Coronavirus Response and Defense Production Act — Congressional Record, Senate, March 18, 2020
Summary
Page S1784 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for March 18, 2020. Senators discuss the national stockpile of ventilators, masks and gloves, and one says it should be open to the States that need it immediately. A speaker describes isolation as a problem with no cure and says the situation may be leading to more empathy. Mr. Merkley, the Senator from Oregon, then speaks about small businesses, saying the retailers of Ashland, OR, face closure within weeks if the business climate does not change, and recalls an earlier bailout he says favored big business.
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“Coronavirus Response and Defense Production Act — Congressional Record, Senate, March 18, 2020.”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-03-18-crec-2020-03-18-pt1-pgs1784-2-032aa076d5/
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S1784 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 18, 2020
they were going to use up the protec- than I can ever recall in our family You don’t even know if you con-
tive equipment and masks and gloves, conversations. tracted the virus right away, or maybe
for example, that they had available. Perhaps adversity has a created com- your spouse, maybe your child, maybe
They didn’t know where to turn for munity. Perhaps this situation, this your parent, maybe your friend.
more. concern that we have, is leading to Then there is a much greater sense of
Let’s get this together. I believe more empathy. isolation, a problem for which there is
there is a national stockpile, and I be- We are going to get through this. no cure. I miss not meeting and talking
lieve it should be open for the States America always does. There will be to my constituents. They are our life-
that need it immediately. Our State is some painful moments and very dif- blood. That is not happening just to us
one of those. ficult ones. I think those who sent us here in the Senate; it is happening
Referring to these ventilators and to do this job in Washington expect us across America—friends who used to
breathing devices, in a press conference to put our party labels at the door, find get together and families who had
a couple of days ago, the President said solutions to the challenges we face, gatherings. Different social activities
the Governors should do their best. We help our Nation through this crisis, and are gone—book clubs, card games. The
can do better than that. The largest come out strong on the other side. fabric and sinew of our lives as human
stockpile of this equipment is in pos- I yield the floor. beings have been put on hold, and no-
session of the Federal Government, and body knows for how long.
f
we should turn to it quickly to help By necessity, Americans are now sac-
those in need. RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY rificing their normal lives and daily
I am very concerned as well—I will LEADER routines and, maybe worst of all, sacri-
close. I see other colleagues on the The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ficing the sense of community because
floor, and I know they would like to Democratic leader is recognized. we all, each individually and together
make comments as well. I will close by as a country, must fight this awful
f
virus.
also saying that as we undertake the
CORONAVIRUS Unfortunately, we are only just be-
next piece of legislation—the $800, $900, ginning to see the necessary serious-
$1 trillion bill—I hope the first priority Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I
thank my good friend, the Senator ness and mobilization of resources from
is to make sure we help our hospitals. the Federal Government. Sadly, unfor-
I have a measure with Senator from South Dakota, for his usual dis-
play of patience. tunately, and with awful consequences,
LANKFORD, Republican of Oklahoma,
The coronavirus pandemic continues this administration took far too long
that will compensate hospitals in rural
to test our Nation in new and difficult to wake up to this global crisis. It has
areas and downstate areas in Illinois. I
ways. There is now a confirmed case of wasted precious weeks in downplaying
am fearful they will be the first to be
coronavirus in all 50 States and the the severity of the coronavirus—weeks
overwhelmed. I hope those representing
District of Columbia. Our public health that could have been spent in earnest
rural States will come together and
system was understaffed and in the preparation of building our test-
join, as Senator LANKFORD and I have,
underresourced, and without interven- ing capacity. As a result, the United
to try to find a way to make sure they
tion, it could soon become over- States continues to lag behind other
are adequately funded to get through
whelmed. countries in the number and the per-
this crisis.
