Congressional Record, Senate — Page S4888, August 5, 2020
Summary
Page S4888 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for August 5, 2020. Remarks on coronavirus relief say Chicago Public Schools have provided 18 million meals since March and call for Federal resources and guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Durbin closes by saying the majority leader regularly talks about special interests. Another speaker, citing school administrators in South Dakota, says businesses following CDC guidelines should not have to spend thousands of dollars defending frivolous lawsuits, and compares current talks with the way the CARES Act was negotiated in March. Later remarks discuss the musical "Hamilton" and monuments in Russia.
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“Congressional Record, Senate — Page S4888, August 5, 2020.”
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S4888 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE August 5, 2020
Chicago Public Schools have done an those types of protections in the legis- with our Democratic colleagues just
incredible job providing 18 million lation, but I think it is really impor- like we did with the CARES Act, which
meals since March. We need to ensure tant to point out that those type of was our largest coronavirus relief bill,
the U.S. Department of Agriculture protections are critical if we are going back in March.
provides the range of alternative op- to get the economy reopened again. Back in March, the model that was
tions needed to make sure that no kid Businesses that are doing all the used was having committee chairmen
in America goes hungry. right things—following the CDC guide- and ranking members get together in
Schools in Chicago and around our lines, adhering to all the laws, all the compromise and work out differences
State don’t need any more tweets or guidelines and restrictions that are out and end up with a strong, bipartisan
self-congratulatory briefings, Mr. there—shouldn’t have to worry about bill. Was it a perfect bill? Well, no, of
President. They need Federal resources lawyering up and spending thousands course not. No bill is. Did everyone get
and guidance based on the best science and, in some cases, millions of dollars everything that he or she wanted? No,
our government has to offer. That is to try and defend themselves against but it was a strong, bipartisan bill that
why I am fighting for this relief pack- frivolous lawsuits, which are being was praised by Democrats and Repub-
age to be at a level to meet the chal- filed as we speak by the thousands. licans alike—in fact, reflected by the
lenge we face across America. The implication given by the Senator unanimous vote.
f from Illinois that somehow this is all I would like to say that we are en-
CORONAVIRUS about big corporations or big busi- gaging in those same types of negotia-
nesses is just not consistent with the tions right now, but unfortunately I
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, let facts on the ground. In fact, I had a can’t say that. I can’t say, in fact,
me close by saying this. The majority conversation 2 days ago with the what is happening right now is even ne-
leader comes to the floor regularly and school administrators in my State of gotiations. Negotiations involve both
talks about special interests. Perhaps South Dakota, all of whom are very in- sides being willing to give something
he can explain to us why the Repub- terested in getting their schools opened up to compromise and to try and move
lican proposal for relief for the COVID– up and getting kids back in school, toward a solution. While Republicans
19 virus includes a $2 billion allocation which, again, is one of the priorities of are willing to make compromises to
for a new FBI building across the our legislation and should be, I think, ensure that we can deliver another
street from the Trump hotel. Perhaps one of the priorities of the country as coronavirus relief bill to the American
he can explain the $30 billion wish list we head into the fall. people, Democrats apparently aren’t
from the Department of Defense, try- One of their big issues was ensuring willing to make any.
ing to make up for cuts that were made that they had protections against li- Back in May, House Democrats pro-
when the President raided their ac- ability—a liability shield, if you will, posed and passed a massive $3.4 trillion
counts to build his almighty wall in not against gross negligence, not piece of legislation that they called a
the southern border. Perhaps the ma- against intentional misconduct—those coronavirus relief bill. Subsequently, it
jority leader can explain to us the li- types of things would not be covered— has been endorsed by Senate Demo-
ability immunity which is being pro- crats who have gone so far as to offer
but protections if, in fact, they are
posed by the Republican side as a ‘‘red- up unanimous consent requests here on
doing all the right things, consistent
line, take it or leave it, we will walk the Senate floor to adopt the House-
with the guidelines, following the rules
away if you don’t like it’’ approach.
that have been put in place, that they passed bill. In reality, that House-
It would be one thing if the Repub-
should have at least some protections. passed bill, $3.4 trillion bill, was a
lican leader were in the room, actually
That is going to be true not just of lengthy liberal wish list which even
negotiating, but he just makes a red-
schools and small businesses, but it is Members of the Democrats’ own party
line and walks away. That redline is a
also going to be true of healthcare pro- dismissed as dead on arrival. In fact,
subsidy to the largest corporations in
America, giving them liability immu- viders. We have people on the Democrats had some work to do to per-
nity when it comes to possible court frontlines who are sacrificing every suade Members of their own caucus in
suits. day to try and get people better, to the House to vote for the bill.
