Congressional Record, Senate, March 18, 2020 — Coronavirus, Paul Amendment (S1789)
Summary
Page S1789 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for March 18, 2020, under the heading Coronavirus. Wyden says the Senate will vote shortly on the Paul amendment, states strong opposition to it, and calls it a poison pill that has nothing to do with the underlying proposal. Paul rises in support of an amendment to pay for the economic stimulus package by removing less important spending elsewhere in the budget. The clerk reports an amendment numbered 1556 proposed by Paul, and the printed amendment text includes a deadline of December 31, 2020 for removal of all United States Armed Forces from Afghanistan.
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“Congressional Record, Senate, March 18, 2020 — Coronavirus, Paul Amendment (S1789).”
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March 18, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1789
touch with the average person. We are be taken. But for today, get on with tion of diseases beyond our control
because that is whom we represent. this. Get on with passing this bill and paralyzes us with fear.
I yield the floor. getting ready to move to the next bill. People have forgotten what it is like
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Those in need of healthcare and citi- to experience the annual dread of re-
ator from Oregon. zens struggling to make it through curring infectious disease. My parents
f these unprecedented times want action remember vividly the polio pandemics
now. They all realize that there will be of the 1950s. In one of the last great
CORONAVIRUS
several additional pieces of legisla- outbreaks of polio, before the vaccine,
Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, shortly, tion—hopefully sooner rather than almost 60,000 people contracted polio
the Senate will vote on the Paul later—but our job today is to make and over 3,100 died. Jonas Salk was
amendment, and I want this body to sure we pass this bill. greeted as a conquering hero for devel-
understand why I strongly oppose it. I urge my colleagues, when we vote oping the first widespread polio vac-
The Paul amendment, in its essence, on the Paul amendment very shortly, cine, but that was nearly 70 years ago.
has nothing to do with the underlying to oppose it. In the early 18th century, Dr. Zabdiel
proposal responding to this enormous I yield the floor. Boylston showed great courage in in-
COVID–19 crisis. The Paul amendment The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- troducing inoculation for smallpox.
is a poison pill that essentially focuses ator from Kentucky. Within a generation, smallpox was on
on an old political issue that this body Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, I rise in the wane and ultimately defeated when
has debated before and very likely is support of my amendment to pay for Edward Jenner discovered how to vac-
going to debate again. I just don’t be- this economic stimulus package by re- cinate using the milder cowpox.
lieve the Paul amendment has any moving less important spending from This latest pandemic already has he-
place in a debate on an emergency elsewhere in the budget. roes—some known, but most of these
coronavirus bill. I would ask every American: If you heroes are unknown doctors and nurses
Every Member of this Senate under- were faced with a personal crisis and on the frontlines. The innovators
stands our country is facing and deal- had to spend extra money and you had among us are already putting forth po-
ing with a national health and eco- to spend extra money on food and med- tential treatments and possible cures.
nomic crisis. The country wants us to icine—money that you had to borrow A half dozen antiviral medications are
focus like a laser on emergency meas- from a relative—wouldn’t you in the final stages of study. Research-
ures that can help save lives and keep prioritize your resources and imme- ers believe that an old drug developed
families from falling into destitution. diately stop loaning money to friends for malaria may help. Reports indicate
The Paul amendment says, in effect, overseas for their children to go to, for that scientists will likely set a speed
that immigrant families with kids are example, space camp? Wouldn’t you record in developing a vaccine.
going to pay for the emergency with stop funding clown colleges in Argen- Now is not the time for malaise; now
their kids’ well-being. These families, tina? If you had a true emergency like is the time for optimism. By summer,
like so many others, are especially vul- this pandemic, wouldn’t you stop build- there is a very good chance we will be
nerable at this moment. It is just ing roads and gas stations in Pakistan? in the recovery phase. Now is not the
wrong to bring misery into their If you had a true emergency like this time to give in.
homes. corona pandemic, wouldn’t you imme- Several generations have grown up
I would just ask my colleagues to diately stop spending money studying unfamiliar with the devastation of
save the immigration debates for an- why drunk people fall down more than pandemics, and even now, when it is
other time when we are not in the mid- sober people? impossible to look the other way, the
dle of a pandemic. Today, the focus is I ask my colleagues to stop wasting young and healthy rationalize their
about that pandemic and acting in an money in this time of crisis. Stop being relative safety. Psychologically, it is
emergency, where we come together, a rubberstamp for wasteful spending. easier for the young and healthy to
both political parties, both sides of the Do your jobs and prioritize our pre- view mortality as something that hap-
aisle. When you are dealing with this cious resources. It is our job and our pens to the old and unhealthy.
