Congressional Record, September 10, 2020, from Page S5534 — United States Senate

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Page S5534 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for September 10, 2020, in interleaved columns. One speaker welcomes the confirmation of Judge Jarbou as the first Chaldean-American on the Federal bench in Michigan. Another speaker says a veteran should never stand at the back of the line for a job, healthcare or education, and recalls that the CARES Act passed the Senate 97 to nothing, urging agreement again, which is that speaker's view. A cloture motion is read on the nomination of John W. Holcomb, and the Senate moves to executive session on a nomination.

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S5534 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 10, 2020
her law degree from Wayne State Uni- would say: pride, duty, honor, the feel- actually passed five or six bills with
versity. ing that comes from putting something strong bipartisan majorities. The one
She is the first Chaldean judge to or someone above yourself. It is becom- people know about most is the biggest
serve at the circuit court level in Oak- ing increasingly clear that these aren’t one, the CARES Act. I think it got 97
land County, MI, and she is now the feelings that the current occupant of votes here on the floor of the Senate—
first Chaldean-American to serve on the Oval Office understands. 97 to nothing.
the Federal bench. So I am very, very My dad once told me something I We have in the past been able to fig-
pleased that she was confirmed today. have never forgotten. In fact, it has in- ure out a way to come together as Re-
Judge Jarbou greatly values the op- fluenced my whole life as an elected of- publicans and Democrats and as Ameri-
portunity she has been given, I know, ficial. He said that a veteran should cans to be able to address this crisis.
and has worked to extend those oppor- never stand at the back of any line for We need to do it again because we still
tunities to others during her career. a job, for healthcare, for education, or do have a crisis. We still do have unac-
She is active in the Michigan legal for the military recognitions they ceptably high levels of people getting
community and in the Chaldean Amer- earned. My dad came home after World infected, hospitalized, being in the ICU,
ican Chamber of Commerce and other War II and went to school on the GI fatalities, and, of course, our economy
cultural organizations. bill, and I don’t know what would have is not where any of us would like to see
She served as a mentor and has happened to our family if he had not it although it has improved signifi-
worked to increase the diversity of had that opportunity. So my dad said cantly, in part because of the legisla-
clerks in her own courtroom. Again, I over and over again that a veteran tion we passed here.
am just very pleased that she was over- should not stand at the back of any I am convinced that we would be at
whelmingly confirmed by the U.S. Sen- line. They certainly shouldn’t be put at over 10 percent unemployment still if
ate today. the end of the line by their own Presi- not for the legislation we passed here.
f dent. It is appalling that this even Instead, we are beginning to come
needs to be said, actually. down—8.4 percent last month. That is
HONORING MILITARY VETERANS faster than anybody thought it could.
When I heard these comments and
Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I heard them verified over and over Still, of course, it is unacceptably high.
rise now on behalf of the more than 19 again in every media outlet from right So more help is needed, and we can’t
million people in our Nation and half a to left, verifying that, in fact, these let the upcoming election and the poli-
million people in Michigan who show were his comments, it was stunning. It tics around that keep us from getting
us every day what service and sacrifice was appalling. It made me very angry. together and continuing to do the work
and love of country is really all about. Our veterans deserve a place of honor that we have to do. We haven’t been
These patriots landed on beaches in at the front of the line—at the front of able, in the last 5 or 6 weeks, to do
Normandy and the Pacific theater, the line. They deserve a Commander in that. Instead, we have been working
crept through jungles in Korea, shed Chief who respects them, who honors kind of on opposite sides of the aisle on
blood in Vietnam, survived attacks in their service, and, frankly, who gets it. our own projects.
