Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., Dec. 3, 2020)
Summary
Opening pages of the Congressional Record daily edition for Thursday, December 3, 2020, Volume 166, No. 204, covering the Senate. The Senate met at 10 a.m. with Mr. Grassley as President pro tempore, and the Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, offered the prayer. Under the heading Coronavirus, Mr. McConnell says the solution to the relief impasse is to agree where there is agreement, make law and argue over the rest later, which is his view. A statement notes CARES Act charitable giving provisions and the strain on nonprofits, and Mr. Thune welcomes the Senate's agreement to proceed to conference on the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.
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“Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., Dec. 3, 2020).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-12-03-crec-2020-12-03-pt1-pgs7191-6-e769380f1c/
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Congressional Record
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116 th CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION
United States
of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE
Vol. 166 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020 No. 204
Senate
The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was tors, the nonprofit industry is hurting CORONAVIRUS
called to order by the President pro because of COVID–19. Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President,
tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). As part of the CARES Act passed last anyone who has heard me speak about
f March, Congress enacted key provi- coronavirus relief going back months
sions encouraging charitable giving to has heard one central principle: Let’s
PRAYER
help support organizations that are deliver right away on all the subjects
The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- being called upon more than ever to where everybody agrees and argue over
fered the following prayer: help Americans because of the virus the rest later. The solution to this im-
Let us pray. pandemic. These charitable giving pro- passe has been in plain sight for a long
Holy God, who desires us to prosper visions that are in the CARES Act time now for anybody willing to see it:
and experience health, give our Nation apply both to individuals who itemize Agree where we agree, bank that
such a harvest of righteousness that their taxes and those who do not progress, make law, take a whole lot of
our land will be filled with peace, itemize. pressure off struggling people, and then
quietness, and unity. Use our law- Iowa is blessed to have an extensive keep debating the areas where we don’t
makers to enable our citizens to live in network of charitable organizations agree.
safety, confidence, and peace. that are supported by incredible volun- There is no actual reason why the
As our Senators seek to serve You teers who open up their pocketbooks to fates of commonsense policies like a
and country, give them the wisdom and support their neighbors in need. This second round of the job-saving Pay-
courage to bring harmony from dis- fall, Senator ERNST and I heard from at check Protection Program had to be
cord. Lord, be merciful to them as they least 20 nonprofits in the Cedar Rapids linked to the fates of fringe proposals
wait with eager expectancy for Your area about the challenges that they like stimulus checks for illegal immi-
guidance. face because of the pandemic and nat- grants. There is no reason why the fate
May they honor the promises they ural disasters, and also we heard of the of funding for vaccine distribution or
make, living lives that reflect the in- successes they have had this year. extending unemployment aid or legal
tegrity of Your Kingdom. The work that Iowa nonprofits do is certainties for universities should have
We pray in Your great Name. Amen. inspiring and has tremendous impact. been tied to radical ideas like paying
f In this season of Thanksgiving, I speak people more not to work than essential
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE on behalf of my own State to thank workers earn on the job.
these organizations, their employees, These linkages have been totally ar-
The President pro tempore led the bitrary, just a political decision that
and volunteers for the hard work and
Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: Democratic leaders made many months
services that they deliver every day of
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the the year to Iowans in need. back. Democratic leaders have tried to
United States of America, and to the Repub- create a narrative where it is taken for
lic for which it stands, one nation under God, I yield the floor.
granted that the most bipartisan,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I suggest the absence of a quorum. commonsensical relief policies would
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The live or die with their side’s most out-
DAINES). The Senator from Iowa. clerk will call the roll. landish ideas. Well, that just isn’t so.
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask The senior assistant legislative clerk They have tried to create a dynamic
unanimous consent to speak for 1 proceeded to call the roll. where they move from one made-up
minute in morning business. Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I number to a second slightly smaller ar-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without ask unanimous consent that the order bitrary number and call it a meaning-
objection, it is so ordered. for the quorum call be rescinded. ful concession. The truth is simple.
f The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without This has always been about policy dif-
objection, it is so ordered. ferences. We have two sides with two
GIVING TUESDAY different visions for the best way to
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, the f support our Nation through what we
Tuesday after Thanksgiving has been hope will be the last chapter of the
known as Giving Tuesday. I suppose pandemic.
RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY
this Giving Tuesday is receiving more That isn’t new. We have disagree-
LEADER
attention than usual because of the ments all the time. Our system can
virus pandemic that we have been in The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- handle disagreements, but both sides
for the last 12 months. Like many sec- jority leader is recognized. have to be willing to compile their
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∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.
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S7192 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 3, 2020
commonalities and make law here, I promise, our deep differences will The NDAA is one of the most impor-
and, up to now, our Democratic col- still be here to debate. Our disagree- tant pieces of legislation that we pass
leagues have declined to do that. ments will be right where we left them. here every year. It is the bill that au-
Remember, their side said in March But do you know what can’t wait? thorizes funding for our troops and lays
this pandemic was ‘‘a tremendous op- What can’t wait are American workers, out our defense priorities.
portunity to restructure things to fit American small businesses, K–12 Like the last two NDAAs, this year’s
our vision.’’ So when Republicans tried schools, the vulnerable Americans and bill focuses on restoring military readi-
to pass commonsense relief measures frontline healthcare workers for whom ness and ensuring that our Nation is
in July, in September, and in October, speedy vaccine distribution will lit- prepared to meet threats posed by
as well, our Democratic colleagues ac- erally be a life-or-death matter. major powers like Russia and China.
