Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., Aug. 11, 2020)
Summary
The Congressional Record, Volume 166, No. 143, for Tuesday, August 11, 2020, with Senate proceedings under the heading Coronavirus. Mr. McConnell says it does the Nation a disservice to treat the relief standoff as routine gridlock and accuses Democrats of playing hardball against kids, workers and vulnerable Americans. He lists Democratic redlines, including a State and local tax carve-out for high earners, and says Democrats will not allow any resolution unless people are paid more not to work. Near the end, another speaker says families are suffering, that the President's Executive order on evictions is more like a suggestion, and that this is a national crisis, not a Washington game.
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“Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., Aug. 11, 2020).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-08-11-crec-2020-08-11-pt1-pgs5385-5-5259752cc4/
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Congressional Record
E PL
UR M
IB NU
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116 th CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION
United States
of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE
Vol. 166 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 No. 143
Senate
The Senate met at 11 a.m. and was to whom? Who said what in which will not allow any resolution on any
called to order by the President pro meeting? What new metaphor did issue unless Democrats can pay people
tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). Speaker PELOSI use today to explain more not to work.
f that she was blocking progress? But it They are playing hardball against
does the Nation a disservice to act like millions of households that ought to
PRAYER the last several weeks were just an- get another stimulus check and against
The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- other routine political standoff. It does the ability of jobless people to get any
fered the following prayer: struggling families and laid-off work- Federal benefit whatsoever.
Let us pray. ers and stressed-out school principals There are life-and-death matters at
Eternal God, we trust You for protec- and healthcare professionals a dis- stake, but Democrats have treated this
tion and peace, for You have promised service to act like this has just been historic national crisis as a political
to guide us by Your grace. May we more Washington gridlock. game. Just look at the redlines the
place our hope in You and never forget The New York Times proclaimed a Democratic leaders have drawn around
how You have sustained us in the past. few days ago that ‘‘[Speaker] PELOSI is these negotiations. Imagine sitting
Lord, give our Senators the wisdom playing hardball on coronavirus re- down with a working family at their
to do what is best for America. Con- lief.’’ Well, that is one way to put it. kitchen table and explaining that these
tinue to rule from Heaven so that Your You could say it is ‘‘playing hardball’’ are the kinds of issues over which the
purposes will prevail on Earth. to refuse any outcome for the country. Speaker and the Democratic leader are
Hear the cries of the helpless and do You could say it is ‘‘playing hardball’’ refusing—refusing—to let them have
for them through our lawmakers what to insist on non-COVID-related liberal relief.
they can’t do for themselves. Bring jus- policy changes that the Speaker and First, as I mentioned, the Demo-
tice and righteousness to our Nation the Democratic leader know would cratic leader has made clear he doesn’t
and world as You transform dark yes- never pass the Senate or be signed into want any pandemic relief to become
terdays into bright tomorrows. law by the President. law unless—unless—it carries a special
We pray in Your sacred Name. But if Democrats are ‘‘playing State and local tax carve-out for high
Amen. hardball,’’ their opponents aren’t us earners in places like New York.
f Republicans—not really. Just imagine these Democratic lead-
They are playing hardball against ers from New York and San Francisco
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE kids, workers, and vulnerable Ameri- going anywhere in the middle of the
The President pro tempore led the cans who need help. country and telling a working family
Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: They are playing hardball against of four, earning $40,000 a year, that
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the our medical system when the Speaker they aren’t getting a relief check that
United States of America, and to the Repub- and the Democratic leader say they could increase their income by 10 per-
lic for which it stands, one nation under God, won’t allow another dime for testing, cent until millionaires in Manhattan
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. treatments, or vaccines unless they get a tax cut.
f can bring home a massive tax cut for Economists on all sides have panned
millionaires in San Francisco and New this. A huge, costly tax cut for wealthy
RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY York City. people in blue States is not the life raft
LEADER They are playing hardball against that struggling people need. Even lib-
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The our Nation’s ability to detect and fight eral economists have jumped ship. Here
majority leader is recognized. the virus. is what one self-identified progressive
f They are playing hardball against told reporters: ‘‘This is not a good idea.
science when the Speaker and the . . . It would not help the economy
CORONAVIRUS Democratic leader say they will not heal and it would not benefit the peo-
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, allow another cent for schools to re- ple who need help.’’ These are the
there has been a lot of focus lately on open or for the job-saving PPP unless economists on their side? But forget
the drama here in Washington. For they get $1 trillion for a State and about the experts. Forget about laid-off
weeks now, as leading Democrats local slush fund that is completely out people. Forget about Middle America.
blocked more pandemic relief over un- of proportion to actual needs. The Speaker and the Democratic lead-
related liberal demands, the press has They are playing hardball against er want to cut off funding for our war
covered their stonewalling like any or- children and parents when the Speaker with the coronavirus unless they get
dinary political standoff. Who talked and the Democratic leader say they this special carve-out.
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.
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S5386 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE August 11, 2020
Here is another one of those dead-on- the Nation better if the Democratic mated Democrats to develop a $3.4 tril-
arrival demands: Democrats insist that leaders would act like it is a crisis. lion plan to finally crush the virus and
working families, small businesses, and f rescue American families. It was based
healthcare providers will not get any on the needs of our country, both
more help unless a new trillion-dollar RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME health and economic, the needs of our
slush fund for poorly managed States The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under schools and businesses and workers and
tags along. Bear in mind that States the previous order, the leadership time our healthcare system. We Democrats
and localities have only spent about a is reserved. tell America, We have your back. Un-
fourth—a fourth—of the money we al- fortunately, our Republican friends do
f
ready sent them last spring. not.
