Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., May 5, 2020)

Summary

Congressional Record, Vol. 166, No. 84, Tuesday, May 5, 2020, Senate pages S2225 and S2226. The Senate met at 11 a.m. and was called to order by the President pro tempore, Mr. Grassley, and the Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, offered the prayer. Mr. Grassley's remarks under Coronavirus describe acts of kindness in Iowa. Mr. McConnell's remarks say the CARES Act sent more than $2 trillion in direct money to American households. The Senate proceeds to the nomination of William R. Evanina, and Mr. Schumer states that there will be no votes on the floor.

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“Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., May 5, 2020).” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-05-05-crec-2020-05-05-pt1-pgs2225-6-e0447e8b1f/, SHA-256 bd37ead6f788128b7144b2aa3e272bd9a58c05bd35fa4444529693aad088ce2f.

Full text

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

Vol. 166 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2020 No. 84

Senate
The Senate met at 11 a.m. and was across my State of Iowa. From rainbow them at the same time. This is a his-
called to order by the President pro art decorating windows to inspira- toric challenge, and the Senate is help-
tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). tional chalk messages on sidewalks, ing the country meet it.
f Iowans are donating their time, talent, In early March, we passed an initial
and treasure to support local busi- response to help communities handle
PRAYER nesses, food pantries, and grab-and-go the outbreak. We spent billions of dol-
The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- meals for students. lars to enhance our public health re-
fered the following prayer: As just one example, the residents of sponse, to promote development of vac-
Let us pray. a retirement community are sewing 35 cines and treatment, and to help the
Eternal God, Your words are true. to 40 masks per day for healthcare pro- healthcare providers and small busi-
Guide our lawmakers with Your pre- fessionals and laundry service workers nesses in places that were bearing the
cepts. Give them a passion for what- at the University of Iowa Hospitals & brunt of the virus.
ever is just, worthy, and honorable. Clinics. They are also supplying local Just days later, we delivered billions
Guide them to cultivate such reverence food banks and others who need them more in phase 2. It sought to expand
for Your providence that they will re- in their community. The Iowa City access to testing and to help workers.
peatedly pray for Your will to be done. senior threaders are among the count- Then we built the historic CARES
Remind them that if they faint under less silver linings that are lighting Act, the largest rescue package in
pressure, then their strength is too America’s path to recovery. America’s history, and then passed it
small. Help them, therefore, to look to I yield the floor. without a single vote in opposition. It
You, for You are able to do immeas- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- sent more than $2 trillion in direct
urably, abundantly above all that they jority leader is recognized. money to American households, sup-
can ask or imagine, according to Your f port for employees’ paychecks, sta-
power, working in and through them. bility for major employers, and re-
We pray in Your powerful Name. RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY sources for the healthcare fight itself.
Amen. LEADER Predictably, these huge, historic ef-
f The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- forts have encountered some chal-
jority leader is recognized. lenges along the way. There is no way
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE the Federal Government could make
f
The President pro tempore led the years’ worth of small business loans in
Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: CORONAVIRUS a few weeks or rapidly cut checks to
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, most American households without
United States of America, and to the Repub- it has been a little more than 100 days any hiccups at all. But on the whole, it
lic for which it stands, one nation under God, since the first case of COVID–19 was re- has been encouraging to see Congress,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. ported in the United States. Since the administration, the Federal Re-
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. then, our Nation has come face-to-face serve, and the American people—all of
LOEFFLER). The Senator from Iowa is with this full-scale pandemic. Families us—leap into action together to help
recognized. have hunkered down and changed their our country.
Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, I routines. Bustling Main Streets have Our work is making a difference. But,
would like to speak for 1 minute in literally come to a halt. Essential ultimately, we know there is no policy
morning business. workers have taken new precautions to Congress could pass, nor any amount of
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without keep the supply chains running. And, money we could spend, that would keep
objection, it is so ordered. of course, brave healthcare providers the entire economy glued together if
f have stretched the limits of their sup- these blunt shutdowns continue indefi-
plies and their stamina to care for pa- nitely.
CORONAVIRUS tients. All the while, even with the en- So while our legislation has rightly
Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, tire country doing its best to fight this poured money into short-term help for
despite the hardships and headaches disease, it has stolen the lives of nearly the economy, we have also made sure
and heartaches that so many families 70,000 of our fellow Americans. to invest in the tools and tactics we
are experiencing right now, there are Our Nation is facing the most severe will need to contain and beat the virus
countless acts of kindness that show pandemic since 1918 and quite possibly so that our country can step back to-
humanitarian goodness taking place in the worst economic shock since the ward normalcy: testing, tracking,
the entire country, but I notice them Great Depression. And we are facing treatments, and the race for a vaccine.

