Congressional Record, December 8, 2020 — Senate

Summary

This is page S7273 of the Congressional Record, Senate, December 8, 2020. It prints the end of a tribute to Senator Paul Sarbanes that mentions the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the HOME Program and his work on the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, followed by remarks from Mr. Cardin, who thanks colleagues for their tributes to Senator Paul Sarbanes. Under Coronavirus, Mr. Portman states that this is the 20th time he has come to the floor to speak about the need to pass a COVID–19 bill, that a bipartisan group of about five Democrats and about five Republicans is working on a package, and that the White House apparently made an offer to Speaker Pelosi to reengage in conversation. Mr. Portman also describes the rise in cases, intensive care patients and hospitalizations.

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“Congressional Record, December 8, 2020 — Senate.” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-12-08-crec-2020-12-08-pt1-pgs7273-cc157a85bb/, SHA-256 212c8fea381ede0a3775c745cc20d0cd82f17522858c2dc0a4354ee05b637d34.

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December 8, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7273
Paul Sarbanes spent 30 years in this gram and was one of the chief sup- I yield the floor.
Chamber doing what he knew was porters of improvements to our Na- I suggest the absence of a quorum.
right. In that time, he built a legacy tion’s public housing programs during The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
most could not achieve in two life- his Senate tenure. clerk will call the roll.
times. Senator Sarbanes also recognized the The senior assistant legislative clerk
Paul’s work on banking, the econ- essential role that public transpor- proceeded to call the roll.
omy, housing, transportation, and so tation plays in bringing communities Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I ask
many other issues had a profound and together, fostering economic develop- unanimous consent that the order for
significant impact on our country. But, ment, and promoting a cleaner envi- the quorum call be rescinded.
more importantly, his work had a di- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
ronment. As ranking member of the
objection, it is so ordered.
rect impact on so many families whose Banking Committee, he led the effort
lives were made better because of his to reauthorize the Nation’s transit pro- f
unsung efforts over three decades. grams and the fight to ensure that CORONAVIRUS
I had the distinct honor of serving transit received its fair share of fund- Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I am
with Senator Sarbanes and working di- ing. here on the floor today to talk again
rectly with him on the Banking, Hous- Time after time, Paul Sarbanes did about the need for Congress to act to
ing, and Urban Affairs Committee and the right things for the right reasons. pass a COVID–19 bill that helps the
the Joint Economic Committee. He could not care less whether he got people we represent. I am told this is
Senator Sarbanes was a constant and the credit, the press, or the fanfare. His the 20th time I have come to the floor
steady champion of commonsense fis- primary motivation was simply know- to make this plea, meaning that I
cal policies to help create jobs, expand ing that he made a meaningful dif- haven’t been all that convincing, I
our economy, and increase consumer ference in the lives of his constituents guess.
and investor protections. Indeed, he and the American people, and, in this But the reality is there is hope in the
used his power and influence to help regard, there are few who are as accom- air. There is a bipartisan group that is
those with the least power and influ- plished as Paul Sarbanes. working on a package. I am part of
ence in our society, which is a hall- His keen intellect, his extensive that group, as is the Presiding Officer.
mark of our finest public servants. And knowledge of the issues, and his con- It is bipartisan: about five Democrats,
Paul still remains one of our finest cern for Americans across this great about five Republicans.
public servants—indeed, one of the fin- country all contributed to his impres- Maybe more significantly, today the
est of the finest. sive body of legislative accomplish- White House apparently made an offer
Many would agree that the Sarbanes- ments. to Speaker PELOSI to reengage in con-
Oxley Act of 2002 stands among his best Now, I had the occasion to speak versation to try to get to a package
work. Responding to a number of major with JOHN SARBANES, Congressman that meets the needs of everyone. The
corporate accounting scandals, Senator from Maryland, who is carrying on the package that was presented was actu-
Sarbanes’ legislation began the process proud tradition of the Sarbanes family, ally very similar to the package that
of trying to restore investor confidence and he said his dad was best described this bipartisan group has been working
in corporate America and our securi- as a workhorse, not a show horse, and on over the past few weeks. So there is
ties markets. Eighteen years later, this that is right. Paul Sarbanes did the hope in the air, and that is good be-
law continues to be a critical pillar of work of the people. He did not try to cause we need the help, and we need it
our financial system. garner the praise and the acclaim; he now.
