Unanimous Consent Agreement (Cong. Rec., July 27, 2020)
Summary
A page of the Congressional Record, Senate, dated July 27, 2020, at page S4497, under the heading Unanimous Consent Agreement. A Senator outlines provisions of the Republican coronavirus legislation, including $6 billion for States to ramp up testing, $26 billion for vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics, and $105 billion for the Education Stabilization Fund to help schools adapt. Remarks also describe a scholarship choice for parents, childcare help and student loan payments never more than 10 percent of income. Mr. Wyden asks unanimous consent that he and two other Senators be permitted to speak for up to 7 minutes each, and a later speaker says the economy is not coming back because the fight against the virus is being lost.
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“Unanimous Consent Agreement (Cong. Rec., July 27, 2020).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-07-27-crec-2020-07-27-pt1-pgs4497-d068330654/
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July 27, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4497
fight the coronavirus and to mitigate You can defer your payment until Oc- There will be more funding, as Sen-
its impact on American families, tober 1. Well, that is just around the ator SHELBY mentioned, to help con-
schools, and businesses. I want to brief- corner. What we would propose is, you tain this sneaky, dangerous virus and
ly highlight some of the main provi- don’t have to pay it after October 1 if give Americans more opportunity for
sions. They have probably been talked you have no income. If you do have in- access to healthcare. There is more
about already this afternoon. come, your monthly payment will funding in this overall legislation for
First, $6 billion goes for States to never be more than 10 percent of your testing, for the National Institutes of
ramp up testing, with a particular em- income after deducting the necessities Health, community health centers, the
phasis on schools, employers, childcare of life, such as rent, mortgage, or food. distribution of vaccines, and to extend
facilities, and nursing homes. No. 2, if you are a parent, this bill the expansion of teleservice activities
Second, $26 billion goes for the devel- gives your child more choices of that has happened during the pan-
opment and distribution of vaccines, schools, provides scholarships so that demic.
therapeutics, and diagnostics. We have your child can return to the private This legislation reflects our Nation’s
made meaningful progress on each of school he or she attended before the priorities, which are safely back to
these fronts, but we haven’t gotten pandemic, and gives other students a school, safely back to childcare, and
there yet, as we all know. new opportunity to attend private safely back to work.
Third, there is $105 billion for the school. Senator TIM SCOTT introduced I yield the floor.
Education Stabilization Fund to help that legislation earlier. I am a cospon- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
schools adapt to the circumstances sor. ator from Oregon.
they face, which are extraordinary. No. 3, if you are a working mom or UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT
The CDC has emphasized the impor- dad, it helps you find childcare so you
Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I ask
tance of getting kids back into school can go back to work. A lot of our
unanimous consent that following the
and has issued guidelines on how to do childcare centers operate on a very
remarks of my Republican colleagues,
so safely. That is why this legislation thin margin. They have reduced rev-
Senators BROWN, MURPHY, and I be per-
provides additional funding for K–12 enue because they don’t have as many
mitted to speak for up to 7 minutes
schools to get kids back into the class- clients these days. Senator BLUNT’s bill
and Senator SHELBY’s appropriations each and that the previously scheduled
room at least 50 percent of the time, votes occur following the remarks of
bill will provide money so that they
which would be a big start. We recog- those listed.
can stay open and provide safe environ-
nize they will incur additional expense The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there
ments to two-thirds of the children in
if they reopen safely, and we have to objection?
the United States under age 6 who have
try to provide for that. Without objection, it is so ordered.
parents in the workforce.
The fourth point I want to highlight Finally, our bill—the part I am intro- The Senator from South Carolina.
briefly here is $20 billion in additional Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, it is
ducing—improves the Strategic Na-
assistance for our Nation’s farmers and my pleasure to introduce the Restoring
tional Stockpile so that we can main-
our ranchers. tain adequate supplies of masks, Critical Supply Chains and Intellectual
The fifth and final point: nearly $30 gloves, protective equipment, as well Property Act.