Wouldn’t we want a standard to heal those who have contracted the As POLITICO put it at the time: ‘‘As
make sure that all businesses and virus, and also protect those who are of late Thursday evening, the House
every individual or group or business is on the frontlines from getting it. They, Democratic leadership was engaged in
doing its best to keep America safe? too, are going to need those very types what a few senior aides and lawmakers
When we say, don’t worry about any li- of protections that are called for in our described as the most difficult arm-
ability in court if you ignore the public legislation. twisting of the entire Congress: con-
health reality, that is no guarantee So this is not something that was put vincing their rank and file to vote for
that it is going to be a safe environ- in there on a whim just because we a $3 trillion stimulus bill that will
ment for America when we reopen this knew that the Democrats wouldn’t like never become law.’’
economy. it. It was put in there because of feed- That is from POLITICO. The House
I yield the floor. back we received from States, local bill includes various ‘‘coronavirus pri-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- governments, school districts, orities’’ like funding for diversity and
ator from South Dakota. healthcare providers, hospitals, nurs- inclusion studies in the marijuana in-
f ing homes, and, yes, some small busi- dustry, tax cuts for blue-State million-
nesses, all of whom are going to be es- aires, federalizing elections. Those are
CORONAVIRUS sential if we are going to get the econ- just a few of the items that were in-
Mr. THUNE. Madam President, last omy up and going again and get people cluded in the House-passed bill that it
week Senate Republicans did introduce back to work, kids back to school, and is very hard to argue have anything to
a new coronavirus relief bill called the Americans back on their feet. do with defeating the coronavirus. In
Health, Economic Assistance, Liability So it is an essential part of the legis- fact, the House bill mentions the word
Protection, and Schools Act. This bill lation, one which, so far, the Demo- ‘‘cannabis’’ more often than it men-
is a $1 trillion piece of legislation fo- crats have demonstrated no interest in tions the word ‘‘job,’’ which tells you
cused on getting Americans back to including and, frankly, no interest in all you need to know about the serious-
work, getting kids and college students even having a conversation about, ness of that proposal.
which is unfortunate because it is a Despite all that, Democratic leaders
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
back to school, and providing
healthcare resources to help defeat the critical element, feature, of any bill have taken the House bill as their
virus. As the title says—the Health, that we should be working on right starting and, yes, their ending point
Economic Assistance, Liability Protec- now to provide coronavirus relief. for negotiations. They are insisting
tion, and Schools Act—it does have li- When we introduced this bill, we that Republicans sign off on pretty
ability protections in there. knew this version wouldn’t be the final much everything in their bill, from the
I just listened to the Senator from Il- draft. I think everybody conceded that. tax cuts for wealthy Americans to
linois attack the idea of including We knew we would need to negotiate major changes in election law. And
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August 5, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4889
they are not budging on the pricetag national debt. Now, arguably, it was their own political purposes, not to
either. money that needed to be borrowed, but serve others.
As I said, Republicans have proposed there has to be a limit. This was a society where ideas and
a $1 trillion piece of legislation, and I The higher we drive our national dialogue existed only underground,
can tell you—from being a Member of debt, the greater the danger to the where watching American movies was
the Republican conference and the dis- health of our economy. Democrats may a jailable offense, where free thinkers
cussions that we have—what a stretch be fine with jeopardizing our economic weren’t found in newspapers or air-
it is for a lot of Republicans, who al- health to pay for diversity studies in waves but locked away in labor camps,
ready have voted for multiple the marijuana industry, but I can tell where information protected the State
coronavirus relief bills to the pricetag you the Republicans are not. Repub- instead of empowering the individuals,
of about $3 trillion so far, to do another licans know we are going to have to where history was constantly purged
trillion dollars, knowing that every borrow some additional money to meet and revised.
one of those dollars is a borrowed dol- the demands of the coronavirus crisis— By the time I visited, though, Soviet
lar, every one of those dollars is going and we have offered legislation to do leadership, in self-preservation mode,
on a Federal debt which is already up- just that—but we are not going to fur- had gradually allowed citizens access
ward of $25 billion and will ultimately ther endanger our already battered to information and media as new tech-
have to be paid back by our children economy by signing off on every unnec- nologies emerged. It was only a ray of
and grandchildren. essary spending item on the Demo- sunlight through a very small crack,
Well, that said, the trillion-dollar crats’ liberal fantasy list. but through it, people all across the
legislation that was put forward by Re- Now, are Republicans going to have former Soviet Union and the Eastern
publicans is nowhere close to the to agree to some of the things that we Bloc could finally see and hear what
pricetag for the Democrats’ bill, which are not crazy about? Of course we are. had long been hidden from them: jazz,
is $3.4 trillion, as I said. Now, I think But Democrats are going to have to ac- rock ‘n’ roll, Star Wars, Chuck Norris,
even an elementary school student cept that they can’t dictate every word Dr. Zhivago, and Robinson Crusoe. His-
would realize that compromise lies of the bill. tory once erased was restored. The
somewhere between those two num- The bill which passed the House, I truth of Stalin’s murders was revealed.
