Congressional Record, Senate, March 18, 2020, Page S1802 — Coronavirus
Summary
A page of the Congressional Record, Senate, dated March 18, 2020, at page S1802, with remarks on the coronavirus response. One Senator warns that the employer paying the gap above $132,000 under a private right of action is a Washington mandate that Washington should pay for, and says the Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinic should be able to develop tests. He relays calls from university presidents, hospital heads, business owners and constituents asking where they can get a test. Under the heading Coronavirus, Mr. Coons says the package passed in the Senate helps children home from school who rely on school lunch programs. Mrs. Blackburn also speaks.
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“Congressional Record, Senate, March 18, 2020, Page S1802 — Coronavirus.”
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S1802 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 18, 2020
might use the private right of action to ing to be used. I mean, why shouldn’t exposed every day and concerned. They
sue the employer and say: I want you the Mayo Clinic or the Cleveland Clinic are just average citizens asking: How
to pay the gap between the $132,000 and be able to go ahead and develop tests can I get a test and where?
whatever I made. and move ahead with them? Now, they I have heard from the presidents of
You may say, I am not too sympa- can. While we have done a great deal, our major universities, the head of our
thetic to the employee who makes that there is a great deal more that we must hospital system, our Governor, and my
much money. Yet I am not talking do. colleagues in our congressional delega-
about being sympathetic to the em- I am convinced, even if we do as Sen- tion. We have talked repeatedly to our
ployee; I am talking about being sym- ator MCCONNELL has said and pass our director of public health, our secretary
pathetic to the employer who may not phase three legislation this weekend, of health and human services, and I
have any money. Remember, this is a which would include loans to small have heard from business owners, large
Washington mandate, and Washington businesses, direct payments to individ- and small, who run everything from
should pay for it. Through technical uals, and stabilizing payments to air- coffee shops and diners to restaurants
changes this past weekend—and it said lines, for example, and maybe to other and hotels in our State. There is a lot
so in the information I just read—the industries, that there is more to do. of anxiety and concern.
Treasury Department has amended the My guess is that the next step after The folks in my State want to know
bill to try to make that clear, and I that—phase four, let’s call it—will be that we here in Washington are going
hope that it is successful. to look to our State employment com- to put the partisan bickering aside,
No. 3 is with regard to layoffs, and I pensation systems and make sure they find answers, and get resources out to
mentioned the restaurant industry. are able to handle the large numbers of deal with this significant public health
There are 15 million people who work people who are losing their jobs be- emergency.
in the restaurant industry. If they are cause the government is shutting down And so I hope folks take some en-
not laid off now, they are going to be the economy in order to contain the couragement from today’s actions. It
mostly all laid off before very long. Un- disease. passed 90 to 8. Very little passes in this
fortunately, none of those men and I voted for the Johnson amendment Senate 90 to 8, and I have very rarely
women who have been laid off are eligi- today, which was to the bill for which seen a bill of this size, scope, and mag-
ble for this sick leave because you are I later voted, because I thought it was nitude that goes from an idea to bill
going to have to work for 30 days for headed in the right direction. Rather text, to enactment in such a short pe-
this small business, for this company than Washington’s issuing mandates, I riod of time, but this moment demands
with fewer than 500 employees, in order would rather Washington work with it.
to be eligible for the paid sick leave. the States in an existing program and Let me talk through, also, the prior-
I am afraid, as a result of this, many ities that are reflected in the Families
make sure that States have sufficient
employers who are worried about this First Coronavirus Response Act, be-
funding on top of their own funds to
provision may have an incentive to lay cause the name reflects the priorities.
deal with the large numbers of auto-
off more of their employees. The truth Hubert Humphrey, who is a former
workers, restaurant workers, and
is that one doesn’t need much more in- leader in the United States in our po-
centive because you are a restaurant workers at the small kennel that has
two or three employees. In addition to litical community and system, once
and have been told by the local health said, ‘‘The moral test of our govern-
board to close down. You don’t have that, I believe the figure in the weekly
fund is going to have to be higher than ment is how it treats those who are in
any money coming in, and you can’t the dawn of life, the children; those
pay your employees anyway, so you the $327 that it is in Tennessee.
This is unprecedented. We are closing who are in the twilight of life, the el-
don’t have any choice. My point is that
down the economy in order to contain derly; and those who are in the shad-
this is a very limited benefit in the res-
the disease. Because we are doing that, ows of life, the sick, the needy and the
taurant industry and, probably, in
we governments at all levels are going handicapped.’’
many other industries because it does I am pleased that the package just
not help the laid-off employee. to have to pay the bill.
