Congressional Record, Senate, May 18, 2020 (S2477)

Summary

Page S2477 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for May 18, 2020. A Senator on the floor discusses idle land in Klamath Basin and the Bureau of Reclamation, asks Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer to include regulatory changes in the next relief legislation, and criticizes a $3 trillion House spending package. The page ends with a cloture question on the nomination of Scott H. Rash, of Arizona, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona.

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“Congressional Record, Senate, May 18, 2020 (S2477).” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-05-18-crec-2020-05-18-pt1-pgs2477-d5c4a91f46/, SHA-256 e17eb2f970c8534fdf9b839a7b97b2d047b7ef58fd12cb3b0908d3a07305410e.

Full text

May 18, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2477
the Bureau of Reclamation—let’s fix it doesn’t go to a restart or a recovery. Every day, we witness local, State,
and get help right now to idle land and What does it do? It goes to, How can we and Federal Government officials
to pump water to provide assistance. use this crisis to grow government? struggling to balance the provision of
I thank all my colleagues who helped How can we use this crisis to take community health with the needs of a
so much in 2010 when I came to this away a little bit more of your freedom? struggling economy. Often, regulatory
floor under similar circumstances and Last week, House Democrats passed a constraints prevent them from imple-
we gave unanimous consent for this $3 trillion spending package that they menting the more agile policies so des-
bill. Congressman WALDEN came down used as a vehicle for a lot of their pet perately needed by local businesses and
the hallway to vouch for the issues we projects. We have all heard about it: service providers.
were facing, so we were hearing bipar- pension bailouts, unsustainable envi- Last week, I and a number of my col-
tisan representation of the challenges ronmental mandates, fundamental leagues asked Majority Leader MCCON-
and addressing the challenges that our changes to tax policy, all of these line NELL and Minority Leader SCHUMER to
ranchers and farmers in Klamath Basin items that have no business being include statutory changes in the next
faced. slapped on the coattails of a bill that round of relief legislation that would
That is all we are doing again. I ask was sold as being a safety net for pan- reduce the redtape, the paperwork, and
for each and every Member’s support icked Americans. the other requirements that could and
that we get this done and we get it You will be relieved to know that will inevitably get in the way of eco-
done quickly. that bill will never see the light of day nomic recovery.
I yield the floor. here in the Senate. But, you know, it If we take a hard look at these regu-
I suggest the absence of a quorum. might not be a bad idea just to put it lations and strip away those that serve
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. on the floor and see if our friends no real purpose, we will save businesses
BOOZMAN). The clerk will call the roll. across the aisle want to vote for it—$3 an estimated—get this—$1.9 trillion,
The senior assistant legislative clerk trillion, $3 trillion. promote competition, and encourage
proceeded to call the roll. It is disrespectful to people who are investment. That is $1.9 trillion. That
Mrs. BLACKBURN. I ask unanimous hurting. It is disrespectful to small is what the regulatory state costs
consent that the order for the quorum businesses that they have become a American businesses.
call be rescinded. bargaining chip for the Democratic, To survive the pandemic, each and
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without left-leaning socialist wish list. That is every one of us is going to have to re-
objection, it is so ordered. what they think of you. When you walk examine our approach. We need to ask
CORONAVIRUS down Main Street and you see shut- ourselves: What is the purpose of all
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I tered businesses, I want you to remem- the regulations? Do they help? Do they
have just returned from being in Ten- ber that. That is what they think of hurt? If we didn’t need it in COVID–19,
nessee this weekend and lots of phone you: They can use you to get what they why do we need it now? What is the ac-
calls, seeing a lot of people out and want. tual cost to businesses, to commu-
about. I will tell you, this COVID–19 In fact, I will say this. We have been nities, to local governments of these
has changed a lot about how we go pretty busy focusing on bipartisan ef- regulations? As companies go through
about our daily lives, but it has not forts that will help in the short term the restart, is this something that is
changed the way Congress works out and will help with a postpandemic fu- going to speed the process or is it
its differences. We are still arguing ture, something that will really bring something that is going to slow the
about spending and debt. We are still relief and clarity to the American peo- process, or is it something that is
debating the importance of federalism ple—not things like a liberal wish list. going to be so cost-prohibitive that
and how the Constitution can help us that small business manufacturing
SECURING AMERICA’S MEDICINE CABINET ACT
determine what we can and should do company will just throw their hands up
Mr. President, here is one I have
and say: ‘‘I give up. I give up’’? That is
on a Federal level to help our commu- heard a lot about, especially this week-
not what we want. That is not recov-
nities back at home. end, for all the moms and dads out
Now, in Tennessee, our cities all ery. That is not optimism. That would
there who are wondering about how be defeat. I encourage us all to join in
across the State, from one corner to safe their child’s image and their this effort to create an environment
another, are getting back to that daily child’s data are in the virtual class- that will support a full economic recov-
routine. Many of those businesses were room. Well, this is something that I ery.
able to improvise their way through had lots of questions about also. How I yield floor.
the early weeks of lockdown, and now do you protect your virtual you? CLOTURE MOTION
they are finding what they are calling Last week, I led a bipartisan group of The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant
their new normal, their new processes. my colleagues and asked the FTC to do to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the
Some of them received emergency a deep dive into how the tech industry Senate the pending cloture motion,
loans from the SBA. Others became one collects and stores your child’s data which the clerk will state.
of the more than 80,000 small busi- and to use that information to make The legislative clerk read as follows:
nesses and self-employed workers who children’s online privacy protections CLOTURE MOTION
were able to take advantage of the stronger. We, the undersigned Senators, in accord-
Paycheck Protection Program. Let’s make certain you can protect ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the
But no matter how hard they work or them in the virtual space the same as Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby
how smart their plans are, we know you can in the physical space. My bi- move to bring to a close debate on the nomi-
that, in the end, we are going to lose a partisan SAM–C bill, which Senator nation of Scott H. Rash, of Arizona, to be
lot of our favorite neighborhood stops. MENENDEZ and I have introduced, United States District Judge for the District
It is tough. It is really tough out there. would offer incentives to American of Arizona.
Some of those businesses are already Mitch McConnell, Chuck Grassley, Joni
pharmaceutical companies to bring
Ernst, John Barrasso, Deb Fischer,
gone. And that is going to happen in those operations back home. John Cornyn, Roger F. Wicker, Roy
spite of the unprecedented investment Let’s make that in America. This Blunt, John Thune, Rob Portman,
that the Federal Government, working would create thousands of jobs, and it Shelley Moore Capito, Steve Daines,
with our State and local governments, would help secure our pharmaceutical Lindsey Graham, Pat Roberts, Cindy
has made into our business and our supply chain. Hyde-Smith, Richard Burr, Mike
healthcare sectors, making certain We are focusing on these things be- Crapo.

SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
people are able to stay afloat and cause recovery is going to require more By unanimous consent, the manda-
bridging from that rescue to a business than a blank check. If we want to be tory quorum call has been waived.
restart and bridging on to recovery. successful, we have to learn to recog- The question is, Is it the sense of the
Well, as we saw this week, the more nize the practical damage this disease Senate that the nomination of Scott H.
Washington spends, the more Washing- has inflicted on our economy and then Rash, of Arizona, to be United States
ton’s focus drifts away from emergency do something to address the many root District Judge for the District of Ari-
measures and that rescue, and it causes of it. zona, shall be brought to a close?

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