During his tenure as chair of the just wanted to make sure the work was Let’s talk for a minute about why we
Joint Economic Committee in the late done and done well. And he did need this help. I would guess that pret-
eighties and early nineties, Paul throughout his entire career. ty much everybody in this Chamber
framed many of the important eco- My best wishes go to Paul’s family, has seen firsthand the health crisis
nomic issues and debates that the including his sons Michael Sarbanes that we are facing. The number of
country was experiencing at the time. and Representative JOHN SARBANES; his cases is up. The number of people in in-
He held timely hearings on income in- daughter Janet Sarbanes; and his tensive care is up. Hospitalizations are
equality, trade deficit, and unemploy- grandchildren. They have lost a father up. And, sadly, fatalities have in-
ment during a time at which the coun- and a grandfather. The country has creased.
try was only beginning to come to lost one of its greatest champions. And Some of my colleagues in this Cham-
grips with the notion that there needed I have lost a dear and precious friend. ber have had to fight cases of COVID–
to be a different direction in our econ- May he rest in peace. 19 themselves. Thank God they are all
omy. I yield the floor. OK. But that is not true with everyone
Unfortunately, our Nation is now The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- we represent. I would bet that everyone
battling a pandemic that is furthering ator from Maryland. in this Chamber knows somebody and
economic inequalities, and both the Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, on be- probably multiple people who have had
Senate and the country could use and half of Senator VAN HOLLEN and my- a very tough time or who have even
greatly misses Senator Sarbanes’ self, I want to thank our colleagues for succumbed to this terrible disease.
thoughtfulness, incisiveness, and com- their tribute to Senator Paul Sar- Last week, another friend of mine
passion during these difficult times. banes—Senator STABENOW and Senator died because of COVID–19. His name
Senator Sarbanes was also one of our REED. I know that Senator SCHUMER was Mike Crabtree. Mike was a county
Nation’s greatest champions for afford- and Senator DURBIN have spoken on commissioner in Scioto County, OH—a
able housing. He fought his entire ca- the floor. Many of us have and many friend, a standup guy who helped me on
reer for our Nation’s working families, have expressed their condolences a lot of tough issues in Southeast Ohio.
trying to make it possible for more through our office to the family. We He was always there for his community
families in our country to have decent, just want to express our appreciation. and for me. Today, of course, we offer
safe, and affordable housing. As Senator VAN HOLLEN said, I had our prayers to his wife Diane, his fam-
Most notably, Paul was one of the the honor—or the challenge—to follow ily, and to all of his friends in Scioto
original authors of the Home Invest- Senator Sarbanes in this body. I have County.
ment Partnerships Program, known as his seat in the Senate. When I was It is personal. In the face of these
the HOME Program. This program has sworn in almost 14 years ago, Senator personal tragedies and the sad reality

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provided critical funding to our Na- Sarbanes escorted me to take the oath that in many States we are now experi-
tion’s States and localities, helping of office. As I mentioned earlier, he is encing this higher number of cases—in
them maintain or expand their supply an inspiration to all of us. many States it is the highest we have
of affordable housing for many Ameri- I want to thank our colleagues for had since the beginning of this pan-
cans. the tribute they have paid to an out- demic—we do have some promising
Paul also fought aggressively for standing Marylander, an outstanding news on one front, and that is on the
funding of the section 8 voucher pro- American, and he will be missed by all. vaccine front.