bers, more than, perhaps, the Repub- might add, was 1,800 pages long. The Inevitably, the fatal conceit of a cen-
licans’ bill and less than the Demo- bill that we have proposed in the Sen- trally planned Communist economy
crats’ bill, but apparently that is not was exposed, and large numbers of Rus-
ate is 165 pages. The ball is in the
something Democrats are willing to en- sians realized just how poorly their
Democrats’ court. Republicans want to
tertain. quality of life compared to the free,
pass a coronavirus relief bill, and we
A senior correspondent for CNN Western alternative. They were even
are ready to negotiate. The Democrats
talked to Speaker PELOSI yesterday, permitted rights to express dissatisfac-
are going to have to decide they want
who claimed she wanted to reach tion with their circumstances.
to come to the table. A totalitarian regime’s greatest ally
agreement on a bill this week. The cor- ‘‘Our way or the highway’’ is not a is darkness and silence. Keeping a peo-
respondent asked the Speaker what negotiating position, and if Democrats ple in the dark is the surest way to
pricetag she was willing to agree to. continue to insist on getting every- guarantee they never demand their
Her answer: $3.4 trillion. In other thing that they want, they are going to God-given rights. But just a trickle of
words, after more than a week of nego- be responsible for Congress’s failure to information, just a hint of truth, a
tiations, the Speaker of the House deliver additional relief. I hope—I real- small offering of differing perspectives,
hasn’t budged from her original posi- ly hope the Democratic leadership will and a touch of freedom of expression
tion. She hasn’t budged, nor have the remember what it means to negotiate helped lead to the Soviet Union’s de-
Senate Democrats, who every time and that it will work with Republicans mise—‘‘the freedom to say that two
something has come up on our side to to arrive at a compromise bill that can plus two make four.’’
try and address this crisis have an- make it through both Houses of Con- Free people become and stay free
swered with: Well, let’s just pass the gress and actually become law. through open dialogue because of the
Heroes Act of the House, the $3.4 tril- I yield the floor. free exchange of information and
lion boondoggle. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. ideas—even ones we disagree with; be-
Well, that is not a compromise. That SASSE). The Senator from Indiana. cause of patience with perspectives
is not a negotiation. And if we emerge f that are not our own; because we study
from this process without a our history, celebrate its highs, and
coronavirus relief bill, the responsi- FREE SPEECH
learn from its lows.
bility rests squarely on the shoulders Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, ‘‘Free- That is why—that is why—it was
of the Democratic leadership. dom is the freedom to say that two painful to read recently that over 60
Let’s suppose, for a moment, that Re- plus two makes four. If that is granted, percent of Americans are now scared to
publican negotiators agreed to every all else follows’’—so wrote novelist admit their beliefs or air their opinions
single thing that Democrats are insist- George Orwell. for fear of offending others and the
ing on: tax cuts for millionaires, diver- In the late 1980s, I traveled to the consequences that will come with it. It
sity studies for the marijuana indus- former Soviet Union as part of a youth is painful to learn but easy to under-
try, a trillion-dollar pot of money for soccer program. Now, decades have stand.
States, which, I might add, haven’t passed since that trip, of course, but This is the logical reaction when
even come close to spending the the memories to me are still vivid. The Americans are regularly canceled, as
coronavirus money the government has shelves were barren. Citizens drank we say today, for things said or written
already given them. Let’s suppose Re- from communal water fountains. The decades ago, with no chance of grace or
publican negotiators agreed to every- items most in demand and hardest to allowance for growth. It is not just
thing. What would happen then? find were American items: blue jeans— people who are being canceled. It is
Well, the bill would never pass the Levi Strauss—and bubble gum. words. It is music. Classrooms and li-
Senate. In the Senate, you need 60 Of course, those weren’t the only braries are banning ‘‘Huckleberry
votes to pass a bill, and there simply things common in Indiana that were Finn’’ and ‘‘To Kill A Mockingbird’’
aren’t 60 votes in the Senate for the contraband behind the Iron Curtain. rather than encouraging students to
Democrats’ liberal fantasies. In fact, it For decades, news, literature, art, or
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
examine or understand their authors’
would be lovely if, as Democrats seem entertainment that was not broadcast words and messages. ‘‘Hamilton’’ is
to think, the government drew its or approved by the state was scarce falling from grace now for the ‘‘sin’’ of
funding from a magical pot of gold that and available only by bootleg. acknowledging America was created in
never runs out, but it doesn’t. Every The monuments towering over Rus- 1776. Whole parts of our American
dollar of the coronavirus relief that we sia were built to honor those who con- story are being wiped away.
already provided has been borrowed trolled it, the same men who regularly Communities have a right to lawfully
money, which continues to drive up our erased parts of Russia’s history to suit determine who and what adorns their
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