Save Our Stages Act and Coronavirus Relief — Congressional Record, Senate, December 21, 2020
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December 21, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7893
to help during the pandemic and for While Officer Robinson is, fortu- and help for our hospitals and help for
Americans who worked from home to nately, expected to make a recovery, our rural areas—housing, rent, small
help slow the virus’s spread. Officer Shuping, tragically, passed businesses, unemployment, the direct
It is unfortunate that opposition away from his injuries. checks.
from a handful of States with aggres- Jason Shuping was an outstanding I think we all know that there is
sive taxation policies—like the Senate police officer who courageously ran to more work to be done, including next
Democratic leader’s home State of New danger to protect residents of Concord. year, including for our cities and our
York—has so far prevented legislation He was also a loving son and a hus- States, but it is so important that we
like mine from getting through Con- band to his wife Haylee. He was active get this done by the end of the year.
gress. But I will continue to fight for in his community since his childhood. I wanted to focus on something that
tax relief for remote and mobile work- He attended East Rowan High School I have worked on for quite a while with
ers. in Salisbury, and he was an honor stu- Senator CORNYN from Texas. We have
It has been a difficult year for our dent and track and field athlete at done this on a bipartisan basis from
country. There are way too many virus UNC-Pembroke. the beginning, and it is the Save Our
infections, way too many hospitaliza- He was a young man with a bright fu- Stages Act.
tions, way too many people who have ture ahead of him, described by those When we first introduced it in July,
lost loved ones from this dreaded virus. who knew him as a ‘‘gentle soul who we knew that it was going to be a long
It has affected people in so many made an impact.’’ road, and we also knew that the only
ways—their health, their confidence, His hometown paper, the Salisbury way we would get this done is by stick-
their economic standing and status, Post, noted: ‘‘Whether it was staying ing together as a team and by working
their mental health. There are just so after practice to provide coaching to a with other Members of Congress from
many—so many—effects of this, and youngster or coming back home from red and blue States. And by the end—
this winter is likely to be very chal- college to play the handbell in his this bill is included in full in this pack-
lenging. church’s ensemble, you could always age—we had 57 Senators who sponsored
But the encouraging news is that count on Jason Shuping.’’ this bill out of 100, with many more
there is light at the end of the tunnel. It is no surprise to see the outpouring supporting it. We had over 200 House
There is a vaccine out there that will of love coming from the community of Members.
get more widely out there, and thanks Concord to honor his life and service. We worked so hard to make this
to the resources that we put into the There have been a candlelight vigil and about America and American music
first coronavirus bill—the CARES Act a touching law enforcement escort that and American theater and American
that passed last March—those vaccines brought many residents and a long line culture.
have been moving forward at record We all know that you can’t go stand
of American flags proudly displayed.
speed—five times faster than any vac- in a mosh pit in the middle of a pan-
As we gather with our families this
cine in history. demic. These live entertainment
Christmas, my thoughts and prayers
Light is at the end of the tunnel. The venues were among the first businesses
will be with the family of Officer
vaccines are coming. They are going to to close, and they will almost certainly
Shuping, as well as the families of
be proven to be very effective, and be among the last to reopen.
Mount Holly Police Officer Tyler Hern- This was about, yes, Nashville and
there is additional funding in this par-
don and Nash County Deputy Sheriff New York, but it was just as much
ticular legislation that we will vote on
Jared Allison, who also lost their lives about the Fargo Theater or a small,
today to make sure that it gets distrib-
this month in the line of duty. small country music venue in Texas.
uted as quickly as possible.