I yield the floor. passed here in the Senate takes impor-
Finally, there has been a lot said
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. tant strides to take care of exactly
with regard to the smallest compa-
CRAMER). The Senator from Delaware. those folks. Children home from
nies—those with fewer than 50 employ-
ees—in that they can apply to the Sec- f school, who need support for learning
retary of Labor and he will make you remotely, and those, in particular, who
CORONAVIRUS rely on school lunch programs for their
exempt from the mandate. I think that
Mr. COONS. Mr. President, the Sen- one good, stable healthy meal a day,
is a good idea because this is the small
mom-and-pop diner or it might be the ate of the United States has just acted. will be able to continue to get school
kennel that I just talked about that It has taken up and passed a roughly lunches delivered, either through their
might have three or four employees $104 billion package of assistance that schools or at home. There are signifi-
and that is not accustomed to dealing will go out to American families, to cant resources in this bill for that.
with all of this Washington legalese American workers, to our healthcare Those who are on the frontlines of this
and its requirements and regulations. system, to our States, and to our com- crisis, the individuals who are cleaning
It is not geared up for that. munities. I want to take a few minutes offices and cleaning hospital rooms and
As I read the language in the law, it to talk about this important step we cleaning Amtrak cars and public buses,
is a much narrower exception than have just taken and where we have to those who are putting themselves di-
that, so I am going to attempt to go next. rectly at risk by cleaning the spaces we
amend the law that passed today in The Delawareans I have heard from all count on for our society, frontline
order to broaden the exception so the today and this week and this month workers, people who are in our first re-
Secretary of Labor has more authority are worried, and they are anxious. sponder community, people who are
to waive the mandate for businesses They have been up all night and are working in our hospital emergency
with fewer than 50 employees. trying to figure out how they are going rooms—this provides support for them.
As I said, there are a number of im- to care for their children who are home And for anyone who is concerned
portant benefits in the bill that we from school and need support and in- about the cost of access to testing, this
passed today, especially on testing. We struction and how they are going to bill makes clear that testing for
SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with SENATE
have seen a great increase in the num- care for their parents who are vulner- COVID–19, for this dreaded disease
ber of available tests over the last few able and elderly and sick. They are caused by the novel coronavirus, will
weeks. The Governor of Tennessee said concerned about our hospitals and our have a test for free, including those
yesterday that we have sufficient test- healthcare system and its capacity. without health insurance.
ing. Well, that is for today but maybe They are anxious because they are There are some big pieces in this bill
not for tomorrow or the next day. frontline workers, they are first re- that I will briefly mention. There is
One of the greatest steps forward has sponders, and they are volunteer fire- paid emergency leave for workers at
been to finally allow commercial test- fighters, nurses, and orderlies, who are companies below 500 employees for 2
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March 18, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1803
weeks of sick leave and up to 10 weeks here in the Senate—support for Am- a really good thing to do is to stop and
of additional paid family and medical trak, a priority for me because I com- kind of take stock of where we are and
leave. We just had a disagreement over mute by Amtrak and it is one of the how it is going to be best to move for-
exactly how that is going to get paid biggest modes of transportation on the ward.
for and how it is going to get com- east coast; support for the airline and I think it is important to realize that
pensated and on what timeline, and we hospitality industries because they em- we have already directed resources to
are going to work out those details. ploy hundreds of thousands of people the coronavirus pandemic. There is the
My office’s website will have an ac- and have seen their business drop off coronavirus supplemental, which was
cessible, readable summary of what is sharply; support for long-term struc- an $8.3 billion piece of legislation. That
in this bill up later tonight. tural changes to how we provide access may seem like a lifetime ago to some
The larger point was that we thought to healthcare, access to skills and of those in our States. It was a couple
it essential that folks who we want to training for our workforce, and access of weeks ago. That money is already
stay home, but who are maybe living to higher education. making its way out. Tennessee re-
paycheck to paycheck, know that they I have heard very concerning stories ceived $10 million this week in order to
will get paid sick leave so they can from the folks who lead some of the work on public health needs around the
stay home and we can slow the spread most important nonprofit and faith coronavirus.
of this disease. and educational institutions in my We also had our President move for-
There is also an increase in funds State, and they are looking to us for ward without hesitation to do the na-
from the Federal Government to States bold and decisive leadership. tional emergency declaration. That
for Medicaid, because a lot of our Last, we must not forget those on the freed up $50 billion of resources. That is
States are going to see increased costs margins of our society—people who are money that is going to our States and
as folks move to Medicaid as the place homeless, people who are incarcerated, our localities to help with the response
they get healthcare as they move to people who are uninsured, people who for this, to get those resources where
unemployment. One hundred million are undocumented. If we want to make they need to go.
