Nomination of Robert J. Feitel (Cong. Rec., May 4, 2020)

Summary

Page S2200 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for May 4, 2020, headed Nomination of Robert J. Feitel, in interleaved columns. A speaker says a major Chicago hospital told her that half the people who died of COVID-19 there were uninsured, many of them Hispanic, which is that speaker's account. Another speaker says plans should ensure every voter can vote by mail in the November election, and one says the Commission is preparing to license new nuclear technologies. A further speaker says he urged the majority to take up a nomination before the recess on April 8.

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“Nomination of Robert J. Feitel (Cong. Rec., May 4, 2020).” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-05-04-crec-2020-05-04-pt1-pgs2200-799b00d729/, SHA-256 2235ffd1920a026ea45921def317423f25d09ee353d94396ff76b4f0f42320e8.

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S2200 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 4, 2020
that are deemed essential. One major by the critics is totally unfair—totally down, and they are shutting their reac-
hospital in Chicago told me that half unfair. tors before their licenses even expire.
the people who died from COVID–19 in We ought to be making plans to en- The Commission is also preparing to li-
their hospital were uninsured, many of sure that every American voter can cense new nuclear technologies that
them Hispanic. They are people who vote by mail in the November election, will be essential to our clean energy fu-
may or may not have health insurance. given the likelihood that this lethal ture.
They are desperate to work and earn a virus will still be threatening us. If This time of unprecedented activity
living. Some of them are afraid that this Senate is going to gather as a body requires a fully staffed and a fully
they or some member of their family in this pandemic against the medical functional agency. The Commission
may be deported if they show up to a advice of some and the sound judgment needs an inspector general to promote
hospital to report themselves sick, so of others, let’s make sure our work is the efficiency and effectiveness of the
they wait until it is literally too late, essential. We are still waiting for a re- Commission. Mr. Feitel is that indi-
and they die. port from our Republican majority vidual. Mr. Feitel is a man of character
We have seen our economy shut down leader about the agenda that brought whose commitment to upholding jus-
and a lot of hardship as a result. Many us to Washington and that brings us tice makes him an ideal candidate for
owners of businesses, restaurants, and here this week, ready to work, ready to the position.
others have talked to me and others in address the COVID–19 crisis that faces I encourage the entire Senate to vote
the Senate about how soon we can re- our country. today to confirm Mr. Robert Feitel to
open. But most of them, not all of I yield the floor. serve as the inspector general of the
them, most of them understand that I suggest the absence of a quorum. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
going through this kind of shutdown of The PRESIDING OFFICER. The I yield the floor.
our economy and our personal lives is clerk will call the roll. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
bad—bad if we do it one time; it is hor- The bill clerk proceeded to call the The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
rible to think about doing it a second roll. clerk will call the roll.
time if we reopen too soon in the wrong Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, I The senior assistant legislative clerk
way. ask unanimous consent that the order proceeded to call the roll.
In my State, 830,000 people filed for for the quorum call be rescinded. Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I
unemployment insurance between The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. ask unanimous consent that the order
March 1 and April 25. They are among ERNST). Without objection, it is so or- for the quorum call be rescinded.
the 30 million Americans who filed for dered. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
unemployment since COVID came to NOMINATION OF ROBERT J. FEITEL objection, it is so ordered.
America—40 million. That is the fast- Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, the
est, deepest loss of jobs we have ever clean and constant nuclear energy is Senate was gaveled out about 6 weeks
seen. To reopen our States and Nation one of the key pillars of America’s en- ago now. We passed the $2.2 trillion
before we have done the hard and care- ergy security. Nuclear powerplants CARES Act on March 25, and here it is