Iraq, and fought terrorists in Afghani- Thank goodness we have people who Today we voted on a bill that had a
stan. These people are heroes. They believe in things beyond themselves. majority of the U.S. Senators sup-
love our Nation so much. They are Thank goodness we have people who porting it. That is not how you pass
willing to put their lives on the line for are willing to stand up for all of us, to something around here; there has to be
our democracy, our people, and our keep us safe and stand up for our val- a supermajority—60 votes. But a ma-
way of life. ues and our country. jority of the Senators in this Chamber
That is why it is so incredibly shock- So on behalf of the people of Michi- just voted for legislation that has
ing and infuriating to hear the Presi- gan, I want to say thank you to every- strong bipartisan appeal I would think
dent of the United States, the Com- one who has served and everyone who because, as we will talk about in a sec-
mander in Chief of our Armed Forces, is currently serving our country in our ond, almost every element is supported
disparage our veterans. President armed services. We are truly grateful by the Democrats, Republicans, and,
Trump called them losers and suck- for your sacrifice and service and your most importantly, by the American
ers—losers and suckers. He said he willingness to stand up and support and people.
couldn’t understand why anyone would defend our country. What we have done is we have kind of
join the military because ‘‘What is in it I yield the floor. fallen into camps. So the Democrats
for them?’’ I suggest the absence of a quorum. passed a bill in the House called the
He said veterans who had lost limbs The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Heroes Act. It is a $3.5 trillion bill. Re-
shouldn’t be in parades. Why? Because ALEXANDER). The clerk will call the member, we have already spent about
he couldn’t handle seeing them. He roll. $3.5 trillion, making this the largest
didn’t think people would want to see The senior assistant legislative clerk deficit in the history of our country
them. People in Michigan want to see proceeded to call the roll. and making our debt now, for the first
them and thank them and do so every Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I ask time since World War II, the size of our
day. unanimous consent that the order for entire economy. That concerns all of
We all remember what he said about the quorum call be rescinded. us, and it should. I hope it concerns all
our former colleague and friend, the The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without of us because our fiscal situation going
late Senator John McCain. President objection, it is so ordered. forward for our kids and grandkids is
Trump said that he prefers veterans f something we should be concerned
who didn’t get captured. about too.
My own dad served in the Navy dur- CORONAVIRUS Anyway, the $3.5 trillion bill is a
ing World War II. He signed up because Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, thank grab bag, to be honest. Some of it is re-
he believed in a cause bigger than him- you. I am on the floor today to talk lated to COVID–19, but some of it is
self. Perhaps President Trump doesn’t about the coronavirus pandemic and not. As an example, there is a provision
understand, but my dad was a sailor, what we can and should do here in the in there that I hope would be a non-
not a sucker. U.S. Senate and in Congress as a whole starter that changes our tax laws and
About one in four people who have to actually address the ongoing prob- repeals the State and local tax deduc-
served in our armed services now live lem. tion cap that was put in place just re-
with a service-connected disability. We are not out of the woods yet. We cently. This gives a huge break to

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President Trump, these veterans are still have a healthcare crisis and, of wealthy Americans. In fact, 40 percent
leaders; they aren’t losers. course, an economic crisis that is a of this benefit, according to the Joint
President Trump wonders what is in consequence of that. Committee on Taxation, goes to the
it for them. Well, maybe he should ask We have done some good bipartisan top 1 percent of wage earners. What
them because we all know what they work over the past 6 months. In fact, does that have to do with the
would say. We all know what they not many people realize that we have coronavirus? It will help millionaires

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September 10, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S5535
on both coasts a lot, but it really does had turned the corner on the economy visions in there that I think there is
not affect the crisis that we are in. and also begun to turn the corner on very little disagreement on. Let me
They also want to use this $3.5 tril- the virus. We can’t say that yet. We highlight a few of them.
lion package as a way to make changes have made progress. No question about One is on the healthcare response,
in our immigration policy. Now, that is it. I think we are on the right track, particularly on our testing capacity.
pretty controversial stuff as it stands, but we are in a K-shaped recovery, I be- Republicans and Democrats alike know
and that is going to make, of course, lieve. that testing is critical. We need it. In
that bill hard to pass because of the By the way, it is the same thing with Ohio, we are looking for more funding
immigration policy. People have individuals. Think about it. If you own for testing because we know that is
strong views on it. It has no place in a your own home, the value of your home how you stop the spread of the dis-
COVID–19 bill. has probably gone up. You are probably ease—testing, contact tracing, getting
One that also concerns those of us in pretty good shape, particularly if to the hotspots and trying to contain
who are concerned about the election you are trying to sell your home right it. That way people will feel more com-
coming up is it puts Federal mandates now. It is a good time to sell, I guess. fortable returning to work, returning
in place on the States that are unprec- If you invest it in the stock market, to shop, and returning to school. This
edented with regard to their election which a lot of the people who own their is something that is in this legislation,
system. Now, that is something we homes are, it has been darn good. The $16 billion alone for testing. The legis-
have always left to the province of the market increase has been substantial. I lation that was voted on this afternoon
States, but, instead, it puts mandates was on a program this morning where in this Chamber was voted positively
in place on the electoral system. That they were talking about how the by a majority of the Senators.
