Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., Dec. 9, 2020)
Summary
The Congressional Record, Volume 166, No. 208, for Wednesday, December 9, 2020, with Senate proceedings beginning at page S7289. Mr. Grassley recognizes the Iowa Air National Guard's 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City for an Air Force unit award. Under the heading Coronavirus, Mr. McConnell says Congress should make a law on COVID relief, citing small business employees who rely on the Paycheck Protection Program and federal aid programs nearing expiration, and criticizes the Speaker and the Democratic leader for delaying action. Later remarks call for strengthening defenses against the Chinese Communist Party's espionage and influence campaigns through CFIUS reform and pay tribute to a Lexington, Kentucky educator.
Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used
Cite this document
“Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., Dec. 9, 2020).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-12-09-crec-2020-12-09-pt1-pgs7289-6-40eb132b97/
, SHA-256 cebc01afbc2fc7b47645904a8ea398cb646f0bd01c41da0523ffb25e7d037f51.Full text
Congressional Record
E PL
UR M
IB NU
U U
S
116 th CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION
United States
of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE
Vol. 166 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2020 No. 208
Senate
The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was This award was earned for the wing’s pect they might be laid off now, with
called to order by the President pro exceptional service to the Air Force in vaccines just around the corner, be-
tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). 2019, which included the usual thou- cause Washington fumbles the ball in
f sands of flying hours and refueling, but the red zone.
it also included things like the human- There are medically vulnerable
PRAYER itarian efforts of this wing’s effort in Americans who have watched Oper-
The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- the multiple Puerto Rican natural dis- ation Warp Speed appear to succeed at
fered the following prayer: asters. a historic pace, but Congress can’t even
Let us pray. In addition, the 185th Wing has been agree to fully fund the distribution ef-
Eternal God, we praise You that You working tirelessly to support cleanup forts that will get the vaccines to peo-
continue to rescue us from ourselves. efforts from this great windstorm in ple.
We will tell about the wonders You Iowa called the derecho, which wiped There are Americans who have been
have worked on our behalf. We are born out 800,000 acres of crops through the thrown out of work, through no fault of
in sin and formed by iniquity, but Your middle of Iowa. It also included such their own, who are watching Federal
power continues to transform. things that they may not be recognized aid programs tick toward expiration in
Lord, You have kept us from stum- for enough—helping with the COVID–19 a few weeks, even though neither side
bling and disgrace. Continue to provide testings in the State of Iowa. in Congress opposes extending them.
Senate Republicans have made one
our Senators with the blessings of Your So I say congratulations to the 185th
offer after another after another to try
mercy and peace. Lead them not into Wing, and, most importantly, thank
and make law on all the significant
temptation, but deliver them from evil. you for your dedication to serving our
areas where nobody even disagrees. We
Use our lawmakers to restore health State and country.
spent July, August, September, Octo-
and unity to a nation desperately de- I yield the floor.
ber, and November trying different
siring Your purposes to prevail. May I suggest the absence of a quorum. ways to create common ground, but
Your favor keep us all secure. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The the Speaker of the House and the Sen-
We pray in Your loving Name. Amen. clerk will call the roll. ate Democratic leader have been just
f The senior assistant legislative clerk as consistent. At every turn, they have
proceeded to call the roll. delayed, deflected, moved the goal-
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I posts, and made the huge number of
The President pro tempore led the ask unanimous consent that the order places where Congress agrees into a
Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: for the quorum call be rescinded. hostage—into a hostage—of the few
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without places where we do not agree.
