Government Funding (Cong. Rec., Dec. 20, 2020)
Summary
This is S7857 of the Congressional Record, Senate, December 20, 2020, a Sunday session, with interleaved columns. A cloture vote on the nomination of Brian Noland, of Tennessee, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority takes place, and Rollcall Vote No. 281 records yeas 84 and nays 5. Under the heading Government Funding, Mr. Cornyn says government funding is scheduled to expire at 12 midnight and that the Senate should avoid another government shutdown. Under the heading Coronavirus, he says more than 315,000 Americans have died, calls for compromise on a relief package, and says he hopes it will include legislation to help the hardest hit small businesses. The views are attributed to the speaker.
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“Government Funding (Cong. Rec., Dec. 20, 2020).”
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December 20, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7857
Mitch McConnell, Lamar Alexander, The motion is agreed to. many of them have no access to
Rick Scott, Tom Cotton, Mike Crapo, The Senator from Texas. broadband. They may not have suffi-
Cory Gardner, Ron Johnson, James GOVERNMENT FUNDING cient supervision at home to help them
Lankford, Roger F. Wicker, Marco
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, the fact through their studies. To me, it is in-
Rubio, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Thom Tillis,
Shelley Moore Capito, John Boozman,
that we are here on a Sunday indicates credible that we expect to put children
Joni Ernst, Mike Braun, Pat Roberts. to me something is different about who are in elementary school in front
The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unan- what we are about and, to me, speaks of computer screens for 8 hours a day
imous consent, the mandatory quorum to a sense of urgency that we ought to and expect them to get what they need
call has been waived. have to complete our work before the in terms of their education.
The question is, Is it the sense of the Christmas holiday, and there are few Of course, none of this is news. We
Senate that debate on the nomination things more pressing than our agenda have known about not only the need
of Brian Noland, of Tennessee, to be a today. but the urgency of each of these prior-
Member of the Board of Directors of Government funding, as we know, is ities for months now. Unfortunately,
the Tennessee Valley Authority for a scheduled to expire at 12 midnight to- the partisan dysfunction leading up to
term expiring May 18, 2024, shall be night, and unless we take action in the the election prevented us from making
brought to a close? next few hours, our country will be more progress since the CARES Act
The yeas and nays are mandatory thrown into another government shut- was passed last March. Yet, with the
under the rule. down. I hope every Member of this election in November, we finally saw
The clerk will call the roll. body can understand why this is simply some interest on the part of congres-
The legislative clerk called the roll. not an option. I have heard some peo- sional leaders on both sides of the
Mr. THUNE. The following Senators ple talk about, well, it is not a real aisle, on both sides of the Capitol, in
are necessarily absent: the Senator shutdown if it happens for just a few negotiating a compromise.
from Tennessee (Mr. ALEXANDER), the hours or a couple of days over the There are many of our colleagues—
Senator from North Carolina (Mr. weekend, but I think the appearance is some of whom are sitting here in the
BURR), the Senator from Texas (Mr. horrible and speaks to our not living Chamber today—who have dedicated a
CRUZ), the Senator from Wyoming (Mr. up to our responsibility to do this on a lot of time and effort to trying to help
ENZI), the Senator from Nebraska (Mrs. timely basis and without any lapse in the leadership build a consensus and
FISCHER), the Senator from Georgia government funding. This is not the get to yes, which I hope we will get to
(Mrs. LOEFFLER), the Senator from time to furlough hard-working public very soon. We know there have been a
Kentucky (Mr. PAUL), the Senator from servants or send our various govern- lot of negotiations and a lot of loose
Georgia (Mr. PERDUE), the Senator mental Departments and Agencies into ends, but vaccines, workers, small busi-
from Idaho (Mr. RISCH), and the Sen- chaos. nesses, and schools should be our pri-
ator from South Dakota (Mr. ROUNDS). We need to pass a funding bill that ority.
Further, if present and voting, the will provide stability for the remainder According to the Democratic leader
Senator from Tennessee (Mr. ALEX- of the fiscal year, through the end of and the majority leader, we apparently
ANDER) would have voted ‘‘yea.’’ September next year, and give our gov- are just hours away from finalizing a
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the ernment the ability to operate with bipartisan deal, but none of us have ac-
Senator from California (Ms. HARRIS) is certainty. All you have to do is talk to tually seen the text yet of what this
necessarily absent. the leaders at the Pentagon, and they looks like. The only responsible thing
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. will tell you how chaotic and ineffi- is for us to be able to study it and un-
DAINES). Are there any other Senators cient it is when Congress passes short- derstand exactly what is happening.
in the Chamber desiring to vote? term continuing resolutions, which The House Committee on Rules, pre-
The yeas and nays resulted—yeas 84, speaks to the importance of providing sumably, will meet and pass a rule, and
nays 5, as follows: some certainty and predictability to then it will go to the House floor. I
[Rollcall Vote No. 281 Ex.] the funding stream, but we know gov- know some people are saying we can
YEAS—84 ernment funding is only one of the get this done today. To me, that seems
Baldwin Graham Portman things left to do on our list. unlikely, but I guess we can all hope. I
Barrasso Grassley Reed
Bennet Hassan Roberts
CORONAVIRUS hope we do this responsibly and not
Blackburn Hawley Romney Mr. President, our country is racing just quickly.