is not, again, something that is going Nasdaq was back up again, and the Just last week, in Ohio, I visited The
to help us in terms of the coronavirus. tech stocks, if you are in the tech Health Collaborative, which is a multi-
So my hope is that those House world, are doing great. agency coalition approach to dealing
Democrats who passed that bill can But let’s say you don’t own your own with COVID–19. It includes hospitals,
now see what we passed over here. This home. Let’s say you are a renter. Your county commissioners, health commis-
is a targeted bill that focuses on the rent is likely to start going up if it sioners, and even nursing homes. They
coronavirus. It is less than $500 billion, hasn’t already, and then, you are not are utilizing the $19 million they have
which used to be a lot of money around invested in the markets, so you are not received through the CARES Act to
here, but as compared to the $3.5 tril- taking advantage of that, and yet your fund and design and execute a testing
lion. So it is obviously a lot less job is at risk and may be gone. So, strategy for people in the Southwest
money, but it is also more targeted and again, K-shaped isn’t it. Some people Ohio area. I am really pleased to see
more focused. are doing quite well, and others are them take the funding and using it in
Again, I think so much of it is policy still having a rough time and need help this way because now more and more
that can be supported by both sides of to be able to deal with the issue of the people are getting the opportunity to
the aisle. It will really help to continue coronavirus and the economic fallout be tested, and, by the way, they are
the efforts we started here to help ad- from that. doing it on a no-needs basis. There is
dress the healthcare crisis but also By the way, this K-shaped recovery, I no need to pay for this testing with
help with regard to the weak economic believe, has increased inequality in your insurance. If you don’t have it,
performance as a result of people being terms of our income in this country, everybody is welcome to get a test.
isolated from the economy. and income inequality was something These kinds of initiatives are a big
I heard someone this week say we we were making progress on. In Feb- help, and I am glad that in this legisla-
have a K-shaped recovery. What does ruary, we had the 19th straight month tion we voted on this afternoon, we
that mean? Well, think of the letter of wages increasing over 3 percent in added another $45 billion in total to
‘‘K.’’ A lot of people say you want to this country just in February, not long HHS to go toward testing and vaccine
have a V-shaped recovery, where you ago. And, by the way, most of that in- development to get this vaccine as
go down steeply through a recession crease was among lower and middle-in- quickly as possible, and distribution of
and you come back up just as steeply. come workers. Now, that was positive. the vaccine, helping on the antiviral
That is where I think a lot of America That was where we wanted to head as a medications. This ‘‘Shark Tank’’ con-
is. In other words, a lot of families and country. That is why so many of us cept that the Presiding Officer and oth-
a lot of businesses have seen a pretty pushed for tax reform and regulatory ers are involved in is brilliant because
rapid recovery here in the past few relief thinking that would get this it sort of tells the private sector: Look,
months, but there are others who have economy moving and help those work- we are going to provide you the basic
not. ers who are in the lower and middle-in- funding to go out there and compete to
So the top part of the K is true for a come bracket the most, and, guess come up with a safe way to develop a
lot of people and a lot of businesses— what, it did. vaccine or antiviral therapy, and that
think of the businesses that provide That has changed now so we have to, has encouraged competition in it, and
food, the grocery stores; the businesses here in Congress, in my view, continue in unprecedented speed, we are devel-
that are involved in construction, busi- to help, continue to do things that will oping these alternatives—thank good-
nesses like Home Depot or Lowe’s that help with the healthcare crisis and ness—and we need them. Hopefully, by
provide building products. They are with regard to the underlying eco- the end of this year, we will have them.
