Congressional Record, Senate, December 16, 2020, Page S7520
Summary
A page of the Congressional Record, Senate, dated December 16, 2020, at page S7520. It begins with the end of an objection to passing a FARA bill without a committee markup, and Mr. Grassley says he is disappointed after the objection is heard, calls Senator Menendez a serious legislator and says he will keep working on it in the next Congress. Under the heading Coronavirus, a Senator hopes the Senate is closing in on the next COVID-19 relief bill, stresses distribution of the vaccine under Warp Speed and support for people whose livelihoods were upended, and recalls the unemployment rate reaching 14.7 percent in April. The page ends with remarks on women veterans seeking care at the VA and a call to pass coronavirus and economic relief.
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“Congressional Record, Senate, December 16, 2020, Page S7520.”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-12-16-crec-2020-12-16-pt1-pgs7520-a78a5735d0/
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S7520 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 16, 2020
So, respectfully, these changes mined, and they are relentless, so I lions—maybe hundreds of millions—of
should not pass this body without care- hope that just this little colloquy people.
ful consideration by the committee of today will help alert more of our col- States are dipping into their other
jurisdiction. A committee markup is leagues about the importance of our sources of funding to ensure they have
the appropriate vehicle for considering working together to address this. I the capabilities to carry out this wide-
such changes to assess the ramifica- look forward to being part of that proc- spread effort, but it takes specialized
tions of the changes in this bill and to ess. equipment from ultralow temperature
see if other changes are warranted. Nothing happens very quickly around freezers to store the vaccine, to masks
I stand ready and willing to work this place. Sometimes you have to and gloves and other PPE to protect
with Chairman RISCH, Senator GRASS- work on things for years to get them those administering it, and it is easy to
LEY, and other colleagues to make any done. see that the costs add up quickly.
needed changes to FARA, but because CORONAVIRUS So the time for politicking and cam-
of all of these concerns that I have, I Mr. President, speaking of working paigning is over. Now is the time for us
would object today to passing this bill hard to solve problems, my hope is that to solve this problem and ensure that
out of the Senate without first giving we are closing in on our ability to pass this vaccine distribution program goes
the committee the opportunity to con- the next COVID–19 relief bill. As the off without a hitch. This is the silver
sider it and other potential reforms. Presiding Officer knows, we have been bullet we have been praying for and
I urge my colleagues to give us the at this for a while. hoping for, and it would be shameful if
opportunity to work through this to- It has been since March that we our partisan dysfunction in Congress
gether and ensure the Foreign Assets passed the CARES Act, and we have stood in the way of the success of Oper-
Registration Act is fit for the 21st cen- tried a number of times to try to pass ation Warp Speed.
tury. And because of that, I do object. additional relief for our small busi- Second, we must support the men
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec- nesses and individuals, provide more and women whose livelihoods have
tion is heard. resources to our frontline healthcare been upended by the pandemic. We all
The Senator from Iowa. workers—make sure that they have the know that. We have done a lot, but we
Mr. GRASSLEY. Of course I am dis- PPE, the testing and that the vaccine need to do more.
appointed, but I know that Senator that is now here can be deployed in a We didn’t know in March how long
MENENDEZ is a serious legislator, and if way that as many Americans who can this virus would last, how many
what we have to do to do something in get the vaccine as possible will do so. lockdowns would ensue.
this area is work into the next Con- Again, we know that the intervening In April, as businesses closed doors to
gress on this issue, I look forward to election has been a problem because stop the spread of the virus, our na-
continuing to work for it. some people saw benefits to not solving tionwide unemployment rate sky-
The reason I am kind of disappointed the problem, and that would somehow rocketed to 14.7 percent. Tens of mil-
is the fact that we had two Democratic gain them advantage at the ballot box. lions of Americans simply had no way
bills and two Republican bills. I intro- And still, today, there are still dis- to earn a paycheck, cover their bills, or
duced my first bill in 2017, and it took agreements over a handful of con- even put food on their table. Many re-
a lot of work to put together the bill troversial provisions, but as we enter lied on the bolstered unemployment in-
that I asked unanimous consent on, to the final days of the 116th Congress, it surance benefits provided through the
work out the differences with several is now time to break that stalemate. CARES Act, which helped cover bills
different approaches, and I thought There is no doubt in my mind that and expenses until they were able to
that we had taken everything into con- every Member of this body has a little resume their jobs.
sideration, particularly bringing to- different vision about what the next re- Fortunately, our economic engine did
gether people from the Intelligence lief package should look like, but as not remain stalled for long. That is not
Committee and the Judiciary Com- the old saying goes, we shouldn’t let only due to what we have done here but
mittee that had interest in this legisla- the perfect be the enemy of the good. what the Federal Reserve has done.