billion to bolster the U.S. defense in- China looms large in this debate
as onshore manufacturing capacity for
dustrial base, which is important to all about the coronavirus. That is where
tests, treatments, and vaccines that we
of us. We must never take our eyes off are building now. We want to make the virus originated. The lying and de-
the ball there. These resources will pre- sure that it doesn’t go away and we ceptive behavior of the Chinese Com-
vent furloughs of thousands of employ- have to rely on other countries in munist Party has brought this pan-
ees from across the country who help other parts of the world. demic to the world. It is the third pan-
Americans stay safe. This legislation is about children, demic to come out of China. I think it
I can go on and on, but time is mov- jobs, and healthcare. is now time for us to get serious about
ing on here this afternoon. We realize As far as schools go, there are 100,000 our dependency on China.
this is just the first step. We have to public schools and 35,000 private What does this legislation do? It has
work together. We have to work in a schools in our country. There are about four components.
bipartisan fashion here and put Amer- 5 million students in the private The protective equipment that our
ica first. schools and 50 million in the public nurses and doctors and all healthcare
We know the House has some high schools. Every one of those children is workers use to protect themselves on
numbers. We have good numbers, I be- a treasure. I have worked with Senator the frontlines—90 percent of it is made
lieve. I look forward to some bipartisan BLUNT to help the country’s 135,000 in China. We are going to try to bring
help on this and moving these bills schools and 6,000 colleges have the it back home. We have a ‘‘Buy Amer-
along. money they need to open with as many ican’’ requirement in this bill—a $7.5
I yield the floor. students physically present as is con- billion tax credit to reenergize Amer-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- sistent with safety. ican production of PPE equipment.
ator from Tennessee. The Safely Back to Work and Back We are trying to get PPE under the
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I to School Act poses making $70 billion Berry amendment of the Defense bill.
thank Senator WYDEN for his courtesy available for schools; another $30 bil- We require our uniforms for our mili-
in allowing me to go next. I will be suc- lion for colleges. That means roughly tary to be made in America to the ex-
cinct. $1,200 per student for public and private tent possible. We are going to try to
The way to get back to work and schools across the country. One-third create PPE in the same category as a
back to school is to put politics aside of the money would be distributed national security item.
and work together, as we have been automatically to all 135,000 schools. There will be a $7.5 billion tax credit
doing, on the COVID–19 response and That is probably about $400 a student— to jump-start this industry. A lot of
see whether we can get a result for the a significant amount of money. Two- good jobs will come from this, and we
American people in the next couple of thirds of the money would go to will be less dependent on China when it
weeks. schools that are opening with students comes to protective equipment.
The part of the Safely Back to Work physically present to help pay for the I will discuss Senator PORTMAN’s leg-
and Back to School Act that I am in- extra costs of providing that instruc- islation, Safeguarding American Inno-
troducing today does four things. tion in a safe environment. If they are vation Act, which is included, Senator
First, if you are one of 43 million trying to open with students physically CORNYN’s CHIPS for America Act, and
Dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
Americans with a student loan, it helps present, it makes logical sense to say Senator MURKOWSKI’s American Min-
you manage your debt. This is the way that if they have to have more buses, if eral Security Act very quickly.
it does it: If you have no income, you they have to hire more teachers, if Senator CORNYN’s CHIPS for America
have no monthly payment. If you re- they have to have more protective Act creates tax incentives to return
member, in March, we said to the 43 equipment, then those schools need and grow a domestic semiconductor in-
million Americans with student debt: more help paying for that. dustry. A Taiwanese firm made a big
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S4498 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 27, 2020
decision to come to America—I think For the life of me, I don’t know how I will close by saying it is long past
in Texas—a Taiwanese semiconductors anyone could possibly look at the state time for my Republican colleagues to
company. We are trying to incentivize of our economy and decide that what is get serious about working with Demo-
their relocation into the United States needed is even more economic pain for crats on a proposal that has a pathway
and jump-start a semiconductor indus- 30 million Americans. It is especially to actually becoming law and to help-
try that has left the country. It is very insulting to America’s unemployed ing people. This Republican plan
important for the future of our econ- workers that Republicans want to cut doesn’t do that.
