
lies in Minsk on June 7, 2020, and subse-
quently, on July 8, 2020, was sentenced to a 
fifth consecutive 15-day jail term; 
Whereas, on June 18, 2020, authorities ar-
rested 
potential 
presidential 
challenger 
Viktar Babaryka and his son, Eduard, who 
heads his presidential campaign; 
Whereas, on June 19, 2020, the European 
Union issued a statement calling on the Gov-
ernment of Belarus to immediately release 
Babaryka and his son and called for an im-
partial investigation into the arrests; 
Whereas, according to the Belarusian Asso-
ciation of Journalists, on June 19, 2020, po-
lice officers detained at least 14 journalists, 
including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 
(RFE/RL) reporter Alyaksandra Dynko and 
cameraperson Andrey Rabchyk, who were 
covering protests against the efforts of 
Lukashenko to undermine the electoral 
process; 
Whereas, on June 19, 2020, the United 
States Embassy in Minsk urged the Govern-
ment of Belarus to ‘‘uphold its international 
commitments to respect fundamental free-
doms’’; 
Whereas, according to the Committee to 
Protect Journalists, over 3 days starting on 
June 25, 2020, authorities arrested several 
bloggers, 
including 
Ihor 
Losik, 
Serhei 
Petrukhin, Aleksandr Kabanau, Volodimir 
Neronski, Aleksandr Andreyev, Volodimir 
Tsiganovich, and Serhei Sparish, a move 
Amnesty International said represents ‘‘a 
full-scale purge of dissenting voices’’; 
Whereas, on June 24, 2020, Representative 
Alcee L. Hastings, Chairman of the Commis-
sion on Security and Cooperation in Europe 
(commonly known as the ‘‘Helsinki Commis-
sion’’), released a statement noting that 
Belarusian authorities have made it impos-
sible to hold free and fair elections by ‘‘ar-
resting and intimidating presidential can-
didates, journalists, and activists in the 
early stages of campaigning,’’ and moreover, 
that ‘‘[t]here can be no free choice when the 
system is rigged in favor of the incumbent,’’ 
and called upon Lukashenko to ‘‘order the 
release of those who have been detained for 
political reasons and allow real political 
competition in Belarus’’; 
Whereas, on June 29, 2020, Amnesty Inter-
national issued a statement condemning 
that ‘‘[t]here is no safe environment for po-
litical debate in Belarus, and there is a grow-
ing crackdown on human rights in the con-
text of the forthcoming election,’’ and more-
over, ‘‘[o]pposition candidates along with 
their supporters are smeared, targeted and 
incarcerated under trumped-up charges, with 
women particularly targeted’’; 
Whereas, on July 3, 2020, in a statement 
commemorating the Independence Day of 
Belarus, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo 
urged the ‘‘government of Belarus to do ev-
erything in its power to ensure the upcoming 
elections are free and fair,’’ including ‘‘the 
right of a diverse range of candidates to par-
ticipate in the campaign, the right of citi-
zens to assemble peacefully and speak freely, 
and open and fair ballot counting’’; 
Whereas, on July 14, 2020, the Central Elec-
tion Commission ultimately approved only 5 
candidates to run in the presidential elec-
tion, 
namely, 
Lukashenko, 
Andrey 
Dzmitryyeu, Hanna Kanapatskaya, Syarhey 
Cherachan, and Tsikhanouskaya; 
Whereas, on July 14, 2020, during protests 
over the unjustified disqualification of sev-
eral presidential candidates, authorities used 
unnecessary and excessive force to detain at 
least 220 individuals across the country; 
Whereas, on July 14, 2020, authorities de-
tained at least 17 journalists covering pro-
tests in Minsk, Brest, and Homel, including 
Katsiaryna Andreeva (and Ihar Ilyash when 
he sought her release) with Poland-reg-
istered 
broadcaster 
Belsat 
TV, 
Danil 
Palyanski with independent news website 
Pershiy Region, Artsiom Liava with inde-
pendent news website Novy Chas, Aliaksei 
Sudnikau and Usevalad Zarubin with inde-
pendent 
news 
website 
Tut.by, 
blogger 
Anatoly Chilik, Andy Smythe with BBC, Mi-
khail Ilyin and Artsiom Mayorau with Pol-
ish broadcaster Euroradio, and Ales Piletski 
and Andrey Rabchyk with RFE/RL; 
Whereas, on July 15, 2020, at least 2,000 peo-
ple lined up to file complaints with the Cen-
tral Election Commission for denying the 
candidacy registrations of Babaryka and 
Tsapkalo, and authorities detained another 
16 people, including RFE/RL correspondent 
Anton 
Trofimovich 
and 
BelaPAN 
cor-
respondent Violeta Savchyts; 
Whereas, on July 15, 2020, Amnesty Inter-
national issued a statement in response to 
the arrest of protesters in Minsk on July 14, 
2020, stating that ‘‘[a]nyone detained simply 
for peacefully protesting in Minsk, or other 
cities, is a prisoner of conscience, and must 
be immediately and unconditionally re-
leased’’; and 
Whereas, on July 22, 2020, the Central Elec-
tion Commission announced it will severely 
limit the number of observers during early 
voting and on election day: Now, therefore, 
be it 
Resolved, That the Senate— 
(1) condemns the politically motived arrest 
and imprisonment of opposition candidates 
in Belarus, including Syarhey Tsikhanouski, 
Viktar Babaryka, and Mikalay Statkevich, 
and calls for their immediate release and 
ability to compete in the August 9, 2020, 
presidential election in Belarus; 
(2) condemns the arbitrary disqualification 
by the Central Election Commission of 
Belarus of the majority of the potential can-
didates for the August 9, 2020, presidential 
election; 
(3) condemns the crackdown on and arbi-
trary arrests of peaceful protesters, opposi-
tion party members, human rights activists, 
and independent media by authorities in 
Belarus; 
(4) stands in solidarity with the people of 
Belarus, including human rights defenders, 
bloggers, and journalists, who are exercising 
their right to freedom of assembly, freedom 
of expression, and rule of law; and 
(5) calls on Belarus to hold free, fair, and 
inclusive presidential elections on August 9, 
2020, that meet international standards and 
include credible international election moni-
toring. 
f 
AMENDMENTS SUBMITTED AND 
PROPOSED 
SA 2498. Mr. MCCONNELL (for Mr. PETERS) 
proposed an amendment to the bill S. 881, to 
improve understanding and forecasting of 
space weather events, and for other purposes. 
f 
TEXT OF AMENDMENTS 
SA 2498. Mr. MCCONNELL (for Mr. 