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

S2225

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S2226 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 5, 2020
Our task in the weeks ahead will be Breathitt County. They both came If we are going to be here in session,
to keep seeking thoughtful solutions down with the virus. They both beat it with an elevated health risk, why
that are not just for the very short and then turned right around and doesn’t Leader MCCONNELL have us
term but will help pivot toward a started donating plasma to the race for work on issues that are directly related
phased reopening and recovery. We will new medicines. to COVID–19?
need to ask not only how we endure We are proud of the family resource Last night, we confirmed a non-
each week but also how we foster re- coordinators of Fayette County Public controversial nominee to the Nuclear
covery on the other side. Schools who are collecting donated Regulatory Commission. The next
Early February feels like it was household supplies to add to weekly nominee on the floor is for a counter-
about 2 years ago, but the truth is, it food deliveries for thousands of stu- intelligence post—no doubt important
was just 12 weeks ago. American work- dents and families. but unrelated to COVID—whose nomi-
ers and families were in one of the These stories only scratch the sur- nation has been delayed by a hold by a
most prosperous economic moments in face in the Bluegrass, and I know every Republican Senator. So when the Re-
our history. Wages were growing. Un- one of my colleagues has stories of publican leader reasons that we must
employment was near a 50-year low. their own to tell. We are all in this to- process nominees on the floor this
Formerly discouraged Americans were gether. We have stepped up to meet the week because of a previous Democratic
being drawn off the sidelines. The challenge. Let’s continue to stand to- obstruction, he should check his notes
country was buzzing—literally buzz- gether for our country. and his facts first.
ing—from coast to coast. The Amer- f We could be using our time here to
ican people built that. It is our job to address a number of urgent priorities,
help them build it again. RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME whether it is rescuing our ailing health
As we carefully consider what may The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under system, increasing testing capacity, as-
come in the weeks ahead, we will need the previous order, the leadership time sisting small businesses, renters, and
smart and targeted policies to help is reserved. homeowners. Providing vigorous over-
jump-start our economic engine, not f sight of legislation we have already
unrelated ideological wish-list items passed would have been a better use of
that would gum it up even further. The CONCLUSION OF MORNING
the Senate’s time.
country will need pro-growth, pro-cer- BUSINESS
Instead of coming together to work
tainty policies—pro-growth, pro-cer- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning on these pressing matters, we are talk-
tainty policies. business is closed. ing about nominations and rightwing
The last thing we need is for the po- f judges, including a former protege of
litical left to view this national crisis the Republican leader who was rated
as an exploitable opportunity to EXECUTIVE SESSION
unqualified by the American Bar Asso-
achieve other goals they have wanted ciation, a man who argued against the
for a very long time. That is how, for constitutionality of our healthcare law
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
example, former Vice President Biden in the midst of a public health crisis—
has repeatedly described the pandemic. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under
the previous order, the Senate will pro- someone who probably 80 percent or 90
Here is what he had to say: ‘‘an incred-
ceed to executive session to resume percent of Americans would reject if
ible opportunity . . . to fundamentally
consideration of the following nomina- they knew his views. But he is a pro-
transform the country’’—‘‘an incred-
tion, which the clerk will report. tege of the leader. We are rushing him
ible opportunity . . . to fundamentally
The legislative clerk read the nomi- through. We are not paying attention
transform the country.’’
This cannot be about ideological nation of William R. Evanina, of Penn- to COVID.
The Senate Intelligence Committee
transformation. It needs to be what sylvania, to be Director of the National
is holding a virtual hearing on the
will actually work for the American Counterintelligence and Security Cen-
nomination of Representative
people. ter. (New Position)
Here is just one example of a com- RATCLIFFE to serve as the next Direc-
Mr. MCCONNELL. I suggest the ab-
monsense policy Republicans will in- tor of National Intelligence. This is an
sence of a quorum.
sist on. Even as the entire country is extremely important post that de-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
rallying behind healthcare workers and mands a candidate with deep experi-
clerk will call the roll.
small businesses, trial lawyers are al- ence, credibility on both sides of the
The legislative clerk proceeded to
ready looking for ways to line their aisle, and, above all, the ability to
call the roll.
pockets by suing the very people we Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I speak truth to power.
are bending over backward to help. Representative RATCLIFFE meets
ask unanimous consent that the order
As one recent Washington Post col- none of these criteria. He is a deeply
for the quorum call be rescinded.
umn put it, ‘‘[f]ear of COVID–19 law- partisan cheerleader for the President,
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
suits is not [some] mere Republican re- a yes-man in every sense of the
objection, it is so ordered.
flex’’—a Washington Post column: phrase—someone who doesn’t speak
RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY LEADER
‘‘[f]ear of COVID–19 lawsuits is not truth to power to the President of the
The Democratic leader is recognized. United States. He tells the President
[some] mere Republican reflex.’’
CORONAVIRUS what he wants to hear.
It went on to list all sorts of lawsuits
that are already pouring in. This kind Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, Doesn’t this sound familiar? Right
of hostile climate would create yet an- the Republican leader has called the now, we are living with the con-
other major headwind we cannot af- Senate back into session during a time sequences of a President who doesn’t
ford. Republicans will be insisting on when there are significant risks to the want to hear the truth about the
strong legal protections for the health of the Members of this Chamber coronavirus, who doesn’t want to be-
frontlines. We will not let our historic and the staff who make this place func- lieve it is as bad as it truly is, who
recovery efforts be diverted so that tion. wants to cling to quack medicines that
taxpayers foot the bill for the biggest This is a time of national emergency. will not work, and who runs away from
trial lawyer bonanza in our history. We should be working to provide our the fact that his administration bears
Our discussions in the weeks ahead country with the relief and support it responsibility for the inadequacy of our
do not need to be partisan or conten- so direly needs. But this is only the national response—a President who
tious. There is nothing partisan about second day of business since Leader still doesn’t have a testing plan when
the coronavirus, and there is nothing MCCONNELL called the Senate back we desperately need tests to get this
partisan about the inspiring example into session, and there will be no votes country open again.
being set by citizens across our coun- on the floor—not one vote. And so far, The President doesn’t like hearing
try. there is no plan—no plan at all—to the truth. It is that simple. That has
In my home State of Kentucky, we consider COVID-related legislation on hurt us dearly when it has come to the
are proud of a father-daughter duo in the floor in the near future. coronavirus. This crisis is partly the

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