Congressional Record — Senate, November 18, 2020, Page S7052

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Page S7052 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for November 18, 2020, in interleaved columns. One speaker says the House Speaker is keeping the country stuck in the coronavirus crisis by demanding $3 trillion in funding for things unrelated to the virus, which is that speaker's view. Another speaker opposes a nominee, saying her positions, including a return to the gold standard, are disqualifying rather than conservative. A tribute recounts the honorary promotion of Delbert Littrell to corporal, endorsed by the Commandant and the Secretary of the Navy, and a further statement thanks military families.

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“Congressional Record — Senate, November 18, 2020, Page S7052.” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-11-18-crec-2020-11-18-pt1-pgs7052-2-d2f712894e/, SHA-256 6e6e552da49fe72504a45530467fd4869c3942aa33cf9cd21f510934b43c9adf.

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S7052 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE November 18, 2020
path. They are keeping us stuck and of the Marine Corps recommended Del- crisis like the one we are in. Her posi-
America stuck in this coronavirus cri- bert Littrell’s honorary promotion to tions aren’t conservative. They are not
sis by demanding funding for things the rank of corporal, which was en- traditionally conservative, which we
unrelated to coronavirus, per the dorsed soon after by the Secretary of could debate. I would be willing to vote
Speaker of the House. You say: Oh, no, the Navy. for conservatives, as I have before, if I
she wanted this $3 trillion for all sorts Both of these leaders recognized Mr. thought they were qualified and their
of things unrelated to coronavirus. She Littrell’s unique contributions, with thinking was not so far, far right out of
has more money in that bill to send di- the Secretary of the Navy noting the the mainstream. But her positions
rect paychecks to illegal immigrants— indelible mark that Mr. Littrell has aren’t conservative; they are disquali-
people in this country illegally—than left on the proud history of the U.S. fying.
she does for coronavirus vaccines. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy. For three decades, she has advocated
That is the kind of opposition and The State of Oregon and our entire returning to the gold standard. No seri-
leftist thinking that we have been run- Nation are proud of Delbert Littrell’s ous person—progressive, moderate,
ning into here in this body and that the meritorious service throughout World conservative—no serious person, left or
American people rejected on election War II. Mr. Littrell’s remarkable com- right, still believes in the gold stand-
day and said: No, we want a path for- bat history and his actions in support ard. She opposes FDIC, Federal deposit
ward. We want to continue the great of freedom mean that this recognition insurance—the insurance that protects
American comeback. We want our jobs. is long overdue. your money when you put it in the
We want our kids. We want that path I am proud that this son of Oregon, bank. She has flip-flopped on these
forward. who I hope is watching right now, is fi- issues several times during her nomi-
There is still more work to be done, nally receiving this special honor. nation. The only thing consistent she
and we are ready to do it. Colleagues, I know that you join me stands for is that she—no surprise—
I yield the floor. in honoring, respecting, and appre- wants to do what Trump wants to do.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. ciating Delbert Littrell and his com- But Americans have moved on from
LANKFORD). The Senator from Oregon. mitment to the fight for freedom and Donald Trump, 80 million strong. It is
REMEMBERING PRIVATE FIRST CLASS DELBERT his legacy of service to our Nation with time for the Senate to move on from
LITTRELL the distinction of corporal in the U.S. this failed nomination and this failed
Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I Marine Corps. Presidency.
come to the floor today to recognize I suggest the absence of a quorum. This nomination was a waste of time.
the distinguished service of one of Med- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Look what we should have been doing
ford, Oregon’s own and to ask my Sen- clerk will call the roll. instead. You all know that. Every mo-