PETERS) proposed an amendment to the 
bill S. 881, to improve understanding 
and 
forecasting 
of 
space 
weather 
events, and for other purposes; as fol-
lows: 
Strike all after the enacting clause and in-
sert the following: 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Promoting 
Research and Observations of Space Weather 
to Improve the Forecasting of Tomorrow 
Act’’ or the ‘‘PROSWIFT Act’’. 
SEC. 2. SPACE WEATHER. 
(a) POLICY.—It shall be the policy of the 
United States to prepare and protect against 
the social and economic impacts of space 
weather phenomena by supporting actions to 
improve space weather forecasts and pre-
dictions including: sustaining and enhancing 
critical observations, identifying research 
needs and promoting opportunities for re-
search-to-operations 
and 
operations-to-re-
search collaborations both within and out-
side of the Federal Government, advancing 
space weather models, engaging with all sec-
tors of the space weather community, in-
cluding academia, the commercial sector, 
and 
international 
partners, 
and 
under-
standing the needs of space weather end 
users. 
(b) AMENDMENT TO TITLE 51, UNITED STATES 
CODE.—Subtitle VI of title 51, United States 
Code, is amended by adding after chapter 605 
the following: 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
S4510 
July 27, 2020 
‘‘CHAPTER 606—SPACE WEATHER 
‘‘Sec. 
‘‘60601. Space weather. 
‘‘60602. Integrated strategy. 
‘‘60603. Sustaining and advancing critical 
space weather observations. 
‘‘60604. Research activities. 
‘‘60605. Space weather data. 
‘‘60606. Space weather knowledge transfer 
and information exchange. 
‘‘60607. Pilot program for obtaining commer-
cial sector space weather data. 
‘‘60608. Space weather benchmarks. 
‘‘§ 60601. Space weather 
‘‘(a) FINDINGS.— 
‘‘(1) SPACE WEATHER.—Congress makes the 
following findings with respect to space 
weather: 
‘‘(A) Space weather phenomena pose a sig-
nificant threat to ground-based and space- 
based critical infrastructure, modern techno-
logical systems, and humans working in 
space. 
‘‘(B) The effects of severe space weather on 
the electric power grid, satellites and sat-
ellite 
communications 
and 
information, 
aviation operations, astronauts living and 
working in space, and space-based position, 
navigation, and timing systems could have 
significant societal, economic, national secu-
rity, and health impacts. 
‘‘(C) Space-based and ground-based obser-
vations provide crucial data necessary to un-
derstand, forecast, and prepare for space 
weather phenomena. 
‘‘(D) Clear roles and accountability of Fed-
eral departments and agencies are critical 
for efficient and effective response to threats 
posed by space weather. 
‘‘(E) Space weather observation and fore-
casting are essential for the success of 
human and robotic space exploration. 
‘‘(F) In October 2015, the National Science 
and Technology Council published a National 
Space Weather Strategy and a National 
Space Weather Action Plan seeking to inte-
grate national space weather efforts and add 
new capabilities to meet increasing demand 
for space weather information. 
‘‘(G) In March 2019, the National Science 
and Technology Council published an up-
dated National Space Weather Strategy and 
Action Plan to enhance the preparedness and 
resilience of the United States to space 
weather. 
‘‘(2) ROLE OF FEDERAL AGENCIES.—Congress 
makes the following findings with respect to 
the role of Federal agencies on space weath-
er: 
‘‘(A) The National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration provides operational 
space weather monitoring, forecasting, and 
long-term data archiving and access for civil 
applications, maintains ground-based and 
space-based assets to provide observations 
needed for space weather forecasting, pre-
diction, and warnings, provides research to 
support operational responsibilities, and de-
velops requirements for space weather fore-
casting technologies and science. 
‘‘(B) The Department of Defense provides 
operational space weather research, moni-
toring, and forecasting for the Department’s 
unique missions and applications. 
‘‘(C) The National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration provides increased under-
standing of the fundamental physics of the 
Sun-Earth system through basic research, 
space-based observations and modeling, de-
veloping new space-based technologies and 
missions, and monitoring of space weather 
for the National Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration’s space missions. 
‘‘(D) The National Science Foundation pro-
vides increased understanding of the Sun- 
Earth system through ground-based meas-
urements, technologies, and modeling. 
‘‘(E) The Department of the Interior col-
lects, distributes, and archives operational 
ground-based magnetometer data in the 
United States and its territories, works with 
the international community to improve 
global geophysical monitoring, and develops 
crustal conductivity models to assess and 
mitigate risks from space weather-induced 
electric ground currents. 
‘‘(F) The Federal Aviation Administration 
provides operational requirements for space 
weather services in support of aviation and 
for coordination of these requirements with 
the International Civil Aviation Organiza-
tion, and integrates space weather data and 
products into the Next Generation Air 
Transportation System. 
‘‘(b) COORDINATION
BY OFFICE
OF SCIENCE 
AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY.—The Director of 
the Office of Science and Technology Policy 
shall— 
‘‘(1) coordinate the development and imple-
mentation of Federal Government activities 
conducted with respect to space weather to 
improve the ability of the United States to 
prepare for, avoid, mitigate, respond to, and 
recover from potentially devastating im-
pacts of space weather; and 
‘‘(2) coordinate the activities of the inter-
agency working group on space weather es-
tablished under subsection (c). 