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S7274 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 8, 2020
It now seems clear that later this of Americans saying they were com- ment, on businesses, on schools, on
month, and then over the next 3 to 4 fortable getting the vaccine. That nonprofits, and, yes, on State and local
months, help is on the way in the form number in last couple of weeks has governments. As I see it, our job is to
of very effective new vaccines being de- gone up to 58 percent. It is heading in provide that bridge so that the eco-
veloped by Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & the right direction. nomic rebound that we have begun to
Johnson, AstraZeneca, and other U.S. We need people to understand that see can continue.
manufacturers. this is based on science. These vaccines I am concerned that the recovery we
The unprecedented support that Con- are like the vaccine for smallpox or have seen, which has been called a K-
gress has provided for vaccine develop- polio or measles—virtually, wiping out shaped recovery—you know, you like
ment, the Trump administration’s in- these diseases in this country. My dad to see a recovery come in a V-shape,
novative approach to cut bureaucratic had polio as a kid. Now people don’t where you have a recession, you lose
redtape through what is called Oper- even talk about it. That is because of jobs and economic growth, and then it
ation Warp Speed, and the commit- the vaccine. They work. We have to comes back up the way it went down.
ment and ingenuity of our researchers view it that way. It is called a V-shape. This has been
who have been working around the It is not like the flu vaccine, frankly. more like a ‘‘K.’’
clock, our scientists, and our manufac- The flu vaccine is only effective about For some people, it has been OK. If
turers have combined to put us on a one-third of the time. These, what they you are a big-box hardware store or
path to having multiple vaccines, at call efficacy rates, meaning how effec- grocery store in America, you are prob-
unprecedented speed, with efficacy tive it is, have come in at 90, 95 percent ably doing pretty well right now. If you
rates above 90 percent. and higher. So we will see what the are a small business, say, a small retail
This is incredible. This is good news. FDA says here in the next couple of store or sitdown restaurant next to
Safe, effective vaccines are expected to weeks. those big boxes, you are not doing OK.
be available to frontline healthcare I am encouraged that we are likely to You may already be closed down. Your
workers, first responders, long-term get some approvals and likely to begin employees may already be unemployed.
care facilities, and others just in the being able to provide these vaccines for If not, you are hanging by a thread and
next few weeks. This is good news. those on the frontlines, for those in hoping and praying that Congress
Within the next few months, we long-care facilities, for our first re- passes legislation to help you.
would expect that these vaccines would sponders, and then out from there to It has been different for different
be more broadly available, and hope- the entire population. people. If you have a blue-collar job,
fully by March, maybe April, pretty Because these vaccines won’t be you can’t telework. If you are in the fi-
much everybody would be able to find a widely available for 3 or 4 months, we nancial services industry, you are prob-
way to get that vaccine, free, for them need to act here and act now to provide ably doing OK, but if you work in a
and for their family. That has to be our a bridge to more normal times. That is kitchen making 15 bucks an hour, you
goal here, as quickly as possible, to get really how I see it. This is a short-term are probably not. So it is different for
safe, effective vaccines. emergency response to a desperate different people in different sectors of
I am concerned—as some of my col- need we have right now as cases are our economy. I get that. For some,
leagues know, because I talk about it a rising and the economic consequences again, they are doing OK; for others,
lot—that the number of people who say are being felt in every family in Amer- they are really struggling.
they are willing to get the vaccine is ica—more and more pain. Poverty, overall, is up because of
too low. That is one reason I entered My hope is that Congress will make what is happening, and this is sad to
one of the trials myself. I am in the good on the promise we have seen over me. And we can see it in our commu-
Janssen J&J trial. I either got the vac- the last couple of weeks, where Repub- nities. Go to your local food bank, see
cine or I got a placebo—I don’t know— licans and Democrats, alike, have come how many cars are lined up, how many
but I did it to be able to go out and together to say we do have a lot of people are waiting for 3, 4, 5, in Ohio,
talk about it and tell people that these common ground here; we actually sometimes 6 hours just to get food for
scientists, these experts, the people agree on most of this stuff. Who their families.
with the white coats, not the politi- wouldn’t be for more money for vac- Before the pandemic hit, we had very
cians, are the ones calling the shots cines and distribution? We need that. strong economic growth. I think the
here on these vaccines and they are Who wouldn’t be for more money for pro-growth policies that were put in
being safe and they are being careful. small businesses? Who wouldn’t be for place here in Congress really helped.