ate colleagues to join me in support of The senior assistant legislative clerk ment we spend on unnecessary, un-
the U.S. Marine Corps PFC Delbert proceeded to call the roll. qualified nominees like this is time the
Littrell’s honorary promotion to cor- Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I ask Senate isn’t spending saving lives. It is
poral. unanimous consent that the order for time to get to work delivering results
It is an honorary promotion because the quorum call be rescinded. for the people whom we serve.
it was 75 years ago, in World War II, The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without We are watching hospitals fill up
that Mr. Littrell served in the 14th Ma- objection, it is so ordered. again from Oklahoma to Ohio. Our
rine Regiment, 4th Marine Division. CORONAVIRUS healthcare system is getting over-
His service was marked by a combat Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, the whelmed. Gig workers and self-em-
history of notable intensity and dura- American people sent a clear message ployed workers will lose their unem-
tion. He fought in five pivotal battles in this election. They want us to get to ployment insurance at the end of the
that together changed the tide of the work to empower people with a plan to year. Small businesses and local gov-
war in the Pacific Theater: the Gilbert fight this virus and to get people back ernments are running out of money. It
and Marshall Islands campaign, be- to work, back to school, and back to doesn’t have to be this bad.
tween November 1943 and February their lives. They gave President-Elect I have had enough and I think my
1944; the Battle of Saipan, between Biden a commanding 5-million vote colleagues in both parties have had
June 15, 1944, and July 9, 1944; the Bat- victory to do that. It is time for us to enough of this false choice between
tle of Tinian, between July 24, 1944, and get to work. saving the economy and combating the
August 1, 1944; the Battle of Iwo Jima, We have had more than 1 million new virus. We have to do both, and we can
between February 19, 1945, and March cases just in the past week. Yet what do both. It is not an unsolvable prob-
26, 1945; and, fifth, the Battle of Oki- does Leader MITCH MCCONNELL—what lem. We need the resources, and we
nawa, between April 1, 1945, and June does he keep the Senate in session to have the resources. We are the great-
22, 1945. What an outstanding contribu- do? He keeps the Senate in session and est, wealthiest country on Earth. We
tion to make to the fight for freedom, he puts essential workers at risk all to have some of the hardest workers, the
and what a remarkable bit of history try to ram through an unqualified best scientists, and the smartest doc-
to be part of. nominee who pretty much everybody in tors. We have manufacturing expertise.
As administrative officers noted this body knows has no business serv- We have natural resources. We have
while evaluating him, Private First ing on the Federal Reserve. the world’s reserve currency. We have
Class Littrell performed excellently Let’s be clear on what this is about. all those things.
time and again. He should have re- It is about our outgoing President— But President Trump and Senator
ceived this promotion a long time ago. again, who lost the popular vote by 5 MCCONNELL want you to believe we
The units he served in, however, were million people and lost an electoral can’t solve big problems; we can’t use
under constant enemy bombardment, college by a landslide—trying to sabo- our resources to help ordinary families;
and the kinds of performance reports tage our economic recovery on his way we can’t use our talents to produce
and administrative submissions that out the door. Yesterday, luckily, Sen- tests and PPE; we can’t use our inge-
would have given him that promotion ators of both parties rejected that ef- nuity to figure out how to open busi-
were often misplaced or incomplete in fort. There were 80 million Ameri- nesses and schools safely. They have
the midst of the rigorous amphibious cans—most ever by a lot—who voted essentially thrown up their hands and
assaults pivotal to the Allied victory. for stability in this election. Judy said: Sorry, America, you are on your
It wasn’t until earlier this year, Shelton, the Trump nominee, promises own. They want you to believe this is
three-quarters of a century later, that more Trump chaos. the best America can do. In this elec-