‘‘(c) SPACE WEATHER INTERAGENCY WORKING 
GROUP.—Not later than 90 days after the date 
of enactment of the PROSWIFT Act, the Na-
tional Science and Technology Council shall 
establish an interagency working group on 
space weather (in this chapter referred to as 
the ‘interagency working group’) to coordi-
nate executive branch actions that improve 
the understanding and prediction of and 
preparation for space weather phenomena, 
and coordinate Federal space weather activi-
ties. 
‘‘(1) MEMBERSHIP.—The following entities 
shall be members of the interagency working 
group: 
‘‘(A) The National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration. 
‘‘(B) The National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration. 
‘‘(C) The National Science Foundation. 
‘‘(D) The Department of Defense. 
‘‘(E) The Department of the Interior. 
‘‘(F) Such other Federal agencies as the Di-
rector of the Office of Science and Tech-
nology Policy deems appropriate. 
‘‘(2) INTERAGENCY AGREEMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) The members of the interagency 
working group may enter into one or more 
interagency agreements providing for co-
operation and collaboration in the develop-
ment of space weather spacecraft, instru-
ments, technologies, and research to oper-
ations and operations to research in accord-
ance with this chapter. 
‘‘(B) The Administrator of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration and 
the Administrator of the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration shall enter 
into one or more interagency agreements 
providing for cooperation and collaboration 
in the development of space weather space-
craft, instruments, and technologies in ac-
cordance with this chapter. 
‘‘(3) INTERNATIONAL, ACADEMIC COMMUNITY, 
AND
COMMERCIAL
SECTOR
COLLABORATION.— 
Each Federal agency participating in the 
space weather interagency working group es-
tablished under this subsection shall, to the 
extent practicable, increase engagement and 
cooperation with the international commu-
nity, academic community, and commercial 
space weather sector on the observational in-
frastructure, data, and scientific research 
necessary to advance the monitoring, fore-
casting, and prediction of, preparation for, 
and protection from, space weather phe-
nomena. 
‘‘(d) SPACE WEATHER ADVISORY GROUP.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of the 
PROSWIFT Act, the Administrator of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-
tration, in consultation with other relevant 
Federal agencies, shall establish a space 
weather advisory group (in this chapter re-
ferred to as the ‘advisory group’) for the pur-
poses of receiving advice from the academic 
community, the commercial space weather 
sector, and space weather end users that in-
forms the interests and work of the inter-
agency working group. 
‘‘(B) COMPOSITION.—The advisory group 
shall be composed of not more than 15 mem-
bers appointed by the interagency working 
group, of whom— 
‘‘(i) 5 members shall be representatives of 
the academic community; 
‘‘(ii) 5 members shall be representatives of 
the commercial space weather sector; and 
‘‘(iii) 5 members shall be nongovernmental 
representatives of the space weather end 
user community. 
‘‘(C) CHAIR.—Not later than 30 days after 
the date on which the last member of the ad-
visory group is appointed under subpara-
graph (B), the Administrator of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
shall appoint 1 member as the Chair of the 
advisory group. 
‘‘(D) TERMS.—The length of the term of 
each member of the advisory group shall be 
3 years beginning on the date on which the 
member is appointed. 
‘‘(E) TERM LIMITS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A member of the advi-
sory group may not serve on the advisory 
group for more than 2 consecutive terms. 
‘‘(ii) CHAIR.—A member of the advisory 
group may not serve as the Chair of the advi-
sory group for more than 2 terms, regardless 
of whether the terms are consecutive. 
‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The advisory group shall ad-
vise the interagency working group on the 
following: 
‘‘(A) Facilitating advances in the space 
weather enterprise of the United States. 
‘‘(B) Improving the ability of the United 
States to prepare for, mitigate, respond to, 
and recover from space weather phenomena. 
‘‘(C) Enabling the coordination and facili-
tation of research to operations and oper-
ations to research, as described in section 
60604(d). 
‘‘(D) Developing and implementing the in-
tegrated strategy under section 60602 includ-
ing subsequent updates and reevaluations. 
‘‘(3) USER SURVEY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the establishment of the advisory 
group, the advisory group shall conduct a 
comprehensive survey of the needs of users 
of space weather products to identify the 
space weather research, observations, fore-
casting, prediction, and modeling advances 
required to improve space weather products. 
‘‘(B) SURVEY CONSIDERATIONS.—The survey 
conducted under subparagraph (A) shall— 
‘‘(i) assess the adequacy of current Federal 
Government goals for lead time, accuracy, 
coverage, timeliness, data rate, and data 
quality for space weather observations and 
forecasting; 
‘‘(ii) identify options and methods to, in 
consultation with the academic community 
and the commercial space weather sector, 
improve upon the advancement of the goals 
described in clause (i); 
‘‘(iii) identify opportunities for collection 
of new data to address the needs of the space 
weather user community; 
‘‘(iv) identify methods to increase coordi-
nation of space weather research to oper-
ations and operations to research; 
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‘‘(v) identify opportunities for new tech-
nologies, research, and instrumentation to 
aid in research, understanding, monitoring, 
modeling, prediction, forecasting, and warn-
ing of space weather; and 
‘‘(vi) identify methods and technologies to 
improve preparedness for potential space 
weather phenomena. 
‘‘(C) COORDINATION WITH AGENCIES.—In car-
rying out the requirements of this sub-
section, the advisory group shall commu-
nicate and coordinate with the interagency 
working group to ensure the needs of the 
governmental space weather user commu-
nity are adequately and appropriately identi-
fied by the survey under subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(D) BRIEFING
TO
CONGRESS.—Not later 
than 30 days after the completion of the sur-
vey under subparagraph (A), the advisory 
group shall provide to the Committee on 
Science, Space, and Technology of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 
the Senate a briefing on the results of the 
survey under subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(E) PUBLICATION.—Within 30 days of the 
briefing to Congress, the advisory group 
shall make the results of the survey under 
subparagraph (A) publicly available. 