Blunt Heinrich Rosen to distribute two now successful vac- We do know that the American peo-
Booker Hirono Rubio
Boozman Hoeven Sasse
cines to bring an end to this pandemic ple are suffering and that this is not
Braun Hyde-Smith Schatz that we have been living through that the time for politics or delay for
Brown Inhofe Schumer has claimed the lives of more than delay’s sake. This is a time to come to-
Cantwell Johnson Scott (FL) 315,000 Americans. Millions of workers gether to compromise and make good
Capito Jones Scott (SC)
Cardin Kaine Shaheen have lost their jobs. They have no in- on the commitment we have made to
Carper Kelly Shelby come. They lost those jobs either support the American people. I am sort
Casey Kennedy Sinema weeks or several months ago and have of expecting smoke signals from some
Cassidy King Smith
Collins Klobuchar Stabenow
been struggling to support themselves quarters, but I hope the signs that we
Coons Lankford Sullivan and their families. Sometimes I won- are all trying to read, the tea leaves
Cornyn Leahy Tester der, as we delay in responding and pro- and the like, become a lot clearer
Cortez Masto Lee Thune viding additional relief, whether those today so that we can chart a clear path
Cotton Manchin Tillis
Cramer McConnell Toomey who receive paychecks have sufficient forward to both government funding
Crapo Menendez Udall empathy for those who are receiving no and coronavirus relief.
Daines Merkley Van Hollen paychecks. Time is of the essence. While the size and shape of this legis-
Durbin Moran Warner Small businesses are crunching the lation is still coming together, I hope
Ernst Murkowski Whitehouse
Feinstein Murphy Wicker numbers, trying to determine how it will include legislation I introduced
Gardner Murray Wyden much longer they can hang on and earlier this year to help some of our
Gillibrand Peters Young keep their employees on the payrolls, if hardest hit small businesses.
NAYS—5 they have been able to at all. Over the last few months, we have
Blumenthal Markey Warren Of course, teachers are doing the best heard much about the incredible suc-
Duckworth Sanders they can to teach our children vir- cess of the Paycheck Protection Pro-
NOT VOTING—11 tually or in hybrid situations, with gram, which deserves all of the acco-
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
Alexander Fischer Perdue
some children going back to the class- lades it has received because it has pro-
Burr Harris Risch room. This has been a tragic cir- vided a vital lifeline to America’s
Cruz Loeffler Rounds cumstance, I believe, particularly for small businesses and their employees.
Enzi Paul many low-income children for whom These loans helped employees make
The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this virtual learning is simply not an op- payroll and cover business expenses
vote, the yeas are 84, the nays are 5. tion or is simply failing them because during the most difficult parts of the
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S7858 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 20, 2020
pandemic, and by any measure, the sult in real relief for the American peo- might add. Yet we cannot find any fur-
program has been an incredible suc- ple. And there is a piece of good news ther funds to help working people in
cess. that I want to be sure to note, and that this country.
But not all small businesses have is that this COVID relief package will I cannot help but note that working
been eligible for the Paycheck Protec- contain direct assistance to working people were the last consideration in
tion Program, and some of the most people. For every working family in the draconian shutdowns earlier this
heavily impacted are our small, inde- this country that needs it, they will be, year that sent so many of them home,
pendent venues. These businesses were under this deal, getting a direct check that cost them their jobs, that cost
the first to close when COVID–19 hit, just like they did in March. them their wages, that cost them their
and they are likely to be the last to Now, that is a victory. There are no healthcare on the job, and they have
open when it is behind us. two ways about it, and we should cele- consistently been the last consider-
Live, cultural, musical, theatrical brate that victory not on our own be- ation in COVID relief in this body ever
events are not only critical cultural in- half but for the many people in this since. Frankly, it is disgraceful and,
stitutions, but they are huge drivers of Nation who desperately need it and frankly, it is unacceptable.
local economies. who, until just a few days ago, could So the work that we are going to do
A single event can provide paychecks expect nothing at all in the way of di- today—and I hope to see a vote on this
not only to the artists and performers rect assistance from this body. floor yet today on this relief—is a
but to lighting and sound technicians, I want to thank those who worked so step—a step—in the right direction,
bartenders, ticket takers, concessions, hard to make sure that this relief was but it is only a step. And I hope that it
and merchandise salesmen, as well as available and is going to the working will be the beginning of a better ap-
security guards, cleaning staff, and the people of this country—not least the proach, the beginning of actually put-
list goes on and on. President of the United States, who ting working Americans first, putting
Unlike restaurants, which have been has been very clear, over and over their needs, putting their independ-
able to offer at least carryout or out- again, that he wants to see direct relief ence, putting their strength, their fam-
door dining, or retailers, which to working families, that it should be ilies, their communities first.