ful work required to open safely only supply 20 percent of our Nation’s elec- May 4. Since that time, the global bat-
risks more infection, more death, more tricity and more than 50 percent of our tle to defeat the coronavirus has only
lost jobs, and more economic hardship. clean energy. intensified.
Reopening before we can reopen safely The Nuclear Regulatory Commission There have been some who ques-
risks overwhelming our hospitals and is the independent Federal agency that tioned the wisdom of the Senate com-
ICUs. We need to listen to public regulates these powerplants to protect ing back to Washington and convening,
health experts, the doctors and the public health and safety. It is a very but I think we need to be here, and we
nurses, many of whom have worked important job. These independent regu- need to do our jobs. We know how to do
past exhaustion. We need to be respon- latory structures and this specific one this safely. We know how to social dis-
sible and not give in to chance on the has successfully benefited the Amer- tance. We know how to wash our hands
street. ican people for decades by ensuring the and not touch our face. Those are the
What is the essential work that the safe operation of our nuclear reactors. responsibilities each of us bear to one
Senate should be doing? Investigating The Nuclear Regulatory Commis- another not to spread this virus.
why we do not have enough testing in sion’s inspector general is responsible But if there is such a thing as essen-
this country that is essential to re- for detecting and preventing waste, tial and nonessential workers—and I
opening the economy and working with fraud, and abuse, as well as mis- don’t think that distinction is one we
State, local, and Tribal governments to management at the Commission. should discuss because 26 million
help them hire and train the estimated President Trump has nominated Mr. Americans are not nonessential work-
300,000 contact tracers needed to reopen Robert Feitel to serve as inspector gen- ers; they are absolutely essential to
America safely. Rather than forcing eral of the Nuclear Regulatory Com- our economy and to our way of life.
States to bid against each other, we mission. He did that last October. Mr. But, make no mistake, self-govern-
have to plead with the President to use Feitel has been reported out of the En- ment is essential under any construc-
his authority under the Defense Pro- vironment and Public Works Com- tion, under any definition of that word.
duction Act to produce here in America mittee by unanimous vote in Decem- Our system was not made to run on
the respirators and other PPE that is ber. Today the Senate will vote to con- autopilot, so it is appropriate that we
essential for workers and their fami- firm him. show up and that we do our job and we
lies. We have to provide oversight for Mr. Feitel is well qualified. He brings protect the American people and do ev-
the Paycheck Protection Program and a wealth of experience and expertise to erything we can to defeat this virus
make sure those loans are going to this important position. Mr. Feitel has from a public health standpoint but
small business as we originally in- spent more than 25 years as an attor- also to do what is necessary to main-
tended and not to wealthy hedge fund ney at the Department of Justice and tain a lifeline to the economy and the
operators. We ought to be working to at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. workers who are an essential compo-
shore up the U.S. Postal Service, an es- During his long career Mr. Feitel re- nent of it so that, when we defeat this
sential public service created under the ceived numerous achievement awards virus, we will be prepared for people to
Constitution. What a reminder it has for his excellent service. go back to work in full and keep our
been to all of us staying at home, Mr. Feitel will be the first new in- economy and jobs growing again.
watching that letter carrier come by spector general at the Nuclear Regu- We know that about 3.5 million cases
every single day. It is a bright spot, latory Commission in over 25 years. His have been confirmed worldwide, and
with his big smile, greeted by every- nomination comes at a pivotal time for roughly a third of these cases are here
body on my street with gratitude for both the nuclear industry and the Com- in the United States. Tragically, we
his continuing work day in and day mission. Some utilities are seeking to have lost 65,000 Americans to this cruel
out. That is what our Postal Service is. operate their nuclear plants for 20 virus, but, heroically, our healthcare
For them to be degraded and insulted more years, while others are shutting workers have been on the job each and

