Coronavirus Response Priorities — Congressional Record, Senate, March 20, 2020
Summary
Page S1865 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for March 20, 2020, headed Coronavirus Response Priorities. A speaker says the Senate needs to act now to fix the major flaws that both Republicans and Democrats found in the third package, and reports a positive mood in a working group where the two sides were trying to work out differences. Other passages call for the National Guard and the Defense Department to supply masks, ventilators and beds, and describe a worker who earns $14 an hour and whose teenage children will be responsible for caring for others once schools close.
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“Coronavirus Response Priorities — Congressional Record, Senate, March 20, 2020.”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-03-20-crec-2020-03-20-pt1-pgs1865-2-1098fe5294/
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March 20, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1865
our States that are high and dry be- In short, the Senate needs to act now whole lives to build a small business,
cause of the cost of dealing with this to fix the major flaws pointed out by and it finally looks like it is beginning
public health crisis and the additional both Republicans and Democrats in to succeed, and they may be wiped out.
claims on their unemployment bene- this third package. I stand ready to The urgency of doing something now
fits. work on these fixes. is so important. Both parties in Con-
We need the National Guard and the Just a few minutes ago, I left one of gress must work together as swiftly as
Defense Department pushing assistance the working groups, and it was a very possible to get something done that is
to every level of government during positive atmosphere and attitude in as big and bold as possible. This is one
the pandemic. That means supplying which the two sides were sitting down of the worst crises America has faced.
masks and ventilators and beds to com- and trying to work out their dif- The American people need help fast.
munities that need them. ferences. Senator MCCONNELL has proposed
I am also, with Senator DUCKWORTH— For the dark time ahead, we need to what is now the third phase of legisla-
my colleague of Illinois—reaching out continue reminding American people tion to confront the coronavirus. We
directly to the Department of Defense. that we can rise to the challenge—both are all eager to work in a bipartisan
I want to find out if we can start build- political parties—not to politically way to quickly get another bill to the
ing field hospitals in the parking lots fight but to find political answers and President’s desk. But at the moment,
of major hospitals across our State. We compromises that solve these problems the McConnell bill is inadequate. Lead-
have done it before when we had to— I have outlined here today. er MCCONNELL’s proposal does not do
particularly when dealing with the The bottom line is, people are sitting nearly enough to address the public
Ebola crisis overseas—and we need to at home. Some are even following C– health crisis in terms of hospitals,
do that right here at home and take SPAN in their absolute boredom, try- medical supplies, beds, doctors, nurses,
the expertise of the Army Corps of En- ing to figure out what to do with their and measures to ensure that Americans
gineers and other professionals at the lives, and they are listening to our can access and afford coronavirus
Pentagon. They are ready to move at a speeches. treatment.
moment’s notice to build a field hos- My report is this: We passed two The bottom line is very simple: If we
pital, if needed, for our men and women major pieces of legislation involving don’t deal with the health crisis, noth-
in uniform. Let’s take that same will- ing we do will make the economy any
billions of dollars. We have done it in
ingness and expertise and translate it better. So that is No. 1.
record time. We have done it on a bi-
into more bed capacity and room ca- If we don’t have help for our hos-
partisan basis. Both have been signed pitals, many small ones are going to
pacity at the hospitals most in need. by the President. This third measure
The protective equipment across this close. Rural ones will close. Big ones
that may reach a trillion dollars in will have real trouble. We must do
country still is not at the level it
cost is a challenge, for sure, but one we something. Yet there is nothing in
should be for the men and women in
can meet again on a bipartisan basis. Leader MCCONNELL’s bill to help hos-
the military as well as those in civilian
We owe America, at this moment in pitals. Now we are told we may do it
life.
