Congressional Record — Senate, S6661 (November 12, 2020)
Summary
Page S6661 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for November 12, 2020, in interleaved columns, ending a roll call with 22 Senators not voting. A speaker describing the appropriations bill says funding for the National Institutes of Health increased 45 percent during his six years as chairman, that the bill adds almost $200 million for mental health and that the focus includes priorities such as Pell grants, which is that speaker's view. Another speaker says Ohio's Governor reported nearly 6,000 new cases in 24 hours compared with 1,000 per day earlier, and a final passage thanks people of his State for their service.
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“Congressional Record — Senate, S6661 (November 12, 2020).”
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November 12, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S6661
King Peters Udall cine, premature birth research, the ority like Pell grants. To do that, we
Klobuchar Reed Van Hollen
Markey Schumer Warren
BRAIN Initiative. In my time as chair- had to look carefully at programs that
Merkley Smith Wyden man, we have actually increased NIH just, frankly, were not working.
funding by 45 percent in budgets that Fifth, we continue our focus on clos-
NOT VOTING—22
often had virtually no increase at all. ing the care gap between mental health
Alexander Menendez Sinema
Blumenthal Moran
We truly had to work together to and physical health. Approximately
Stabenow
Braun Murray Sullivan prioritize. We have done that. one in five adults in America has a
Cantwell Paul Tester My time as chairman is about 6 diagnosable and almost always treat-
Durbin Risch Whitehouse years, if you are wondering how long it able mental health problem. This bill
Harris Sanders Young
Heinrich Schatz took us to get that 45-percent increase. provides an increase of almost $200 mil-
Loeffler Shaheen Six years ago, we hadn’t had any in- lion in the mental health area.
crease for 12 years. NIH was about 22 I would mention again the excellence
The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this
percent behind in buying power where of the mental health pilot. We have in-
vote, the yeas are 57, the nays are 21.
they had been a decade earlier. We creased that pilot to eight States from
The motion is agreed to.
made up that 22 percent. And actually, two. We are seeing what happens in a
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
now, we are putting real money on the positive way in people’s other health
ator from Missouri.
table in an environment that has never issues when you deal with their mental
APPROPRIATIONS
been better and never been more prom- health issues like it was any health
Mr. BLUNT. Madam President, I am ising in the NIH research area. issue, and it is making a difference.
pleased to be here today to talk about We continue our focus of combating This year, it was reinforced again by
the 2021 appropriations bill that we opioids. Between 1999 and 2018, nearly understanding the need to address dis-
filed this week for Labor, for Health 450,000 people in the United States died parities in foster care, a greater diver-
and Human Services, and for Edu- from opioid overdose. These drug over- sity in healthcare, education, and the
cation. dose deaths in 2018 were four times workforce.
Obviously, with what we have gone higher than in 1999. The bill provides Many populations across the coun-
through this year, those three agencies money to deal with this. With the ef- try, whether defined by race, ethnicity,
have all experienced dramatic chal- fort we made in this area over the last geography, experience higher rates of
lenges—labor challenges, health chal- several years, we saw a consistent de- certain diseases and often lack the ac-
lenges, education challenges. And crease in opioid overdoses until 2020. cess to health services. This bill tries
while this bill would not specifically be Of course, the increase in 2020, in to look at that in a way that analyzes
a COVID relief bill, it is a bill that many ways, related to the pandemic where those gaps are, and it has pro-
funds these agencies so they can move and the isolation. The support struc- grams that encourage filling those
forward with their normal work rather ture that appeared to be working to gaps. Furthermore, the bill continues
than have to, in some piecemeal way, move you from dependency was no our efforts to ensure that these dispari-
try to deal with their normal work longer there, and suddenly you are ties are addressed through a number of
while they are trying to work with us back where you were. programs, including workforce develop-
on the extraordinary circumstances of The bill provides a $20 million in- ment programs, diverse medical com-
the COVID bill. crease for apprenticeship programs. munity efforts, research initiatives
This is the largest bill—Labor, This week, I joined the Missouri Cham- that focus on underserved commu-
Health, and Education is the largest ber of Commerce in highlighting the nities, programs that target health dis-
nondefense bill on the discretionary importance of apprenticeships. Last parities, and education-workforce pro-
side of the agenda. It is about 30 per- year, Missouri was the second in the grams that create opportunity.
cent of all the money left when the De- Nation in the number of new appren- This bill prioritizes programs that
fense appropriations is taken off the ticeships. First in the Nation is Cali- provide the most benefit and greatest
table. fornia. We are not a small State, but return for all Americans. The bill con-
There are 11 bills left at that point, we are not nearly as big as California, tinues key program integrity activities
but this bill has about 30 percent of all so I think the leadership in our State— that are aimed at reducing the waste,
the money. It has a lot of competing the business community, the employ- fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars.