doing well. They are at the top of the nomic situation that is affected by it. Second, I think we agree that Con-
K. They are in the V. One thing that I think was very posi- gress should double down on any
But there are others that are in the tive about today is that we were able COVID–19 policies in previous legisla-
bottom. That would include travel and to pass legislation that has many, tions that have worked well, and, one,
hospitality. It would certainly include many bipartisan elements to it. I think of course, is what is called the Pay-
the airlines and bus companies. They the vote we just had—again, where a check Protection Program. That is in
are having a tough time. Many of our majority of Senators in this Chamber this legislation we voted on today too.
smaller retail businesses—certainly voted for a targeted COVID–19 ap- Back on August 8, it ended. So if you
our bars, movie theaters, and bowling proach—I think this gives us a chance are a small business out there and you
alleys—they are having a tough time. to reset, a chance to get back to the have not already taken advantage of
So there is a bottom end to that. bargaining table, and a chance to say: the PPP program that many of your
This is an uneven recovery, and we OK. Now the Republicans have put for- peers have and you have seen them be

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have to acknowledge that. Therefore, ward a proposal that has a lot of very able to keep their doors open because
to my colleagues on my side of the reasonable provisions in it. of it, you are out of luck right now be-
aisle who might say, you know, we The Presiding Officer here today was cause the program is not accepting new
have done enough; the recovery is on; part of that. He put provisions into the applicants. So we need to extend that
everything is good, unfortunately, that bill that has to do with our schools. It program. I think everybody agrees
is not true. I wish it were. I wish we is widely popular. There are other pro- with that. I don’t know a Senator in

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S5536 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 10, 2020
this Chamber who doesn’t have an ex- portant too. Again, that is all in this two-thirds of us, we don’t even have an
perience back home of a small business legislation. election to worry about, and yet it
saying: I couldn’t have stayed open Interestingly, I mentioned the Heroes seems like this place has become way
without this. I visited three or four Act earlier, the $3.5 trillion bill that too political too quickly. Let’s focus on
businesses just in the past few weeks in the House Democrats passed not too taking this bill that was voted on
Ohio, and all of them had the same long ago as kind of their alternative, today where the majority of Senators
story. that had funding for schools also. supported it and figure out ways to
Different timing, different busi- Guess what. This bill that was passed— work with Democrats to come up with
nesses, some in construction, some in well, not passed but voted on by a ma- a new approach that enables us to con-
the restaurant business, some in manu- jority of Senators today in the U.S. tinue the effort to help with regard to
facturing, but what they all tell me is Senate—actually has slightly more this K-shaped recovery and to help
they needed that influx badly. It pro- money than the Heroes Act has for with regard to the ongoing healthcare
vided them a low interest loan—1 per- education. What is the big issue here? crisis we are facing.
cent. They converted it into a grant, Why can’t we get together and figure I want to mention, if I could, three or
effectively, because the loan was for- this out? four other things I would love to see in
given if they used it for their salaries There are so many opportunities the final bill that did not make it into
or for their utilities or for their mort- here. Finally, I would just say that one the so-called targeted bill. I understand
gage or rent. They would have had to thing that this bill does and one reason why they didn’t, and, in part, because
close their doors and let a lot of people it is called a targeted bill is it repur- we weren’t looking to put a lot of tax
go. They were able to hang on. poses funding that we have already ap- provisions in there because it is not a
For some of these businesses, like the propriated here in the first four or five tax vehicle, but I do think there are
manufacturer I visited, thank good- bills but that has not been used and is other things that have broad bipartisan
ness, because they would have let go 30 not likely to be needed. So isn’t that support that we ought to include.
percent of their workforce. They didn’t smart? I mean, as taxpayers, don’t you First, I think we would all agree it is
have to do that. They kept everybody want to be sure that we are not just important that the taxpayer-funded re-
on. Now they are going great guns. throwing money at this problem if is search that is supported by this legisla-
They are looking for people. By the not needed? tion, research into antiviral medica-
way, they are having a tough time hir- The Treasury Department, in par- tions and research into vaccines, is
ing people. They are looking for people. ticular, has been helpful in working protected from other countries, in par-
That is a good sign that you have busi- with us, saying they have a bunch of ticular, China coming into our country
nesses out there trying to pull people money that they could use for a loan and taking that research. This is tax-
into the workforce. That is in this leg- program that they haven’t had much payer-funded research, and we know,
islation. takeup on because, frankly, the com- from what the FBI has told us and
My hope is that we are going to see mercial lending is going pretty well what the Department of Justice has
Republicans and Democrats agree on right now. People are able get the told us, that this is currently at risk.