switched to curbside pickup, there is the cornerstone of the bill. Of course, I That ought to be the economic policy
no virtual substitution for these live thank Senator SANDERS for his strong of this Nation. That ought to be the
events. stand on this issue, and it has been a economic policy of this body. And I can
That is why, working with the Sen- privilege to work with him on it. assure you, that is the foundation on
ator from Minnesota, Senator KLO- So this is good news—good news for which economic recovery will be built
BUCHAR, I introduced the Save Our working families, good news for work- because it is the working people of this
Stages Act so that these venues can be ing people just before Christmas, when Nation who power the American econ-
kept afloat so that when we are able to they need the help the most. omy.
put the virus behind us, our favorite, But I have to say that the levels of Don’t believe anything else. We hear
small, independent venues will be able support that I understand will be of- a lot about global capital. We hear
to open their doors once again. fered to working people are hardly ade- about the need to secure the financial
This is a stressful and scary moment quate, and we should not pretend oth- markets—oh, and, by the way, the Fed-
for the Texans who work at and fre- erwise: $600 per person, $600 per child. eral Reserve. We are taking back $430
quent our favorite venues, and the This is a fraction of what was offered billion from the Federal Reserve in
Save Our Stages Act can provide some to working people in the CARES legis- this piece of legislation—$430 billion
hope for these cultural institutions. lation just a few months ago—legisla- from the Federal Reserve—funded to
I am proud to say that 58 of our col- tion, I might add, that every Member the max. Wall Street—funded to the
leagues have cosponsored Save Our of this body voted for—every Member max.
Stages, making it one of the most voted for. Now they will be getting But I say again: Wall Street, capital,
widely supported bipartisan proposals only a portion of that. It all adds up to the financial markets—they are not
before the Senate. about $100 billion. And we are told that the foundation of this economy. The
These final hours of negotiations are there just wasn’t enough left over, that working people of this Nation, the
not the time to try to change the basic there just wasn’t any more available working people of Missouri, the work-
contours of that proposal to benefit for working people. ing people of our other States—they
well-endowed institutions or institu- Yet I notice that in the spending bill are the foundation of this economy,
tions that don’t, frankly, need the that we are also going to vote on as and it is time that they were put first—
money, while these other venues are part of this package, a bill that costs first for COVID relief, first in our eco-
dying unless they get the money. over $1 trillion, we managed to have nomic policy, first in all that we do.
Save Our Stages will benefit beloved, found $65 million for salmon recovery So I hope that this effort to get them
small, independent music venues and in the Pacific, $643 million to carry out direct assistance will be the beginning
other theaters and the like across the international communication activi- of a larger effort to orient our eco-
country and ensure those marquees ties in the Middle East, $116 million for nomic policy and the policy of this Na-
will shine bright once again. the Export-Import Bank, and $118 mil- tion around the strength and the inde-
So as we all know, time is running lion for that sterling example of inter- pendence and the needs of our great
out. The Congress needs to take action national leadership, the World Health working Americans.
and take action soon. Organization, which has done more to I want to end by saying thank you to
We cannot add the stress of another undermine world health in the last them, thank you to the working people
government shutdown to a raging pan- year than I think any international or- of Missouri who have endured through
demic. It is time for us to come to- ganization in the history of the world. this crisis day in and day out, who have
gether and get this done for the Amer- Then there is the so-called bipartisan gone to work as essential workers, who
ican people. proposal, which is the basis for the have taken care of children at home,
I yield the floor. present deal—the bipartisan proposal who have missed shifts at work in
(Mr. HOEVEN assumed the chair.) which included, I might point out, not order to care for loved ones, who have
(Mr. DAINES assumed the chair.) a cent—not a cent—in direct relief for contributed food to others in need even
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. BAR- working people—almost $1 trillion in when they didn’t have enough food for
RASSO). The Senator from Missouri. costs, not one penny in direct relief for themselves, who have gone without in
CORONAVIRUS working people, until it was added re- order to see that their children could
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
Mr. HAWLEY. Mr. President, I rise cently. That proposal included $20 bil- eat.
today to discuss the COVID relief bill lion for higher education—$20 billion. The people of this country, the work-
that I understand is soon to be brought This is going to many universities that ing people who have sacrificed again
before the House and then to this floor. have massive endowments worth bil- and again and again and have borne the
I understand that we have finally, at lions and billions of dollars, most of brunt of this pandemic and have con-
long last, a deal that hopefully will re- that built on the backs of taxpayers, I tinued to show up for their families, for
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