United States of America, and to the Repub- objection, it is so ordered. Back in the summertime, I pointed
lic for which it stands, one nation under God, f
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
out the obvious. I said leading Demo-
RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY crats simply just didn’t want any more
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. BAR- help to reach American families before
RASSO). The Senator from Iowa. LEADER
the election occurred. The other side
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- claimed great offense; how insulting to
unanimous consent to speak for 1 jority leader is recognized. even suggest that such cynicism might
minute in morning business. f be at play.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without And now they are admitting it out
objection, it is so ordered. CORONAVIRUS
loud. Yesterday, on CNN, the Demo-
f Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, the cratic whip was asked point-blank why
American people are hurting. We are in the Speaker and the Democratic leader
RECOGNIZING THE IOWA AIR NA- the thick of one of the worst national were so unwilling to play ball back in
TIONAL GUARD’S 185TH AIR RE- crises in modern memory, and people’s the autumn. The No. 2 Democrat re-
FUELING WING eyes are fixed on Congress. They need sponded: ‘‘[Well], there was some exu-
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, on the House and the Senate to stop chas- berance involved because an election
November 27, it was announced that ing our tails and make a law. was coming.’’ Well, he gets points for
the Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th There are small business employees candor: ‘‘because an election was com-
Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City, IA, who have held onto their jobs all this ing.’’
has been awarded the Air Force Out- time because of the Paycheck Protec- A few days ago, Speaker PELOSI told
standing Unit Award. tion Program but are facing the pros- reporters why she reversed months of
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.
S7289
.
VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:42 Dec 10, 2020 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A09DE6.000 S09DEPT1
S7290 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 9, 2020
statements and suddenly began dis- spent months ensuring that unem- and critical infrastructure. Allied
cussing comparatively more reasonable ployed Californians can’t have jobless countries are following our lead, and
sums of money. Her answer was simple. aid extended and California restaurants public and private sector cooperation
She thinks the Presidential election can’t get another round of PPP unless has improved to defend the institu-
went the way she wanted. The Speaker the Governor of California gets a Fed- tions, alliances, and international
of the House views it as a success that eral slush fund out of proportion to any order the CCP wants to disrupt.
she denied struggling people relief they proven need. The administration has worked with
badly needed for months because she Do working families agree they international partners to ensure the se-
thinks she got the political result she should not get any more help them- curity of 5G, reassert freedom of navi-
was after. selves unless the Governors and State gation in the South China Sea, and
I count no fewer than 10 separate legislators get a controversial bailout? blunt harmful elements of China’s
times that top Democrats rejected or Are struggling Americans saying: exploitive Belt and Road Initiative.
blocked various Republican efforts to Thank goodness the Democrats are Of course, more needs to be done,
jump-start the process, so here is just a bravely—bravely—blocking help for me particularly on human rights. The
partial sampling. and my family unless my State politi- treatment of Hongkongers in the spot-
In July, Republicans sketched a com- cians get some more cash? I would say light reminds the world of the ways we
prehensive plan for safe schools, jobs, not. know Beijing is treating Uighurs and
and healthcare. We could have made Our people need more help. There is a Tibetans in the shadows.
law in July, but the Democratic leader huge list of helpful policies that both And if China treats its own citizens
wouldn’t even engage with it. Just be- sides agree on. This need not be rocket with brutal violence, just think how it
fore August, Republicans tried to at science. But we can’t do a thing unless plans to treat its neighbors. So I wel-
least extend unemployment aid before the Democrats decide they actually come the latest sanctions imposed by
it expired. Democrats blocked that as want to make a law. the administration and the latest au-
well. f thorities granted by Congress. We are
In September, we tried something raising the stakes for China’s repres-
else: a targeted effort to spend hun- CHINA
sion, but our work isn’t over. Our part-
dreds of billions of dollars for PPP, Mr. MCCONNELL. Now, Mr. Presi- ners will continue to look to us to lead
vaccine development, and other prior- dent, on another matter entirely. Last with a tone of zero tolerance for this
ities. Every Democrat who voted week, the struggle to preserve freedom behavior. The United States must con-
blocked us from even debating it, and and autonomy in Hong Kong was dealt tinue to work alongside China’s peace-
they did it a second time a month later another disturbing blow. ful neighbors and our democratic al-
in October. On Thursday, Jimmy Lai, a promi- lies, like Japan and Australia. We must
Last week, after speaking with the nent media figure and pro-democracy give voice to those in Hong Kong,
administration, I made yet another activist, was denied bail. The Chinese Xinjiang, and Tibet who have been re-
overture. The Democratic leader said: Communist Party continues cracking pressed and jailed. We must stand
No thanks. And just yesterday, the down on dissent and free speech. Not against the worst instincts and actions
Speaker and the Democratic leader long ago, the international community of the Communist Party.
brushed off two different overtures in hoped China’s modernization would f
the space of about 2 hours. create more respect for basic freedoms.
