Congressional Record, Senate, August 4, 2020, Page S4725
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A page of the Congressional Record, Senate, dated August 4, 2020, at page S4725. A tribute honors Tim McCarthy on his retirement, recalling that he saved the life of President Reagan and received the first Chief of Police of the Year Award from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police. Under the heading Coronavirus, Mrs. Feinstein says the first case of COVID-19 was reported in the United States in January, criticizes the lack of a national response plan guided by science, and urges a national mask mandate, citing the CDC's July 14 call for all Americans to wear masks. The page also honors Greg and Kathy Maag and their business and lists executive communications.
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“Congressional Record, Senate, August 4, 2020, Page S4725.”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-08-04-crec-2020-08-04-pt1-pgs4725-8c1c89d20e/
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August 4, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4725
during a flood. In 2016, he received the testing supplies and protective equip- Early on, we knew simple acts like
very first Chief of Police of the Year ment, but rather than implement the talking and even breathing caused air-
Award from the Illinois Association of Defense Production Act and stock up borne transmission of the virus, espe-
Chiefs of Police. on supplies, we saw little action from cially in confined areas like office
This month, Tim is retiring to be the White House. buildings.
with the center of his life his wife, I have been thinking back to the We also knew individuals who
Carol, his three kids, and seven grand- early days of the pandemic. In March, weren’t showing symptoms could
children. He has more than earned it. San Francisco’s Bay Area imposed the spread the virus to others because
Tim McCarthy did more than make first significant stay-at-home order in symptoms don’t appear for 5 to 7 days.
history in saving the life of President the country. California soon followed. And research continues to show
Reagan. He has dedicated his life to It was criticized at the time as an masks are one of the best tools to slow
making America a safer nation. We overreaction, but it succeeded in slow- the spread of the virus. Scientific mod-
were fortunate to be blessed with his ing the rate of spread, and the death eling is clear: Masks prevent the spread
courage and his amazing record of pub- toll remained lower than many other of the virus.
lic service. large States. Soon, much of the coun- Yet even with this knowledge, we
f try had similar orders in place. still continue to see a patchwork of
In April and early May, there was a policies around the country.
CORONAVIRUS sense of shared sacrifice. People stayed A national mask mandate would dra-
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I at home, schools closed, many lost matically reduce the spread of the
rise today to speak about coronavirus, their jobs. Our way of life shifted in the virus, especially by those who don’t yet
now clearly the worst pandemic in a most abrupt way since at least 9/11, if show symptoms.
century. not World War 11. On July 14, the CDC called on all
I will also speak briefly about the But the understanding was that we Americans to wear masks. CDC Direc-
need for a national response plan that made these sacrifices because they tor Robert Redfield said if all Ameri-
is guided by science and public health, would help control the virus. We would cans wore masks, the current surge in
not politics. ‘‘bend the curve,’’ we would produce cases could be brought under control
The first case of COVID–19 was re- sufficient protective gear, and we within 2 months.
ported in the United States on January would make it safe for people to return Masks work. We need a national
20. In the intervening 6 months, we to their lives. mask mandate.
have seen cases climb, then fall, and The second step is a national pro-
The idea was that, by the end of sum-
now surge once again. gram for testing.
mer, life would return—if not back to
More than 4 million Americans have Months into this pandemic, we con-
normal, at least back to some version
been infected with coronavirus. So far, tinue to hear stories of people not able
of it.
more than 155,000 have died. to receive a test. In some cases, my of-
It is now almost August. The number
Every day for the last 4 months, I fice has heard from people with fevers
of new cases climbs each day. K–12
have received an update from my staff and coughing but are still told to stay
schools have announced they will be
on coronavirus numbers. home and not get tested.
closed in the fall. Many colleges are Simply put, anyone who wants to be
I have watched, day by day, the num- following suit. Job losses continue, tested should be, and the results should
ber of positive cases climb. In Cali- with more than 30 million still receiv- be returned within 24 hours, not a week
fornia right now, 30 of our 58 counties ing unemployment benefits. later.
have had more than 1,000 positive Simply put, America failed the test Studies have found that if we only
cases. of reopening. test individuals who show symptoms, it
The numbers just go up and up and If we had responded like other coun- is too late to stop further trans-
up. It becomes impossible to look at tries, with comprehensive national mission.
the charts and graphs and not come to policies for mask use, avoiding crowds That means States and cities need
the conclusion that we have to do and increasing testing capacity, we sufficient supplies to dramatically in-
more—and maybe significantly more. could have been returning to normal crease testing. At this time, that is not
Simply put, this is the worst pan- life right now. happening.
demic in my lifetime. You have to go Instead, many cities and States are A national testing strategy would
back more than 100 years to the Span- rolling back their reopening plans and help coordinate action and prevent
ish flu epidemic to find something may have to reinstitute stay-at-home States from having to compete against
comparable. orders to get the Nation back to where each other.
