Congressional Record, Senate, March 20, 2020, Page S1862 — Swift Action

Summary

A page of the Congressional Record, Senate, dated March 20, 2020, at page S1862, with a Senator's floor remarks urging swift, bipartisan action on coronavirus relief. The speaker says the Senate united across party lines earlier in the month to pass billions in quick funding for the medical response and again that week passed the more modest proposal from the Democratic House. He asks the public to avoid large groups, keep their distance, wash their hands and check on neighbors, and says the legislation should protect jobs, give loans to key industries rather than bailouts, and push surged resources to the frontlines of the medical battle.

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“Congressional Record, Senate, March 20, 2020, Page S1862 — Swift Action.” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-03-20-crec-2020-03-20-pt1-pgs1862-2-e660ff341b/, SHA-256 315af0f07a72e3e9bf260cec388ebcd84775eb06a48924ae0a9959019211f441.

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S1862 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 20, 2020
sacrifice, and patience on the part of of our economy itself need swift action. sectors and industries which this pan-
our people. And in the Senate, ‘‘swift’’ means bi- demic is hurting.
It is on every American to exercise partisan. Again, we want to preserve employer-
these values: Do not gather in large The Senate rose to the occasion ear- employee relationships wherever we
groups. Don’t hoard crucial goods. lier this month. We united across party can. We have to fight to protect jobs,
Keep your distance from those you lines to pass billions in quick funding and we need to recognize that our Na-
must be near. Protect yourself and oth- to support the medical response, and tion will need industries to come back
ers by washing your hands, covering we did it again just this week. We online quickly on the other side of the
your cough and sneeze, and cleaning passed the more modest proposal that crisis.
commonly used surfaces. Work from came over from the Democratic House Fourth—and this is crucial—our leg-
home if you can. Check on your neigh- quickly and in a bipartisan fashion. islation will continue to push surged
bors. Call your relatives. Offer to help Now our Nation needs a major next resources to the frontlines of the med-
each other, especially the most vulner- step, and we need it fast. That is why ical battle against the virus itself. We
able. We are all in this together. Senate Republicans produced a bold want to expand access to testing and
Much as we did before, we must shed initial proposal to give shape and treatment to further encourage and
party labels and put aside partisan pol- structure to these discussions. speed up research on therapeutics and
itics. We must band together and hold First, our CARES Act will deliver di- eventually vaccines, to continue to
on to our national identity, our fami- rect financial help as quickly as pos- fund the hospitals and health centers
lies, and, most importantly, our faith. sible to the American people. Senate that are treating patients, and we want
Throughout history, Americans have Republicans want to put cash in Amer- to expand healthcare workers’ access
risen to the occasion when confronted icans’ hands. to critical equipment and supplies, in-
with crises. I am confident this time For Americans who have lost work, cluding—including—respirator masks.
will be no different. this would be the quickest possible These are the four big things our bill
It is up to each and every American first wave of government assistance to seeks to do. As we speak, at this very
to fight the spread of this deadly virus. supplement unemployment insurance moment, Senators on both sides are
Countless lives depend on it. The days and help with bills and immediate discussing the details and exchanging
and months ahead will be tough for ev- needs. suggestions on all four of the pillars
eryone. But just like post-World War For our Nation’s seniors, this would that I have just outlined.
II, a safer, a healthier, and a more supplement Social Security and pro- So, once again, this will not be the
prosperous United States of America is vide further relief to those who are at first bill we pass to combat this crisis
just around the corner. heightened risk and have had to change or the second, and I do not expect it
I yield the floor. their routines literally overnight. will be the last.
f And for Americans still working, this This legislation does not need to con-
infusion of money would provide a lit- tain every piece of the ongoing na-
RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY tle more certainty in this very uncer-
LEADER tional effort. In fact, that would be im-
tain moment and the opportunities to possible. But everyone—everyone—
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- invest in local economies where pos- from public health experts to econo-
pore. The majority leader is recog- sible. mists, to working families of this coun-
nized. Second, our proposal would provide try—everyone—has made it clear that
f the quickest possible access to des- we need to deliver relief and we need to
perately needed liquidity for small deliver it now.
SENATE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA businesses all across our country. Our We need to go big. We need to mini-
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, yes- proposal would use existing channels mize new complexity, and we need to
terday I introduced the Coronavirus and small businesses’ existing lending move swiftly. We need to push imme-
Aid, Relief, and Economic Security relationships to provide hundreds of diate relief to Americans. We need to
Act: Senate Republicans’ bold proposal billions of dollars in emergency cap- keep Americans employed as much as
to continue combating this health cri- ital, a significant cash infusion as fast possible and help job creators literally
sis and the economic crisis it is caus- as possible so that more small busi- stay afloat. We need to continue taking
ing. And I called on our Democratic nesses can hold on to their workers, action to stand with medical profes-
counterparts to join us immediately at weather this disruption, and come out sionals and protect our Nation’s
the table for urgent discussions so the on the other side instead of having to health.
Senate can deliver measured relief to resort to layoffs or shutdowns right Laid-off workers cannot wait. Strug-
the American people as soon as hu- away. gling Main Street businesses cannot
manly possible. So no tangled new bureaucracies, no wait. Our hospitals and health centers
I am glad to say that talks are al- delay of this urgent aid while we try to cannot wait.
ready well underway. Earlier this redesign complex programs from the So, as I said, I hope these Member-
morning, a number of our committee ground up, just the most direct path— level discussions will be able to
chairmen began indepth, bipartisan the most direct path to the cash that produce agreements in principle on all
talks with their Democratic counter- small businesses need to keep making four components by the end of the day
parts. We were joined by representa- payroll, while, in many cases, the gov- today. In fact, they must reach agree-
tives from the administration, and ernment itself is chasing away their ment by the end of the day today. That
those talks continue right now as we customers for the sake of public would leave tomorrow for drafting leg-
speak. health. islative text and for the first proce-
Here are the next steps: These Mem- This straightforward approach is al- dural vote on the shell. And that
ber-level discussions will proceed with ready earning support. A coalition of should allow a bipartisan package, fo-
the goal of reaching agreements on small business advocates has already cused on immediate challenges, to pass
each of four components of the legisla- written to express their hope that the Senate on Monday.
tion by the end of today—by the end of ‘‘both Republicans and Democrats can The crisis is moving fast. The Senate
today, agreements on each of these come together’’ to pass this. is here, we are working, and we are
four components. Third, our bill recognizes a big, going to deliver.

SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with SENATE
This would allow the first procedural structural, national crisis requires a
vote to occur before the end of the day big, structural response. Let me say f
tomorrow, and that would allow a bi- that again. Our bill recognizes that a
partisan package focused on immediate big, structural national crisis requires
challenges to pass the Senate Monday. a big, structural response. RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME
The Nation’s needs and expectations We want to empower the Treasury The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
are perfectly clear. Workers, families, Department to engage in targeted lend- pore. Under the previous order, the
small businesses, and the foundations ing—not bailouts but loans—to key leadership time is reserved.

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