Even as the market shifts from day centage of the population we are test-
I might add that we also need med-
to day, the coronavirus is slowing our ing.
ical professionals in the long term. I Stories of Americans who feel sick
hope we will dedicate ourselves to im- economy to a near-standstill, and we
and show symptoms but who are unable
proving the National Health Service are almost certainly anticipating a re-
to access coronavirus tests appear
Corps as one way of doing that and fo- cession. You go to the streets of many
every day in every single newspaper.
cusing that in rural areas. cities, towns, and villages, and they are Warnings of the potential shortages of
Finally, I have a bill with Senator empty. Schools are closed in large por- masks, hospital beds, and ventilators
ALEXANDER, Senator MURRAY, and Sen- tions of the country. Businesses are appear in the paper every day. In 2
ator BLUNT to take a survey through struggling not to lay off workers be- weeks, the issue of ventilators and ICU
the National Academy of Sciences of cause they don’t have customers, they beds will be like the issue of tests
our dependence on foreign-made medi- don’t have clients, and they don’t have today. In other words, 2 or 3 weeks ago,
cines and medical supplies and medical income. There is great urgency here. many of us were saying to get those
equipment so that we can establish, There are really two separate and si- tests out. A month ago, people were
not only during this challenge and cri- multaneous emergencies—one in our saying it, and now we are seeing the
sis but for future challenges and cri- healthcare system and another in the consequences—lockdowns because we
ses—whether we have adequate domes- economy. We have to deal with both. If can’t test people. We don’t know who
tic production capacity or a necessary we don’t solve the one in our has the virus and who doesn’t. The
stockpiles to protect us. We found, for healthcare, the economy will continue same crisis will be occurring in a few
example, that some 20 major drugs to get bad no matter what we do for it. weeks. Mark our words. Unfortunately,
were manufactured exclusively in Less tangible than those two emer- it is true about ventilators and ICU
China. As China went through the gencies but still very real is the impact beds. We are behind the eight ball on
early stages of this coronavirus crisis, the virus is having on American soci- tests, and we are soon going to be be-
there was a fear that we would be cut ety. My home city of New York is ef- hind the eight ball on ICU beds and
off from sources. We have asked the fectively on lockdown. You can go to a ventilators as more and more people
National Academy of Science to give us place like the Times Square subway get sick.
a survey as quickly as possible. station and see actually nobody there. The administration didn’t pay atten-
I will close by saying that it is inter- Americans are being asked—rightly— tion to tests, and now we are paying
esting, as I follow the emails of my not to gather in groups of 10 or more, the price even though many of us were
friends and family and hear from my not to go to dinner or to a bar or to hollering for weeks about the emerging
colleagues, that as we are separated their church or place of worship. issues with testing. The same problem
with this social distance which we are I lived through 9/11. It occurred in my is about to happen with ventilators. We
trying to respect across the United city. I knew people who were lost. I know, in 2 weeks, the number of ven-
SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with SENATE
States—as we are separated, it is inter- lived through the days of the financial tilators might become a massive prob-
esting how much we are drawn to- crisis in 2008 and other moments of na- lem. We must get ahead of it and get
gether. Our family’s emails and phone tional urgency. But there is something ahead of it now. I call on President
calls have been more numerous than much worse about this crisis we face. I Trump to use his existing authority to
ever as we think about one another have never sensed a greater sense of help address the widespread shortages
more and reach out as we hear that uncertainty, a greater fear of the fu- of medical equipment, particularly
there is a need within our family. ture, of the unknown. We don’t know ventilators, as a result of the COVID–19
There is more conversation and candor how long this crisis will last. outbreak.
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March 18, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1785
I joined 27 of my colleagues in a let- in any bailout to industry. There are of $1,000. My fellow Americans, this is
ter to President Trump to urge him to many things in this bill that are im- not a time for small thinking, and this
invoke the Defense Production Act of portant: no payment on student loans is not a time for small measures. This
1950, which authorizes the President to or mortgages and help with our mass is a time to be bold, to be aggressive. A
strengthen domestic manufacturing ca- transit systems. There are many single $1,000 check would help people
pacity and supply in extraordinary cir- things, and the Democrats are going to pay their landlords in March, but what
cumstances. It is used in times of war, fight for them in the next phase of the happens after that? How do they pay
and we must mobilize as if it were a response, but the priorities I men- their rent in April when their offices or
time of war when it comes to hos- tioned are key: public health capacity, restaurants or stores are still closed
pitals—beds, supplies, equipment. The unemployment insurance, paid sick for business? How about May? How
DPA, the Defense Production Act, al- leave, and priority treatment for labor about June? The President has sug-
lows for the President to direct the in any bailout to industry. gested that this recession could last
production of private sector firms of On the public health capacity, as I through the summer. One thousand
critical manufactured goods to meet mentioned, we need masks; we need dollars gets used pretty quickly if you
urgent and national security needs. hospital beds; we need ventilators; and are unemployed. In contrast, expanded
The President should do so imme- we still need testing kits. So the Demo- unemployment insurance, beefed-up
diately. crats are proposing a Marshall Plan for unemployment insurance, covers you
A report came out today that the our public health infrastructure. The for a much longer time and would pro-
Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA sooner we act on it, the better. We also vide a much bigger safety net.