It is going through a process at the more money for people who are losing The tax reform, the tax cuts, the regu-
FDA, the Food and Drug Administra- their jobs through no fault of their latory relief, using our energy—it all
tion, that is actually more stringent own? They are struggling to pay the was working. We were having a period
than it was pre-COVID. To get this rent and pay their car payment. That of growth that was strong, but also it
emergency use authorization, they is what this legislation can do. I am ex- was a very ‘‘opportunity’’ economy.
have to go through more testing, and cited about that possibility. People who had been on the sidelines
they have to show efficacy rates above Meanwhile, in the first week of De- for years were coming back into our
50 percent, which they normally cember, we have lost 13,726 Americans economy. A lot of the benefits were
wouldn’t. That is good. We want it to to COVID–19 compared to half that being felt by lower and middle-income
be safe. many in the first week of November. In workers.
Even with all that hard work that is 1 month, we have had a doubling of the Let me give you an example. In Feb-
being done, all those scientists and re- number of fatalities. At no point in ruary of this year, just before the pan-
searchers working around the clock, time during this pandemic have we demic started, we had 19 straight
there are some Americans who are un- seen daily mortality rates like this, ex- months of wage growth of over 3 per-
willing and concerned. Part of this is cept in the early days in March and cent. That is fantastic. We have been
because some politicians, I think, have April when New York and New Jersey wanting that for a decade and a half in
played politics with this, and I hate hospitals were being overrun. We have Ohio. We had flat wages, even not keep-
that—as if, somehow, in the Trump ad- a real crisis. ing up with inflation. Finally, we were
ministration, this wouldn’t be trusted. Of course, this healthcare crisis is seeing wage growth. That 3 percent was
Of course, this is not a political game. having a direct impact on the economy compounding and was really helping
This is about saving lives. too. Even with these vaccines on the people feel like if they worked hard

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I am encouraged by the process that horizon, it is clear we have to do more and played by the rules, they could get
we have seen. I hope people will sign to help the economy get through this ahead. Sadly, when the coronavirus
up. When I got into the trial, the Gal- period of time before we are back to hit, that ended.
lup poll that is being done periodically more a normal time. Before the coronavirus, the national
to determine whether people are saying We have to help, in the short term, to poverty rate was the lowest in the his-
whether they are willing to take it or address the impact this healthcare cri- tory of America. In February, it was
not was at 50 percent—only 50 percent sis is having on families, on employ- 10.5 percent, the lowest rate since we

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December 8, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7275
started tracking this statistic more We saw with last week’s jobs report employed, that helps gig economy
than 60 years ago. That is the poverty that hiring is slowing down, meaning workers, people who would not nor-
rate. That is incredible. That is what that more people may slip out of the mally be eligible for unemployment to
we all want. labor force. In all, we are still down 10 be able to step forward and get unem-
After the initial wave of layoffs in million jobs in America since Feb- ployment insurance, is going to end at
the spring, Congress passed the bipar- ruary. the end of this month. That is some-
tisan CARES Act. That was 9 months Some of my colleagues said to me: thing a lot of my constituents in Ohio
ago—9 months ago. It included pro- My town is doing great or my State is have been depending on if they have
grams like the stimulus checks and ex- doing great or this industry is doing lost their jobs through no fault of their
panded unemployment insurance. It ac- great. I get that. It is a K-shaped re- own.
tually helped drive the poverty rate covery. For some people, it is going The pandemic emergency employ-
down for a while. well. The fact is that 10 million peo- ment compensation program that au-
Since then, this continual economic ple—10 million people—that is how thorizes another 13 weeks of State ben-
pain felt particularly by low- and mid- many jobs we are down since February. efits, helped by the Federal tax dollar,
dle-income Americans, combined with A further slowdown in the economy ends at the end of this month.
