Congressional Record — Senate, October 24, 2020, Page S6436

Summary

Page S6436 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for October 24, 2020, in interleaved columns. Mr. Brown asks unanimous consent that the Senate pass the BRIDGE for Workers Act, and Mr. Johnson objects. Mr. Brown says he guesses he is not surprised and criticizes the President's lack of integrity and the failure to reinstate a pandemic office, which is his view. Mr. Johnson, as chairman of Homeland Security, says the pandemic is an act of God and that China controlled the spread, which is his view, and a further speaker raises concern about politicization of the Court and contact tracing.

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“Congressional Record — Senate, October 24, 2020, Page S6436.” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-10-24-crec-2020-10-24-pt1-pgs6436-3-3e2e31064a/, SHA-256 fe7b96d82931330d1a18de963f240cdb9bd1315d682267cf9cc16c5da14a6b4a.

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S6436 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE October 24, 2020
1759, BRIDGE for Workers Act, I ask you, if not most of you, maybe all of The pandemic is an act of God.
unanimous consent that the Senate you—probably not—think that about Maybe—maybe—and we don’t know.
proceed to legislative session. the President’s lack of integrity and We don’t know what complicity China
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there lack of character and dishonesty and had in—the chance that it was devel-
objection? the lies he tells. And I know, I have oped in a lab in this. We just don’t
Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I ob- watched, and I sat right here and I know. But we certainly know that
ject. looked across the aisle during impeach- China controlled the spread in China
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec- ment and I saw the look of fear in my while they allowed their citizens to go
tion is heard. colleagues’ eyes because they didn’t all over the world and spread the pan-
Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I guess I want to cross the President; they demic. It is an act of God. It is cer-
am not surprised about that, consid- didn’t want to get the President to tainly nobody’s fault in the United
ering I hear my colleagues talk about tweet about them or even get a pri- States.
how outrageous it is that we were mary opponent to them. That is why I As chairman of Homeland Security,
spending $600 a week to help unem- use that term, but more importantly to we have had before our committee the
ployed workers, and this bipartisan bill the citizens of this country, we spent men and women in charge of these
that passed the House would help most of the last month after month agencies who are trying to respond to
workers to get retrained and get jobs, after month after month, confirming an incredibly difficult situation.
and they are not willing to do that ei- I never criticized President Obama or
very conservative, very young judges. I
ther, but we also know that this is a Vice President Biden during H1N1. It
understand why you want to do that,
bill that—we have seen this act before. was a contagious disease, and 60 mil-
but we are not doing anything for the
lion Americans were infected by it. I
UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST—H.R. 3659 public.
We had a high moment in March am not sure there is anything you real-
Mr. President, in order to proceed to ly can do to prevent infections.
the consideration of H.R. 3659, Danny’s when Senator JOHNSON said we unani-
Now, I think we have actually been
Law, I ask unanimous consent that the mously approved the CARES Act. A
pretty successful in flattening the
Senate proceed to legislative session. study shows the CARES Act kept 12 curve, people taking responsibility, be-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there million Americans out of poverty. But coming germophobes. We shut down
objection? then we ask to continue the CARES our economy. Now, I never thought we
Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I ob- Act and do something similar like the should shut it down to the extent that
ject. Heroes Act, and instead Senator we have because I have always tried to
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec- MCCONNELL—and I know the lobbyists keep things in perspective, the human
tion is heard. that line up in front of his door, I know toll of the economic devastation of
UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST—H.R. 4029 they have a lot of influence on him, but those shutdowns. But again, I find it
Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, in order we saw Senator MCCONNELL say: no ur- galling when I know people like Pete
to proceed to the consideration of H.R. gency, no urgency. Gaynor, General Giroir—the men and
4029, Tribal Access to Homeless Assist- My favorite Abraham Lincoln quote women—Dr. Birx, Dr. Hahn, the men
ance Act, I ask that the Senate proceed is Lincoln wanted to—his staff wanted and women in this administration who
to legislative session. him to stay in the White House and have been working 24/7 to respond as ef-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there win the war and abolish slavery and fectively as they can to an act of God,
objection? protect the Union, and they wanted a pandemic.
Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I ob- him to stay in the White House. And he Now, I have been on the conference
ject. said: No, I have to go out and get my calls. This administration has been as
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec- public opinion baths. Are none of my transparent as any I have seen. To ac-
tion is heard. colleagues hearing the pain of laid-off cuse this administration of hiding the
workers who have lost their unemploy- truth—I don’t know where you were
UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST—H.R. 5084
ment? during the early months of this, but I
Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, in order Haven’t they seen schoolchildren— was watching the hour- and 2-hour-long
to proceed to the consideration of H.R. their parents saying: ‘‘I want to send press conferences where the truth was
5084, Improving Corporate Governance my kids back to school, but they are being laid out in all its gory detail.
Through Diversity Act, legislation to not safe’’ because we aren’t voting dol- Any American who watched that that
require corporations to disclose—just lars to help? wasn’t concerned about COVID, I don’t
disclose the racial, ethnic, and gender I talked to my daughter last night. know what they were looking at. There
composition of their boards, which Just a few days ago, they announced was no hiding the ball here. President
again passed the House with bipartisan that instead of school opening in per- Trump and his administration made it
support, I ask unanimous consent that son in Columbus next week, it is going very obvious what was at stake.
the Senate proceed to legislative ses- to open in January, if even then, be- I am also aware of the fact that be-
sion. cause we are not helping schools open. cause of this act of God, because of this
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there We are not helping people avoid evic- pandemic, there was an enormous de-
objection? tion. We are not helping local govern- mand for products that should have
Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I ob- ments keep police and firemen on the been in the national stockpile but
ject. streets and people who work in the wasn’t there because the previous ad-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ob- parks and people who provide help for ministration had run the stockpile
jection is heard. abused children and all the things that down, and then we, all of us collec-
Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I will local governments do—we are doing tively, took our eye off the ball and
hold the floor for just another few mo- none of that, but we have plenty of didn’t restore it. So the product just
ments. time to do judges. That is the frustra- wasn’t there. But I do know, in a very
I have watched Senator MCCONNELL— tion and why I made the comments I difficult situation, when demand out-
and I am sorry to call some of my col- made. strips supply by two or three times, the
leagues spineless, Senator JOHNSON, It just breaks my heart that we all men and women in this administration,
but, you know, when the President sit here. This is a group of pretty afflu- again, working tirelessly, allocated
made comments about our soldiers who ent and pretty privileged people. Yet that PPE.
had died in battle, I didn’t hear hardly we can’t look out for people who are I am not aware that anybody ran out.
any Republicans speak up. I admire the hurting like this country hasn’t hurt Now, I know that everybody didn’t get

