Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., Dec. 16, 2020)

Summary

This is S7511 of the Congressional Record, the opening of the proceedings for Wednesday, December 16, 2020, Vol. 166, No. 213, with interleaved columns. After the prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, Mr. McConnell, under the heading Coronavirus, says the Democratic leader and he worked into the night and will not leave town until they have made law, and that vaccine distribution money and a renewed Paycheck Protection Program are needed. Mr. Grassley, under the heading Iowa, describes his county meetings and the derecho windstorm that destroyed 800,000 acres of crops. Under Tribute to Pat Roberts, Mr. McConnell offers a parting tribute to the senior Senator from Kansas, who will leave at the end of the 116th Congress.

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Cite this document

“Coronavirus (Cong. Rec., Dec. 16, 2020).” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-12-16-crec-2020-12-16-pt1-pgs7511-6-fb0e65ae29/, SHA-256 cdc0a3c93759cedb92fee41523fb77f04c3fd4314ce15bde79ea3cead28a4fb2.

Full text

Congressional Record
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116 th CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION
United States
of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE

Vol. 166 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2020 No. 213

Senate
The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was a Q&A in every one of those counties. tinuing these urgent discussions until
called to order by the President pro This annual tradition keeps me in we have an agreement, and we agreed
tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). touch with the grassroots of Iowa and we will not leave town until we have
f allows me to bring their ideas to the made law.
policymaking tables here in Wash- The American people need more help.
PRAYER ington, DC. It is that simple. Further targeted re-
The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- With all the twists and turns this lief is now months overdue. We need
fered the following prayer: year took, my county meetings were vaccine distribution money. We need to
Let us pray. more beneficial than ever. I just want re-up the Paycheck Protection Pro-
Eternal Spirit, our hope for the years to mention a couple of these twists and gram to save jobs. We need to continue
to come, today, teach our lawmakers turns. to provide for laid-off Americans. Con-
to do things Your way, embracing Your The twist and turns involved the big gressional leaders on both sides are
precepts and walking in Your path. In- devastating windstorm we called the going to keep working until we get this
spire them to trust You for safety. As ‘‘derecho’’ that went through central done.
they receive guidance from You and Iowa, destroying 800,000 acres of crops. f
follow Your leading, replace anxiety Those twists and turns involved deal-
with calm, confusion with clarity, and TRIBUTE TO PAT ROBERTS
ing with all the issues coming from
pessimism with hope. COVID–19. Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, now
Lord, guide our Senators to find One thing I know for sure, Iowans are on a completely different matter, it is
workable solutions for the problems of very resilient people. So I look forward both my honor and unhappy duty to
our Nation and world. to continuing these county meetings offer one more parting tribute to a dis-
You are our God, and the good things and the Q&A’s involved with them at tinguished Senator who will leave us at
we have come from You. the beginning of the new year. the end of the 116th Congress.
We pray in Your marvelous Name. I yield the floor. My good friend the senior Senator
Amen. I suggest the absence of a quorum. from Kansas, PAT ROBERTS, is pre-
f The PRESIDING OFFICER. The paring to close out the longest congres-
clerk will call the roll. sional tenure the Sunflower State has
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The senior assistant legislative clerk ever seen.
The President pro tempore led the proceeded to call the roll. When PAT arrived in Washington as a
Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I freshman House Member, he was a
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the ask unanimous consent that the order young man among giants—Byrd, Ste-
United States of America, and to the Repub- for the quorum call be rescinded. vens, Dole. But over the past four dec-
lic for which it stands, one nation under God, The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without ades, the name ‘‘Roberts’’ has come to
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. objection, it is so ordered. define its own iconic brand of heart-
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. f land statesmanship.
ALEXANDER). The Senator from Iowa. PAT is the first to admit he didn’t es-
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY tablish that name all on his own. He
unanimous consent for 1 minute in LEADER inherited it from another great Kan-
morning business, please. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- san. Charles Wesley Roberts was a ma-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without jority leader is recognized. rine, a journalist, and a leader in Re-
objection, it is so ordered. f publican politics.
f So get ready to experience some deja
CORONAVIRUS vu, because at age 16, our future col-
IOWA Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, the league got to attend the 1952 conven-
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, we Democratic leader and I worked into tion that nominated Kansas’s own Gen-
all know that, without a doubt, 2020 the evening alongside the Speaker of eral Eisenhower. That early taste of
has been a difficult year. But for me it the House and the House Republican politics planted a seed.
was an important year to continue leader. We made major headway toward PAT earned his own Marine Corps
fighting for Iowans and listening to hammering out a targeted pandemic commission. In fact, he served with the
Iowans. relief package that would be able to first contingent to return to Iwo Jima,
This year I completed my 40th year pass both Chambers with bipartisan where his father had fought 15 years

rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with SENATE
of my 99 county meetings that included majorities. We committed to con- earlier.

∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.

S7511

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