the lack of action on our part here in is going to be tough for these long- Of course, there is a moratorium on
Congress to help them, has meant the term unemployed. My concern is some evictions that ends at the end of this
poverty rate has actually gone back up may never reenter the workforce with- month.
since May by a significant amount. It out action here to help businesses start The bottom line is that the people,
now sits at 11.4 percent. That means hiring again. Some of the hardest hit State and local governments, the in-
that 7 million more Americans have industries in our States, like the trav- dustries, the sectors of our economy
fallen into poverty since the spring—7 el, leisure, hospitality industries, are that have been hardest hit to date by
million. facing real losses. the economic crisis caused by COVID–
When you fall into poverty, it is hard Our airline industry is expected to 19 are going to be the ones who are
to get back out. As long as this econ- cut the equivalent of about 90,000 jobs likely to be hurt most by a continued
omy remains partly shut down—in by the end of this year—90,000 jobs economic slowdown.
some of our States, it is largely shut alone in the airline industry. I spoke to As I said, these are problems that,
down if you are in the hospitality busi- the president of American Airlines right now, can only be fixed by all of us
ness or travel business. As long as this today. They are big in Ohio. He called. stepping forward. Congress needs to
happens and we can see more shut- Guess what. He is really eager for us to take action and take action now. We
downs in the coming weeks and pass this coronavirus legislation we are have about a week. We have about a
months, of course, as this crisis con- talking about. He is really eager be- week.
tinues to worsen, we will see poverty cause he needs it desperately to hold Fortunately, again, I am pleased to
levels rise unless we provide some re- on to his employees. He doesn’t want say that the proposal that is in the
lief. to furlough any more people, but he works on a bipartisan basis here in the
Along with the rising poverty rate, doesn’t have the business to keep them Senate is going to help. It has a total
what is concerning to me is the fact working. price tag of $908 billion, and you have
that more and more people are just giv- According to a November survey all heard that, probably, if you have
ing up hope. There is a stat called the from the American Hotel and Lodging been following what has been going on
labor force participation rate. It is the Association, more than 70 percent of with this continuing negotiation.
share of Americans who are over 16 hotels have said that they won’t be It helps everybody. It helps individ-
years old, either working or looking for able to stay in business another 6 uals; it helps families; it helps small
a job. In February, we hit a 5-year high months without more assistance—70 businesses; it helps industries; it helps
for labor force participation. That is a percent. Almost 80 percent said they those who have been the hardest hit—
good thing. In other words, we had had to lay off more people. with targeted resources. It is focused.
more people participating in the work- Our restaurant industry lost jobs in It is targeted. It is not the $3.5 trillion
force than we had in 5 years. November for the first time since legislation that has been talked about
Unfortunately, it has gone back April. It is a worrying sign that while over the last several months. It is tar-
down. It was up to 63.4 percent. Now it restaurants were starting to pick up, geted. It is focused. Actually, although
is down to 61.7 percent. The October things were getting better, in Novem- it is $908 billion, it is really more like
number works out to a labor force that ber, because of the news of the high $350 billion because it takes back
has nearly 4 million fewer participants level of cases and the concern people money that was spent in the CARES
than it did in February. Just people had about going out in public and also, Act, which was appropriated by this
participating in the economy has gone in some States, because of a govern- Congress but not used, and repurposes
down. ment edict saying you can’t go—in it for these purposes. So I think it is a
Why do we need this package? We some places, they even said you can’t focused, targeted effort that will really
have a real problem on our hands. It is have outdoor dining anymore, not just help.