But the unprecedented scale of this we were before Memorial Day. The third step, related to increased
crisis is no excuse for our failure to re- President Trump last week said the testing, is ensuring we have enough
spond more forcefully and in a nation- administration is ‘‘in the process of de- testing supplies and safety equipment
ally coordinated manner. veloping a strategy’’ to fight for frontline workers.
Once we realized the scale of the out- coronavirus. The President could quickly imple-
break in the spring, both by the in- At some point, we will want to know ment the Defense Production Act. This
creased cases at home, as well as moni- why it took 7 months for him to ac- law would allow the Federal Govern-
toring stricken countries like Italy, it knowledge a national plan was nec- ment to address supply chain issues
became clear that we needed strong essary. Right now, however, we need to and increase production and distribu-
leadership from the top. focus on what that plan will entail. tion of testing supplies, medical equip-
We didn’t get that. Just as importantly, we need to focus ment and personal protective equip-
Instead, the White House and Presi- on who should have input into the te- ment.
dent Trump blamed states for the lack nets of such a plan—in a word, ‘‘ex- This should have been done months
of testing equipment, the hoarding of perts.’’ ago, but so far, the President has only
sanitizing supplies and the absence of This is a challenge that requires the selectively used this tool. He should
protective gear. combined minds of our best and bright- broaden its use immediately.
In March, President Trump said, ‘‘I est, particularly public health and in- It is unconscionable that 6 months
don’t take responsibility at all.’’ fectious disease experts. This is not an after this virus appeared on our shores,
That is a direct quote from the Presi- arena for politics, period.
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
essential workers around the country
dent of the United States, in the midst So what do those public health ex- still lack personal protective equip-
of a global pandemic with body counts perts propose? After reading material ment, not only doctors and nurses but
rising around the country. We must do and listening to a range of opinions, grocery clerks, agricultural workers,
better. there are five areas that appear to have public transportation operators, educa-
More recently, during the renewed broad consensus: tor; and many others.
surge in cases, we have seen a repeat of First, we need to ensure that masks These individuals are putting them-
those problems. We know we need more are used everywhere. selves at risk to provide necessary
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S4726 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE August 4, 2020
services to the public, and they should Moreover, we are hurting our own Prescription and Medical Supply on
have access to masks and other equip- economic recovery by taking aid from being selected as the Idaho Small Busi-
ment to keep themselves safe. those who most need it, the very people ness of the Month for August 2020. You
The fourth step is expanding contact who are most likely to spend it to sup- make our great State proud, and I look
tracing, another area where we see a port the economy. forward to your continued growth and
patchwork of policies across the coun- The Federal Government exists for a success.∑
try rather than a cohesive national ef- reason, and that is to help Americans f
fort. do things they can’t do for themselves.
To work, contact tracing must occur The same goes for States, which are re- MESSAGES FROM THE HOUSE
immediately after an individual is sponsible and powerful but can’t do it ENROLLED BILLS SIGNED
found to be infected. A team deter- on their own. At 11:16 a.m., a message from the
mines everyone with whom an infected A global pandemic calls for a robust House of Representatives, delivered by
individual had recent close contact and Federal response, which must entail a Mrs. Cole, one of its reading clerks, an-
encourages them to get tested, self-iso- national response plan. And that plan nounced that the Speaker has signed
late, and monitor their health. has to be based on science and on data, the following enrolled bills:
Right now, on average, everyone who not politics.
S. 2163. An act to establish the Commission
gets COVID passes it to more than one Thank you.
on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys,
other person. In other words, the f to study and make recommendations to ad-
spread is increasing, often by those ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS dress social problems affecting Black men
who don’t know they have been ex- and boys, and for other purposes.
posed. Contact tracing will help solve S. 3607. An act to extend public safety offi-
that. RECOGNIZING MAAG PRESCRIP- cer death benefits to public safety officers
TION AND MEDICAL SUPPLY whose death is caused by COVID–19, and for
The logistics, however, often aren’t
other purposes.
feasible for local governments. That is ∑ Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, as a mem- S. 3637. An act to amend the
why a Federal contact tracing pro- ber and former chairman of the Senate Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to extend
gram, possibly using Peace Corps and Committee on Small Business and En- lease protections for servicemembers under
AmeriCorps volunteers as has been sug- trepreneurship, each month, I recog- stop movement orders in response to local,
gested, is so important. nize and celebrate the American entre- national, or global emergency, and for other
Finally, the fifth area is the need for preneurial spirit by highlighting the purposes.