‘‘(F) REEVALUATION.—The advisory group 
shall review and assess the survey under sub-
paragraph (A) not less than every 3 years and 
update, resubmit, and republish the survey 
in accordance with the requirements of sub-
paragraphs (D) and (E). 
‘‘(4) FEDERAL
ADVISORY
COMMITTEE
ACT.— 
Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Com-
mittee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to 
the advisory group. 
‘‘§ 60602. Integrated strategy 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Of-
fice of Science and Technology Policy, in 
collaboration with the interagency working 
group and upon the advice of the advisory 
group, shall develop a strategy for coordi-
nated observation of space weather among 
members of the interagency working group 
(in this chapter, referred to as the ‘inte-
grated strategy’). The integrated strategy 
shall identify— 
‘‘(1) observations and measurements that 
must be sustained beyond the lifetime of cur-
rent ground-based and space-based assets, as 
described under section 60603, that are essen-
tial for space weather research, models, fore-
casting, and prediction; 
‘‘(2) new observations and measurements 
that may significantly improve space weath-
er forecasting and prediction; and 
‘‘(3) plans for follow-on space-based obser-
vations under section 60603. 
‘‘(b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing the 
integrated strategy in subsection (a), the Di-
rector of the Office of Science and Tech-
nology Policy shall consider, as appropriate, 
the following: 
‘‘(1) Potential contributions of commercial 
solutions, prize authority, academic and 
international partnerships, microsatellites, 
small satellite options, ground-based instru-
ments, and hosted payloads for observations 
identified in section 60602(a)(2). 
‘‘(2) Work conducted before the date of en-
actment of the PROSWIFT Act by the Na-
tional Science and Technology Council with 
respect to space weather. 
‘‘(3) The survey under section 60601(d). 
‘‘(4) Any relevant recommendations from 
the most recent National Academies of 
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Decadal 
Survey 
for 
Solar 
and 
Space 
Physics 
(Heliophysics). 
‘‘(c) REVIEW OF INTEGRATED STRATEGY.— 
‘‘(1) REVIEW.—The Administrator of the 
National Aeronautics and Space Administra-
tion and the Administrator of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in 
consultation with Federal agencies partici-
pating in the interagency working group, 
shall enter into an agreement with the Na-
tional Academies of Sciences, Engineering, 
and Medicine to review the integrated strat-
egy developed in this section. 
‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—The review from 
paragraph (1) shall also consider the current 
state, capability, and feasibility of the com-
mercial space weather sector to provide new 
and supplemental observations and measure-
ments that may significantly improve space 
weather forecasting and prediction. 
‘‘(3) TRANSMITTAL.—The Director of the Of-
fice of Science and Technology Policy, the 
Administrator of the National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration, and the Adminis-
trator of the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration shall transmit the in-
tegrated strategy and the results of the re-
view required under paragraph (1) to the 
Committee on Science, Space, and Tech-
nology of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate not later than 
1 year after the date of the completion of the 
survey under section 60601(d)(3). The inte-
grated strategy and its review shall be made 
publicly available within 30 days of sub-
mittal to Congress. 
‘‘(d) 
IMPLEMENTATION
PLAN.—Not 
later 
than 180 days after delivery of the review of 
the integrated strategy in subsection (c)(3), 
the interagency working group shall develop 
a plan to implement the integrated strategy, 
including an estimate of the cost and sched-
ule required for implementation. Upon com-
pletion, the interagency working group shall 
submit the implementation plan to the Com-
mittees on Science, Space, and Technology 
and Armed Services of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committees on Com-
merce, Science, and Transportation and 
Armed Services of the Senate. The imple-
mentation plan shall be made publicly avail-
able within 30 days of submittal to Congress. 
‘‘(e) REEVALUATION.—The Director, in col-
laboration with the interagency working 
group, shall update the integrated strategy 
not later than 1 year after the reevaluation 
of the user survey from section 60601(d)(3)(F) 
in accordance with the requirements of sub-
sections (a) through (d). 
‘‘§ 60603. Sustaining and advancing critical 
space weather observations 
‘‘(a) POLICY.—It is the policy of the United 
States to— 
‘‘(1) establish and sustain a baseline capa-
bility for space weather observations and to 
make such observations and data publicly 
available; and 
‘‘(2) obtain enhanced space weather obser-
vations, as practicable, to advance fore-
casting and prediction capability, as in-
formed by the integrated strategy in section 
60602. 
‘‘(b) SUSTAINING BASELINE SPACE-BASED OB-
SERVATIONAL CAPABILITIES.— 
‘‘(1) The Administrator of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration shall, 
in cooperation with the European Space 
Agency and other international and inter-
agency partners, maintain operations of the 
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/Large 
Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (re-
ferred to in this section as ‘SOHO/LASCO’) 
for as long as the satellite continues to de-
liver quality observations. 
‘‘(2) The Administrator of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration shall 
prioritize the reception of SOHO/LASCO 
data. 
‘‘(3) The Administrator of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
shall maintain, for as long as is practicable, 
operations of current space-based observa-
tional assets, including but not limited to 
the 
Geostationary 
Operational 
Environ-
mental Satellites system, and the Deep 
Space Climate Observatory. 
‘‘(c) BACKUP SPACE-BASED OBSERVATIONAL 
CAPABILITY.—The Administrator of the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion, in coordination with the Secretary of 
Defense and the Administrator of the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administra-
tion, shall work with Federal and inter-
national partners in order to secure reliable 
backup baseline capability for near real-time 
coronal mass ejection imagery, solar wind, 
solar imaging, coronal imagery, and other 
relevant observations required to provide 
space weather forecasts. 