tion as well. The search for compromise—which is And over the past several months, the
Maybe another reason I am dis- really part of our job description here— unemployment rate has gradually
appointed out of that hard work that on some of the most controversial ticked down and reached 6.7 percent in
so many people put into this is the fact measures has left us emptyhanded, and November.
that on the part of particularly our it is time to set aside those pieces that I have no doubt that we will continue
Democratic colleagues, we have heard we can’t agree on and make progress to rebuild our economy and put more
so much over the years, lecturing on the ones we can. people back to work who are eager to
about foreign influence, and that is First and foremost is funding for vac- get back to work. But the reality is, it
why I thought it would be easy to move cine distribution that I alluded to a is going to take a while.
forward today, and I am sorry it is not, moment ago. Last week, the FDA ap- There are still workers with no way
but I look forward to January and proved the first COVID–19 vaccine, and to earn a paycheck, and unless we take
starting over again and working with the process of vaccinating our frontline action, they are sure to face an even
Senator MENENDEZ to get this job done. healthcare workers is already under- more dire economic strain in the days
Hopefully, it will not take 3 years more way. And there is a good chance that ahead. The day after Christmas—the
to get something done. by this time next week, millions of day after Christmas—two key pro-
I yield the floor. doses of a second approved vaccine will grams from the CARES Act expire,
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- be en route to hospitals across the which will leave millions of Americans
ator from Texas. country. without the jobless benefits that they
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I look There is no question that the race to and their families need to survive. It
forward to working with the Senator develop an effective COVID vaccine has would be a shame, it would be embar-
from New Jersey and the Senator from been a success. It has really been noth- rassing and, frankly, just flat negligent
Iowa. As I said, this is a very serious ing short of a miracle. Now it is crit- on our part if we did not intervene to
problem for the U.S. Government, and, ical we take additional actions to en- make sure that we establish a con-
thus, for the American people. sure the race to distribute the vaccine tinuum of support for these folks who,
One of our greatest assets is also one is successful as well. through no fault of their own, find
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of our greatest vulnerabilities. We are We have been waiting and planning themselves without work.
an open society. Our adversaries are for a vaccine all year, but the funding These are the same people who,
not, and, thus, they use things like the Congress provided in the CARES Act to again, through no fault of their own,
internet for information warfare, help execute the nationwide distribu- had the rug pulled out from under
whereas we see it as a valuable tool to tion project has run dry. While the cost them earlier this year, and we can’t
do business, to stay in touch with our of the vaccine itself is already covered, leave them hanging. We have to help.
families, and to communicate with one there are a host of other expenses that Third, we need to continue sup-
another. Our adversaries are deter- come with vaccinating tens of mil- porting our small businesses. Congress
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December 16, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7521
invested $670 billion in the Paycheck lief bill, and I guarantee all 535 Mem- expanding care options women can ac-
Protection Program. Every time I say bers of Congress would like to see more cess at the VA to reduce the need for
a number like that—or $3 trillion—I for other things in the relief bill. But referrals to community care, increas-
still have to pinch myself that we are the fact of the matter is, we have been ing trained medical professionals who
spending the money. We need to spend unable to reach an agreement on a bill specialize in women’s health issues,
this money in order to meet this pan- that includes the most controversial and enhancing privacy in exam rooms.
demic, but the Paycheck Protection priorities, and it is time to take action These are reasonable steps that the VA
Program, in particular, has been a life- where we can act and where we do have can implement to ensure equitable ac-
line for America’s small business own- consensus and come back next year and cess to services.
ers, especially in my State. try to do more and try to do better. The good news is, we are one step
Texas received more than $41 billion Each of these areas I just men- closer to making these upgrades a re-
through more than 417,000 individual tioned—support for vaccines, our work- ality, thanks to Senate passage of the
PPP loans. This has given our busi- ers, and small businesses—have that Deborah Sampson Act. The Veterans’
nesses the resources they need to stay sort of strong bipartisan support. So I Affairs ranking committee member,
afloat and stay connected to their em- think all 100 of us—whether Repub- JON TESTER, and I introduced this leg-
ployees until things can return to licans, Independents, or Democrats— islation, fittingly, named after a Revo-
whatever the next normal is. should be able to line up behind a bill lutionary War veteran who disguised
But we know the process is hap- that supports these goals. Over the last herself as a man to help defeat the
pening much faster for some businesses several days, we have seen more bipar- British. In her spirit, we must do more
than others. It is interesting: A number tisan communication and cooperation to address the gender disparities at the
of businesses, I would say, are flour- than we saw in months—in the months VA.