this. I think they do agree. Reinstating money from their bank. They don’t It is currently at risk.
the PPP for the foreseeable future so need to come to Treasury or the Fed as With that in mind, we need to in-
that more small businesses can take much as we thought they might, so clude legislation that safeguards our
advantage of this smart loan program there is money left over. We are talk- American innovation. This was actu-
is a smart thing to do. It is more tar- ing hundreds of billions of dollars. So ally in the legislation that was intro-
geted, and it does require you to show that should certainly be used to offset duced by Senator MCCONNELL a few
a loss of revenue. That is OK. That is the cost of any new program. I think weeks ago called the Heals legislation,
good. We want this to be targeted and that is just a commonsense idea. I and the legislation that I am talking
focused. We don’t want to waste can’t imagine anybody in this Cham- about is called the Safeguarding Amer-
money. ber, if they think through this, would ican Innovation Act. It stops this kind
Third, the bill reflects that Members be against us repurposing the funds we of theft of research and innovation at
on both sides of the aisle recognize have already appropriated toward new our research institutions, our colleges
that Congress should give additional uses that are more targeted. That is in and our universities. That is one where
support to our schools. I mentioned this legislation too. Republicans and Democrats have come
this earlier, but $105 billion in this bill I think those things all have bipar- together. It is a bipartisan bill. It is
goes to education—about $70 billion to tisan appeal, and it seems to me, again, the result of a committee process. It is
K–12, our primary and secondary this is a reset. Let’s face it, the Demo- the result of an investigation that took
schools and high schools, and that is crats have been saying over the past over a year. It is the result of a lot of
needed right now. We are trying to re- several weeks: Well, fine, we have got hearings and a lot of work. It is solid
open around the country, and many of our bill we passed, the Heroes Act. legislation to encourage us to be able
these schools are telling me: ROB, I What have you guys put out showing to protect the research we are doing,
have got additional costs. I have got that at least a majority of the Senate including on the coronavirus.
these Plexiglass shields I have to put and pretty much every Republican can Second, for a while now, there has
up. I have to reconfigure the class- support? Now we have done that. been a bipartisan consensus that a
room. I have to hire more teachers be- So we have our stake in the ground, smart coronavirus response should in-
cause I want smaller classrooms so and they have their stake in the clude tax incentives to help our econ-
that if someone gets sick, it will be in- ground. There is a lot of overlap. I just omy to not just open and reopen but to
fecting a smaller group. There is fund- talked about four areas where there is do so safely and effectively. Small
ing that is needed for remote learning. considerable overlap, but there are business owners I have spoken to dur-
So this is good for us to provide fund- many others as well. We should be able ing this pandemic, especially in recent
ing for these schools because that will to figure this out on behalf of the weeks, have told me they are eager to
enable them to reopen and reopen safe- American people. reopen, but they want to do it in a safe
ly and stay open. That is in this legis- We have a campaign ongoing for manner. And we want them to do in a
lation. President, for Senators, and for Mem- safe manner. Let’s provide some incen-
There is also funding in here for col- bers of Congress. We have to look out tives for that.