a plan to manufacture and distribute a success of a small business in my home The enrolled bills were subsequently
vaccine once it is developed. State of Idaho. Today I am pleased to signed by the President pro tempore
A key component is determining pri- honor Maag Prescription and Medical (Mr. GRASSLEY).
orities for vaccine distribution. Should Supply in Pocatello as the Idaho Small
it go first to essential workers on the Business of the Month for August 2020 At 2:16 p.m., a message from the
frontlines? Or should it go to people and congratulate them on 70 years of House of Representatives, delivered by
most likely to get the virus, the vul- business. Mrs. Cole, one of its reading clerks, an-
nerable populations, and those in hard- Maag Prescription and Medical Sup- nounced that the House has passed the
hit areas? These aren’t easy questions, ply is an independent, locally owned following bill, in which it requests the
and we should work on answers now. pharmacy which has been operated by concurrence of the Senate:
We also need to handle the logistics the Maag family since 1950. Established H.R. 6395. An act to authorize appropria-
involved to ensure rapid distribution of by Irvin and Genevieve Maag, the cou- tions for fiscal year 2021 for military activi-
the vaccine nationwide. ple ran all aspects of the business and ties of the Department of Defense, for mili-
These are obvious challenges, but quickly developed a reputation for pro- tary construction, and for defense activities
they are also complex, and we need a viding exemplary service while meet- of the Department of Energy, to prescribe
military personnel strengths for such fiscal
plan in place now, ahead of vaccine de- ing the specific needs of their cus- year, and for other purposes.
velopment, rather than waiting until a tomers. As the business flourished and
vaccine is developed. ownership transitioned to their son and f
In addition to those five health-re- daughter-in-law, Greg and Kathy Maag, ENROLLED BILLS PRESENTED
lated planks, I also believe we need a a fire ravaged the facility in 1977. De- The Secretary of the Senate reported
coordinated plan to help the small spite this obstacle, the Maags per- that on today, August 4, 2020, she had
businesses and workers suffering dur- severed and built a new storefront, ex- presented to the President of the
ing this time. panding it three times to accommodate United States the following enrolled
One example is the Paycheck Protec- the business’s growth. Maag Prescrip- bills:
tion Program that helped many small tion and Medical Supply’s resiliency
S. 2163. An act to establish the Commission
businesses. The program provides for- and service to the community has not on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys,
givable loans if businesses use funds on gone unnoticed. For the past 2 years to study and make recommendations to ad-
employee salaries and other necessities the business received the Idaho State dress social problems affecting Black men
to remain afloat, which will allow Journal’s annual Reader’s Choice and boys, and for other purposes.
them to quickly reopen when it is safe. Award. S. 3607. An act to extend public safety offi-
Another example is the additional Today, Maag Prescription and Med- cer death benefits to public safety officers
$600 in unemployment benefits in the ical Supply plays an important role whose death is caused by COVID–19, and for
CARES Act. This assistance allows serving the community and providing other purposes.
S. 3637. An act to amend the
millions of families to pay rent, cover more than 20 jobs to Southeast Idaho
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to extend
bills, buy food, and contribute to the in the midst of the COVID–19 pan- lease protections for servicemembers under
economic recovery. Unfortunately, demic. The Maags have made it a pri- stop movement orders in response to a local,
that vital aid has lapsed. ority to support their customers while national, or global emergency, and for other
Since mid-March, more than 60 mil- maintaining customer and employee purposes.
lion Americans have filed for unem- safety. Their business stands as a true f
ployment benefits. Today, more than 30 testament to American industrious-
million people continue to depend on ness, exemplifying one of our Nation’s EXECUTIVE AND OTHER
these benefits. COMMUNICATIONS
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
most treasured values. Now, in one of
We can’t cut these lifelines until jobs the most economically uncertain The following communications were
are available for those out of work. If times, their story reminds us of the im- laid before the Senate, together with
the economy remains shuttered and we portance of commitment to our com- accompanying papers, reports, and doc-
do nothing to help families and busi- munities and resilience in the face of uments, and were referred as indicated:
nesses, we are telling millions of Amer- adversity. EC–5218. A communication from the Assist-
icans that we don’t care they are hurt- Congratulations to Greg and Kathy ant Secretary for Legislation, Department of
ing. Maag, and all of the employees of Maag Health and Human Services, transmitting,
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