ishing during the pandemic—it is real- leading up to this point, certainly since We used the recommendations we
ly, really interesting—while others are March. And I hope we are able to reach heard from veterans in Arkansas, Mon-
just flat on their backs or nonexistent. an agreement and pass another relief tana, and all across the country to de-
Many small businesses that have al- bill before gaveling out. As a matter of velop our legislation to eliminate the
ready received PPP loans are still op- barriers to care. The Deborah Sampson
fact, I heard the majority leader say we
erating at a significant loss. They are Act creates a dedicated Office of Wom-
are not leaving until we do, and I agree
unable to bring in enough revenue to en’s Health at the VA, expands the re-
with that.
keep their businesses and employees The American people have repeatedly integration and readjustment group,
above water, and they need more as- called on Congress to provide support counseling retreats for women veterans
sistance. Again, that is because of a for those hit hardest by this pandemic, and their families, and improves call
lack of demand or because of restric- center services.
and we simply cannot and will not let
tions governments have placed on peo- It increases the number of gender-
them down.
ple in the interest of public health— I yield the floor. specific providers and coordinators in
some of them seemingly pretty arbi- The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. VA facilities, trains clinicians, and ret-
trary. I won’t go down that path here. BLUNT). The Senator from Arkansas. rofits VA facilities to bolster privacy
But these folks need help. DEBORAH SAMPSON ACT and improve the environment. It pro-
Currently, those businesses aren’t el-
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I rise vides access to legal services for
igible for a second draw of the PPP,
today to recognize a significant legisla- women veterans and expands childcare
and unless we want Main Streets
across the country to turn into ghost tive victory the Senate delivered for for veterans receiving healthcare at
towns, that needs to change. We need women veterans that will eliminate the VA.
barriers to care and services that many These are just a few of the improve-
to reopen the PPP with additional
women face when accessing the Depart- ments this bill requires the VA to im-
funding for the hardest hit businesses
ment of Veterans Affairs. plement so we can better serve the
to receive a second loan. This is the
The VA estimates that women make needs of women veterans.
most effective way of keeping Ameri- I appreciate the leadership of Senator
up approximately 10 percent of our Na-
cans connected with their employers TESTER and the support of veterans
tion’s veteran population. That number
and more small businesses on track for service organizations and encourage
is expected to increase to more than 16
a strong postpandemic recovery. Members of Congress to support this
There are a number of other busi- percent within the next 25 years. As a
result, the number of women veterans legislation. I applaud the Senate for
nesses—small businesses—that didn’t
receiving healthcare from the VA has advancing the legislation and urge my
qualify for the PPP which need our as-
sistance, too. Things like small, inde- more than tripled since 2000. colleagues in the House of Representa-
pendent music venues are the best ex- The changing face of our military re- tives to quickly approve this bill so we
ample of a critical Main Street indus- quires us to reexamine how we can best can ensure women who serve in uni-
try that is dying under the current serve these veterans. The VA has been form receive the care and services that
COVID restrictions. slow to modernize its delivery of they so earned.
That is why I worked with our friend healthcare and benefits to support Also, as always, I want to thank the
from Minnesota, Senator KLOBUCHAR, their needs. Women veterans are more staffs of myself and Senator TESTER
to introduce the Save Our Stages Act, likely to face homelessness, unemploy- who worked so hard in this regard, and,
which will keep independent venues ment, and go without needed medical simply, this would not have become
across America from closing their healthcare. They are reluctant to turn law without their tremendous efforts.
doors for good. This wouldn’t just to the VA for help. More than 50 per- So, with that, I yield the floor.
apply to live music venues in Austin, cent of women veterans believe they The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr.
TX. This would apply to symphonies are not entitled to or eligible for VA BRAUN). The Senator from Wyoming.
and, potentially, Broadway. This would care. We must do more to fulfill our CORONAVIRUS
apply across the board. promise. Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I
I am proud to say that 56 of our col- We need to create a culture at the come to the floor today to ask our
leagues have cosponsored the Save Our VA that welcomes women veterans and Democratic colleagues to join us Re-
Stages Act, making it one of the most makes them feel like they belong. It is publicans in providing immediate re-
widely supported stimulus proposals long overdue, and we need to update lief—relief in the fight against
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before the Senate. the belief that when a women seeks coronavirus and economic relief for the
Again, I know the Presiding Officer care at the VA, it is because her hus- people of this country.
has had his shoulder to the grindstone band is the veteran. So often, it is not Americans don’t ask much of their
on this topic for a long time now. We uncommon for a veteran employee to government, but they are asking us for
still have a lot of work to do, but we pass a woman in line and ask, you something right now. No. 1, they are
don’t have much time. know, is her husband around. asking to help control the spread of the
Beyond these three goals, there is a Arkansans have shared with me sug- coronavirus, and, No. 2, they are asking
lot more I would like to see in the re- gestions for improvement that include: to help with an economic recovery.
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