The proposal before us ignores the our history, nothing less. later in a supplemental. Later is no
desperation we are hearing from cities I yield the floor. good. We need a Marshall Plan for hos-
and town and States. Without tax reve- I suggest the absence of a quorum. pitals right now.
nues coming in, they are running out The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Local governments that are also on
of cash to keep operating services and pore. The clerk will call the roll. the frontlines need to get dollars in
meeting payroll. We need a surge of The senior assistant legislative clerk their pockets. Many of them will go
Federal funding through current pro- proceeded to call the roll. broke.
grams with flexibility for States and Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask Leader MCCONNELL’s proposal is also
localities to allow them to keep paying unanimous consent that the order for skewed in favor of corporations rather
their workers and ensuring things like the quorum call be rescinded. than the workers and families who ur-
transit, airports, schools, and housing. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- gently and much more acutely feel the
The McConnell plan also does not pore. Without objection, it is so or- pain of reduced hours and unemploy-
provide much needed education assist- dered. ment. Leader MCCONNELL’s proposal in-
ance to deal with the increased ex- f cludes a few ideas that shouldn’t be in-
penses related to closing schools and RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY cluded at all, such as tax cuts for mul-
moving to online learning. We have to LEADER tinational corporations and restric-
make sure that this new technology tions on paid sick leave that Congress
keeps our kids learning, even though The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- just expanded.
they may be home in the process. It pore. The Democratic leader is recog- This morning, Democratic ranking
provides nothing for these emergency nized. members of six committees met with
needs. That bill, I hope, will be im- f the Republican chairs of corresponding
proved today as the Democrats get a CORONAVIRUS committees to hear the rationale be-
chance to sit down with Republicans hind the McConnell bill and to begin a
for the first time and talk about com- Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, the bipartisan dialogue. Democrats will
promises. coronavirus continues to challenge our soon respond with policies we believe
The Republican majority leader him- Nation in extraordinary ways that must be included in the legislation and
self said this is a public health crisis were unimaginable a few weeks ago. things that we don’t think belong in
with an economic crisis strapped to its Our public health systems are coming this legislation.
back. I couldn’t agree more. Where are under enormous strain. Our hospitals Our goal is twofold: Address the pub-
the test kits? Where is the protective and other medical facilities lack the lic health crisis now, and put workers
equipment? Where is the assistance for necessary supplies and resources. As first as we do it.
working families? Let’s get it done. measures to isolate the public broaden, Democrats want to do as much as
The Senator from Kentucky is giving workers are filing for unemployment at possible to prepare our healthcare sys-
us a deadline to do it by tomorrow. I unprecedented rates. Small businesses tem for the growing storm it faces, and
think that is ambitious, but let’s try to are on the brink of collapse. American we want to help the working Ameri-
meet it and do it on a bipartisan basis. families are desperately in need of sup- cans who are most immediately af-
SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with SENATE
I couldn’t agree more that some af- port until they can resume their nor- fected by the economic slowdown and
fected industries—like the airlines and mal lives. help them in real and significant ways.
hospitality, along with small and I have heard from these people and In that respect, Democrats have five
midsized businesses—need to be as- the people who are isolated. I have important priorities that I will speak
sisted. We can also take care of Amer- heard from people who have sick loved about now, among others. We have
ican workers and families at the same ones in nursing homes and can’t enter many other priorities as well. We are
time. I think it is incumbent on us to to see them. I have heard from small sending all of our priorities over to the
do both. business people who struggled their Republicans soon enough.
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S1866 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 20, 2020
No. 1, America needs a Marshall Plan people, thank God, who are still em- whatever resources are needed to the
for hospitals and our public health in- ployed, but there are many, many peo- Defense Department in order to imple-
frastructure. In a few weeks, hospitals ple who have lost their jobs, and one ment this act.
could be overrun with patients, and check, when they may be out of their More broadly, I told the President we
there will still be a great shortage of jobs for 3, 4, 5 months, isn’t going to be need to come together and cooperate in
gloves, masks, ICU beds, ventilators, enough. Unemployment insurance this time of national crisis. He agreed.
and especially testing. To cite just one gives money the whole period of time We need to work with uncommon speed
example, the two biggest hospitals in the crisis exists at your present salary and make this next bill what it needs
Albany—Albany Medical Center and level and covers just about everyone. It to be. We need it to be workers first,
St. Peter’s Health Partners—an- makes the most sense of any program with a Marshall Plan for hospitals. The
nounced they are suspending testing in that I have heard in dealing with those Democrats are already at work with
order to conserve the few they have for who are losing their jobs, and it helps our Republican colleagues to get this
healthcare workers and high-risk pa- in terms of dealing with stimulating done.