dollars in additional resources will go sure that we make our country safe, we Of course, there was legislation that
to the State of Delaware alone to pro- need to practice not just good hygiene, passed today, and in that, I supported
vide support for those who may be not just social distancing, but we need the Johnson amendment. I do fully be-
newly dependent on Medicaid. to refrain from moral distancing. We lieve that working through this with
Then, last is an expansion of unem- need to remember the words of Hubert our unemployment insurance and our
ployment benefits—26 weeks of unem- Humphrey, and we need to be reminded employment security system is the
ployment benefits, including tem- exactly why people look to this Federal way to go. I have supported the payroll
porary unemployment caused because Government for prompt action and for tax holiday. I am one of those who
of COVID–19. significant resources: It is because they have always said: Why should we have
There are more details as to how this look for us to be able to make sure to pay the government to hire some-
temporary unemployment insurance that we see all Americans and that we body? So the payroll tax holiday made
will work, but it will last longer and know that we are all in this together. sense to me. The Johnson amendment
have a higher level of benefit and be I yield the floor. that I cosponsored makes sense to me,
more flexible than previous versions of I suggest the absence of a quorum.
that we could do it because we could
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
Federal unemployment insurance, and more quickly get resources to individ-
clerk will call the roll.
it is being delivered in partnership The legislative clerk proceeded to uals, from the Federal Government to
with States. call the roll. the taxpayer, to the individual. That is
So those are the biggest pieces of this Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I what we need to do at this time.
bill. It is just $104 billion, but the bill ask unanimous consent that the order Tennessee is very blessed. We have
we are already hard at work on will be for the quorum call be rescinded. had a very low unemployment rate.
an order of magnitude greater, likely The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without But what we have seen in the last 2 or
more than $1 trillion. If what we have objection, it is so ordered. 3 weeks is that unemployment claims
seen in terms of anxiety and concern f
have quadrupled, and we expect this is
from families up and down my State going to continue as workers, inde-
and all over our country is any indica- CORONAVIRUS pendent contractors, sole proprietors,
tion, we must take this up quickly and Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I and small businesses see their income
enact it. have so appreciated the comments of stream or their revenue stream go from
There are small business owners, my colleagues today as they have come something healthy to zero. That has
whom I have heard from today, who to the floor and they have talked about happened literally overnight, just with-
want to keep employing the folks who how they are approaching what is hap- in a few days as the economy started to
work for them but have lost half of pening with this coronavirus pandemic shut down.
their business since our Governor took and what they are hearing from the What we hear from people is, look,
the bold and necessary step of closing citizens of their States. this is not something we have done, it
our restaurants and bars to all except I know each of us is spending our day is something that has been done to us,
drive-through and delivery service. Ten listening to the people in our States and we are being asked to close our
percent of the folks who work in Dela- and listening to their concerns and doors and to change the way we oper-
ware work in restaurants and hospi- hearing them say: As you look at how ate. So they repeatedly say: Don’t for-
tality. Folks who want to keep their you are going to address this, don’t for- get about us, and do not give us man-
people on payroll but have no work for get about us. Don’t forget about us— dates we cannot afford, because what
them to do face a very hard choice. whether it is independent contractors we need is assistance to bridge that
We need to find ways that we can who are working in the music industry gap.
both defer the payments that are nec- or television producers—I was talking When we talk about mandates that
essary for students, for homeowners, to one last night; they lost $9,000 worth you can’t afford, Tennesseans are very
for businesses, for those who have out- of production work this week—or concerned about the paid family leave
standing payments on SBA loans or on theme park owners who are trying to provisions that are in the legislation
federally guaranteed mortgages or on figure out how they are going to work today. What I have heard repeatedly—
SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with SENATE
bank loans where we can work out through this or the CEO of one of our repeatedly—whether it is someone who
some way to provide temporary relief, Nation’s airlines earlier today. People runs a nursing staffing company or a
and then individual payments that will are looking to us to make certain that furniture store or a small manufac-
help students, that will help heads of we address this situation in a way that turing company, is that the tax credit
households, and that will help individ- is going to stabilize it and that is going provision is not going to work with
uals. to provide assistance. cash flow. They mention that repeat-
So there are a lot of different pieces As we have worked through this, one edly. So my hope is that we can come
that are being debated and discussed of the things I think sometimes is just together on a bipartisan basis and we
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