‘‘(d) SOHO/LASCO OPERATIONAL
CONTIN-
GENCY PLAN.—The Administrator of the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion shall develop an operational contin-
gency plan to provide continuous space 
weather forecasting in the event of an unex-
pected SOHO/LASCO failure, and prior to the 
implementation of the backup space-based 
baseline observational capability in section 
60603(c). 
‘‘(e) BRIEFING.—Not later than 120 days 
after 
the 
date 
of 
enactment 
of 
the 
PROSWIFT Act, the Administrator of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-
tration shall provide a briefing to the Com-
mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of 
the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate on the plan to secure re-
liable backup baseline capability described 
in subsection (c) and the SOHO/LASCO oper-
ational contingency plan developed under 
subsection (d). 
‘‘(f) SUSTAINING
GROUND-BASED
OBSERVA-
TIONAL CAPABILITY.—The Director of the Na-
tional Science Foundation, the Director of 
the United States Geological Survey, the 
Secretary of the Air Force, and, as prac-
ticable in support of the Air Force, the Sec-
retary of the Navy, shall each— 
‘‘(1) maintain and improve ground-based 
observations of the Sun, as necessary and ad-
visable, to help meet the needs identified in 
the survey under section 60601(d)(3); and 
‘‘(2) continue to provide space weather 
data through ground-based facilities, includ-
ing radars, lidars, magnetometers, neutron 
monitors, radio receivers, aurora and airglow 
imagers, spectrometers, interferometers, and 
solar observatories. 
‘‘(g) 
CONSIDERATIONS.—In 
implementing 
subsections (b), (c), and (d), the Administra-
tors of the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration and the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration, the Direc-
tors of the National Science Foundation and 
United States Geological Survey, and the 
Secretaries of the Air Force and the Navy 
shall prioritize cost-effective and reliable so-
lutions. 
‘‘(h) 
GROUND-BASED
OBSERVATIONAL 
DATA.—The Director of the National Science 
Foundation shall— 
‘‘(1) make available to the public key data 
streams from the platforms and facilities de-
scribed in subsection (d) for research and to 
support space weather model development; 
‘‘(2) develop experimental models for sci-
entific purposes; and 
‘‘(3) support the transition of the experi-
mental models to operations where appro-
priate. 
‘‘(i) 
ENHANCED
SPACE-BASED
OBSERVA-
TIONS.—The Administrator of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in 
coordination with the Secretary of Defense, 
should develop options to build and deploy 
space-based observational capabilities, be-
yond the baseline capabilities referenced in 
subsection (b), that may improve space 
weather measurements and observations. 
These supplemental observational capabili-
ties could include commercial solutions, 
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prize 
authority, 
academic 
partnerships, 
microsatellites, ground-based instruments, 
and opportunities to deploy the instrument 
or instruments as a secondary payload on an 
upcoming planned launch. 
‘‘§ 60604. Research activities 
‘‘(a) BASIC RESEARCH.—The Director of the 
National Science Foundation, the Adminis-
trator of the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration, and the Secretary of De-
fense, shall— 
‘‘(1) continue to carry out basic research 
on heliophysics, geospace science, and space 
weather; and 
‘‘(2) support competitive, peer-reviewed 
proposals for conducting research, advancing 
modeling, and monitoring of space weather 
and its impacts, including the science goals 
outlined in decadal surveys in solar and 
space physics conducted by the National 
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 
Medicine. 
‘‘(b) MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH.— 
‘‘(1) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that the 
multidisciplinary nature of solar and space 
physics creates funding challenges that re-
quire coordination across scientific dis-
ciplines and Federal agencies. 
‘‘(2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 
Congress that science centers could coordi-
nate multidisciplinary solar and space phys-
ics research. The Administrator of the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administra-
tion and Director of the National Science 
Foundation should support competitively 
awarded grants for multidisciplinary science 
centers that advance solar and space physics 
research, including research-to-operations 
and operations-to-research processes. 
‘‘(3) 
MULTIDISCIPLINARY
RESEARCH.—The 
Director of the National Science Foundation, 
the Administrator of the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration, and the 
Administrator of the National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration, shall each pursue 
multidisciplinary research in subjects that 
further the understanding of solar physics, 
space physics, and space weather. 
‘‘(c) SCIENCE MISSIONS.—The Administrator 
of the National Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration 
should 
implement 
missions 
that meet the science objectives identified in 
solar and space physics decadal surveys con-
ducted 
by 
the 
National 
Academies 
of 
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 
‘‘(d) RESEARCH TO OPERATIONS; OPERATIONS 
TO
RESEARCH.—The 
interagency 
working 
group shall, upon consideration of the advice 
of the advisory group, develop formal mecha-
nisms to— 
‘‘(1) transition the space weather research 
findings, models, and capabilities of the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administra-
tion, the National Science Foundation, the 
United States Geological Survey, and other 
relevant Federal agencies, as appropriate, to 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration and the Department of Defense; 
‘‘(2) enhance coordination between re-
search modeling centers and forecasting cen-
ters; and 
‘‘(3) communicate the operational needs of 
space weather forecasters of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
and Department of Defense, as appropriate, 
to the National Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration, the National Science Founda-
tion, and the United States Geological Sur-
vey. 
‘‘§ 60605. Space weather data 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of 
the National Aeronautics and Space Admin-
istration and the Director of the National 
Science Foundation shall continue to— 
‘‘(1) make space weather-related data ob-
tained for scientific research purposes avail-
able to space weather forecasters and oper-
ations centers; and 
‘‘(2) support model development and model 
applications to space weather forecasting. 
‘‘(b) RESEARCH.—The Administrator of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-
tration shall make space weather-related 
data obtained from operational forecasting 
available for research. 