are ready and willing to participate in need to help in terms of public trans- This is the time to put tribalism
the response process. The Army Corps portation for our healthcare system. aside and acknowledge that this reces-
could build temporary hospitals with Tens of thousands of healthcare work- sion, if we allow it, will do real harm to
ers in New York City and in many Americans up and down the income
beds, but it still hasn’t received in-
other cities cannot get to their jobs— scale, and it will hurt Americans of all
struction from the White House, from
their very needed jobs—if there is no ages. So, if we are going to provide di-
the administration. I thank the men
public and mass transit. So a Marshall rect payments, they need to be bigger,
and women who are willing to be on
Plan for our public health infrastruc- more frequent, and more targeted. Mil-
the frontlines, combating the pan-
ture is what is needed now. It will pre- lionaires shouldn’t get them.
demic, but this kind of inexcusable ac-
vent the situation from getting even These are the kinds of issues that all
tion is maddening, infuriating, and
worse, and it will allow our ailing econ- parties are going to have to discuss—
must be rectified. Lives are at stake.
omy to begin to heal once we contain Democrats and Republicans in the
Public health infrastructure is the
this virus. House and Senate with the White
top priority because, if we can curb
Workers who get laid off or have House. The sooner we discuss them to-
this virus, the economy will get better. their hours cut to almost nothing need gether, the quicker we will be able to
We need to do things to help it, obvi- expanded unemployment insurance— move forward. Yet Leader MCCONNELL
ously, but if you ignore the public period. The Secretary of the Treasury announced yesterday that, in his plan
health crisis with regard to the equip- reportedly told Republican Senators to develop the next phase of legisla-
ment and infrastructure and personnel yesterday that unemployment could tion, Senate Republicans would sit
which is needed in many more numbers hit 20 percent. Unemployment insur- among themselves and then sit down
than we have ever seen, the economy ance is a nonnegotiable part of our re- with the administration and come up
will not get better. sponse to the coronavirus. with their own proposal before pre-
The legislation passed by the House With regard to paid sick leave, Sen- senting it to Senate Democrats, let
on Saturday—phase 2 of the ators MURRAY and GILLIBRAND have a alone to House Democrats. The process
coronavirus response—has a little bit paid sick leave policy to meet this cri- that Leader MCCONNELL has outlined
of this, and it must pass the Senate sis. It should be added to this part of for phase 3 legislation is too cum-
today. Unfortunately, first, we must the legislation. I think they will ask bersome, too partisan, and will take far
dispose of a Republican amendment for it in a unanimous consent request too long given the urgency and need for
that would make a condition of the bill or will offer an amendment to do so. If cooperation.
a requirement for the President to ter- it is not included in this part, it Secretary Mnuchin says he wants
minate military operations in Afghani- should, certainly, be included in the legislation passed by the end of the
stan. Yes, you heard me right. Our Re- next phase of legislation. week. The McConnell process will not
publican leadership has put on the There will be other items that we get us there. The phase 3 legislation
floor an amendment that would make a will have to address down the road. should be the product of a five-corners
condition of the bill a requirement that Certain industries are struggling—air- negotiation, that being with House and
the President terminate military oper- lines, hotels—but we must make sure Senate leaders—majority and minor-
ations in Afghanistan. that we prioritize public health and ity—plus the White House. That is the
In a time of national emergency, this workers over corporate bailouts. If way it has worked the best, the
Republican amendment is ridiculous—a there is going to be a discussion about quickest, and the fairest in the past. If
colossal waste of time. We probably a bailout, it must include workers’ pri- all parties are in the room from the
could have voted on this bill a day or orities and protections. The airlines get-go, the final product will be guar-
two ago if it had not been for the need are very important, for sure, as they anteed swift passage. The process Lead-
to have scheduled this amendment. I employ a lot of people. Many of us who er MCCONNELL outlines is far too remi-
am eager—we are all eager—to dis- fly back and forth to our States know niscent of the typical legislative proc-
patch this absurd Republican amend- of the good people who work as the pi- ess in the Congress—a process that far
ment and send this bill to the Presi- lots and the flight attendants and the too often results in delay and gridlock.