omy. their economic lifeline in the same bill Just as I said on Thursday, we have
Senator PORTMAN’s Safeguarding that is going to give a taxpayer subsidy been ready for months. The other body,
American Innovation Act creates a to power lunches for lobbyists. the House of Representatives, passed a
Federal research council and institutes My colleagues have been warned that bill 2 months ago ensuring that Ameri-
penalties for bad actors who come to State unemployment systems are al- cans have those funds to make rent,
the United States or are here to steal ready struggling to keep up. Some peo- pay groceries, and pay for essentials.
important intellectual property. I ple who were laid off months ago are Leader SCHUMER and I introduced our
think we all know who we are talking still waiting to receive benefits. I read plan: the American Workforce Rescue
about here. China leads the pack there, about one today who is following all of Act.
and you saw what happened in Hous- this from their hospital bed, where So we were all set over here to go to
ton. they are suffering from COVID–19. work with Republicans before the ma-
Senator MURKOWSKI’s American Min- There are news reports about people jority leader sent everybody home on a
eral Security Act promotes secure and sleeping in their cars just to have a 2-week recess, when we thought it was
robust domestic supply chains of crit- shot at being at the head of the line at important to be here and to work on
ical minerals by streamlining the per- the workforce agency. these crucial economic issues I have
mitting process for extraction and em- Now Senate Republicans come for- mentioned.
phasizing R&D into critical mineral re- ward with a proposal that throws even Benefits have lapsed. Tens of mil-
cycling and development. more sand in the gears. They have been lions of Americans now walk an eco-
These four things together will pro- warned that this kind of proposal will nomic tightrope every single week, bal-
tect our supply chain. It will bring it be a disaster to implement. I know be- ancing the rent bill against the food
back to the country at a time when we cause I was in the Senate Finance bill, the food bill against healthcare
need to have more say about our des- room when they were told about it. costs.
tiny. The pandemic has been a wake-up My colleagues on the other side also There is no time to waste. Senate Re-
call all over the board. There is noth- are arguing that the biggest problem in publicans need to work with us now on
ing more important to me than relo- America now is that there are all these a proposal that ensures that Americans
cating the medical supply chain and lazy workers sitting at home collecting do not face yet another economic hit,
protecting the innovation that we are as I mentioned, with some of them ac-
unemployment checks instead of going
known for as a country. tually sitting in hospitals suffering
back to their jobs. There is no evi-
With that, I yield. from COVID–19 and wondering how
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- dence—not a shred—that this is hap-
they are going to pay the bills.
ator from Oregon. pening in large numbers around the I yield the floor.
Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, Senate country. Come to me with one single The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
Republicans and the White House have story about somebody turning down ator from Ohio.
finally come forward with an unem- work, and I will tell you about a dozen Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, Senator
ployment insurance proposal. The Re- out-of-work Oregonians I have spoken WYDEN is so right here. He fought back
publican proposal is not just mis- to, folks who cannot wait—cannot in March for $600 a week for unem-
guided; the Republican proposal is a wait—to get back to work, Oregonians ployed workers, which kept our econ-
punch in the gut and a slap in the face and Americans who believe in the dig- omy going, which kept us from going
for the 30 million Americans relying on nity of work. into a worse recession, which made all
lifeline unemployment insurance bene- There was a nationwide townhall the difference in the world for all these
fits. It adds insult to infection. meeting on Thursday last, with people workers.
Unemployment benefits—the ones we who were unemployed, and people who Think about this. If we were to adopt
developed that ensure that people can were unemployed volunteered that, if their proposal—I think they have a
pay the rent or buy groceries—are al- they were told in the evening that they proposal. We haven’t really seen very
ready expiring. The last payments could work the next day, they would be much yet.
went out Saturday. Senate Republicans there at the crack of dawn. It is insult- As Senator WYDEN said, the House
and Donald Trump sat on their hands ing to American workers to suggest passed a bill back in May. It has been
for months instead of working with they are a bunch of lazy freeloaders May, June, and almost all of July. We
Democrats, so now it appears that a looking for a handout, but we have have waited and waited and waited.
lapse in benefits is inevitable. been hearing that time and again from Unemployed workers know that their
Republicans apparently have a pro- those on the other side of the aisle who unemployment expires at the end of
posal that is just unworkable. You were simply unwilling to write any July, yet Senator MCCONNELL sent us
don’t have to take my word for it; the proposal at all. home, as Senator WYDEN said. They
nonpartisan experts who run the State I believe the Republican proposal is wait. We wait. We wait. Then they
workforce agencies have told the Fi- also a prescription for disaster for our come up with this half-baked proposal
nance Committee that any changes, economy. Supercharged unemployment that they don’t even know what it is
even simple ones, can take months to benefits may be the single most exactly.