We are going to make it through Those families are going through an
And while we see the light at the end of
this, and I look forward to sending the unimaginable period of grief, but they
tunnel with the vaccines, we know that
additional relief that is included in should know that the people of North
it will be quite a while before these
this legislation that we will move Carolina are forever grateful for the
businesses, which operate on such thin
through the Senate today and put on selfless service of their loved ones, and
margins as it is, can keep going.
the President’s desk, where he can sign I will never forget the ultimate sac- I think we also know the importance
it into law. I look forward to seeing rifice that they made in answering the of the arts and music, not only as a
that additional relief get out to the call to protect others. cultural icon in America but also as an
American people. I yield the floor. economic driver. It is one of our No. 1
I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- exports, when you combine all of it.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. BAR- ator from Minnesota. And the fact that we were able to stick
RASSO). The Senator from North Caro- f together with not only the nitty-gritty
lina. CORONAVIRUS of this bill and this coalition and actu-
f ally add partners as we went along is a
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I
HONORING JASON SHUPING tribute to all the musicians out there,
rise today to thank all of my col-
all the venues, all the lighting opera-
Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, I rise leagues who worked so hard on the bill
tors, all the truckers—everyone who
today to honor the life and service of that is coming to the floor today, the
came together and said: We are going
Concord, NC, Police Officer Jason pandemic relief package.
We know all the top priorities in to get this done.
Shuping, who was tragically killed in I know when Senator CORNYN and I
the line of duty this week. there—the vaccine distribution—and I
first introduced this, people kind of
Officer Shuping was only 25 years old want to thank Senator SCHUMER and
patted us on the head and said: Oh, this
and had served the Concord Police De- leaders and those on both sides of the
sounds nice. But I think when people
partment for 11⁄2 years with honor and aisle who put more funding into that.
started to hear the facts and how much
distinction. I want to thank the group who has
this matters to economies and even
Officer Shuping and Officer Kaleb worked so hard on this agreement and
small towns, it made a difference. In
Robinson were responding to a 9–1–1 this negotiation in the Senate for their
the end, to quote Minnesota’s own Bob
call for a car crash and an attempted work, including Senator MANCHIN and
Dylan from ‘‘The Times They Are a-
carjacking. Officers Shuping and Rob- Senator ROMNEY and Senator WARNER
Changin,’’ he says:
inson located the suspect and were pre- and Senator SHAHEEN and Senator HAS-
Come senators, congressmen
pared to bring him to justice. However, SAN and Senator DURBIN, as well as all Please heed the call
when Officer Shuping, Officer Robin- of their Republican colleagues, Senator Don’t stand in the doorway
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
son, and a third ALE officer ap- COLLINS and Senator MURKOWSKI, Sen- Don’t block the hall
proached, the suspect immediately ator CASSIDY, who worked so hard on No one blocked the hall.
began opening fire. this original agreement, with many I want to thank my colleagues, and I
Officers Shuping and Robinson were others who joined in as well. want to especially thank Senator COR-
both shot. Additional officers arrived This bill contains such important NYN. We have led many bills together,
on the scene and took out the suspect. priorities, including unemployment and we had to go back and forth a lot.
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S7894 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 21, 2020
I want to thank Dayna Frank, who is So we in Congress don’t want to let fans just wouldn’t give up. So thank
the head of First Avenue in Minnesota, the music die, and we don’t want that you very much.
made famous, of course, by Prince. to happen to any of our other places of I yield the floor.
Prince wouldn’t be Prince if not for culture in America either. That is why The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
First Avenue. Everyone in our State, over the last month or so, we have ator from West Virginia.
when they think about First Avenue, worked with the museums and with the Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I would
they think about Prince. zoos, and I want to especially thank like to thank, first of all, the preceding
She is the head of the National Senator SCHUMER for his work on that, speaker, Senator KLOBUCHAR, for her
Venue Association. She called me one as well as Senator BLUNT and many efforts to help those venues in those
night in the beginning of the pandemic others who worked with us—as well as entertainment areas that at this point
and said: I just can’t make it through the movie theaters. have been left out. We certainly have
this without some help. We wanted to make sure that if we some of those in West Virginia, and I
They already received PPP loans, but expanded our coalition, that we didn’t am pleased to say that the coronavirus
that is not enough for these venues be- hurt the originals, which were these package we are putting together today
cause of the unique circumstance small, small theaters and small music will help those folks and hopefully get
where they can’t partially open. You venues across the country. We did not them over the hump.
can’t go to a theater right now and sit do that, because this new program will Before I begin, I would like to wish
elbow-to-elbow with your friends and be a lifeline for small entertainment everybody, as much as they can, a
family. venues across the country, such as happy holiday and a joyful new year.