tients. Access to tests continues to be the economy because we will bring the Now, it has been 20 days since the
a problem in other places throughout economy back to where it was. All first case of COVID–19 was detected in
my State as well. these unemployed people will be get- New York. Today, 20 days later, there
There is great shortage of equipment. ting paid the same amount of money. are 7,000 cases—more than a third of
The story that rings in my ear is that Third, paid sick leave is a must. We the total number in our country. In a
certain places that have the tests don’t need to be expanding paid sick leave, time of public emergency, New Yorkers
have the swabs so they can undertake not restricting it, as this current pro- have been asked to make extraordinary
the tests. We are short of supplies up posal suggests. Senators MURRAY and sacrifices. The Governor has just man-
and down the line. It is masks. It is GILLIBRAND, working in conjunction dated that, excepting essential serv-
protective clothing and gear. It is beds. with their colleague Congresswoman ices, 100 percent of New York’s work-
It is doctors and nurses themselves. We DELAURO in the House, put together a force must stay home. The city that
have to do more. We need a Marshall good bill. It should be in this big pro- never sleeps is, for the moment, dor-
Plan right now for our healthcare sys- posal. mant.
tem. Fourth, we need to put our workers To all of my fellow New Yorkers,
Two weeks ago, 3, 4 weeks ago, many first. If we are going to consider bailing stay strong. We will beat this back,
of us were talking about the problem out industries, they cannot then be al- and on the other side, we will come
that testing—the lack of good testing lowed to turn around and cut jobs, cut back stronger.
To the thousands of New Yorkers and
was about to occur. Many of us said 3 wages, cut benefits. They cannot be al-
more across the country who have vol-
weeks ago, 4 weeks ago, that if we lowed to use the money for stock
unteered to join our medical reserves
don’t have these tests, everything is buybacks. They cannot be allowed to
to help sick patients, thank you. God
going to go down the drain. No one lis- give salary increases to executives.
bless you. The Nation owes you a debt
tened—at least no one in the adminis- Phase 3 needs to put workers first, pe-
for your courage and willingness to an-
tration—until recently. Well, we are riod. These are our values.
Finally, we need to rescue small busi- swer the call to serve.
saying now that in 2, 3 weeks, our hos- Our medical workers are already per-
pital situation will be the same. It will nesses. Many of them have been asked
forming a herculean task, and it will
be massive and deeply in trouble. That to close their doors for the sake of pub-
only get more daunting in the days to
is why we need to act now—not later lic safety. We need to help businesses
come.
with a supplemental but now. access the necessary liquidity to pay Know this, workers: The country is
We also need to dramatically in- their insurance bills, to pay their rent with you. We support you; we respect
crease unemployment insurance—what or mortgage, to pay their expenses so you; we love you; and we are already
we are calling employment insurance. that when this crisis ends, they can re- working on policies that will ease your
It is really unemployment insurance on bound stronger than ever. burden, as much as that can be
steroids. But it helps people furloughed Democratic ranking members are al-
achieved.
from their jobs, so we call it employ- ready discussing these priorities with Finally, to my Senate colleagues,
ment insurance. Why do we need it? their Republican counterparts. Of what we must do in the next few days
Because so many workers have been course, there are many other priorities is unlike anything any of us has ever
forced home and are prevented from as well. It would take too long to high- done in our time in Congress. This is a
working regular hours. If you work in a light all of them, but they are all in crisis without modern precedent. We
restaurant and there are no customers, white paper we have sent to Leader are going to have to flex some muscles
you are not going to work. The boss MCCONNELL and to the Republican that may have atrophied. We are going
you worked for and worked so well chairs. In almost all these cases, Demo- to have to cooperate in ways that we
with for years can’t afford to pay you. crats already have prepared and draft- may not be accustomed to. We are
To go on existing unemployment in- ed the legislative language on these going to have to work across the aisle
surance won’t work. It is hard to ac- priorities. We are ready to go. and across the span of this Capitol to
cess. It doesn’t cover a whole lot of About 2 hours ago, I spoke with
produce momentous legislation in the
people. Furthermore, it does not pay President Trump about these five pri-
span of a few days. We will do it be-
back workers the full wages they were orities. I mentioned them all, and
cause we must do it. The American
earning. We need to change all three of President Trump told me he was open
people are suffering. Our businesses are
those things so that, No. 1, every work- to these ideas. In fact, the President
shuttered. Our factories lay idle. Our
er who is unemployed gets a paycheck explicitly told me he would oppose
workers are without work. Let us come
equal to what they were earning before companies using bailout money on
together and do whatever is necessary
this crisis, paid for by the Federal Gov- buybacks, even though such a prohibi-
to protect the American people in this
ernment. That way, the business— tion is not in MCCONNELL’s bill.