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courage of the Presiding Officer. I ad- for decades. everything they wanted because some
mire Senator MURKOWSKI and her cour- I yield the floor. tough decisions had to be made. We had
age over a number of things. But I see The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- to surge PPE product to those
my colleagues—I hear what you all ator from Wisconsin. hotspots, and where the pandemic
think. I know what Senator SASSE said Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, this wasn’t raging, people didn’t get every-
during that townhall. I know many of deserves a response. thing they needed.

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October 24, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S6437
I am not aware of anybody who want- Then, the following year, 2019, he pacity is also a growing concern. And,
ed to get placed on a ventilator who brought Dr. Linda Quick home from economically, Alaska has been hit ex-
didn’t get one because they used the China. And her job was to make sure, if traordinarily hard. As most know, we
war production act. We did extraor- anything was happening in China, that have a pretty substantial tourist sea-
dinary things in terms of ramping up we would know about it and could help son, but this year, we had little to no
production. Now we are supplying ven- them prevent the disease. Our CDC— season for us. Many small businesses
tilators to the world. our Centers for Disease Control, we are have closed permanently, but many,
You can overlook all these things, the best in the world. It was the United many more are going into the winter
and you can say the administration States of America leading the charge wondering how they are going to make
wasn’t honest with the American pub- to eliminate smallpox. It was the it through the winter and scrambling
lic, but I think the actual facts refute United States of America that led the to find ways to piece it together.
those charges. job to all but eliminate polio in this Unemployment, loss of housing—in
Maybe in other people’s world there country. Some of us here are old every conversation that I have with
is perfection, and in this pandemic you enough—the Presiding Officer, anyway, Alaskans, they are asking if and when
can stop it in its tracks. You can pre- will remember knowing people who had we are going to see another round of
vent further infections. But that didn’t minor cases growing up in our schools. COVID relief, and I regret that we have
happen with H1N1, even though they So we know what that meant. It was no deal to offer them today. Instead,
tried. Sixty-million Americans got it. the President of the United States who we are here on a weekend, 10 days be-
Fortunately, it was not as deadly as pulled CDC employees out of China be- fore the elections, to advance a U.S.
the coronavirus and COVID–19. cause of a trade or some—depending on Supreme Court nominee.
Again, among many things that are Now, I was here on the floor yester-
when the President loved Xi or disliked
galling, the false allegations—to me, to day. I had an opportunity to listen to
Xi—I mean, it was back and forth with
politicize a pandemic, to politicize a the majority leader as he outlined the
the Chinese leader, and we just unilat-
virus that is killing Americans, to escalation of confirmation battles over
erally disarmed. Then the President de-
denigrate the efforts of the men and the past 30-plus years, and I think it
nied that the virus meant anything.
women in these agencies who have I know he took care of ventilators, was an important lesson in our Senate
worked 24/7 is just simply wrong. This history. I am not confused about how
but other kinds of protective equip-
is not something that should divide us; we wound up here, but I certainly am
ment, just talk to nurses and doctors
that we should politicize. It is some- frustrated by it. It is with a heavy
and healthcare workers in our States—
thing that should unite us as prior cri- heart that I just regret that we are in
in Madison, in Cleveland, in Columbus,
ses in this country have. So, again, this place.
in Milwaukee, in Kenosha and Fair-
there are so many more other things I I think there was a worthy attempt
banks and Salt Lake City.
can say, but I see the Senator from I yield the floor. during the 109th Congress, by the Gang
Alaska is here, and I don’t want to The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- of 14, to reduce tensions. There was, I
take any more time on the floor. ator from Alaska. think, a very genuine, good-faith effort
I yield the floor.