dent. For instance, it allows for the mechanics and the clerks and the tick- We can’t afford that right now.
free testing and treatment of the et takers. They are good, fine people. Leader MCCONNELL was right when
coronavirus, which is very much need- We want to make sure they are pro- he said that, in times of national emer-
ed. We can send this bill to the Presi- tected. One of the reasons—let’s not gency, we must shed our partisanship
dent and begin work on the next phase, forget—that many airlines are so short and rise to the occasion. So let’s begin
phase 3. of cash right now is that they have that way—Republicans and Democrats,
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As my colleagues know, Senate spent billions on stock buybacks, the House and Senate, Congress and
Democrats have already outlined sev- which is money they had to send out the White House. The best way to ad-
eral proposals for the next phase of leg- when they should have been saving it vance phase 3 legislation is to have a
islation, and the specifics have been for a rainy day for their workers and five-corners negotiation from the out-
made public. The proposal has four customers. That issue should be ad- set.
main priorities: public health capacity, dressed. I yield the floor.
unemployment insurance, paid sick A few of my Republican colleagues The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr.
leave, and priority treatment for labor have proposed a onetime cash payment SASSE). The Republican whip.
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S1786 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 18, 2020
CORONAVIRUS The cherry blossom trees are blooming. went on to make billions of dollars and
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, here in There were mothers with young chil- then get a massive tax break in 2017.
the Senate, we are continuing to move dren, 3- and 4-year-old children, play- Right now, the airlines are asking for
forward with the next installment of ing on the grass, and it seemed like a $50 billion bailout, but they have
coronavirus relief legislation. I expect, just so idyllic, so perfect. It seemed spent almost $50 billion in stock
later today, we will pass the bill that like nothing could be wrong in Amer- buyouts over the last few years because
was passed by the House earlier, and ica. they were so profitable. And why did
we are looking beyond it to a third bill But, in fact, so much is wrong in they do stock buyouts? Because it in-
that will provide additional relief to America. Our everyday rhythm of life creased the value of the stock options
the American people. has been shattered. We are facing a of the corporate executives in that in-
As the leader has said, we have three medical pandemic and an economic col- dustry.
priorities: providing direct assistance lapse: K–12 schools, closed; univer- This is a version of private gain and
to American workers and families, sities, shut down; grocery stores, public pain. When a business says,
many whose lives have been disrupted empty; restaurants, locked; gyms, ‘‘During the good times I will keep all
and dislocated in jobs, who are feeling movie theaters, music venues, closed that money; thank you very much for
a lot of economic harm, economic pain; for business. not charging me any taxes to maintain
giving our economy, especially our The reverberations of so many core our infrastructure or our military or
small businesses, the necessary support businesses and core retail being shut our medical care system, and then,
with which to weather the storm; and are affecting virtually every family when we hit a hard time, we will ask to
most importantly, providing medical and every small business across this be bailed out’’—so we will have con-
professionals with the resources they country. So many forms of commerce versations about that strategy for big
need in order to fight this virus. The are grinding to a halt. The economy is business.
House bill addresses these priorities to imploding, and it is touching the work- How about, instead, we focus on the
some degree, but it is not a comprehen- ers and it is touching those small busi- families and the pain they are feeling,
sive bill, and additional legislation is nesses. Workers are experiencing the and focus on the small businesses and
going to be needed. reality of reduced hours, lost shifts, the challenges they are facing?