a healthcare crisis, but it is also an indoor dining. Think of what this does Again, what is exciting about it is
economic crisis for so many people. to those restaurants, most of which are that, today, there was a proposal made
Unfortunately, a record number of small businesses, family-owned, and that says we have this bipartisan
women and older Americans are also were already stressed. Some of those framework, which is very similar, ap-
having to leave the workplace due to restaurants have closed their doors. I parently, and my hope is that the
either a lack of opportunity or the know some of them are never going to Speaker of the House, the majority
need to stay home with their kids. For reopen again. It is not just restaurants. leader here in the Senate, the Demo-
a lot of women, not having childcare is It is bowling alleys; it is movie thea- cratic leader here in the Senate, the
a real problem because the schools are ters; it is the place you get your hair Republican leader in the House, and
closed. This is driving people out of the cut. A lot of them are suffering. the President of the United States can
workforce as well. This is bad news for A lot of these challenges are going to all figure out how to get together and
businesses trying to reopen, but it is get worse soon because the number of make this work. This bipartisan pro-
also bad news for our long-term eco- the programs we put in place in this posal that we have been working on
nomic health. pandemic to help provide relief for peo- here, I think, does provide a good tem-

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People who can’t find a way off the ple struggling are going to expire. That plate. By the way, all of those actors I
sidelines right now won’t be able to is another reason we have to act. talked about—all of those players—
help power the eventual economic re- At the end of this year—actually, the have said good things about the pro-
covery we all hope for, and they will day before Christmas—we are going to posal.
miss out on the economic recovery see some of these programs begin to ex- It has funding in there to extend the
that does happen. It is a bad position pire. The pandemic unemployment as- Paycheck Protection Program for
to be in. sistance program that helps the self- small businesses. It targets those small

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S7276 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 8, 2020
businesses that need the help the most. lier, there is a light at the end of the Everyone who serves in this Chamber
It is really more targeted this time. It tunnel for the health side of this crisis, takes an oath to support and defend
is targeted relief for some of our hard- and our proposal that I have been talk- our Constitution. That remarkable
est hit industries, including our air- ing about also helps us get there be- document begins with three words TOM
lines and our mass transit industry. cause it has more funding for vaccine lives by, ‘‘We the People.’’
It includes funds to help those Amer- development and vaccine distribution. That commitment to our Constitu-
icans who have lost their jobs through I talked today to some experts in that tion was put to the test in early 2019
no fault of their own—the unemploy- area who know a lot more about it when the President issued an emer-
ment insurance extension that I talked than I do, and they said it is necessary. gency declaration that diverted $ 3.6
about earlier. As a bridge to normalcy, We actually have to provide more fund- billion from 127 military construction
we need this funding. It provides funds ing to keep the vaccine train moving so projects that Congress duly approved
for State, local, and Tribal govern- that, by March and April, we will have and funded and the President had
ments based on their revenue shortfalls it widely available. Again, my hope is signed into law. TOM stood strong
or their expenses due to COVID—in that Americans will step up and be vac- against this clear violation of the sepa-
other words, needs-based. cinated. ration of powers doctrine that is so
We are also working on commonsense By the way, there is also bipartisan vital to our enduring Republic, and I
liability reforms to give businesses, legislation that four of us introduced was proud to stand with him.
nonprofits, schools, healthcare pro- last week—two Republicans, two In a powerful floor statement on the
viders, religious organizations, and Democrats—to provide for a public resolution we introduced to overturn
others the legal protection they need service campaign, not with politicians the emergency declaration, TOM got
to reopen with the confidence that talking about the importance, as I am right to the point. He said:
they are not going to be subjected to doing tonight, but with the experts This is no longer about the president’s
frivolous lawsuits that could put them wall. This is not about party. This is about
talking about why the science says
protecting the very heart of our American
out of business. That is really impor- that it is a good idea to get vac- system of governance. Congress—and only
tant because getting these businesses cinated—again, just like we do for Congress—holds the power of the purse.
back up and running is a critical part smallpox or polio or the measles. TOM also made clear that this en-
of getting our economy through these Will another COVID–19 bill solve croachment upon Congress’s authority
next few months. In my view, these every problem we face right now? No, was not an isolated incident but part of
protections are essential. but we could do a lot with this proposal a dangerous pattern Congress has per-
I am hopeful that both sides can now to help the most vulnerable individuals mitted over many decades and under
come together and find common just get by for the next several months many Presidents. And make no mis-
ground on liability protections that we rather than slip into poverty, rather take—the hyperpartisanship that af-
can all support. Several of my col- than miss out on mortgage payments flicts Congress far too often aids and
leagues are working on a proposal here, or miss out on their rent, miss out on abets this lamentable historical trend.