‘‘§ 60606. Space weather knowledge transfer 
and information exchange 
‘‘Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of the PROSWIFT Act, the Ad-
ministrator of the National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration, in collaboration 
with the Administrator of the National Aer-
onautics and Space Administration and the 
Director of the National Science Foundation, 
shall enter into an arrangement with the Na-
tional Academies of Sciences, Engineering, 
and Medicine to establish a Space Weather 
Government-Academic-Commercial 
Round-
table 
to 
facilitate 
communication 
and 
knowledge transfer among Government par-
ticipants in the space weather interagency 
working group established under section 
60601(c), the academic community, and the 
commercial space weather sector to— 
‘‘(1) facilitate advances in space weather 
prediction and forecasting; 
‘‘(2) increase coordination of space weather 
research to operations and operations to re-
search; and 
‘‘(3) improve preparedness for potential 
space weather phenomena. 
‘‘§ 60607. Pilot program for obtaining com-
mercial sector space weather data 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 12 
months after the date of enactment of the 
PROSWIFT Act, the Administrator of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-
tration may establish a pilot program under 
which the Administrator will offer to enter 
into contracts with one or more entities in 
the commercial space weather sector for the 
provision to the Administrator of space 
weather data generated by such an entity 
that meets the standards and specifications 
published under subsection (b). 
‘‘(b) DATA STANDARD AND SPECIFICATIONS.— 
Not later than 18 months after the date of 
enactment of the PROSWIFT Act, the Ad-
ministrator of the National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration, in consultation 
with the Secretary of Defense, may publish 
standards and specifications for ground- 
based, ocean-based, air-based, and space- 
based commercial space weather data and 
metadata. 
‘‘(c) CONTRACTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Within 12 months after 
the date of transmission of the review of the 
integrated strategy to Congress under sec-
tion 60602(c)(3) and taking into account the 
results of the review, the Administrator of 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration may offer to enter, through an 
open competition, into at least one contract 
with one or more commercial space weather 
sector entities capable of providing space 
weather data that— 
‘‘(A) meets the standards and specifica-
tions established for providing such data 
under subsection (b); and 
‘‘(B) is provided in a manner that allows 
the Administrator of the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration to cali-
brate and evaluate the data for use in space 
weather research and forecasting models of 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration, the Department of Defense, or 
both. 
‘‘(2) ASSESSMENT.—If one or more contract 
is entered into under paragraph (1), not later 
than 4 years after the date of enactment of 
the PROSWIFT Act, the Administrator of 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration shall assess, and submit to the 
Committees on Science, Space, and Tech-
nology and Armed Services of the House of 
Representatives and the Committees on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation and 
Armed Services of the Senate, a report on 
the extent to which the pilot program has 
demonstrated data provided under contracts 
described in paragraph (1) meet the stand-
ards and specifications established under 
subsection (b) and the extent to which the 
pilot program has demonstrated— 
‘‘(A) the viability of assimilating the com-
mercially provided data into National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration space 
weather research and forecasting models; 
‘‘(B) whether, and by how much, the data 
so provided add value to space weather fore-
casts of the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration and the Department 
of Defense; and 
‘‘(C) the accuracy, quality, timeliness, va-
lidity, 
reliability, 
usability, 
information 
technology security, and cost-effectiveness 
of obtaining commercial space weather data 
from commercial sector providers. 
‘‘§ 60608. Space weather benchmarks 
‘‘The interagency working group estab-
lished under section 60601(c) shall periodi-
cally review and update the benchmarks de-
scribed in the report of the National Science 
and Technology Council entitled ‘Space 
Weather Phase 1 Benchmarks’ and dated 
June 2018, as necessary, based on— 
‘‘(1) any significant new data or advances 
in scientific understanding that become 
available; or 
‘‘(2) the evolving needs of entities im-
pacted by space weather phenomena.’’. 
(c) TECHNICAL
AND
CONFORMING
AMEND-
MENTS.— 
(1) The table of chapters of title 51, United 
States Code, is amended by adding after the 
item relating to chapter 605 the following: 
‘‘606. Space Weather .......................... 60601’’. 
(2) Section 809 of the National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration Authorization Act 
of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18388) and the item relating 
to that section in the table of contents under 
section 1(b) of that Act (Public Law 111–267; 
124 Stat. 2806) are repealed. 
f 
DISCHARGE AND REFERRAL—S. 
4187 
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I 
ask unanimous consent that S. 4187 be 
discharged from the Committee on En-
vironment and Public Works and be re-
ferred to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 
objection, it is so ordered. 
f 
SPACE WEATHER RESEARCH AND 
FORECASTING ACT 
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I 
ask unanimous consent that the Sen-
ate proceed to the immediate consider-
ation of Calendar No. 322, S. 881. 
The 
PRESIDING 
OFFICER. 
The 
clerk will report the bill by title. 
The senior assistant legislative clerk 
read as follows: 
A bill (S. 881) to improve understanding 
and forecasting of space weather events, and 
for other purposes. 
There being no objection, the Senate 
proceeded to consider the bill, which 
had been reported from the Committee 
on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation. 
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I 
ask unanimous consent that the Peters 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
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substitute amendment at the desk be 
agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be 
considered read a third time and 
passed; and that the motion to recon-
sider be considered made and laid upon 
the table. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 
objection, it is so ordered. 
The amendment (No. 2498), in the na-
ture of a substitute, was agreed to. 
(The amendment is printed in today’s 
RECORD under ‘‘Text of Amendments.’’) 
The bill, as amended, was ordered to 
be engrossed for a third reading, was 
read the third time, and passed. 
f 
PERMITTING 
THE 
REMAINS 
OF 
THE HONORABLE JOHN LEWIS, 
LATE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM 
THE STATE OF GEORGIA, TO LIE 
IN STATE IN THE ROTUNDA OF 
THE CAPITOL 
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I 
ask unanimous consent that the Sen-
ate proceed to the immediate consider-
ation of H. Con. Res. 105, which was re-
ceived from the House. 