I suggested that both sides drop what Unfortunately, the CCP has just mar- REMEMBERING EMMANUEL
seemed to be the most controversial shaled new tools for making its oppres- ‘‘MANNY’’ CAULK
demand in the eyes of our counter- sion even more stifling. Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, now
parts. Democrats continued to oppose Internationally, we have seen the on one final matter, last week, stu-
commonsense legal protections that Chinese Communist Party find more dents and families in Kentucky were
university presidents have been beg- success exporting its warped vision met with tragic news. On Friday,
ging for, and Republicans see no need into the global public square than the Manny Caulk, the superintendent of
to send huge sums of money to State free world has had getting Beijing to Fayette County Schools, passed away
and local governments whose tax reve- respect the rules of the road. unexpectedly.
nues have actually gone up—gone up. For the last 4 years, thanks to this Manny was the first member of his
Negotiating 101 suggests we set those administration’s leadership and this family to graduate from college. In
two controversial pieces aside and plow Senate, we have begun exchanging the 2015, he assumed responsibility for the
ahead with a huge pile of things that old naivete about China for a smarter second largest school district in Ken-
we agree on, but that would require and tougher approach. Through new tucky. An education had changed his
both sides to truly want to get an out- national security and national defense life, literally, and he wanted to share
come. strategies, the United States has com- that gift with others. And by all ac-
Just hours after Democrats poured mitted to deterring a new wave of counts, he did just that.
cold water on that, Secretary Mnuchin threats from near-peer competitors Manny encouraged his students to
tried another new tack and sent over like China and Russia. aim high and helped them exceed ex-
an offer, and in a bizarre and schizo- Reforms to our budgets and policies pectations, starting with his first stu-
phrenic press release, the Speaker and are underway. We have used NDAAs dents in a county detention center,
the leader said the administration was and appropriations to invest in a mili- and, in 2018, his colleagues chose him
obstructing negotiations by negoti- tary that is prepared to meet and de- as Kentucky’s ‘‘Superintendent of the
ating. Two more brush-offs in about 2 feat these threats. Maintaining our Year.’’
hours. More deflection, more delay, and edge will mean sustaining these re- I was glad to have Manny’s partner-
more suffering for innocent Americans. forms, along with strong diplomacy, to ship as we worked to protect Kentucky
Can anyone point to a single sign—a counter China’s influence. families from COVID–19. At every step,
single sign—from April through now, In coordination with the executive he kept focused on the well-being of
that Democratic leaders have seriously branch, our Intelligence Committee Lexington students.
wanted another bipartisan deal to be- has highlighted the need for everyone Over the weekend, condolences
come law? Can anybody name one to strengthen their defenses against poured in as we reflected on Manny’s
way—just one—the Democratic leaders the CCP’s espionage, intellectual prop- lasting contributions. I would like to
would have behaved differently if their erty theft, and political influence cam- add the Senate’s gratitude for this top-
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
singular goal was to kill any com- paigns. tier educator. Our prayers are with
promise? That hypothetical world Senators CORNYN and FEINSTEIN, in Manny’s wife Christol and their chil-
looks suspiciously like the world we particular, have led bipartisan efforts dren at this very difficult time.
have been living in. to reform CFIUS and protect against I suggest the absence of a quorum.
Think of it. We have a Speaker of the predatory foreign investments aimed The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
House from San Francisco who has at threatening or stealing high-tech clerk will call the roll.
VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:42 Dec 10, 2020 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G09DE6.002 S09DEPT1
File and source
- File
- CREC_crec-2020-12-09_crec-2020-12-09-pt1-pgs7289-6.pdf
- Size
- 294,505 bytes
- SHA-256
- cebc01afbc2fc7b47645904a8ea398cb646f0bd01c41da0523ffb25e7d037f51
- Original
- www.govinfo.gov