Mr. BROWN. One last comment. NOMINATION OF AMY CONEY BARRETT there to try to dial things back. But,
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I sadly, their bipartisan action was not
ator from Ohio. want to start with a personal thank- rewarded by the voters, and perhaps
Mr. BROWN. I just don’t really un- you to the Presiding Officer for indulg- that served as a warning to other Mem-
derstand what I just heard, when the ing me for an additional few moments bers of this body rather than an aspira-
President went straight to the Amer- here so I may speak this afternoon on tion.
ican people and told them it was going the nomination of Judge Amy Coney We heard the history lesson, and I am
to disappear. He said it was a Demo- Barrett to be an Associate Justice of one who has long recognized that
cratic, liberal hoax to bring down his the U.S. Supreme Court. pointing fingers doesn’t ever actually
campaign. And while I intend to share with you solve a problem. I personally believe
But look at a little history. I wear on my intention on how I will vote, I that every nominee for the Supreme
my lapel a picture of a canary in a would like to start by expressing my Court should receive an up-or-down
birdcage. It was given to me at a work- disappointment with where we are in vote after they have passed out of com-
ers’ Memorial Day rally, a rally to the Senate as a whole right now. There mittee. My record has been pretty
honor workers who had been injured or has been some good discussion here clear, pretty consistent, and some
killed on the job. this morning as we are considering might even suggest boring in its con-
This canary in the birdcage—you these unanimous consent agreements— sistency, but I made a very strong com-
know, the mine workers used to take it statements being made but not action mitment after I returned to the Senate
down in the mines 120 years ago. If the moving forward. at the end of 2010 and said: I do not be-
canary died, the mine worker got out I had hoped that if we were going to lieve that filibustering our judges was
of the mine. He knew that he didn’t be at this moment in time, just over a what we should be doing.
have a union that was very strong or a week out from our national elections, So I might not have liked the judges
government that cared very much. He that we would be here on the floor de- that were before us, but I did not par-
was on his own. So I always cared a lot bating the merits of a COVID relief ticipate in a filibuster of a judge. I had
about public health. That is really the bill. In my home State of Alaska, as in an opportunity to vote up or down, and
best prevention for the canary in the so many States around the country, we I thought that was the reasonable way
mine. are seeing unprecedented numbers now. to proceed. I believe that it is fair to
I wrote a letter to President Trump The news, just yesterday, Friday, was the individual and it is fair to the in-
in 2018, after he had closed the Office of that the United States reported the stitution.
Global Health Security in the White highest single-day recorded positive But I also recognize that the timing
House and essentially fired or trans- cases—83,757—really staggering. of this confirmation that we have be-
ferred Dr. Ziemer, a Bush appointee In Alaska, we have seen this virus fore us will serve to reinforce the pub-
who was one of the world’s great ma- spread to some of our small outlying lic perception about political influence
laria doctors. His job—he had 40 people villages, villages that are not acces- on the Court, and I would hope that we
on his staff. His job was to surveil the sible by road and villages that have all recognize that public confidence in
world and look at potential disease limited medical facilities. We are real- our courts must be an imperative. We
outbreaks that might turn into an epi- ly quite concerned about what this have to believe that justice is going to

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demic which then might evolve into a means for many of the Native people in be equal for all of us.
pandemic. That was his job. The Presi- these areas. Now, I know that my colleagues are
dent eliminated the office. And I wrote We are not able to stay on top of the not surprised to hear me discuss my
a letter to the President asking him to contact tracing like we were some concern about the politicization of the
reinstate it, and he didn’t even answer months ago because of our increasing Court. I made a similar point during
the letter. numbers. The pressure on hospital ca- the impeachment trial, when some

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