The 
PRESIDING 
OFFICER. 
The 
clerk will report the concurrent resolu-
tion. 
The senior assistant legislative clerk 
read as follows: 
A concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 105) 
permitting the remains of the Honorable 
John Lewis, late a Representative from the 
State of Georgia, to lie in state in the ro-
tunda of the Capitol. 
There being no objection, the Senate 
proceeded to consider the concurrent 
resolution. 
Mr. MCCONNELL. I ask unanimous 
consent that the concurrent resolution 
be agreed to and the motion to recon-
sider be considered made and laid upon 
the table with no intervening action or 
debate. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 
objection, it is so ordered. 
The concurrent resolution (H. Con. 
Res. 105) was agreed to. 
f 
DIRECTING 
THE 
ARCHITECT 
OF 
THE CAPITOL TO TRANSFER THE 
CATAFALQUE SITUATED IN THE 
EXHIBITION HALL OF THE CAP-
ITOL VISITOR CENTER TO THE 
ROTUNDA OF THE CAPITOL FOR 
USE IN CONNECTION WITH SERV-
ICES CONDUCTED FOR THE HON-
ORABLE JOHN LEWIS, LATE A 
REPRESENTATIVE 
FROM 
THE 
STATE OF GEORGIA 
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I 
ask unanimous consent that the Sen-
ate proceed to the immediate consider-
ation of H. Con. Res. 106, which was re-
ceived from the House. 
The 
PRESIDING 
OFFICER. 
The 
clerk will report the title of the con-
current resolution. 
The senior assistant legislative clerk 
read as follows: 
A concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 106) 
directing the Architect of the Capitol to 
transfer the catafalque situated in the Exhi-
bition Hall of the Capitol Visitor Center to 
the rotunda of the Capitol for use in connec-
tion with services conducted for the Honor-
able John Lewis, late a Representative from 
the State of Georgia. 
There being no objection, the Senate 
proceeded to consider the concurrent 
resolution. 
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I 
ask unanimous consent that the reso-
lution be agreed to and the motion to 
reconsider be considered made and laid 
upon the table with no intervening ac-
tion or debate. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 
objection, it is so ordered. 
The concurrent resolution (H. Con. 
Res. 106) was agreed to. 
f 
ORDERS FOR TUESDAY, JULY 28, 
2020 
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I 
ask unanimous consent that when the 
Senate completes its business today, it 
adjourn until 10 a.m., Tuesday, July 28; 
further, that following the prayer and 
pledge, the morning hour be deemed 
expired, the Journal of proceedings be 
approved to date, the time for the two 
leaders be reserved for their use later 
in the day, and morning business be 
closed; further, that following leader 
remarks, the Senate proceed to execu-
tive session to resume consideration of 
the Joseph nomination, under the pre-
vious order; finally, that following the 
cloture vote on the Wade nomination, 
the Senate recess until 2:15 to allow for 
the weekly conference meetings. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 
objection, it is so ordered. 
f 
ORDER FOR ADJOURNMENT 
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, if 
there is no further business to come be-
fore the Senate, I ask unanimous con-
sent it stand adjourned under the pre-
vious order following the remarks of 
Senators Coons and Whitehouse. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 
objection, it is so ordered. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
ator from Delaware. 
f 
REMEMBERING STEPHEN D. 
SUSMAN 
Mr. COONS. Mr. President, on the 
day that we are remembering our dear 
friend 
and 
colleague 
John 
Lewis, 
‘‘someone who got in good trouble, 
someone who got in the way,’’ I rise to 
join with my colleague from the State 
of Rhode Island to offer tribute to a 
dear friend who also knew how to get 
in good trouble and get in the way. 
Our friend Steve Susman of Houston, 
TX, at age 79, passed away on July 14 
after sustaining serious injuries from a 
cycling accident and suffering from 
COVID–19. Steve will be remembered 
by all he inspired as one of the greatest 
trial attorneys ever in the United 
States. Steve is someone who, with in-
credible skill, prepared painstakingly, 
mastering the facts, so that he could 
back up every single thing he said in 
front of a jury. 
When it came to courtrooms, it is 
said that Steve was the smartest guy 
in the room, but he also believed deep-
ly in teaching young lawyers trial 
skills. And unlike many famous and 
leading trial attorneys, he was happy 
to share the spotlight with younger 
lawyers—in fact, insisted on it. Two of 
those younger lawyers happen to be 
friends of mine from law school, Jona-
than Ross and Andrew Golub, who first 
introduced me to Steve and gave me 
the joy of getting to know him and all 
who practiced with him. 
Steve was passionate about law and 
justice. He spent his entire life think-
ing and talking about and working for 
ways to improve the system of civil 
justice in America. Motivated by a 
deep passion for the law, he fought to 
improve our system and was a cru-
sader. Respected broadly for his leader-
ship and his ability to achieve justice 
for his clients, Steve is someone who 
left a lasting impact on his community 
and our country. 
His incredible generosity to Yale 
University, to the University of Texas 
Law School, to the NYU Law School 
Civil Jury Project, and to the Anti-Def-
amation League, among many others, 
will be remembered for years and years 
to come. Steve had boundless energy, 
deep affection for his family, and a pas-
sionate commitment to the law. 
This is a difficult time for his family, 
his friends, his colleagues, and his 
loved ones. I want to give my special 
condolences to his wife, Ellen; his chil-
dren, 
Harry, 
Stacy, 
Whitney, 
and 
Amanda; his brother, Tommy; and his 
eight grandchildren. I share with them 
my deepest and sincere condolences in 
the passing of this lion of the law. We 
will not see his like again. 
I yield the floor to my colleague from 
Rhode Island. 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
ator from Rhode Island. 
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I 
am pleased to join my colleague from 
Delaware here to offer a Senate floor 
farewell to our friend Steve Susman. 