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the Marine Corps Advisory Panel re- You can’t say you support working tion, Americans made it clear they
viewed the comprehensive record of people while putting someone in charge don’t buy that. They have had enough
Mr. Littrell’s service to the Marine who has no problem whatsoever threat- of aiming low and being told: We can’t
Corps and to the national security of ening their jobs and their savings to do that. We can’t solve this problem; it
the United States of America, and after push a bizarre intellectual agenda. She is too big. We can’t govern. We can’t
reviewing the record, the Commandant has no idea how to handle an economic afford it.

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November 18, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7053
We can do big things. We did big this, we certainly do have so much to Interestingly, too, in hearing my fa-
things in World War II. We did big be grateful for and thankful for. ther’s generation talk about their serv-
things combating communism. We did A little fun fact is, I was actually ice to the country, it was always
big things combating the Great Depres- born on Thanksgiving Day, and my framed in terms of duty and love of
sion. We can do big things, and we can parents always joked that they were country and never in terms of ‘‘I had to
solve the problems for the people we going to name me ‘‘Thankful Ever do this’’ or ‘‘my parents thought it was
serve. Moore’’ because my last name was a good idea.’’ These were things deeply
We did it this past spring. When we Moore at the time. And while my par- held inside of those veterans who want-
passed the CARES Act unanimously, ents, thankfully, decided to go a dif- ed to be a part of something that they
one study said that 12 million people ferent route with my name, the mean- held dear—their love of country, their
were kept out of poverty because of the ing still holds true today. love of freedom, their love of liberty.
$600 unemployment insurance, because It is true because I am thankful ever- Woody Williams is one of those indi-
of the help to small businesses, because more for many things, especially, as I viduals who lives in my State. Many of
we helped local governments, and be- said, as we approach this Thanksgiving you have seen them. He did the coin
cause we helped people stay in their holiday, which is just around the cor- flip at the Super Bowl last year, I
homes. There were 12 million people ner. And it is going to look a little bit think. I continue to be inspired by him
kept out of poverty. different for a lot of people, but that every day. I have mentioned him more
And the individual checks that were doesn’t mean it can’t be just as special. than a few times on the Senate floor,
sent out, essentially, that expired in I am thankful evermore for my own as have all of our proud West Vir-
July and August. Since then, we have personal good health and that of my ginians. He is a proud West Virginian
seen literally thousands of Americans a family’s. I am very, very grateful and himself and is one of the last remain-
week falling into poverty. We kept mil- thankful for the first responders and ing Medal of Honor recipients from
lions of Americans from falling into the essential workers and now those World War II. He turned 97 last month.
poverty. We can do it again. We can workers in the hospitals who are really He valiantly fought in the Battle of
keep Americans from losing their seeing a lot more patients coming in Iwo Jima and rightfully earned the
homes. We put in place an eviction with COVID. I think about the grocery military’s most prestigious medal for
moratorium. We gave people stimulus store workers, the truckers, and others his actions during the war. We are so
checks. We helped support the small who have really kept life moving dur- proud of him and all he does with our
businesses. Why are we not doing that ing those first months when we weren’t Gold Star families. We have memorials
again? Why does Senator MCCONNELL sure how to cope. all throughout our State and across the
I am very grateful for my wonderful country, where Woody inspires not just
not want to do that again?
community of Charleston, WV, where I those who have served but those who
We can rise to meet this moment. We
have lived for over 40 years. And I am support and the families who support
can restore people’s faith in their gov-
very grateful for the opportunity and those who serve. So we are very proud
ernment. We can’t allow President
the honor of a lifetime to represent the to call him our West Virginia own. We
Trump—with his out-the-door ap-
people of West Virginia in the U.S. did rename the VA center, hospital, in
pointees of people out of the main-
Senate. I am grateful for our country Huntington after Woody. We had a
stream—we can’t allow him to sabo-
and all of the great American thoughts grand opening. It was really fun.
tage this economy and sabotage this
and prayers that have carried many of Whether it be the Korean war, the
government from within, creating Vietnam war, the first Gulf war, the
us through these last few months.
chaos wherever he can, after voters de- But I am especially thankful and ongoing fight against terrorism in the
cisively, decisively, decisively rejected grateful for the brave servicemembers Middle East, and all the conflicts that
him with an electoral college landslide who have put their lives on the line for America has fought, our country’s
and rejected him by more than 5 mil- our country year after year. I am servicemembers have made the ulti-
lion votes. The voters have sent a clear grateful for the many veterans who mate sacrifices to keep our liberties in-
message to all of us to get to work. have come before them and for the tact.
I suggest the absence of a quorum. military families from all over the Sometimes I think people get kind of
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The country who support the men and down about where are we going, and it
clerk will call the roll. women who serve. seems like we don’t have the optimism
The senior assistant legislative clerk Just last week, we celebrated Vet- as a country. Do you know what? I am
proceeded to call the roll. erans Day. It is always a very special, very optimistic because of what I am
Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I ask kind of solemn day in our State, and it talking about today.
unanimous consent that the order for is very well attended. This year we Without the sacrifices of men and
the quorum call be rescinded. couldn’t have the parades. We did a lot women, we would not be able to have
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without of virtual celebrations, but it was no these many freedoms, and it is impor-
objection, it is so ordered. less special. This is a day to honor the tant to remember those men and
THANKSGIVING
men and women of the U.S. Armed women who have supportive family
Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I am Forces, both past and present, who members.
here today to join some of my fellow have stood up to protect the freedoms It is fitting also that this month is
Senators here to talk about giving that we hold dear. Military Family Appreciation Month. I
thanks to our military servicemembers Our military is undoubtedly the very think about the different moves or the
and our veterans. Certainly, this is the greatest in the world. From the ‘‘great- nights of sleeplessness where you are
thankful and grateful season that we est generation’’ to our younger soldiers unsure where your loved one is or how
are heading into. I think November has who have fought in Iraq and Afghani- they are serving. This is a month to
a lot of celebratory times both for our stan, all of our soldiers have served ad- honor and recognize the sacrifices and
families and also for our veterans and mirably, and I am pleased to be serving challenges that military families face
military families. with some who have not just served while supporting these brave men and
There is no question that this year several years ago but in recent times. women.
has been most different and has looked My home State of West Virginia has Our military families do face unique
very different than most. We have a long and proud history of answering challenges, and I think here in this
faced so many challenges and adjusted the call of duty. I think we have the body we take that into consideration
to a new norm of teleworking, tele- highest percentage per capita of mili- quite a bit when we are looking at ap-
health, telecommuting, all kinds of dif- tary veterans. propriations and ways to help our fami-

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ferent ways to communicate on our de- I am the proud daughter of a World lies. We are forever indebted to the sac-
vices, FaceTiming—I do a lot of War II veteran and Purple Heart recipi- rifices they make as their loved ones
FaceTiming with my family—and other ent. I grew up hearing stories about are fighting for our freedoms. They are
socially distanced activities, and I heroism displayed on and off the bat- often the ones behind the scenes, faced
don’t see that coming to an end in the tlefield and have always been in awe of with difficult decisions every single
near future. But in the midst of all of those who have served this country. day, and it is not easy.

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