kind of pandemic, your focus is helping responsibility to conserve these re- Coronavirus scares us because it kills
families and workers, small businesses, sources. not only the old and infirm but the
and all of those people who are walking Why is this important? Why young and vibrant, although much less
on an economic tightrope. They are not shouldn’t we just print or borrow the frequently. One of the coronavirus’s
getting paychecks, is what we are hear- money instead of making cuts in first victims was a 32-year-old, pre-
ing, and they are trying to figure out things like foreign aid? Because next viously healthy ophthalmologist in
how to pay the rent. If they pay the time, maybe in the not too distant fu- Wuhan.
rent, do they have money for food? If ture, our children may not even be able The question is not how serious is the
they have money for food, what do to borrow their way out of a crisis. Our pandemic or whether we should act but
they do about out-of-pocket dollar will be devalued, our economy whether there is a plan of action that
healthcare? Folks want our support ruined, and all because we will have can preserve our economy and lead to a
with those survival issues. been profligate fools with our re- quick rebound.
On the Finance Committee—I am sources; all because we refused to do I don’t think anyone will ever know
very pleased to see the distinguished what we were elected to do, which is to for certain whether grinding the U.S.
President of this body working with us prioritize the truly vital, such as economy to a halt was necessary. Like-
on the Finance Committee. What we coronavirus relief and medical re- wise, no one can really know the con-
have tried to do is focus on modern- search, over the extraneous, such as verse—what would have happened had
izing unemployment insurance. I have spending money on clown colleges, gas we not attempted to slow the virus’s
said to my colleagues: Let’s just face stations, and roads in Afghanistan. spread. It is useful, though, to remem-
it—unemployment is a system that has To my fellow Americans, remain ber that just 10 years ago, we suffered
been in a time warp. hopeful, remain kind, remain faithful, the swine flu pandemic, and the swine
I think we have a very important and above all, remain resilient. In the flu was no walk in the park. It is esti-
proposal that is going to help an enor- world’s history, pandemics are the mated that about 60 million Americans
mous number of people from sea to norm, not the exception. It is only re- were infected and over 12,000 people
SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with SENATE
shining sea. We need to do so much cently—in the modern era of anti- died.
right now, particularly in terms of sav- biotics and vaccines—that pandemics Now experts have said that the
ing lives and getting healthcare to our have become less frequent. coronavirus is much more lethal than
people. Ever since vaccines eradicated polio the swine flu—likely true—but world-
What I hear from home is people who and smallpox, modern man has become wide deaths from the swine flu were es-
are following this are saying: There is accustomed to the idea that life is rel- timated to be between 150,000 and
so much to do. Act now, then get on atively safe and that a long life is to be 575,000. When calm returns, it will be
with the additional steps that have to expected. Consequently, any re-erup- helpful to examine how our responses
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S1790 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 18, 2020
differed between the swine flu and the the waste, and then we have an emer- (Purpose: To amend the Internal Revenue
coronavirus. gency, and they say: Let’s just borrow Code of 1986 to require a social security
At one time, we were completely more money. Instead, what we should number for purposes of the child tax credit,
helpless before the ravages of natural to provide the President the authority to
do is we should actually take money
transfer funds as necessary, and to termi-
disasters, such as infectious diseases, that is unwisely spent and move it over nate United States military operations and
but our history is one of great innova- to account for this emergency. reconstruction activities in Afghanistan)
tion and perseverance. We will survive What I am offering is a very reason-
At the appropriate place, insert the fol-
this pandemic. What government does able proposal. We simply pay for this lowing:
to mitigate the calamity should be emergency bill by taking money from
short-lived, temporary, and cause as SEC. lll. SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER REQUIRE-
other areas of waste in the budget. MENT FOR CHILD TAX CREDIT.
little distortion to the free market I yield the floor.
economy as possible. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- (a) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (1) of section
The history of pandemics indicates a 24(e) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is
jority leader. amended to read as follows:
strong likelihood that the peak of in- ‘‘(1) SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER REQUIRED.—
f
fections and mortality could pass in a No credit shall be allowed under this section
few weeks to a few months. Congress ORDER OF PROCEDURE to a taxpayer with respect to any qualifying
should remain calm and try not to ex- child unless the taxpayer includes the social
plode the debt in our response. Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I security number of such child on the return
The public should know that Con- ask unanimous consent that the Sen- of tax for the taxable year. For purposes of
gress has already enacted reforms that ate proceed to the immediate consider- the preceding sentence, the term ‘social se-
will free up millions of industrial ation of H.R. 6201; further, that the curity number’ means a social security num-
only amendments in order be amend- ber issued to an individual by the Social Se-
masks to be used by our doctors and
ments to be offered by Senators PAUL, curity Administration, but only if the social
nurses. Thoughtful sequestration and security number is issued—
quarantining is in place and helping. In JOHNSON, and MURRAY or their des-
‘‘(A) to a citizen of the United States or
addition, I have introduced legislation ignees, the text of which are at the
pursuant to subclause (I) (or that portion of
to allow our university labs and ad- desk; further, that at 12:10 p.m., the subclause (III) that relates to subclause (I))
vanced private labs to be able to de- Senate vote on the Paul amendment of section 205(c)(2)(B)(i) of the Social Secu-
velop additional testing for subject to a 60-affirmative vote thresh- rity Act, and
coronavirus and possible cures by re- old for adoption; further, that fol- ‘‘(B) before the due date for such return.’’.