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May 4, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2201
every day—like law enforcement and of speaking with my constituents all brought on by this pandemic has taken
grocery clerks—doing their part to across the State of Texas about the im- a toll on America’s mental health.
help provide us the healthcare, the law pact of this virus as well as Congress’s Most of us have never gone through
enforcement, and the food that is feed- response. I have spoken to doctors, something like this. Maybe none of us
ing our families. nurses, and hospital administrators has gone through something quite like
We know, for weeks on end, our doc- about the strain on the personnel and this. Our daily routines have been
tors and nurses and first responders the need for personal protective equip- turned on their head. Isolated from
have put themselves in harm’s way to ment. friends and family and between social
save the lives of those who have been I have talked to small business own- media and a 24-hour news cycle, it can
affected by COVID–19. They are offer- ers across the State about their grow- be difficult to find a way to escape the
ing more than lifesaving care. These ing list of expenses and the lifeline constant barrage of bad news and anx-
men and women are a hand to hold, a that the PPE provided. iety.
friendly voice, and a source of comfort I have listened to our mayors and Compounding the problem even fur-
to patients isolated from friends and county judges, from our biggest cities ther is the financial strain on many of
family because of this cruel disease. and smallest towns, who have talked the providers who support these indi-
Our heroic healthcare workers are about the mounting financial burdens viduals. A recent survey of providers
physically and mentally exhausted they are facing. I have talked with our by the National Council for Behavioral
from this fight. Yet they continue to farmers and ranchers about the impact Health showed that more than 60 per-
serve, day in and day out. on everything from cattle to cotton cent of mental health providers have
I want to express my gratitude, and I and the need to protect our food supply already been forced to close one or
know I speak for others when I say chain. more programs—60 percent—and 62 per-
thank you for the heart that you have I am grateful for the men and women cent of providers cannot survive more
put into your job and for the sacrifices I have spoken with who have shared than 3 months without emergency fi-
you have made, spending time away their perspective and feedback about nancial assistance.
from your families so that you can help Congress’s response to the coronavirus. As we continue working to help the
Anytime a piece of legislation moves
ours. American people through this difficult
At the same time, we are seeing tre- this quickly, as these bills did, and are
time, we cannot forget those who are
mendous progress in a race to develop this big, there are bound to be gaps
suffering in silence. We have a big job
that need to be filled, mistakes that
both treatments and a vaccine. While ahead of us. That is why it is so impor-
need to be corrected, tweaks that need
there are plenty of reasons to be opti- tant that we are here doing our job on
to be applied. The Texans to whom I
mistic about how this story ends, I behalf of the 330 million people in this
have spoken over these past several
know a lot of work remains to be done. country.
weeks have pointed out some of those
In addition to the physical toll this I returned back to the Senate with a
gaps and provided ideas for the discus-
virus has taken on the American peo- long list of ideas and feedback from the
sions we are now having about what
ple, it has wreaked economic havoc. Texans who have been generous enough
comes next.
In order to slow the spread of the A few weeks ago, I spoke with rep- to spend time talking with me over the
coronavirus, stores and restaurants resentatives from the Texas Council on past few weeks. I know all 100 Members
have closed their doors, travel plans Family Violence, the Texas Associa- of the Senate are in a similar position,
have been abandoned, events have been tion Against Sexual Assault, and more and I hope we can retain the same
canceled, and millions of Americans than a dozen organizations across the sense of bipartisanship that has guided
were suddenly without a way to earn a State that support survivors of domes- us through the legislation we have
living. In the past 6 weeks, 30 million tic violence. passed so far.
Americans have filed for unemploy- When you think about the impact of If we are going to win this fight—and
ment—an absolutely staggering figure. the pandemic or any other major crisis, we will—it will not be because of a Re-
So far, Congress has passed four sepa- for that matter, domestic violence isn’t publican idea or a Democratic one; it
rate bills to address this crisis from a typically one of the first issues that will be because every single person in
public health standpoint as well as to comes to mind, but the circumstances this Chamber checked their political
ease its economic impact. We have pro- we are facing today make these cases priorities at the door and responded to-
vided billions of dollars in funding to all too common. People are spending gether—united—to confront and defeat
support our hospitals, increase testing more time isolated at home. They are this virus and to help restore our econ-
capacity, and ramp up the production dealing with a new range of stresses omy and the jobs that go along with it.
and acquisition of the personal protec- brought on by this virus—more time We have done it before. Let’s do it
tive equipment our medical workers with their partner, financial struggles, again.
rely upon as well as the ventilators teaching their children at home—and it I yield the floor.
that many of the COVID–19 patients is taking a devastating toll. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
will need. When Texas’s stay-at-home order was The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
We have provided unprecedented as- first announced, many organizations clerk will call the roll.
sistance for America’s small busi- saw a spike in their hotline calls. What The senior assistant legislative clerk
nesses, which employ about half of is more frightening, once these orders proceeded to call the roll.
America’s workers. The Paycheck Pro- were in place, the number of calls took Mr. CARPER. I ask unanimous con-
tection Program has enabled small a sharp decline. In Tarrant County, sent that the order for the quorum call
businesses to keep their employees on which is where Fort Worth is located, be rescinded.
the payroll and cover expenses until call numbers dropped by almost half. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr.
the smoke clears. With so much time isolated at home BOOZMAN). Without objection, it is so
We have also sent vital funding to with an abuser, it may be more dif- ordered.
our State and local governments— ficult to reach out to friends or family NOMINATION OF ROBERT J. FEITEL
about $150 billion. We provided relief to or contact the National Domestic Vio- Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I rise
student loan borrowers and sent finan- lence Hotline for assistance. When de- today to speak on behalf of the nomi-
cial assistance to the American people ciding whether to leave, to go to a shel- nation of Robert Feitel to serve as in-
in the form of direct payments from ter, there is also the risk of the virus spector general of the Nuclear Regu-
the IRS. itself, and many are faced with a lose- latory Commission, which oversees the
Members of Congress came together lose scenario: Do you continue living safety and security of almost 100 nu-
to act quickly and decisively to address under the same roof as your abuser or clear powerplants throughout this
this pandemic, and I am very proud of do you go to a shelter where you or country—an important job.
the work that we have done together so your children may come in contact This is a nomination I urged the ma-
far. with the virus? jority to take up and pass, not this
Over the past several weeks, like These are not the only silent victims week, not this month but before we
every Senator, I have had the privilege of this crisis. The fear and anxiety went into recess on April 8. We are

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