Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., April 9, 2020)

Summary

Congressional Record, Vol. 166, No. 68, Thursday, April 9, 2020. The record states that the House was not in session and that its next meeting will be on Friday, April 10, 2020, at 9 a.m. In the Senate, a letter from Chuck Grassley, President pro tempore, appoints the Honorable Roy Blunt to perform the duties of the Chair. Under the heading Coronavirus, Mr. McConnell speaks about the Paycheck Protection Program, says the proposal changes the number 350 to 600, and asks unanimous consent to proceed to the bill at the desk. Mr. Cardin reserves the right to object and states that the unanimous consent request was not negotiated.

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“Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., April 9, 2020).” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-04-09-crec-2020-04-09-pt1-pgs2167-6-1d0f5cd10f/, SHA-256 8d76cedd9e48e2fcaa5d809d1ac5b75a83f65e0b58e4c762fb4ac56c47d0de26.

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Congressional Record
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116 th CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION
United States
of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE

Vol. 166 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2020 No. 68

House of Representatives
The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Friday, April 10, 2020, at 9 a.m.

Senate
THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2020

The Senate met at 10:04 and 13 sec- CORONAVIRUS That is 30 percent of the total funding
onds a.m. and was called to order by Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, our spoken for in just the first few days. I
the Honorable ROY BLUNT, a Senator Nation continues to battle the say that is very good news. It means
from the State of Missouri. coronavirus pandemic. More than this job-saving program is attractive to
f 400,000 Americans have tested positive. small business. Employers can access
Nearly 15,000 have lost their lives. it. But it also means we need more
APPOINTMENT OF ACTING Nurses, doctors, and EMTs are fighting funding, and we need it fast.
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE this disease literally day and night, Soon, I will ask unanimous consent
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The and important public health measures to increase the funding for the Pay-
clerk will please read a communication are creating an economic catastrophe. check Protection Program to a new
to the Senate from the President pro This morning, we learned that 6.6 total of $600 billion. I am not talking
tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). million more Americans filed for un- about changing any policy language
The senior assistant legislative clerk employment in just the last week. that both sides have already negotiated
read the following letter: That means more than 16 million together several weeks ago. I am lit-
U.S. SENATE, Americans have lost their jobs in only erally talking about deleting the num-
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, the last 3 weeks, a tragedy that is hard ber 350 and writing 600 in its place. Let
Washington, DC, April 9, 2020. to even comprehend. As one journalist me say that again: We are not talking
To the Senate: put it, we are facing a healthcare crisis about making any policy changes; we
Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, with an economic crisis strapped to its are literally changing the number 350
of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby back. That is why, 2 weeks ago, the
appoint the Honorable ROY BLUNT, a Senator to 600. That is all we are suggesting
Senate passed the largest rescue pack- here today. That, by definition, is a
from the State of Missouri, to perform the age in American history. The bipar-
duties of the Chair. clean bill.
tisan CARES Act funneled more than
CHUCK GRASSLEY, I want to add more money to the
President pro tempore. $2 trillion into bold programs to help
households, fund hospitals and only part of our bipartisan bill that is
Mr. BLUNT thereupon assumed the healthcare providers, and keep pay- currently at risk of running out of
Chair as Acting President pro tempore. checks coming. money, so I was surprised to see this
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Before we adjourned, I said the Sen- simple proposal met uneasily by the
pore. The majority leader. ate would stay nimble and prepare to Democratic leadership. The distin-
Mr. MCCONNELL. I ask unanimous react quickly as the legislation came guished Democratic leader and the
consent to be recognized, notwith- online, so that why we are here today. Speaker of the House sought to use
standing the order for a pro forma ses- Much of the CARES Act is still being this crucial program to open broader
sion today. implemented, but one key program— negotiations on other topics, including
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- one key program—is already up and parts of the CARES Act where lit-
pore. Is there objection? running. It is the Paycheck Protection erally—listen to this, Mr. President—
Without objection, it is so ordered. Program from Chairman RUBIO, Chair- literally no money has gone out the
f man COLLINS, Senator CARDIN, and Sen- door yet—no money has gone out the
ator SHAHEEN. It gives small businesses door yet. The Democratic leadership
RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY emergency capital so that workers can has suggested they may hold Ameri-
LEADER keep getting paychecks instead of pink cans’ paychecks hostage unless we
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- slips. Just a few days after the program passed another sweeping bill that
pore. The majority leader is recog- opened for business, $100 billion in spends a half trillion dollars, doubling
nized. loans have already been committed. down on a number of parts of the

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∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.