Even Senate Democrats seem to ac- MORNING BUSINESS In our negotiations with the White
knowledge this, for example, by spon- House, Chief of Staff Meadows and Sec-
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under
soring legislation that would extend retary Mnuchin were unable to go
the previous order, the Senate will be
the deadline for the States to spend above $1 trillion, and their $1 trillion
in a period of morning business, with
down their CARES Act aid. The States was far short of the country’s needs.
Senators permitted to speak therein
need extra time to spend what we have Democrats offered to come down by $1
for up to 10 minutes each.
already sent them, and the serious esti- trillion. We asked our counterparts—
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I
mates of the COVID shortfall that Secretary Mnuchin, Mr. Meadows—to
suggest the absence of a quorum.
State and local governments may face come up by $1 trillion, meet us in the
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The
are a fraction—a fraction—of the middle. They said no.
clerk will call the roll.
Democrats’ trillion-dollar demand. So last Friday, after our negotiating
The legislative clerk proceeded to
Their demands aren’t based on math. session with the White House, I made it
call the roll.
They aren’t based on the pandemic. clear that the reasons our talks had
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask
They want a massive slush fund to stalled was that the White House had
unanimous consent that the order for
make up for decades of mismanage- basically declared ‘‘my way or the
the quorum call be rescinded.
ment. highway.’’ They were unwilling to
It is just how the Speaker explained The PRESIDENT pro tempore. With-
meet us in the middle. They said that
her view of the crisis. This is what she out objection, it is so ordered.
in the room. I guess imitation is the
said: f sincerest form of flattery because now
This is an opportunity. Every crisis is. RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY Leader MCCONNELL is blaming Demo-
That same opportunism leads them LEADER crats for the breakdown in negotia-
to another absurd demand. Democrats tions, using the exact same language.
say nobody should get any more help The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The He said Democrats are the ones saying
unless—unless—the Federal Govern- Democratic leader is recognized. ‘‘my way or the highway.’’ Seriously,
ment sends out jobless benefits that f that is what the Republican leader,
pay more than what people made work- CORONAVIRUS who wasn’t even in the room and will
ing. Republicans support extending a not dare go in the room, claims.
Federal supplement for unemploy- Mr. SCHUMER. Now, Mr. President, Let’s go over the facts—the facts. We
ment—make no mistake about that— America is living through a crisis that said to the White House: We are willing
but we share the view of Democrats exceeds anything we have seen in gen- to come down by $1 trillion. Will you
like the House Democratic majority, erations. Other countries were able to come up by $1 trillion and meet us in
the senior Senator from Maryland, the test their populations, isolate cases, the middle? The White House said: No,
Democratic Governor of Connecticut, and contain the spread of the disease, we are not budging. So to whom does
all of whom indicated it should be do- but here the failure of the Trump ad- this logic apply? Who is intransigent?
able to land somewhere smarter than a ministration to develop or implement a Who is really saying ‘‘my way or the
flat $600. national strategy to defeat COVID on highway?’’ The answer is obvious. This
This is not complicated. Both sides the health front and economically has is not a ‘‘both sides to blame’’ situa-
want to help unemployed people. Re- meant that the disease has raged tion.
publicans never wanted the Federal through our country for 7 months, is Democrats are willing to com-
benefit to lapse to zero and tried to ex- still spreading, and the economy is in promise. Republicans are being intran-
tend the money. But as our economy very bad shape. sigent and will not move from their po-
tries to reopen, there is no reason We have over 5 million confirmed sition, which is totally inadequate for
Uncle Sam should take taxes out of es- cases of COVID–19. It just took 17 days the needs of America during the great-
sential workers’ paychecks to pay to go from 4 million Americans with est economic crisis we have had in 75
other people more to stay home. COVID to 5 million. Unemployment is years and the greatest health crisis in
This is just a flavor of the Demo- higher than it ever was during the 100. That is where we are: Democrats
cratic demands. The two parties should great recession. More than 150,000 willing to move and meet in the mid-
have been able to agree on a huge Americans have died. Small businesses dle, Republicans intransigent. Repub-
sweep of subjects—from testing to every day are closing, and those that licans declared ‘‘my way or the high-
school money, legal protection to di- are still open are struggling. Families way,’’ and rather than defend their po-
rect payments and more. Republicans can’t afford to feed their children. sition, they falsely accuse Democrats
wanted to reach an agreement every- Americans can’t pay the rent and will of doing the same.
where we could and then continue to be thrown out of their homes. Millions Now, rather than trying to break the
fight over the contested questions are out of work, and many more worry logjam, as a true Presidential leader
later. Democrats said no because they that they will be out of work in the should, President Trump sits on the
know their unrelated wish-list items month or two to come. This is a huge sidelines and just issued a bunch of
would have no prayer—no prayer—of crisis. weak and unworkable Executive or-
standing on their own merit. In this time of national emergency, ders. He slashed the enhanced unem-
Only these hostage tactics could pos- Democrats believe we must focus on ployment benefits, asked the Ameri-
sibly get their bad ideas across the fin- the health and economic security of cans who are out of work, through no
ish line. So struggling people have the American people. If we don’t ad- fault of their own, to take a pay cut.
waited and waited and gotten nothing. dress the health crisis, nothing else He deferred the payroll tax, which even
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
That has been the Democrats’ decision. will matter, but we have to focus on Republicans admit will do nothing to
Reporters can call it ‘‘hardball,’’ like economic security as well. help our workers and the economy and
this was some ordinary standstill, but We have to keep Americans in their would undermine Social Security and
families are suffering. Americans are homes, put food on the table, prevent Medicare to boot. And the President’s
dying. This is not a Washington game; them from slipping into further hard- Executive order on evictions is more
it is a national crisis. It would serve ship and poverty. That is what ani- like an Executive suggestion. It doesn’t
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