leges and universities. I think there is for the interests of the American peo- One example of how that process can
about $30 billion for that. Again, it is ple here. We can do both. We can cam- be helped along is an expanded tax

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the same thing I am hearing back paign and also be working on our legis- credit for new hiring called the work
home from our colleges and univer- lation that is absolutely needed right opportunity tax credit. It is already
sities, some of which are having a now for the healthcare and economic out there. It is legislation that passed
tough time staying open. They do need future of our country. years ago. It helps, let’s say, veterans,
more help, more testing, more PPE, By the way, only about one-third of returning citizens, who are looking for
personal protective gear, so this is im- the Senate is up for reelection, so for a second chance. It gives them the

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September 10, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S5537
chance to get a job because the em- within the last 5 years, he had a felony true with regard to teleworking and
ployer gets a tax credit for a while, and conviction. with regard to telelearning. But with
then almost always that person ends up That is not what we should be doing regard to telehealth, based on a poll I
getting a job. here. We shouldn’t be penalizing people recently saw—a survey by Morning
Let’s include the COVID–19 unem- who have turned their lives around and Consult—one in every four adults—25
ployed in that—people who have lost have done all the right things and are percent—has used telehealth recently
their jobs because of COVID–19. That hiring other second-chance individuals. during the pandemic. It has been a life-
makes all the sense in the world to get We should be helping them to stay on line for so many people, particularly
people back to work. their feet and to continue to do what for some people who are fighting addic-
There is also something that is in they are doing for themselves, the com- tion and can’t get in-person care to
law now based on the CARES legisla- munity, and the workforce. So we help their recovery or people who have
tion called the employee retention tax worked with the Treasury Department, mental health challenges and are able
credit. I think this is very important. and to their credit, we got them to put to access telehealth to help them.
Companies that couldn’t access the forward a temporary solution, which I have worked with the Trump ad-
PPP because they didn’t qualify or was a change in the rule so that Troy ministration to expand telehealth and
didn’t want to will have access to this could get his PPP loan and others like delivery options, which in some in-
program kind of as an alternative. It him around the country. We now need stances has, for instance, allowed ad-
gives companies a tax credit against to make that permanent. That is an ex- diction specialists to reach new pa-
their payroll taxes—the employer side ample of something we should do—to- tients they hadn’t been able to reach
of the payroll taxes—if they keep peo- tally bipartisan. before.
ple on or bring people on. Again, this I worked with colleagues on the There have been some positives here,
makes all the sense in the world right other side of the aisle on this issue, and but these reforms are only temporary.
now to encourage more hiring to en- I will continue to because this is one We need to make these permanent as
sure we can get this economy moving where, again, Republicans and Demo- well. We don’t want to lose ground on
again and do so safely. crats alike, as Americans, would want this issue, so Senator WHITEHOUSE, on
Speaking of safety, I have also intro- this to be part of the legislation. the other side of the aisle, and I have
duced a new tax credit that was part of Fourth, while I am glad this bill re- introduced legislation called the
the HEALS legislation that was intro- flects the bipartisan support for edu- TREATS Act. We want that to be part
duced a few weeks ago. It is called the cational funding, I had hoped it would of the final legislation as well.
healthy workplaces tax credit, which also reflect that Republicans and We have an opportunity to help with
helps businesses pay for this protective Democrats alike have come out for ad- telehealth by expanding broadband ac-
equipment, like the plexiglass shields ditional support and flexibility for cess as well so that more Americans
and like the PPE that they now need, State and local governments. can access these services from home.
which is expensive. Just the gowns and Ohio has been particularly hard hit This also relates, of course, to edu-
the masks and the gloves—those ex- here because our cities in Ohio, unlike cation when schools are telling us they
penses add up, particularly for busi- your city—wherever you are in Amer- are going to go to partly in-person
nesses that are having a tough time be- ica, probably—can use income taxes as classrooms, partly remote, and some
cause of the weakening economy out a revenue source. I think 90 percent of altogether remote. If you live in a
there. cities can’t do that, but in Ohio, we rural area of America, you may not
These credits will help them not just can, and we do. Obviously, income have access to broadband, and you are
reopen again but reopen safely. I think taxes went down with this coronavirus, at a disadvantage. Also, in a lot of our
getting these kinds of tax credits into and the economy fell short, so they urban school districts, there may be
the coronavirus legislation would be suddenly find themselves with less rev- the infrastructure for broadband, but it
very smart. Again, these should be bi- enue coming in and then additional ex- is not in the home.