We especially need to ensure that the layoffs; and they don’t know when they We need a Main Street recovery, not
worker benefit requirements the House are going to be able to pick up that a Wall Street bailout. We need an econ-
bill places on small businesses are ac- work again. omy rebuilt from the bottom up, not
companied by sufficient support. Small Then, they are not sure how they are from Wall Street down—small busi-
businesses are at the most risk eco- going to pay their utilities. How are nesses, like Bargaritas, a small Mexi-
nomically during this time, and we they going to pay their rent? How are can restaurant in Ontario, OR. It is a
need to ensure they have the resources they going to pay their mortgage? And great place for people to gather for a
they need to get through this. I am when will America and the economy meal, and unlike nearby fast food res-
looking forward to continuing to work start to heal, and when will they be taurants, they aren’t known for their
with my colleagues of both parties on able to go back to work? takeout.
the House bill and on additional legis- So the American people are anxious But to combat the virus, the State of
lation. and worried, rightly, about the threat Oregon has shut down sit-down res-
This is a time for all of us to come of the disease and worried, rightly, taurants and asked them to go to take-
together to ensure that medical profes- about the collapse of the economy. out only. Well, that is taking a toll on
sionals, American businesses, and Coronavirus is marching on America. Bargaritas. When a couple came re-
American families have what they need As of yesterday—or, actually, as of this cently in the door and sat down for a
to combat the coronavirus and to deal morning—we have almost 6,000 cases meal, the restaurant staff had to ex-
with its effects. I can’t think of a time here in our United States of America— plain that they could make their meal
at which we have seen schools and 5,881 cases as of this moment. Compare for them, but they would have to make
businesses close on such a mass scale. that to a week ago. We are talking it to go. The couple got up, and they
It is a challenging time for our coun- about 1,200 cases a week ago. That is a didn’t order to go. They walked out the
try, but if we pull together, we can get five-fold increase in a week. door.
through this and come out even strong- We now have more than 50 States af- The owner of Bargaritas notes that
er. fected—all the States, Puerto Rico, they are just struggling to keep their
All of us have roles to play in com- Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. restaurant open, that business is not
bating this virus—washing our hands Then, we can ponder the fact that the coming in enough to pay the workers.
regularly and thoroughly, practicing number of deaths has gone up—51 So if things don’t pick up quickly, he is
social distancing, staying at home as deaths compared to in the thirties a going to have to close and ask his em-
much as possible, listening to advice week ago. ployees to file for unemployment.
from healthcare officials. All of these So the coronavirus is marching on Or how about the Paddington family
things are essential to our flattening America and marching on the econ- of stores in Ashland, OR, in business
the curve and limiting the number of omy. It is a double hammer affecting since 1973? In recent years they have
infected Americans. families and small business, and it is endured all kinds of challenges, includ-
It is vital that we keep as many peo- particularly appropriate at this mo- ing a couple of summers in which wild-
ple as possible from getting infected so ment to share with all of you the sto- fire smoke created major challenges
that our hospitals and medical profes- ries of small businesses in my home for the businesses in Ashland, OR. But
sionals are not overwhelmed with State that are being impacted. things were looking pretty good this
cases. Our medical professionals are More than 40 businesses sent in their year. Business was going OK.
putting their lives on the line every stories, and I am going to share 6 or 7 Now, however, the owner says they
day to care for coronavirus patients. of those stories. But as we think about ‘‘felt [their] world crumble in March
Let’s make sure we do everything we how we proceed, we need to recognize with the threat of the coronavirus
can to keep the number of cases they that this recovery needs to be one changing our world.’’ They have laid
are dealing with as low as possible. where we invest in the foundation of off eight staff members just this week.
In difficult times, Americans rise to our economy, we invest in the families, That is 30 percent of their staff. In a
SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with SENATE
the occasion, and I am confident that we invest with sick leave, we invest single day, their sales dropped 50 per-
is what we will do again. with unemployment insurance, we in- cent. As things are going now, they
I yield the floor. vest by covering the health costs of will need to lay off more staff within
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- getting tests and the cost of getting the next few weeks if the business cli-
ator from Oregon. treatment, and we invest in our small mate does not change.
Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I businesses. And the story is much the same for
walked outside across the Capitol Not so long ago we had a bailout that the retailers throughout the town of
grounds, and it is such a beautiful day. favored big business, and big business Ashland, OR.
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