I also want to thank my legislative Turning the page of 2020 is something I
First Avenue and the Bluestem Amphi-
director, Doug Calidas, who has worked think we are all pretty anxious to do.
theater in Moorehead, MN.
on this from the beginning, including It will also help the millions of Sometimes it seems like the longest
all the last month’s late-night negotia- year, and sometimes it seems like the
Americans who work behind the scenes
tions. He did a wonderful job. shortest year, but it definitely seems
and who have been sidelined, from the
I want to thank Senators SCHUMER like ‘‘Groundhog Day’’ a lot of the
and MCCONNELL and Representatives engineers and truckdrivers to the tick-
et takers and the designers and the year.
Speaker PELOSI and Leader MCCARTHY I am very pleased that we have this
for getting this over the finish line— spot operators. It will help revive the
local economies of neighborhoods and relief package in front of us. While I
Senator MCCONNELL for putting it in am glad an agreement has been
his original bill and Senator SCHUMER, small towns across this Nation.
It is not every day that a coalition reached, we certainly should have done
who cares so much about this because
sticks together from beginning to end, this earlier and could have done this
of all of the great music and acts and
that they kept with their original pur- earlier. We have been working since
everything coming out of New York
pose, haven’t been picked off, haven’t July to deliver targeted additional re-
State. It was certainly very, very help-
gotten into infighting, but this group lief through efforts such as we put for-
ful—and that would put it mildly—to
did it. Maybe it is because so many ward in the CARES Act, and it has
have Senator SCHUMER in the room
Americans at home right now cherish been voted down twice—once in Sep-
where it happened, where the last nego-
music and entertainment and that part tember and once in October.
tiations were made.
I also want to thank Senators SHA- of America like they have never done To date, we, the Republicans, have
HEEN and COLLINS, who worked on this because they are watching things offered targeted relief legislation,
in the original negotiation; Senators alone. They are listening to concerts voted in favor of enhanced employment
CARDIN and RUBIO with the Small Busi- by themselves. They are listening to benefits, more money for our schools,
ness Committee, who made this a pri- them with their iPhones, or they are which would have been great to have
ority; and finally, our House authors, listening to them on their computers, had in early September and should
our bipartisan House authors out there, and it is not quite the same. have had in early September. We voted
Representatives WELCH and WILLIAMS, We also know that all of these artists in favor of stand-alone emergency
for their work. don’t exactly get a big boost up by funding for the Paycheck Protection
So how this works—the Small Busi- themselves with huge funding when Program, which we know is exceed-
ness Administration will create a new they first start out. So many of them ingly important, and more dollars for
$15 billion grant program to help start out at these little venues—a vaccines and testing so that we could
venues cover 6 months of expenses and country music band playing at the get the great news of the vaccine that
make it through this pandemic. We are Bluestem Amphitheater; a little local we see coming forward out to every-
very hopeful that once the summer theater troupe trying out a new play in body in this country. We offered all
comes, we are going to see more and Lanesboro, MN. They can’t do it with- kinds of ideas to the other side, but
more openings because of the vaccine, out these venues. they blocked it—all of it. I am glad to
because of what I hope will be, with a So today we celebrate the fact that say that after all this, we have finally
new administration, an increased em- we held together. Not only are we pass- joined together, realizing that, yes, a
phasis on testing, and that we will see ing this bill as a part of this package, deal is better than no deal.
more and more venues able to open. we actually brought in friends, and we Last week, unfortunately, a very
The grants can be used to cover all brought in partners, and we made it an good friend of mine passed away after
the major costs the venues have to pay even bigger deal than it was to begin battling coronavirus. At one point in
to stay in business, including rent and with. her life, she was a small business
mortgage, utilities, employee wages, So as I began by quoting the great owner. I thought so much about her
key benefits, maintenance costs, State Bob Dylan from Minnesota, I will end. over the last several weeks. I thought,
and local taxes, payments to contrac- He once said: what would she say if she knew that
tors, and purchases of protective equip- Well, I sing by night, wander by day. months ago, as a small business owner,
ment. I’m on the road and it looks like I’m here we could have delivered the same help
Venues that are at the greatest risk to stay. to her that we are delivering today.