partisan efforts. penses: fire, police, EMS, coronavirus We need to help more in terms of
Third, while I am pleased we are revi- expenses for public health. broadband. I am the Senate sponsor of
talizing the successful PPP program, I It has been tough for a lot of our cit- a bipartisan, bicameral bill called the
think there are steps to improve it ies in Ohio, so I have been pushing for Rural Broadband Acceleration Act,
that we ought to take up in whatever not just more funding on a targeted which basically speeds up the FCC’s
our final package is. basis, showing need, but also more distribution they were going to make
For example, one oversight in the flexibility to be able to use the funding anyway of $20 billion in rural digital
original PPP legislation is that people for closing that revenue gap, which is funds to go toward the building of
who have been convicted of a felony caused by the weak economy, which is broadband networks. This will help
going back 5 years are not able to ac- caused by the coronavirus. So it is re- spread high-speed internet over more
cept a PPP loan. lated. Certainly, we ought to be able to than 400,000 miles of internet fiber ca-
One day, I get a call from a guy back do that on a bipartisan basis. That is bles, bringing about 3 million new
home. Troy Parker is his name. Troy what a lot of Democrats have said they households online immediately if we
said: I can’t get a PPP loan. I am a guy would like to do. I am not the only Re- can get this done. By the way, it em-
who had a financial issue, a financial publican who wants to work with ploys thousands of workers as well. I
fraud issue. I had a felony conviction. I Democrats on that. We could get that think it is a great investment in infra-
got out of incarceration, and I started into a final bill, and that would help all structure that is needed right now. So
my own business. I took my second of our cities. Let’s move forward on people talking about infrastructure—
chance. this. this is one we could do right now that
He said: I did everything that you are Finally, I think all of us agree that helps with regard to telehealth, tele-
always talking about, PORTMAN, which we need to have better access to tele- medicine, telelearning, and tele-
is that you want to encourage people health. Telehealth medicine has been working.
to take that second chance. You want one of the few silver linings in this The Nation will be looking to Con-
to give them that opportunity to get dark cloud. A lot more of my constitu- gress in the coming weeks to work to-
the training to be able to do that. ents are using telehealth. One way gether to make sure that we can im-
Then he went out and hired a bunch they are using it is for behavioral prove our response to the coronavirus
of other second-chance folks, and he health, mental health services, and an- and to help get this economy through a
started a cleaning business. It is quite other is for addiction services, but also, tough time. Now more than ever, we

ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
successful. But obviously, with just generally, telehealth has been cannot revert to the norm, which is
coronavirus, a lot of the offices he something that has been very helpful. partisanship these days. We cannot do
cleaned and others said: We can’t have A lot of people say that in the last that with regard to this issue.
you come in. He lost his businesses. He few months, we have gone 5 years Using this new targeted bill as a
was about to shut his doors. He ahead of where we would have been in base—the one that, again, got a major-
couldn’t get a PPP loan. Why? Because terms of telehealth. I think the same is ity of Senators in this Chamber to vote

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S5538 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 10, 2020
on today—and voting on some of the The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Cindy Hyde-Smith, John Thune, Kevin
areas of agreement I have outlined question is on agreeing to the motion. Cramer, Thom Tillis, Michael B. Enzi,
today, we need to come up with an ap- The motion was agreed to. James Lankford, John Barrasso, Joni
Ernst, Lamar Alexander, Rob Portman,
propriate and effective bill that re- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
Tim Scott, Steve Daines.
sponds to the challenge. clerk will report the nomination.
I am going to continue to work with The senior assistant legislative clerk f
Republicans and Democrats alike to in- read the nomination of Stanley LEGISLATIVE SESSION
sist we put the partisanship aside and Blumenfeld, of California, to be United Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I
work on behalf of our constituents to States District Judge for the Central move to proceed to legislative session.
take the necessary steps to get us District of California. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
through this unprecedented healthcare CLOTURE MOTION question is on agreeing to the motion.
crisis and to get us on the other side of Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I The motion was agreed to.
the economic crisis. I urge my col- send a cloture motion to the desk. f
leagues on both sides of the aisle to The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clo-
work together to do the same. ture motion having been presented EXECUTIVE SESSION
Thank you. under rule XXII, the Chair directs the
I yield back. clerk to read the motion.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- The senior assistant legislative clerk EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
jority leader. read as follows: Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I
f CLOTURE MOTION move to proceed to executive session to
We, the undersigned Senators, in accord- consider Calendar No. 774.