priorities, from apprenticeships to bio- ers, the Governor, and others—has These initiatives have proven to be a
medical research, to public health and made a real difference there. We fund worthwhile investment in their return-
preparedness programs, to childcare both registered apprenticeship pro- ing billions of dollars to the Treasury
and special education. National service grams, and it allows for industry-rec- and allowing us to look in other places
and community service are all in this ognized programs as well. as to how we could fund that money in
bill. Fourth, the bill invests in education, programs that work better and work
We received 8,352 requests from Sen- from early childhood through college more transparently.
ators of things they would like to see and career. It increases funding for This bill eliminates eight programs
in the bill. They are not all in there, high-quality early childcare and edu- equaling nearly $115 million in spend-
but we did all we could to take the cation by more than $150 million. It in- ing reductions by focusing on programs
money we had and move forward with creases funding for elementary and sec- that are the most efficient and cost-ef-
priorities that make sense. ondary education programs that pro- fective and with proven outcomes. We
I am disappointed at this point that vide the most flexibility to school dis- all know that budgets are tight, but
our Democratic colleagues on the Ap- tricts to decide how to best use those making careful choices about health
propriations Committee were unable to limited resources. This also includes spending can be one of the most valu-
support the bill right now, but we have increased investments in title I; in able investments we make in Congress.
worked together in the past. I hope we IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities You don’t have to look any further
can continue to work together to find a Education Act; the title IV student than the recent announcements about
way forward. And, frankly, my view is support and academic enrichment the record progress we have made in
if appropriations bills appear to have a grants; charter schools; and Impact finding a vaccine for COVID–19.
path to the President’s desk, that is Aid. It increases the maximum Pell Through the CARES Act and other leg-
the thing that brings us together most grant award by another $150, or a 2.4- islation, Congress provided $18 billion
quickly. percent increase, at a time when the for research into therapeutics and vac-
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
This bill continues in our sixth year mandatory money is gone. To find that cines, and $12.5 billion went to vac-
of commitment to robustly and con- 2.4-percent increase, we have to find it cines. It did it in a way that is going to
sistently funding medical research at in other programs, and some programs allow us to set a record in having a safe
the National Institutes of Health. We are just not able to fund it. If they are vaccine available that meets the high-
provided a $2 billion increase on that not working, we shouldn’t fund them, est standards. The vaccine that appears
research. We target funding toward and we have seen several years of to be the first in line for approval is 90
Alzheimer’s, toward precision medi- growth in areas in which we have a pri- percent effective.
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S6662 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE November 12, 2020
Now, I am not an expert in vaccines, They have made those sacrifices, and These brave men and women rep-
so my first thought would be, well, I they have made those choices knowing resent the hope of a nation and our
want a vaccine that is 100 percent ef- that it wouldn’t be easy and knowing promise to the rest of the world that,
fective. As it turns out, no vaccine is that they may not come home, but, no matter what, the United States
100 percent effective. The measles vac- when they do come home, that some- stands ready and willing to answer the
cine that schoolkids took for years and times it is tough. It is tough to get call.
that most still take is 90 percent effec- back in that groove of where you were, I yield the floor.
tive. It was 9 months ago that to rekindle those relationships. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
healthcare experts said, if we could Our younger veterans, in particular, The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr.
have a vaccine that was 50 percent ef- were painfully aware of this when they SASSE). The clerk will call the roll.
fective, we should approve that vaccine put on the uniform. But do you know The senior assistant legislative clerk
and every other one that was at least what? They still made that choice to proceeded to call the roll.
50 percent effective. serve. Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I ask
We are looking at vaccines that are Here in the Senate, we have backed unanimous consent that the order for
going to help us move beyond this as legislation that really has made things the quorum call be rescinded.
we look at tests that help us move be- easier for so many of our veterans. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
yond this, but the fundamental founda- When I was in the House, I was hon- objection, it is so ordered.
tion of all of that is in the healthcare ored to help shepherd passage of the CORONAVIRUS
framework that we maintain. You VA MISSION Act, and I was grateful to Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I have
can’t look at a pandemic and say that see that receive bipartisan support come to the floor again today to talk
now it is time to think about how we here in the Senate. It has, indeed, about the need for us, as a Congress, to
do important health research. You streamlined many of the processes in come together to address this
can’t look at a pandemic and say that the VA healthcare system. coronavirus pandemic. We have an un-
Last month, I introduced a bill to precedented healthcare and economic
now it is time to think about having
provide doula services to improve ma- crisis right now, and it is important for
care providers in underserved areas.
