Unanimous Consent Request—S. 4143 (Cong. Rec., Aug. 4, 2020)
Summary
A page of the Congressional Record, Senate, dated August 4, 2020, at page S4700, under the heading Unanimous Consent Request, S. 4143. A unanimous consent request to extend the expanded $600 for unemployed Americans for a week is made and an objection is heard, and Ms. McSally of Arizona speaks about the request. Mr. Wyden says S. 4143, the American Workforce Rescue Act of 2020, would tie unemployment benefits to the actual conditions of the economy and keep the extra $600 available for as long as the economic crisis continues. Mr. Thune is quoted on tapering benefits as the economy improves, and the page ends with the Senator from Tennessee being recognized.
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“Unanimous Consent Request—S. 4143 (Cong. Rec., Aug. 4, 2020).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-08-04-crec-2020-08-04-pt1-pgs4700-51bd517fe9/
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S4700 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE August 4, 2020
When I got back home last weekend, Democratic leader, Senator SCHUMER, gle day walk an economic tightrope
people were asking: Why did they ob- and the Speaker, NANCY PELOSI, all balancing their food bill against their
ject? It was for 7 days while you guys made that request again and again, and fuel bill.
work through your differences. Why Republicans were unwilling to do that. We just heard a little bit about how
can’t you guys get your act together? So Republicans are trying to cover for we really need to solve the problem.
Why can’t you just do your jobs and, in the fact that they refused to come to This does that because, under our bill,
the meantime, just give us 7 more the negotiating table for months. S. 4143, the American Workforce Res-
days? Our country needs a long-term solu- cue Act of 2020, what we wish to do on
That is a reasonable request. That is tion that ensures the extra $600 re- our side is tie these unemployment
why I am here again to offer a simple, mains available for as long as this four- benefits to the actual conditions of the
commonsense solution—to extend the alarm economic crisis continues. American economy on the ground.
expanded $600 for unemployed Ameri- I object. We have had this proposal for months
cans through the week while we con- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec- now because, to some extent—and I see
tinue to work through our differences tion is heard. my good friend from South Dakota. He
here to provide economic support, re- The Senator from Arizona. made an important point in this dis-
lief, and economic recovery for Amer- Ms. MCSALLY. Mr. President, I am cussion. He is a member of the Finance
ica. Who could possibly be against this? just picturing, if you are one of my Committee, and I saw an article in
Who could possibly be against this? neighbors or one of the people I men- which he stated, you know, it is impor-
Therefore, I ask unanimous consent tioned who are watching TV right tant for people who are really hurting
that the Senate proceed to the imme- now—this is Washington. These are bu- in a tough economy—it is important
diate consideration of my bill at the reaucratic reasons why we can’t just for them to get benefits that let them
desk. I further ask unanimous consent simply do what I am asking, which is pay the rent and buy groceries. Then
that the bill be considered and read a extend for 1 week what we all agreed my good friend from South Dakota
third time and passed and that the mo- upon in the past while we continue to made a point I agree with. He said: You
tion to reconsider be considered made work together to try and solve prob- know, when the economy gets better
and laid upon the table. lems on behalf of Arizonans. That is all and unemployment goes down, then—in
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there I am asking. the words of the Senator from South
objection? Bureaucratic reasons or posturing or Dakota—the benefits can taper off to
Mr. WYDEN. Reserving the right to finger-pointing—people are so tired of reflect that.
object. it. I am tired of it. That is why I first That is essentially what S. 4143, the
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- ran to come into this deployed zone American Workforce Rescue Act that I
ator for Oregon. and fight in a different way than when have authored with the Democratic
Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President and col- I did in uniform but with the same leader, Senator SCHUMER, does is it en-
leagues, the only thing worse than sures that we are not going to have
exact oath. We are here to solve prob-
what the Republicans have done here— millions of workers every month or
lems. We are here to represent the peo-
cutting off desperately needed unem- every few months live in fear that Don-
ple we represent.
ployment insurance to millions of ald Trump and MITCH MCCONNELL are
And, while we work through our dif-
American families and communities— going to pull the rug out from under
ferences, there is political theater hap-
would be to allow a bill to pass that them.