time of historic challenge.
small, medium, large—can put them on I also urged the President to imme- I yield the floor.
furlough, and then, when the crisis is diately employ the Defense Production I suggest the absence of a quorum.
over, they are back. There is money in Act and harness industry to get ven- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
their pockets. No workers, no family, tilators and other critically needed pore. The clerk will call the roll.
SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with SENATE
no one should lose a paycheck or go medical equipment to those who need The senior assistant legislative clerk
into financial ruin as a result of the it. He told me he would do so and then proceeded to call the roll.
coronavirus. This is a very important said to someone who must have been in Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I ask
provision. the Oval Office—or wherever he was— unanimous consent that the order for
I talk to people all across my State to get it done. So I think we are on the the quorum call be rescinded.
and the country, and when they hear road, because we can’t waste a day in The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
about it, they love it. It is not giving terms of getting the DPA going. Con- pore. Without objection, it is so or-
money to everybody. There are some gress will make available very quickly dered.
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March 20, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1867
CORONAVIRUS her granddaughter while she works be- frontline responders, we are going to be
Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, this cause she can’t afford childcare. She ill-equipped not just to fight COVID–19,
past week, we have seen that the doesn’t know what she would do if she but we could see widespread interrup-
spread of COVID–19 has really become a got sick and actually had to miss work. tions in the delivery of all lifesaving
crisis not just for our Nation but a cri- She is living every day afraid of get- emergencies in America. Also, this bill
sis for every American. Today, millions ting the coronavirus. we have seen now, which we must
of Americans are asking themselves There are millions of families in a make better, must address not just this
how they will endure this crisis, how similar situation and millions of Amer- issue but also do more for healthcare
long will the crisis last, how will it af- icans who are getting up every day workers and first responders to get
fect their families, their communities, knowing that their going to work is es- them the equipment they need.
and their Nation as a whole. sential for the well-being of others. Yet There are a lot of things that I feel
We have many people who are now they still don’t know how they will strongly about that I know will be in
trying to do the dollars-and-cents of take care of their families. these negotiations.
this crisis, literally sitting down to try The most recent bipartisan relief We should all be able to agree on sup-
to calculate how many weeks they can package that came out of Congress, the porting our veterans and VA facilities
stretch the last 2 weeks of pay. Families First Coronavirus Response as they prepare to fight this virus.
We see people who have been fur- Act, is a very important step in helping There are gaping holes in that in this
loughed, had their hours reduced, been those families and combating the bill.
laid off. spread of the virus and its effects. It We should all agree on funding for
We have seen that small businesses— will help to increase testing, ensure the our transit systems—like Amtrak—
from the mom-and-pop pizza joints, to availability of emergency paid family that are going to make sure to keep
small interior design shops, to barber and sick leave for many workers, in- our country connected, that those sys-
shops—are all trying to determine how crease food assistance programs, and tems don’t fail and fall, especially
they can keep themselves afloat when make emergency unemployment insur- when we will need them switched on
their doors are closed and how they can ance available for more workers who and running vibrantly when our econ-
deal with their fixed costs. really, really need it. omy gets going. We should all agree
I have been on the phone with so Now, as we turn to the next package that this is a time to deal with some of
many employers in my own State who of policies and funding to help Ameri- the massive shortfalls that we have
have spoken to me about the chal- cans who are suffering now, we know now more than ever.