of closing—sadly, we have already lost Finally, we are reaching out to this We have to do better by the people
a number of our venues—will have pri- group of employees and these busi- we represent. It is disappointing that
ority access to the majority of the nesses and saying: We want you to be politics has gotten in the way. It is dis-
grant funding. All venues will be able here to stay. appointing and, quite frankly, insult-
to apply within 4 weeks of the pro- So thank you to Save Our Stages and ing, in my view, when I see the Speaker
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
gram’s launch with the Small Business to all of our colleagues who worked so of the House admitting to holding out
Administration, but in the first 2 hard on this, and special thanks to my on this relief because she thought it
weeks, those venues that have suffered friend Senator CORNYN. Again, when we would be beneficial politically in the
90 percent revenue loss over the year did this, we didn’t know if we would be end. We can do much better than this.
before will be the first to be able to able to mount this grassroots effort, I am also a proud member of the Ap-
apply for these grants. but it happened because artists and propriations Committee. We have
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December 21, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7895
worked hard to get these funds and re- great friend to our family, a longtime away spending. This spending has been
sources where they are most needed, friend of our family. Godspeed. I know going on for decades. Every year, even
especially in a year like this one. But she is dancing up there with her mom before we get to all the extra COVID-
due to delays, critically needed re- and dad because they loved to dance. free money, we have been spending $1
sources to combat the opioid epidemic The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- trillion we don’t have.
have had to wait; investments to im- ator from Kentucky. Today’s money is gone, so Congress
prove broadband have had to wait; re- f is spending tomorrow’s money. The
search dollars into Alzheimer’s have spending chart is a red line of red ink
had to wait; and the list goes on. This GOVERNMENT FUNDING
that goes on forever. When we talk
is so frustrating to me, as it should be Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, Repub- about spending tomorrow’s money, it is
to every American, and I know they licans like to mock modern monetary not just the money that we need next
are frustrated because they tell us they theory—the idea that government can month. It is the money we might need
are. print money with impunity and that in a decade. It is the money we will
But here now, we were able to in- government can spend whatever it need in one, two, three generations
clude funds for things that are impor- wants without the need to tax. Modern from now—for national defense and for
tant to me in my State of West Vir- monetary theory is basically the Dick infrastructure. This is the money that
ginia, such as fossil energy research, Cheney ‘‘deficits don’t matter’’ crowd, your children and your grandchildren
our universities, and the many Federal trussed up with a new fancy title. will pay back with interest.
facilities that call West Virginia home. Most Republicans rightly lampoon The deficit doubling and tripling—
I encourage my colleagues to support this quackery; that is, when they are under George Bush, it went from $5
this important legislation that reflects not practicing the quackery them- trillion to $10 trillion. Under President
our Nation’s priorities and funds the selves. Today, many of these same Re- Obama, it went from $10 trillion to $20
government, which is our responsi- publicans will vote for a bill that trillion. We are now at $27 trillion, but
bility as Members of Congress. makes modern monetary theory look we are adding it at $1 trillion a year be-
Within the Omnibus appropriations like child’s play in comparison. The fore we get to this COVID budget-bust-
act is the fiscal year 2021 Homeland Se- monster spending bill presented today ing bailout.
curity appropriations bill. I chair that is not just a ‘‘deficits don’t matter’’ Every tax-paying American already
subcommittee, and it is with great disaster, it is everything Republicans owes over $136,000, and they are staring
pride that I can report to the American say they don’t believe in. at projections into the future that
people and to West Virginians that this This bill is free money for everyone. show no end. We are $27 trillion in debt
title invests billions of dollars to pro- Proponents don’t care if you are fully today. How do we expect a child to
tect our homeland. employed or own your own house or have the economic opportunity when
We maintain our commitment to bor- own your own business. ‘‘Free money this crushing debt is their inheritance
der security through a border wall sys- for everyone,’’ they cry. And yet, if
tem to include physical barriers and from Congress? The numbers are mind-
free money were the answer and if boggling. It is hard to conceive of what
enhanced technologies. money really grew on trees, why not
We avoided a drastic cut to our cyber $1 billion is, much less $1 trillion.