pening, Arizonans. There is political We would have a benefit that would
promises money without actually de- theater. There is unserious negotia- reflect economic conditions on the
livering it. Even if this short-term ex- tions, unfortunately, happening be- ground, and it would deal with this
tension were to pass, State agencies— cause some people, like the minority economic challenge for all the months
the experts in this field—have told us leader, think that this is the path to until the economy recovers. That is
and the ranking Democrat on the Fi- power. Somehow, Arizonans can be what Senator SCHUMER and I put for-
nance Committee in very clear terms hurt, and others can be hurt. Somehow, ward some time ago. The $600 would
that States don’t have enough time to that is going to work in their favor. I gradually phase down based on the
reprogram their systems and avoid a am disgusted by that. I am simply ask- State’s average unemployment rate
lapse in benefits. ing for us to do our job. over 3 months. This would provide cer-
The State unemployment systems Maybe I need to offer another bill tainty for families and ensure the
are not equipped to flip these unem- that all Members of Congress have broader economy continues to receive
ployment benefits on and off. Short- their pay held until we sit down and the support it needs.
term extensions don’t work and will solve this. I did that before when the And, especially, it doesn’t set up arti-
not work from an administrative CARES Act was being delayed for po- ficial timelines. That is what the Sen-
standpoint. litical reasons. ate ought to be avoiding, to just set ar-
No Senator has to take my word for This is frustrating. It is dis- bitrary dates. What we need to do is
it. The National Association of State appointing. It is simply a 7-day exten- make sure that politicians—and, cer-
Workforce Agencies has said what I sion while we work through our dif- tainly, Donald Trump and MITCH
have just said: A short-term extension ferences. MCCONNELL have been willing to pull
isn’t enough for the hard-working Once again, friends on the other side the rug out from under the unem-
Americans relying on this lifeline who of the aisle have let Arizonans and ployed. We need to make sure that
don’t have jobs to go back to. What Americans down, but we need to keep there is a plan going forward.
about next week and the week after working to solve this issue and support That is what S. 4143 does, the Amer-
that? the people we represent. This is a com- ican Workforce Rescue Act. It will pro-
The only responsible route is to agree monsense request, and it is very dis- vide certainty for families and ensure
to the extension with triggers that will appointing that they are not letting it the broader economic recovery will be
lower the payments only when it is ap- through. our focus, and there will be support
propriate to do so, and that means I yield the floor. until we see that kind of recovery.
when the economy is in recovery, not The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- So I ask unanimous consent that the
when the economy is in freefall like it ator from Oregon. Committee on Finance be discharged
still is now. f from further consideration of S. 4143,
Republicans wish to cover for the
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the American Workforce Rescue Act;
fact that they refused to come to the UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST— that the bill be considered read a third
negotiating table for months. I looked S. 4143 time and passed; and the motion to re-
at the record. Literally, for months—as Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I would consider be considered made and laid
the author of the $600 more each month like to offer a proposal that really is upon the table with no intervening ac-
and the expansion to cover gig workers going to help working families and tion or debate.
and others—we asked Senate Repub- those who are trying to make rent, try- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there
licans to join us in negotiations. The ing to pay for groceries, who every sin- objection?
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August 4, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4701
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, reserving other side prior to the Senator from I object.
the right to object, I would just say Oregon coming down here, which has The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec-
that the fact that the Senator from Or- been put forward by the Democratic tion is heard.
egon is down here right now instead of leader, is that the Heroes Act should be Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, while my
the Democratic leader I would charac- taken up and passed by unanimous con- colleague is here, just a brief reac-
terize as movement in the right direc- sent. That has been the unanimous tion—and I think my colleague knows
tion. And the fact that he is making a consent request now on multiple occa- that you don’t go out and negotiate
proposal that is based upon legislation sions when Senator MCSALLY or others from the seat of your pants on the
that, as he mentioned, he has intro- have come down here to try and get ac- floor.
duced that actually has a trigger, if tion on this unemployment issue, First, I want to be clear on this pro-
you will, or a way of phasing down un- which is to come over and offer unani- posal. This is a proposal the Demo-
employment benefits, I think, is a step mous consent to pick up and pass the cratic leader and I, as the ranking
in the right direction because, up until Heroes Act, which, as we all know, is Democrat on the Finance Committee,
now, every time that the Senator from not a serious piece of legislation. worked very closely together on. It is a
Arizona has come down here to offer up In fact, the Democratic leader’s proposal that many Senate Democrats
a 1-week extension of unemployment paper of record in New York, the New think could be the basis of reform, and
benefits—and, by the way, I think it is York Times, said: ‘‘The bill was more a lots of people who look at the future of
very reasonable and, to the Senator messaging document than a viable these kinds of economic challenges find
from Oregon’s point, I find it hard to piece of legislation.’’ That comes from this idea attractive. That is No. 1.
believe that any State and any com- the New York Times. Many of the pro- No. 2, my friend from South Dakota
puter system which is already paying posals in that legislation had nothing thinks that somehow the benefits can
out the $600 bonus wouldn’t be able to to do with the coronavirus and, in fact, just be turned on with a snap of the fin-
continue that. It strikes me as just addressed a lot of other what I would ger. The National Association of State
call extraneous items on the policy Workforce Agencies have said that the
really unexplainable that you would
agenda of the Democratic majority in proposal offered by the Senator from
have problems adjusting a computer
the House of Representatives, to in- Arizona would not get benefits that
system that is already programmed to
clude mentioning ‘‘cannabis’’ more make rent and pay groceries to people
pay $600 to continue to do that for an
times than it mentioned the word anytime soon.
additional week. That defies logic to
‘‘jobs’’ in that legislation. The question is, Are you going to
me. There are studies authorized in the
So I think that is a very reasonable solve a real economic challenge here?