implement. Now Republicans are talk- impactful program that Congress But we do know one thing. We do
ing about cutting those lifeline bene- passed in response to the pandemic. know that workers who were laid off
fits—the ones that actually made it What does it mean to cut it? The Re- through no fault of their own, they
possible for folks to make rent and buy publican plan cuts unemployment ben- want to work. Most Americans want to
groceries and cover the cost of medi- efits by more than $10 billion per week. work. Those workers, their unemploy-
cine and car insurance. They are talk- That opens up a terrible economic ment is cut from $600 to $200 a week. So
ing about cutting those benefits by wound. It will be a huge setback right we are essentially taking $400 from
two-thirds. They want States to make when the recovery seems to be stalling, millions of workers in Connecticut and
complicated changes to the unemploy- even going in reverse. Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New
Dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
ment insurance program that could One new analysis says cutting bene- York, Oregon, Ohio, Arkansas, and
hold up benefits until 2021. Some fits down to $200 per week is going to Utah. We are taking $400 a week from
States are indicating that it is almost lead to a loss of 3.4 million jobs. And these workers at the same time that
impossible to manage this altogether. Senate Republicans want Americans to the moratorium on eviction expires, at
The Republican proposal is cruel. In believe that it is unemployed workers the same time that eviction courts in
my view, it is legislative malpractice. holding back the economy. the States open up.
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July 27, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4499
In Columbus, OH—my State’s largest ployment going to be there? Am I the virus. In 15 days, this country has
city—they are holding eviction courts going to be able to stay in my apart- gone from 3 million cases to 4 million
in an arena because there are so many ment? What am I going to do? How am cases, and there is not enough funding
people who will be evicted if their un- I going to feed my kids? What is going in these proposals that were just out-
employment expires. In the middle of a to happen with schools? We don’t know lined in order to help States beat the
pandemic, we are going to evict people, if they are going to be protected, if my virus.
and they are going to go to over- kids are going to be safe at school. We are, once again, experiencing a
crowded homeless shelters; they are Essentially, the Trump-McConnell PPE shortage in this Nation. Doctors
going to go to sleep in their cousins’ plan tells people: You are on your own. at Memorial City Medical Center in
basements—in the middle of a pan- It is time that we, as a body—it is Houston are using single-use N95 res-
demic. What is that going to do? time that the Republicans work with pirator masks for 15 days before throw-
I know the President just doesn’t Speaker PELOSI, work with us, that the ing them out.
think much about the pandemic. He President pays attention for a moment, Schools are, right now, planning to
has moved on to accusing who knows and we actually take care of people in spend $25 billion in order to buy masks
what, calling names, dividing and all their homes; we take care of workers; and cleaning supplies that are esca-
that, and isn’t paying much attention we take care of people in our schools— lating in cost.
to this pandemic. But, in the middle of instead of turning our backs. There is nowhere close to enough
a pandemic, to cut unemployment is It is time to help families stay in money in this legislation to help
just unbelievable. their homes. It is time to get people schools get ready. There is nothing in
We know that, in their plan, there is the help they need through this pan- this bill that requires the
a major cut in unemployment benefits; demic. It is time that this body lead operationalization of the Defense Pro-
there is no rental assistance that will when the President has failed. duction Act to make sure that we are
help people pay their rent; there is no Their plans don’t come close to being producing enough PPE in this country.
expansion of the eviction moratorium. enough. There are still States in this Nation
There is nothing. I yield the floor. that are refusing to open up the health
Senator MCCONNELL has had months The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- insurance systems so more people can
to extend expanded unemployment ator from Connecticut. get access to health insurance. There is
benefits. He has had months to figure Mr. MURPHY. Mr. President, when nothing in these proposals to require
out what we are going to do on evic- people talk about this body being fun- open enrollment periods in States, to
tions. Yet nothing. I don’t know, when damentally broken under Republican make sure that everyone who is con-
I look down that hall—I don’t really leadership, this is exhibit A. This is ex- tracting this virus has the chance to
know—I see lobbyists running out of hibit A. get health insurance.