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S2168 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE April 9, 2020
CARES Act, including parts that have UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST from the current numbers. We have to
not even started to work yet. Mr. MCCONNELL. Now, Mr. Presi- protect small businesses to protect
The country cannot afford unneces- dent, I ask unanimous consent the Sen- their payroll, and that is what our
sary wrangling or political maneu- ate proceed to the immediate consider- plans do.
vering. Treating this as a normal kind ation of the bill at the desk. I further Yesterday, we were informed by the
of partisan negotiation could literally ask that the bill be considered read a SBA, as the majority leader indicated,
cost Americans their jobs. We are in a that we have about $100 billion that has
third time and passed and the motion
situation right now where passing a been processed. Now, that has not been
to reconsider be considered made and
bill means either unanimous consent or distributed yesterday. It hasn’t been
laid upon the table.
a voice vote. Everyone knows—every- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- distributed in large numbers because of
one—there is zero chance that the documentation problems and know
pore. Is there objection?
sprawling proposal that our Demo- Mr. CARDIN. Reserving the right to your customer rules have prevented
cratic friends have gestured towards object. some of these funds—a lot of these
could pass either Chamber by unani- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- funds, the majority of these funds—to
mous consent this week—no chance. pore. The Senator from Maryland. be released.
The President has already indicated he Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, let me Today, applications are being proc-
would not sign it. The country needs us just clarify some of the issues the ma- essed. Tomorrow, applications are
to be nimble—nimble—to fix urgent jority leader pointed out. I am afraid going to be processed. The day after
problems as fast as we can, to be able that this unanimous consent is basi- that, applications are going to be proc-
to have focused discussions on urgent cally a political stunt because it will essed because we provided $350 billion.
subjects without turning every con- not address the immediate need of At this moment, we are at about $100
versation into a conversation about ev- small businesses in the legislation that billion. We are going to have to prob-
erything. We need to patch holes as we we have passed, and let me clarify that. ably provide more money, and we are
see them and keep moving forward to- The majority leader indicated that all for that.
gether. the PPP, the Paycheck Protection But where is the urgency, as far as
Everybody in the Senate voted to Plan, is running out of money. It the small businesses are concerned? So
send historic funding to hospitals and hasn’t. Thirty percent hasn’t been let me go over those. One, the emer-
healthcare providers. Everyone sup- committed. It hasn’t been yet released. gency grant program—this is a pro-
ports funding hospitals. I am in favor But there are programs under the gram where grants are offered by the
of even more funding for hospitals and CARES Act that have run out of Small Business Administration. You
providers down the line. I have been money. The EIDL program, the emer- don’t have to have a banking relation-
talking to a number of them, as I am gency disaster relief loan program ship with a commercial bank in order
sure our colleagues have, over the last which provides funds for businesses— to get these loans. It is very, very pop-
couple of weeks. we have allowed businesses that have ular—3.8 million requests have come
But certainly, we need to see the ex- in, in regards to these loans—3.8 mil-
been affected by the coronavirus to file
isting funding begin to work before we lion, representing $372 billion of loans.
those claims—that has run out of
know what additional resources may be But here is the problem: We have
needed. I have been urging Secretary money, and I will give you the numbers only authorized $7.3 billion of loans
Azar to push this money onto the in a few moments. And the grant pro- under the program. That is why we are
frontlines as soon as possible. I am glad gram that is included in the CARES at suggesting, if you add another $50 bil-
tens of billions are going to go out to- up to $10,000, where a small business lion—you can authorize another $300
morrow. There is only one part of the can get a grant from the Small Busi- billion of loans under the emergency
CARES Act that is already—already— ness Administration, is out of funds. disaster relief program. Today, if you
at risk of exhausting its funding right They need money today in order to have requested that loan today and you
now—only one part of the CARES Act process applications. requested the average amount that is
is at risk of exhausting its funding The SBA doesn’t need money today being requested—and you have to show
right now: the Paycheck Protection to process the Paycheck Protection need in this program—you have got to
Program. Program. The Paycheck Protection document the need that the disaster
We are asking small business owners Program was negotiated in good faith has affected your viability as a busi-
across America to place their faith in by Senator RUBIO, Senator COLLINS, ness. The average loan is $200,000. That
us. We are asking them to keep work- Senator SHAHEEN, and myself, and we is what they are requesting.
ers on payroll because Congress, the are very proud of that program. It is Guess how much money the SBA can
Treasury, and the SBA will have their working very well. It is a good pro- issue today? It is $15,000. That is an ur-
back. We must not fail them. My col- gram. We strongly support it. It is bi- gent need that we should deal with
leagues must not treat working Ameri- partisan. today, and we are prepared to deal with
cans as political hostages. This does But this unanimous consent request it. There is a second program for
not have to be, nor should it be conten- was not negotiated. There was no effort small—by the way, smaller businesses
tious. We don’t have to divide along made to follow the process that we participate in these programs more so
the usual lines so soon after we came could get this done, so it won’t get than the PPP program.
together for the country. done. It is not going to be enacted, and There is a second program. It is a
To my Democratic colleagues, the majority leader knows that. So grant program up to $10,000. Our work-
please—please—do not block emer- what Democrats are prepared to make ing bipartisan group recognized that
gency aid you do not even oppose just clear—every small business that is eli- there are some businesses that are in
because you want something more. Do gible to receive the Paycheck Protec- desperate need of cash immediately.
not block emergency aid you do not op- tion Plan, we are going to support These loans are processed within 3
pose just because you want something their applications being received, proc- days. We have had—so far requests for
more. essed, and fully funded. We will put as the grant program, 3.5 million small
Nobody believes this is the Senate’s much money as needed to make sure businesses have requested funds, total-
last word on COVID–19. We don’t have that every small business can partici- ing a request for $11 billion on a sliding
to do everything right now. In fact, our pate that is eligible in that program. scale. It doesn’t even give every small
posture of needing unanimous consent The UC does not affect that today, but business $10,000.
does not even permit us to try to do ev- what the UC leaves out is where small How much money did we appro-
erything right now. We cannot play businesses need help today from the priate? $10 billion. SBA cannot release

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games with this crisis. Let’s pass more U.S. Congress. those funds in 3 days because they
noncontroversial funding for Ameri- Yesterday, we had an opportunity to don’t have the money to do it. The UC
cans’ paychecks. Let’s do it today, and find out the numbers—and as the ma- by the majority leader does not provide
then let’s continue to work together jority leader pointed out, we have got that money so that those small busi-
with speed and bipartisanship. We will to get this right. There are 6.6 million nesses can get that cash. That is not
get through this crisis together. more uninsured today, as we learned provided.

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