lenges they have trying to continue to this is a moment that demands bold, While places like South Korea have
cover the health insurance of their em- decisive action and doesn’t leave any- universal broadband penetration, we
ployees even with the fact that no rev- body behind. We know we are a nation should all agree that broadband access
enue is being brought in by their busi- born out of crisis. We know that our in devices for our students is critical if
nesses. founding ideals—you have to under- we are going to continue to educate
Over and over again, restaurants, stand that this government was formed our children for the months ahead.
bars, coffee shops, our sports arenas, to protect people and to defend people. We should all agree on providing
hotels—all of them have been emptied, We, in our Declaration of Independ- tests for our troops that are still serv-
and millions of workers have been let ence, talk about mutually pledging to ing in high-risk areas like Afghanistan.
go and had their hours slashed. each other our lives, our fortunes, and We need to make sure these bills ad-
On top of that, schools across this our sacred honor. The spirit of this Na- dress these holes.
country, from colleges to kinder- tion is about being there for each other We should all agree on strengthening
gartens, have been closed, and millions and coming together to be stronger de- our community colleges and our minor-
of families are now scrambling to try spite the crisis, despite the challenge. ity-serving institutions so they, too,
to find childcare. College students are I am so grateful at this time that we can continue to educate their students
displaced and moving back in with are seeing bipartisan work on both digitally. These are holes that must be
families. sides of the aisle, as we are all seeing— filled.
This is, on so many levels, a true cri- from our personal lives to our States as We should all agree that we need to
sis like none of us have ever faced be- a whole—we are all seeing the urgency. be providing funding and flexibility for
fore in our Nation. The emotions are I am worried now that the first pro- our schools and food banks to continue
running the gamut. People are angry. posal that we have seen, though, falls to serve meals to children in our coun-
People are afraid. People are fearful for short of addressing the needs of our try so that, crisis or no crisis, the next
their own physical safety, as well as healthcare workers and first respond- generation can grow healthy and
their economic well-being. ers—those Americans who are really strong.
This is something that is challenging putting themselves out there. I am We should all agree that the utilities
because we do not know how long it confident, though, that we are going to in our Nation should not be shut off
will last. The one thing we do know is come together in the coming hours to during this crisis—we need to address
that this crisis is a shared one, but try to create a package that rises that in this bill—so that families, re-
many people face their own privately above or rises to meet the moment we gardless of income, who are already
painful challenges. I will give one ex- are in. now struggling to make ends meet
ample. Right now, our Nation’s first re- don’t see themselves without light,
There is a single mother in my sponders, our firefighters, and our power, and gas. These holes in this bill
State—a mother of two—who works at healthcare professionals are being should be addressed.
a nursing home and is also raising her asked to respond to situations where We should all agree that everyone
granddaughter. At work, she cares for they don’t have the personal protective must have coverage for testing and ac-
elderly patients, and because family equipment they need to stay safe. In cess to healthcare services that keep
members can no longer visit, she is ris- my own city, I talked to the head of them and their families safe, and that
ing to the challenge of not just being a public safety, who talked to me about includes the people who are in our
professional there, but she also feels the courage of these folks who, no mat- country, whether they are documented
she is serving as a surrogate family ter what, are going to go to work, even or not, because our health is directly
member. Now, for weeks, the basic per- without that protective gear. But, dear interrelated with their health. And to
SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with SENATE
sonal protective equipment she needs God, shouldn’t we be doing everything make sure that the only people who
to keep herself safe is in short supply we can, because if they get sick, if they can get treatment are citizens of the
and is literally dwindling. can’t show up, we will see a cascading United States—ignoring the millions of
For all of this incredible work, this crisis. It would be disgraceful. It would people who are not—means that the
incredible dedication literally on the be dangerous. citizens of the United States are at
frontlines, she makes $14 an hour. With It is not an exaggeration to say that risk.
schools now closing, her teenage chil- if we don’t move quickly to get per- We should also think about those
dren will be responsible for caring for sonal protective equipment to our folks whom we don’t think about
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