Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., July 23, 2020)

Summary

This is page S4434 of the Congressional Record, Senate, July 23, 2020, under the heading CORONAVIRUS. Mr. SCHUMER says Democrats have waited months for Republicans to get serious about another round of emergency relief. He criticizes what he calls a liability shield to protect big corporations from lawsuits and objects that the Republican proposals would not include food assistance for hungry kids or rental assistance. He also says a Republican plan to extend enhanced unemployment benefits would give workers a 30-percent pay cut. The page then turns to S. 4049, a bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for military activities of the Department of Defense, where Mr. MCCONNELL asks for a vote on amendment No. 2080 and amendment No. 2301, as amended.

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“Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., July 23, 2020).” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-07-23-crec-2020-07-23-pt1-pgs4434-de4f8cfa08/, SHA-256 1867e6a13bf03df374d925afb80f6c3df476dd101f83b2b3008abaf05fecb455.

Full text

S4434 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 23, 2020
CORONAVIRUS and trace and finally stop the spread of I yield the floor.
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, faced this evil disease. The centerpiece of the I suggest the absence of a quorum.
with the greatest economic challenge Republican proposal is a liability The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
in 75 years and the greatest public shield to protect big corporations from clerk will call the roll.
health threat in a century, we Senate lawsuits if they put their workers at The senior assistant legislative clerk
Democrats have been waiting for risk—seriously. As COVID continues to proceeded to call the roll.
months for our Republican colleagues surge throughout our country and un- Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President,
in the Senate to get serious about an- employment numbers rose again for I ask unanimous consent that the order
other round of emergency relief for the the first time in weeks, Leader MCCON- for the quorum call be rescinded.
American people. NELL has made corporate immunity the The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs.
Now that Senate Republicans have fi- centerpiece of this Republican re- HYDE-SMITH). Without objection, it is
nally woken up to the calamity in our sponse. Once again, the Republican so ordered.
country, they have given up wishing it Senate is far more comfortable pro- f
would go away, following the Presi- viding relief to big corporations than
relief to American workers and Amer- RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME
dent’s wishing everything would go
away, to the detriment of this country. ican families. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under
Our Republican colleagues have been so How about instead of shielding cor- the previous order, the leadership time
divided, so disorganized, and so unpre- porations from liability, we shield is reserved.
pared that they have to struggle to renters from eviction? How about in- f
draft even a partisan proposal within stead of shielding corporations from li-
ability, we shield the unemployed from CONCLUSION OF MORNING
their own conference. This is before BUSINESS
they talk to a single Democrat. This is poverty?
before they even consider what the Even in those areas where the Senate The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning
House has done. Republicans seem to be moving a bit in business is closed.
It does seem that sometime soon, Re- our direction, it looks like they are f
publicans may finally unveil a legisla- coming up way short. Republicans
aren’t talking about providing enough LEGISLATIVE SESSION
tive proposal, but because they are so
disorganized and divided, they can’t resources for our schools to reopen
agree on a series of smaller bills that safely. According to reports, the White NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZA-
don’t even amount to one coherent pro- House and Senate Republicans want to TION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR
posal. Even after all this time, it ap- extend the enhanced unemployment 2021—Resumed
pears the Republican legislative re- benefits the Democrats secured in the
CARES Act but only provide a percent- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under
sponse to COVID is ununified, the previous order, the Senate will re-
unserious, unsatisfactory. Let me re- age of a worker’s former wage.
That is right, America. If you have sume consideration of S. 4049, which
peat that. Despite hitting the ‘‘pause’’ the clerk will report.
lost your job through no fault of your
button on the Senate for 3 months, de- The senior assistant legislative clerk
own and can’t go back to work because
spite waiting more than 60 days after this administration has mismanaged read as follows:
the House Democrats passed their plan the crisis, Republicans want you to A bill (S. 4049) to authorize appropriations
to start work on their own, the Senate take a 30-percent pay cut in the middle for fiscal year 2021 for military activities of
Republican response to COVID is of this crisis. the Department of Defense, for military con-
ununified, unsatisfactory, and, fun- Worse still, because Republicans struction, and for defense activities of the
damentally, unserious. dithered and delayed for so long, there Department of Energy, to prescribe military
From what we know, their proposal personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and
will be an interruption in unemploy- for other purposes.
or series of proposals will not include ment benefits. Eviction protections
food assistance for hungry kids. Fami- will expire no matter what we do be- Pending:
lies where the parent has lost a job cause they waited until the last minute Inhofe amendment No. 2301, in the nature
through no fault of her or his own can’t and, even at this last minute, can’t of a substitute.
feed their kids in this proposal, as we McConnell (for Portman) amendment No.
seem to get their act together. 2080 (to amendment No. 2301), to require an
hear about it. Leader MCCONNELL and Senate Re-
From what we know, it will not in- element in annual reports on cyber science
publicans dismissed the House-passed and technology activities on work with aca-
clude rental assistance or extend the Heroes Act because it included a few demic consortia on high priority cybersecu-
moratorium on evictions that is keep- items that Republicans didn’t think rity research activities in Department of De-
ing tens of millions of Americans with were absolutely necessary. fense capabilities.
a roof over their heads. Millions of Senate Republicans can’t even get RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY LEADER
Americans have lost their jobs through their act together to provide the ba- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma-
no fault of their own. They can’t pay sics—food for kids, keeping Americans jority leader is recognized.
the rent or the mortgage, and our Re- in their homes, preventing the unem- VOTE ON AMENDMENT NO. 2080
publican friends say: Evict them. ployed from going into poverty, and
It will not provide hazard pay to our Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President,
giving the economy the needed help so
essential workers, who have been risk- we can overcome this recession. I know of no further debate.
ing their lives and their families’ lives You can’t say you support essential The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there
ever since this crisis began. It will not workers and then refuse to give them is no further debate, the question is on
make the necessary investments in hazard pay. You can’t say you want to agreeing to amendment No. 2080.
communities of color that have been fix racial issues and then throw mil- The amendment (No. 2080) was agreed
ravaged by this virus disproportion- lions of Americans of color out of hous- to.
ately so. It will not provide the new ing and off unemployment benefits dur- VOTE ON AMENDMENT NO. 2301, AS AMENDED
funding that State and local govern- ing a pandemic. You can’t say you The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
ments need to keep the busdrivers and want to honor John Lewis and then question is on agreeing to amendment
sanitation workers, teachers, and so refuse to provide funding for safe elec- No. 2301, as amended.
many others on the job. From what we tions. Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President,
Congress needs to act quickly, but I ask for the yeas and nays.

SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
know, it will not even include funding
to ensure that our elections are safe the developing Republican proposals The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a
this fall during this COVID crisis. are not going to get the job done. We sufficient second?
Remarkably, the likely centerpiece need to immediately enter bipartisan, There appears to be a sufficient sec-
of the Republican legislative response bicameral negotiations to develop a ond.
to COVID is not an aid package for the proposal that actually meets the mo- The clerk will call the roll.
20 to 30 million unemployed Americans ment and matches the scale of the cri- The senior assistant legislative clerk
or a massive influx of resources to test sis. called the roll.

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