EXECUTIVE SESSION The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby question is on agreeing to the motion.
move to bring to a close debate on the nomi- The motion was agreed to.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR nation of Stanley Blumenfeld, of California, The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I to be United States District Judge for the clerk will report the nomination.
move to proceed to executive session to Central District of California.
The senior assistant legislative clerk
consider Calendar No. 589. Mitch McConnell, Martha McSally, Tom
Cotton, John Cornyn, Kevin Cramer, read the nomination of Todd Wallace
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Robinson, of California, to be United
John Barrasso, Roy Blunt, John Booz-
question is on agreeing to the motion. man, Marco Rubio, Richard Burr, Mike States District Judge for the Southern
The motion was agreed to. Crapo, Roger F. Wicker, Rob Portman, District of California.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Lamar Alexander, John Thune, Steve CLOTURE MOTION
clerk will report the nomination. Daines, James Lankford.
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I
The senior assistant legislative clerk f send a cloture motion to the desk.
read the nomination of Mark C. Scarsi, The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clo-
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
of California, to be United States Dis- ture motion having been presented
trict Judge for the Central District of Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I
move to proceed to legislative session. under rule XXII, the Chair directs the
California. clerk to read the motion.
CLOTURE MOTION The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
question is on agreeing to the motion. The senior assistant legislative clerk
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I read as follows:
send a cloture motion to the desk. The motion was agreed to.
CLOTURE MOTION
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clo- f
We, the undersigned Senators, in accord-
ture motion having been presented EXECUTIVE SESSION ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the
under rule XXII, the Chair directs the Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby
clerk to read the motion. move to bring to a close debate on the nomi-
The senior assistant legislative clerk EXECUTIVE CALENDAR nation of Todd Wallace Robinson, of Cali-
read as follows: Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I fornia, to be United States District Judge for
the Southern District of California.
CLOTURE MOTION move to proceed to executive session to
Mitch McConnell, Roy Blunt, Mike
We, the undersigned Senators, in accord- consider Calendar No. 773. Rounds, Todd Young, Pat Roberts,
ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Cindy Hyde-Smith, John Thune, Kevin
Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby question is on agreeing to the motion. Cramer, Thom Tillis, Michael B. Enzi,
move to bring to a close debate on the nomi- The motion was agreed to. James Lankford, John Barrasso, Joni
nation of Mark C. Scarsi, of California, to be The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Ernst, Lamar Alexander, Rob Portman,
United States District Judge for the Central Tim Scott, Steve Daines.
clerk will report the nomination.
District of California.
Mitch McConnell, Martha McSally, Tom The senior assistant legislative clerk f
Cotton, Rob Portman, Kevin Cramer, read the nomination of John W. Hol-
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Barrasso, Roy Blunt, John Booz- comb, of California, to be United
man, Marco Rubio, Richard Burr, Mike States District Judge for the Central Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I
Crapo, Roger F. Wicker, John Cornyn, District of California. move to proceed to legislative session.
Lamar Alexander, John Thune, Steve CLOTURE MOTION The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
Daines, James Lankford. question is on agreeing to the motion.
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I
f send a cloture motion to the desk. The motion was agreed to.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clo- f
ture motion having been presented EXECUTIVE SESSION
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I
under rule XXII, the Chair directs the
move to proceed to legislative session.
clerk to read the motion.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
The senior assistant legislative clerk EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
question is on agreeing to the motion.
read as follows: Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I
The motion was agreed to.
CLOTURE MOTION move to proceed to executive session to
f
We, the undersigned Senators, in accord- consider Calendar No. 812.
EXECUTIVE SESSION ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the The PRESIDING OFFICER. The

ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby question is on agreeing to the motion.
move to bring to a close debate on the nomi-
The motion was agreed to.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR nation of John W. Holcomb, of California, to
be United States District Judge for the Cen- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I tral District of California. clerk will report the nomination.
move to proceed to executive session to Mitch McConnell, Roy Blunt, Mike The senior assistant legislative clerk
consider Calendar No. 590. Rounds, Todd Young, Pat Roberts, read the nomination of David W.

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