moving redtape at the FDA. lowing the disposition of the Paul (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—
I do worry, though, that as we go fur- amendment, the time until 2 p.m. be (1) Subsection (h) of section 24 of such Code
ther into debt, we may reach a point equally divided between the two lead- is amended—
ers or their designees and that at 2 (A) by striking ‘‘paragraph (7)’’ in para-
where our debt is so large that we are graph (4)(C) and inserting ‘‘subsection
unable to manage the next pandemic. p.m., the Senate vote on the Murray
(e)(1)’’,
We should never forget fiscal responsi- and Johnson amendments, in the order (B) by striking paragraph (7), and
bility, even in a crisis. We should pay listed, with a 60-affirmative-vote (C) by striking ‘‘(2) through (7)’’ in para-
for any new Federal funding by taking threshold for adoption of each; further, graph (1) and inserting ‘‘(2) through (6)’’.
that money from areas of the budget that upon disposition of these amend- (2) Section 6213(g)(2)(I) of such Code is
where it is not being wisely used. My ments, the bill as amended, if amended, amended by striking ‘‘TIN’’ and inserting
amendment does just that. be read a third time and the Senate ‘‘social security number’’.
My amendment says that if you want vote on passage of the bill with a 60-af- (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments
to apply for money from the govern- firmative-vote threshold for passage; made by this section shall apply to taxable
finally, that if passed, the motion to years beginning after the date of the enact-
ment through the child tax credit pro- ment of this Act.
gram—this is money the government reconsider be considered made and laid
upon the table and that all votes be 30 SEC. lll. TRANSFER AUTHORITY.
gives to people—then you have to be a
legitimate person and you have to have minutes in length. (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any
a Social Security number. We have The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there other provision of law, the President may
been talking about this reform for a objection? transfer, as necessary and without limita-
Without objection, it is so ordered. tion, amounts from any account in the
decade now, and we never seem to be Treasury to any other account in the Treas-
able to get it passed. It has nothing to f ury being used for the purpose of combating,
do with not liking immigrants; it has addressing, or ameliorating the coronavirus
to do with saying taxpayer money LEGISLATIVE SESSION pandemic.
shouldn’t go to nonpeople. You should (b) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.—The
have to be a person to get taxpayer President shall submit to Congress, on each
money. It just says you have to have a FAMILIES FIRST CORONAVIRUS of the following dates, a notification detail-
Social Security number. People esti- RESPONSE ACT ing each transfer made under subsection (a)
mate this will save $26 billion. That during the time period preceding the notifi-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The cation:
goes a long way toward paying for this clerk will report the bill by title. (1) July 1, 2020.
bill. The senior assistant legislative clerk (2) October 1, 2020.
I think we should also end the war in read as follows: (3) January 1, 2021.
Afghanistan. We are spending $50 bil- (c) EXPIRATION.—The transfer authority in
A bill (H.R. 6201) making emergency sup-
lion a year on that war. And it is most- subsection (a) shall expire on December 31,
plemental appropriations for the fiscal year
ly not to fight war. It is to build stuff ending September 30, 2020, and for other pur- 2020.
for them. It is to build infrastructure poses. SEC. lll. TERMINATION OF UNITED STATES
for them. We have a lot of problems MILITARY OPERATIONS AND RECON-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
with infrastructure in our own country STRUCTION ACTIVITIES IN AFGHANI-
ator from Kentucky. STAN.
without spending $50 billion a year in
AMENDMENT NO. 1556
Afghanistan. (a) TERMINATION.—Military operations of
If we have a true emergency now, it Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, I call up the United States Armed Forces and recon-
is our job to prioritize, to take that my amendment No. 1556 and ask that struction activities of the United States
be it reported by number. Government in Afghanistan are hereby ter-
SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with SENATE
money from where it is not being spent
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The minated.
wisely and spend it on something we
need at the moment. clerk will report the amendment by (b) DEADLINE FOR COMPLETE CESSATION.—
number. Not later than December 31, 2020—
My bill also allows the President to
The legislative clerk read as follows: (1) all United States Armed Forces shall be
look throughout the budget and trans- removed from Afghanistan; and
fer money from any other wasteful The Senator from Kentucky [Mr. PAUL] (2) all reconstruction activities of the
areas. If you look at our budget, it is proposes an amendment numbered 1556. United States Government in Afghanistan
loaded with waste. Nobody ever culls The amendment is as follows: shall be wound up.
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