tually blocked policies they do not Yesterday, my home State of Ken- In November of 2018, the bipartisan
even oppose. tucky experienced yet another dread- National Defense Strategy Commission
It has been heartening to see a few ful—dreadful—record-setting day. But released a report warning that our
hopeful signs in the past few days. Kentuckians also know that hope is in readiness had eroded to the point that
After months of arbitrary attachment sight. Our State’s workers are standing we might struggle to win a war against
to sky-high dollar amounts that the by at the UPS Worldport in Louisville a major power like Russia or China,
Speaker of the House claimed were es- and the DHL Express American Hub in and the Commission noted that we
sential—that it would be an insult to northern Kentucky, key logistics cen- would be especially vulnerable if we
settle for a nickel less—those baseless ters that will play crucial roles in were ever called on to fight a war on
claims have suddenly evaporated. sending vaccines all around the coun- two fronts.
That is at least movement in the try. Over the past 2 years, we have made
right direction, but the underlying re- Our people are hurting, but they are real progress on restoring military
ality is still with us. There are many ready to finish this fight. Congress readiness, but we still have more work
important policies that have strong bi- should not keep them waiting for rein- to do.
partisan support. There are many oth- forcements that should have arrived This year’s National Defense Author-
ers that do not, and the way to help the literally months ago. ization Act continues our investment
country is for our Democratic col- So compromise is within reach. We in ensuring that our military is pre-
leagues to finally let the former group know where we agree. We can do this. pared to meet current and future
be signed into law while we keep argu- Let me say it again. We can do this, threats in any domain.
ing over the rest. and we need to do this. So let’s be Of course, no matter what weapons or
The targeted second round of pay- about actually making a law. tanks or planes we have, our greatest
check protection that we have been military resource will always be our
f men and women in uniform, and this
trying to establish since July would
help a huge number of small businesses RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME year’s NDAA invests in improving the
survive to the finish line and help huge quality of life for our military mem-
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. BAR-
numbers of workers to keep their jobs. bers and their families. The bill sup-
RASSO). Under the previous order, the
And it can pass the Senate today, prob- ports a 3-percent pay raise for our
leadership time is reserved.
ably with 95 votes. troops, and it builds on previous meas-
With the apparent success of Oper- f ures to improve military healthcare
ation Warp Speed, it makes no sense to CONCLUSION OF MORNING and housing. It will also provide sup-
skimp on the systems to distribute and BUSINESS port for our military families in areas
deliver vaccines around the country. like childcare and professional develop-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning ment for military spouses.
Those funds could pass the Senate
business is closed. As I said, this bill is one of the most
today, possibly unanimously.
University presidents have made it f important measures that we pass every
clear they need certainty for their re- year, and we need to make sure that we
EXECUTIVE SESSION
openings. Let me say that again. Uni- pass the final version of this legislation
versity presidents have made it clear before Christmas. Failing to pass this
they need legal certainty for their re- EXECUTIVE CALENDAR legislation would send the wrong mes-
openings. That shouldn’t be partisan. sage to our troops and our allies and to
Liability protections should be able to The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under our adversaries.
pass the Senate today. the previous order, the Senate will pro- While this may not be a perfect bill,
A number of our Democratic col- ceed to executive session to resume it contains a lot of important provi-
leagues have focused especially on sev- consideration of the following nomina- sions to rebuild our military and to
eral of the unemployment relief pro- tion, which the clerk will report. give our men and women in uniform
grams that are set to expire in a mat- The senior assistant legislative clerk the tools they need to defend our Na-
ter of days. I specifically made sure to read the nomination of Christopher tion. We need to pass it as soon as pos-
include those programs in my frame- Waller, of Minnesota, to be a Member sible.
work a few days ago. That extension of the Board of Governors of the Fed- TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL ENZI
could pass the Senate today. eral Reserve System for a term of four- Mr. President, yesterday afternoon,
The House of Representatives is teen years from February 1, 2016. MIKE ENZI delivered his farewell ad-
spending this week on pressing issues Mr. MCCONNELL. I suggest the ab- dress. While MIKE has more than
like marijuana—marijuana—you know, sence of a quorum. earned his retirement over a long and
serious and important legislation befit- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The dedicated career in Washington and in
ting this national crisis. But here in clerk will call the roll. Wyoming, we are going to miss him
the Senate, I put forward a serious and The senior assistant legislative clerk here in the U.S. Senate.
highly targeted relief proposal includ- proceeded to call the roll. MIKE is an accountant and spent
ing the elements which we know the Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask years as a small business man, and he
President is ready and willing to sign unanimous consent that the order for brought that background and common
into law. Why should these impactful the quorum call be rescinded. sense to Washington, DC, with him.
and noncontroversial life preservers be The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without In many ways, he has been the con-
delayed one second longer? objection, it is so ordered. science of the Senate on spending
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At long last, let’s do what Congress NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT issues, reminding us that we don’t have
does when we want an outcome. Let’s Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I was an unlimited amount of money to
make law on all the subjects where we pleased that the Senate unanimously spend and that every dollar we add to
agree and on all the areas where Presi- agreed yesterday to proceed to con- the debt is a burden that will have to
dent Trump is ready to sign bipartisan ference on the 2021 National Defense be met by our children and
relief into law. Authorization Act. grandchildren.
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