ternal health outcomes for our female us to figure out what we can do, what
You can’t look at a pandemic and say
veterans, a population that every sin- we can agree on, and then move for-
that now it is time to begin to think
gle month continues to increase. ward.
about how you connect childcare and Back in August, I introduced a bill
work and school altogether. This bill Since this pandemic began back in
that will allow our K2 veterans to ob-
does as much of that as we could figure March, I am told I have come to the
tain the special health screenings they
out how to do in the best way we could floor now 17 separate times to urge my
need to check for cancer and other ill-
figure out how to do it. colleagues to work together on a bipar-
nesses caused by exposure to toxic sub-
I hope Congress can pass it. It would tisan basis to try to put together legis-
stances in Uzbekistan.
be a great gift to the next Congress and In fact, this has been a great year for lation that will enable us to respond ef-
administration after January 20 to be veteran support. We have passed—or fectively and in a focused way to the
able to start next year with next year’s are very close to passing—legislation COVID–19 crisis.
work rather than having to start next We had some early successes. Re-
that will improve and simplify doctor-
year with this year’s work. Let’s get member the CARES Act that was
patient relationships, recordkeeping,
this year’s work done. Let’s get it done passed back in March. That was 8
and mental health services, and will
now. Let’s send the bill to the Presi- months ago—8 months ago. Really, for
make those and other important bene-
dent that the House and Senate have the last 6 months, we haven’t passed
fits more accessible to our veterans
agreed on, and let’s get back to looking anything to address this crisis. Yet the
and their families.
at these bills in the right way at the If you are not already supporting crisis has ebbed and flowed, and, right
right time. these efforts, I encourage my col- now, unfortunately, it is at an all-time
I yield the floor. leagues to support this legislation. high in my State of Ohio.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- As the week draws to a close, I would I have been frustrated that we can’t
ator from Tennessee. encourage everyone to seek out vet- have that same sense of urgency and
VETERANS DAY
erans’ stories and to internalize the willingness to work together as we had
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Presi- knowledge that the sacrifices they during those first couple of months of
dent, when most Americans think of made were for us. There is so much we the coronavirus pandemic. It seemed to
the sacrifices that our veterans made can learn from those who have served. have disappeared as we entered elec-
in the name of defending freedom, they There is so much that they have done tion season; didn’t it? So, as we got
think of those brave men and women to help preserve our way of life and our closer and closer to the election, there
running toward the danger. We are freedoms. It is so much that they have was more and more divide and inability
grateful that, in their hearts, they done for the values and the institu- to come together. Now we need to get
have that desire, but as anyone who tions—things that really do transcend back to that sense of bipartisanship—I
knows or has worked with veterans politics. would even say nonpartisanship in so
knows, they also make sacrifices that I reached out to many of our vet- much of this—and cooperation for the
really never bubble to the surface or erans this week and had great con- good of our country.
come to our attention. Not only do versations and heard from veterans on- It is getting worse, as I said, in my
they sacrifice their own safety, they line. State of Ohio and around the country,
give up their personal independence, I heard from William, a Tennessean and I believe we can make a difference,
the comforts of home, their relation- who proudly served in the Air Force. and that is important. There are things
ships with friends and family, their He said his service was ‘‘the best deci- we can do at the Federal level that
spouses, and their children. sion of his entire life.’’ would help.
Think about what an extraordinary I also heard from Greg, who served as Right now, we are averaging in this
decision they have made—that the a C–130 crew chief in theatre during country over 100,000 new cases per day.
safety and security of their fellow Desert Storm. He put off his college That is double the rate from just 1
countrymen is worth more than losing education when he was asked to serve. month ago—double the rate from 1
those precious days. They have made And I would be remiss if I did not rec- month ago. It was predicted as it got
colder and people were inside more.
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that choice. They put that service and ognize the veterans who are currently
that sacrifice in front of their desires, serving in our office: Dana Magneson, The third wave has arrived.
in front of the desires of their family. John Clement, Jay Strobino, Dr. Karen In Ohio, the number of daily new
They are, indeed, called to serve. Summar, and Paris Cervantes. cases has risen every day for the past
These are the people whom we should I thank each and every one of them month. Just last night, Ohio Governor
be looking to for comfort and inspira- for their service and for the continued Mike DeWine reported nearly 6,000 new
tion during difficult times. They really work that they do on behalf of all Ten- cases in the last 24-hour period, com-
do have experience in that category. nesseans. pared to 1,000 cases per day that the
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