He was a very big personality, but un-
like a lot of very big personalities, it 
was never all about him. He wasn’t 
pushing people away with the size of 
his personality. He was enveloping 
them with the size of his personality, 
and I was one who was fortunate to be 
so enveloped. We became friends, and I 
will miss him. 
To Ellen and to their children, to his 
brother, Tom, who gave such beautiful 
remarks at the electronic service for 
Steve the other day, I want to say 
thank you. 
I just want to tell one story, but the 
story will not make sense if you don’t 
understand what a big deal Steve Sus-
man was. If you don’t understand that 
he was the main partner of Susman 
Godfrey, which by many lights is the 
best and biggest litigation firm in the 
United States of America. His name is 
on that firm. His name is on thousands 
of pleadings filed by that firm in cases 
all around the country. He is a person 
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE
S4514 
July 27, 2020 
who had gravitas as a lawyer and who 
lived before judges and needed to make 
sure he kept their good will and re-
spect. 
Now, for a lot of people, that would 
have meant taking no chances—not for 
Steve. I have a practice, from time to 
time, in the Senate, of writing Su-
preme Court amicus briefs as an ami-
cus curiae—a friend of the court and 
not the party. The Court rules allow 
me both to express their views on the 
law and on the background facts in 
cases—those people are called friends 
of the court—and I have filed those 
briefs over and over again. They are 
not the usual friend-of-the-court brief. 
Let’s just say that. 
I believe that as a U.S. Senator, I 
best show my respect for the Court and 
the Justices by being candid with them 
about where I think they have made 
grievous mistakes or where they have 
been led astray. 
So these are not your ordinary briefs. 
This one was about the Consumer Fi-
nancial Protection Board, and I focused 
on the favor-seeking interests that 
caused the underlying 2008 meltdown 
and how those same favor-seeking in-
terests were interested in undoing the 
Consumer Financial Protection Board 
so they could get back to the same 
mischief again. I talked about the dan-
gers of corruption from those interests. 
Well, those are powerful interests. To 
talk about them in that way in an ami-
cus brief is not nothing. 
Now, the brief talks about the fake 
notion of freedom that some espouse, 
which is, for instance, the freedom to 
pollute as opposed to the freedom to 
have a clean river free of the pollution. 
That freedom—the freedom to harm 
consumers—that freedom is a fake and 
wrong freedom, and we said so quite 
clearly in this brief. We talked about 
the value of regulation that we have 
clean air and water, that we have safe 
pharmaceuticals, that we have an or-
derly economy, and that people are not 
cheated in stock swindles because we 
have a regulatory system that has 
knowledgeable people in it who devote 
their careers to looking out for the 
public against very clever and often 
wily special interests. 
We push back hard on the notion that 
deregulation is a great asset. In fact, 
we pointed out that the failures of reg-
ulation have almost always occurred 
when the regulated interest got too 
much control over the regulator and 
got into the mischief business through 
the regulator, but honest regulation 
has been almost always a virtue for our 
country. 
We went after this thing called the 
unitary executive theory and showed 
how it had been cooked up in corporate 
rightwing hothouses. This thing had 
come through like an assembly line of 
billionaire-funded 
rightwing 
phony 
front groups to propagate itself out 
into the world and tried to get some le-
gitimacy as a legal theory, and we 
went through the whole history of 
that. That is pretty rough stuff be-
cause people put a lot of money into 
trying to cook up this unitary execu-
tive theory. 
Last week, we pointed out that the 
judicial selection process that is going 
on around here right now is directly re-
lated to the deregulation process. The 
judges are being picked by special in-
terests so they will rule against regula-
tion and give special interests a break 
and they can pollute and cheat and 
harm people to a greater degree than 
they would with strong regulators. 
That was a point that we made in this 
brief. And, by the way, I quoted 
Trump’s legal counsel, Don McGahn, 
who actually said this. It is not like we 
were making it up. He called them two 
sides of the same coin—fill the court 
with judges who hate regulation and 
let the big industries deregulate and 
have more freedom to harm. 
And, finally, we did something that I 
have not done before in a brief, but be-
cause there is so much special interest 
money floating around in the Supreme 
Court and because there is so much 
mischief swirling around it, we actu-
ally put an appendix into the brief at 
the end that looked at some of the 
other amici who had showed up to show 
how often they were funded by the 
same secretive groups and how many of 
them were basically tentacles of the 
same creature, and we backed that up 
with research showing one by one how 
they had been funded and sourced thor-
oughly. 
This was not your usual Supreme 
Court brief. Why do I dwell on this 
brief? Because here is the name on it: 
Brief of Amici Curiae, U.S. Senator 
SHELDON
WHITEHOUSE, 
RICHARD 
BLUMENTHAL, MAZIE HIRONO in Support 
of Court-Appointed Amicus 
Curiae, 
Stephen D. Susman, Counsel of Record. 
Like the thousands of pleadings that 
bear Steve Susman’s name, so did this 
brief. 
He took a chance to sign on a brief 
that was written the way we wrote this 
one. He did not mind. He knew that 
what we were saying was right. He was 
willing to put his name behind that, 
even though it might have caused 
blowback because that is the kind of 
man he was, and I will miss that. We 
have too little of that in this country 
these days, and, Steve, God speed. 
I yield the floor. 
Mr. COONS. So our respect to Steve 
Susman, a man of rare courage. 
With that, I yield the floor. 
f 
ADJOURNMENT UNTIL 10 A.M. 
TOMORROW 
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under 
the previous order, the Senate stands 
adjourned until 10 a.m. tomorrow. 
Thereupon, the Senate, at 7:12 p.m., 
adjourned until Tuesday, July 28, 2020, 
at 10 a.m. 
f 
CONFIRMATION 
Executive nomination confirmed by 
the Senate July 27, 2020: 
THE JUDICIARY 
WILLIAM SCOTT HARDY, OF PENNSYLVANIA, TO BE 
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE FOR THE WESTERN 
DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA. 
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