Heroes Act that look at diversity—di-
request. It would allow us additional The economy has faced, last week, a
versity—in the cannabis industry—
time to work on proposals like what staggering economic contraction. Ac-
more mentions of that than mention of
the Senator from Oregon has sug- cording to the Bureau of Labor Statis-
the word ‘‘jobs,’’ which I think right
gested. And there are others out there. tics, the last numbers, there are four
there tells you that it wasn’t a serious
The Senator from Utah, Senator ROM- piece of legislation. unemployed workers for every job. This
NEY, has a proposal that would ramp It, furthermore, included—if you can idea that unemployed folks don’t want
down the unemployment benefits over imagine this—tax cuts, tax cuts for to work is just insulting.
time. It seems to me, at least, we Manhattan millionaires. Tax cuts for What unemployed people tell me at
might be able to find some common Manhattan millionaires is included in home is that if somebody offers them a
ground there between what the Senator the Heroes Act—again, not something job on Monday night, they will be there
from Oregon has proposed and what the that has anything to do with helping first thing Tuesday morning.
Senator from Utah or other Members the people who are hurting as a result What is really needed are solutions
on our side have proposed. of the pandemic or get at the point to this question of unemployment in-
I do believe that what the Senator that the Senator from Oregon is talk- surance that ties the benefits to the
from Oregon is suggesting—that is, to ing about; that is, addressing the un- real world conditions on the ground. In
lock in the $600 bonus indefinitely— employment issue. fact, when you have unemployment
one, puts it on autopilot; two, sort of So I view this as progress. I view this like this—well over 10 percent—the $600
takes Congress out of the equation; as movement in the right direction, the extra per week coverage is clearly what
and, three, it continues to offer a ben- fact that the Senator, not the Demo- is necessary to make rent and pay gro-
efit that, for five out of the six people cratic leader, is down here offering an ceries. But make no mistake about it—
who are receiving unemployment bene- unemployment proposal, not the He- I see my colleague from South Dakota
fits, offers them more in terms of a roes Act. I hope we can build on that leaving the floor—I listened when he
benefit than what they were making and find that common ground that said that there ought to be a benefit
when they were working. would enable us to address clearly for folks when unemployment is high
That, to me, is something that I what are serious needs among lots of and that when unemployment goes
think needs to be addressed. And if you Americans who are, through no fault of down, the benefits would reflect that.
talk to any small business across this their own, unemployed as a result of That is the American Workforce Res-
country right now, they will tell you this pandemic. cue Act.
one of the big challenges they have is Having said that, I will object to the If my colleagues are saying they
trying to find workers and to compete request of the Senator from Oregon want to back S. 4143, I would like to
with an unemployment payment that right now but suggest to him that he get that message in a direct kind of
actually pays them more than when and Democrats other than the leader— way.
they were working. Trying to get those and I think there are a number of With that, I yield the floor.
employees back, I think, has been a Democrats on this side of the aisle, in- f
real challenge for a lot of the employ- cluding those who lead committees
ers across the country. like the Senator from Oregon, who is RECESS
So I think that is an issue that has to the ranking member on the Finance The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under
be addressed, and I have heard people Committee, a committee on which I the previous order, the Senate stands
on this side of the aisle, both House serve and with whom I have worked on in recess until 2:15 p.m.
and Senate, say the same thing. There a lot of issues—can sit down and find Thereupon, the Senate, at 1:18 p.m.,
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have been Democratic Governors who common ground. recessed until 2:16 p.m. when called to
say the same thing, that the $600 ben- But as long as rank-and-file members order by the Presiding Officer (Mrs.
efit needs to be modified in a way that and leaders of relevant committees are CAPITO).
more reflects what people were actu- sort of locked out and the leaders con- f
ally making when they were working. tinue to try and do this behind closed
So I think there is some common doors, it is going to be very hard, I MORNING BUSINESS—Continued
ground that we can find, but, again, the think, to find those types of practical, The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
idea that has been advanced by the real-world, commonsense solutions. ator from Tennessee.
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