there, asking Senator MCCONNELL to The reality is that the States are the
This body has had 2 months to con-
get what they get, and they do very ones on the frontlines, standing up
sider legislation that would stand up a
well every time, apparently. these responses. My State has done
national effort to squash this pandemic
Americans want to go back to work. pretty well, but we are going bankrupt
once and for all and to make sure that
People want to go to work, but they in the process. From what I can tell,
people don’t die, don’t go hungry, don’t
want to go back to work when it is listening to these speeches tonight,
get pushed out into the street at a mo-
safe. I want our schools to open, but I there is nothing significant in this
ment when unemployment is higher
want our schools to open safely. package of bills to help States like
President Trump, months into this than at any time in this country’s his-
mine stand up responses.
pandemic, still has no plans to protect tory since the Great Depression. So I grieve for families who are going
We didn’t consider any legislation for
workers. There is one reason people are to listen to the news tonight and hear
still out of work: President Trump’s all of the last work period. We went on
that Senate Republicans’ stimulus plan
failure to get this pandemic under con- recess for 2 weeks. Now we are 3 days
is to cut their unemployment benefits
trol. before unemployment benefits expire—
by $400 per week. I also grieve for this
Now, as they suggest we drop unem- the additional unemployment bene-
Nation, knowing that nothing in these
ployment from $600 to $200—it is not fits—and we are now getting the intro-
proposals is significant enough to allow
alarmist—people can lose their homes. duction of what appears to be a dozen
States and hospitals and healthcare
A wave of evictions in the middle of different pieces of legislation from Sen-
systems to turn around this damaging
this pandemic will set back millions of ate Republicans tonight.
trajectory on the virus, to produce
families. We still don’t have the details, but it
enough PPE necessary to do the job,
I know it is not something that Sen- looks as though there is not one bill
and to fix the dangerously broken test-
ators do very often, but try to put being introduced but that there are
ing system in this country.
yourself in the shoes of someone who is about 13 bills being introduced. We I plead for my Republican colleagues
laid off in Akron, OH, or in Eugene, don’t have enough time before the expi- to finally come to the table with
OR, or in Hartford, CT. Someone is laid ration of unemployment benefits to ne- Democrats in the House and the Senate
off. They get that $600. They can stay gotiate 1 bill—1 bill—never mind 7 or so we can craft something together
in their apartments—barely, but they 10. that does the job for families and does
can. We wasted months of time when the job to fix this very, very broken
They are paying attention—sort of— Democrats and Republicans should healthcare system amidst an advancing
to what we do here. They do know that have been talking together. Instead, pandemic.
their unemployment expires at the end Senate Republicans were talking VOTE ON HARDY NOMINATION
of July. Then they hear of no plan. amongst themselves and have now
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
The Democrats have said: Let’s ex- waited until the zero hour to come out
question is, Will the Senate advise and
tend the unemployment. Let’s do pro- with a piece of legislation which calls
consent to the Hardy nomination?
tections. Let’s do emergency rental as- for a $400-per-week cut in unemploy- Mr. ROMNEY. I ask for the yeas and
sistance. Let’s help our schools. Let’s ment benefits for people who are out of nays.
help our local governments. Let’s make work. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a
sure people have enough food on their That is the economic stimulus plan: sufficient second?
tables. a $400-per-week cut for families in this There appears to be a sufficient sec-
They hear nothing from the majority country who have been relying on un- ond.
party, and people are now beginning to employment benefits because the econ- The clerk will call the roll.
Dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
understand that maybe the Senate is omy is not coming back. The legislative clerk called the roll.
not going to do its job, maybe the But I come to this floor tonight to Mr. THUNE. The following Senators
President really doesn’t care about tell you why the economy is not com- are necessarily absent: the Senator
these unemployment benefits. ing back. It is not because we haven’t from Nebraska (Mr. SASSE) and the
Think about the anxiety a family appropriated enough money. It is be- Senator from North Carolina (Mr.
faces, the uncertainty of: Is my unem- cause we are losing the fight against TILLIS).
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