right now, in the U.S. Senate. All of their car payments, and other bad out- By pursuing a bipartisan response to
this gives us hope that we will have comes. We can help the most vulner- this Executive overreach, TOM helped
better days around the corner. able businesses keep their lights on and to make real progress in defending the
By the way, this proposal is not what their employees on payroll. Frankly, separation of powers.
any of us would write. It is not the pro- this is work we should have been doing It has been a pleasure to work with
posal I would write. It is not the pro- months ago, but we are here now. Let’s Tom on many other issues over the
posal our Presiding Officer, who is here get it done. years. From land conservation and en-
in the Chamber, would write. Person- My hope is that we can end this year vironmental protection to rural health
ally, I would put more emphasis on tax by recapturing that spirit of biparti- care and pandemic relief, he has been
incentives for hiring. We have some sanship that was on display in March an informed and effective legislative
good proposals for that. I would put tax of this year when we passed the CARES partner.
incentives in place to get businesses to package here in the U.S. Senate by a TOM leaves the Senate with an im-
reopen safely—one called the healthy vote of 96 to nothing. That doesn’t hap- pressive record of accomplishments.
workplaces tax credit so they could get pen very often. The CARES Act was Even more important, he leaves a leg-
compensated for putting up the parti- not a perfect bill either, but we all rec- acy of reverence for our Constitution
tions or for having the PPE and pro- ognized it was a bill needed for the mo- and courage in defending it. I thank
viding safer work environments. I ment. I hope we can also recognize that him for his service to the people of our
would expand the work opportunity tax another bill is needed now even if it is Nation and wish him well in the years
credit to help those, again, who are on not perfect. Let’s build on the bipar- to come.
the sidelines in order to bring them tisan proposal we have put forward, f
back to work through a credit. I would and let’s ensure that the people we rep-
help with regard to the employee re- resent get the targeted economic relief REMEMBERING ERNIE BAPTISTA
tention credit, which was in the they desperately need in the coming ∑ Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President,
CARES Act, that could pick up some of months. we recently lost a great Rhode Is-
these companies that aren’t picked up Folks, let’s not leave for the holidays lander, Ernie Baptista.
by the PPP program, companies that until we have done that. Ernie was immensely successful in
have slightly more employees, let’s I yield the floor. his professional life; his wise counsel
say, so that they don’t otherwise qual- f was sought not just around the country
ify. but around the globe. Ernie was also a
So there is more I would like to do, TRIBUTE TO TOM UDALL civic-minded community leader at
but do you know what? This proposal is Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, when home, with a passion for politics. He
needed. It is needed so badly that, of Senator TOM UDALL announced last immersed himself in Rhode Island’s po-
course, all of us, regardless of our par- year that he would not seek reelection, litical whirl, where he was well liked
ticular interests or our particular he said, ‘‘The worst thing anyone in and well regarded by people of many
ideas, know it is right, and all of us public office can do is believe the office different political perspectives. Ernie’s
should get behind it. Let’s not make belongs to them, rather than to the keen insight and advice was relied
the perfect the enemy of the good—I people they represent.’’ Throughout his

SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
upon by many candidates, including
would even say the enemy of the nec- more than three decades of service to myself and Senator REED. We both
essary. Targeted relief now, I think, is his State and to our Nation, TOM has treasured Ernie’s quick wit, sharp in-
the right approach. demonstrated time and again his ad- tellect, and great sense of humor. He
Most importantly, all of these sig- herence to that principle. As New was bright, insightful, and loyal and al-
nificant economic problems I laid out Mexico’s attorney general, Congress- ways provided wise counsel.
and the healthcare crisis I laid out man, and Senator, he has always treat- Ernie enjoyed the good things in life:
need to be addressed now. As I said ear- ed public office as a public trust. good friends, good meals, and good

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