give more free money? Why not give it How big is $1 billion? Well, a billion
security capabilities that we see we
out all the time? Why stop at $600 a seconds ago was 1988 and Reagan was
need now more than ever after all of
person? Why not $1,000? Why not $2,000? President. A billion minutes ago, Jesus
the reports and the vicious cyber at-
Maybe these new free-money Repub- walked the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
tack that we uncovered that has been
licans should join the ‘‘everybody gets A billion hours ago, man still lived in
launched against many of those in our
a guaranteed income’’ caucus. Why not caves. But $1 billion ago, was just 80
country, not just the government but
the private sector as well. $20,000 a year for everybody? Why not minutes ago—$1 billion ago, at the rate
We continue our commitment to use $30,000? If we can print up money with Congress spends money, was just 80
every resource at our disposal in the ef- impunity, why not do it? minutes ago.
fort to prevent those opioids that are The Treasury could just keep print- All of this should be setting off alarm
killing our people. We see overdoses ing the money; that is, until someone bells. But the only alarm bells in Con-
going up and deaths from overdoses points out that the Emperor has no gress are sounding the alarm for more
going up during this pandemic. We clothes and that the dollar no longer spending and more debt. No cuts, no
tried to get the resources to our Home- has value. To so-called conservatives offsets, no pay-fors, and no
land Security folks to prevent those who are quick to identify the socialism prioritization. Just print it up. Print
drugs from entering into this country of Democrats, if you vote for this up more money and give it out to ev-
at all. spending monstrosity, you are no bet- erybody because it is free money. Come
The men and women at the Depart- ter. When you vote to pass out free and get yours while the getting is good.
ment of Homeland Security work con- money, you lose your soul, and you But it leads to a mountain of debt.
stantly against threats both old and abandon forever any semblance of Spend all this money and leave the fu-
new, traditional and emerging, and de- moral or fiscal integrity. ture to figure itself out.
serve the support this legislation gives So the next time you see Republicans John Maynard Keynes was once
them. in high moral dudgeon, claiming and asked: What about the long run?
So while this is great news in the complaining about spending of Demo- He said: In the short run, you can
end, I will repeat what I said earlier, crats and socialism, remind them—re- make a stimulus. You can print money,
and that is, Congress can do better. We mind them if they supported this mon- and you can give it to everybody.
could have done this earlier, and it strous bill, that really the difference And Maynard Keynes, his response
should have been done earlier. So there between the parties is less Adam Smith was: In the long run, we will all be
is no reason we should be standing here versus Marx and more Marx versus dead; no concern for the future, only
several days before Christmas dis- Engels. for the immediate.
cussing the items that were ready to go How bad is our fiscal situation? Well, Our budget deficit for 2020 was $3.3
several months ago, but we are where the Federal Government brought in trillion, but this new spending package
we are. As we turn the page gleefully $3.3 trillion last year and spent $6.6 will also give us another $2 trillion in
into 2021, I think we should all pledge trillion. The deficit last year, a record- the next fiscal year. By refusing to ac-
to one another and to the country that busting $3.3 trillion. If you are looking knowledge the debt crisis, we are only
we will do better, that we will work for more COVID bailout money, we hastening the day of economic reck-
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
better with each other and prevent pol- don’t have any. The coffers are bare. oning.
itics from infecting every decision that We have no rainy day fund. We have no Total debt was 55 percent of GDP just
could positively impact so many people savings account. Congress has spent all 20 years ago. Today, it is 128 percent of
in this country. the money long ago. GDP. So our annual or our total debt is
Lastly, I give a hat tip to my friend, The economic damage from this pan- more than our GDP—128 percent of our
whom I will miss seeing and who was a demic is not the reason for this run- GDP. The World Bank estimates there
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