Congressional Record — Senate, December 21, 2020
Summary
This is S7915 of the Congressional Record, Senate, December 21, 2020, with interleaved columns. The page opens with the end of remarks condemning proposals attributed to the President's team about the military and the election. Under the heading Coronavirus, Mr. Casey describes COVID relief provisions he expects to vote on, including $300 per week in unemployment benefits through March 14, $600 for individuals making up to $75,000 a year and $1,200 for couples, and $284 billion for the first and second PPP forgivable loans. He says a family of four would receive $2,400 in direct payments. Under the heading Environmental Legislation, Mr. Barrasso and Mr. Carper discuss bills from the Environment and Public Works Committee, including a phasedown of HFCs, with the views attributed to the speakers.
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Cite this document
“Congressional Record — Senate, December 21, 2020.”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-12-21-crec-2020-12-21-pt1-pgs7915-2-58fc0856f0/
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December 21, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7915
The Army Secretary and the Army the rise due to the economic impact of have come through the Environment
Chief of Staff released a joint state- the pandemic. and Public Works Committee: the
ment clarifying, based on these dan- There is a lot in here that is positive water resources act, the USE IT Act,
gerous actions proposed by the Presi- for American families, for workers, for the act called DERA to eliminate and
dent’s team, that ‘‘there is no role for small businesses, and for so many reduce emissions from diesels, as well
the U.S. military in determining the other needs. It took way too long. This as additional legislation on HFCs.
outcome of an American election.’’ is months overdue. There are gaps in My partner in all of those is here on
It is hard to believe that those offi- it. the floor now, and I would just like to
cials in our government who help de- I think this is a 3-month bill to help ask him if he would—since he has been
fend our country would even have to folks get through January, February, such a great partner for the last 4 years
say that based upon what the reporting and March. I think we will need an- that I have chaired the committee—
indicates. other bill after that. And, obviously, I talk about this as an accomplishment
So I hope that, even in this holiday am very disappointed we don’t have for the environment, for the com-
season, it is made very clear by every dollars in here to help nursing homes, mittee, and for the Senate and for the
Member of the U.S. Senate that this which I fought very hard for. We will country.
will not be tolerated and has to be con- keep up that fight. So I am just kind of curious, from his
demned. We can’t just say: Oh, well, it It doesn’t have the direct help to standpoint, where he sees things as a
is another outrage, another insult. It State and local governments, even sign of success.
should be condemned, just like the ac- though there are provisions that will Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, if my
tions of the Russian Government help States but not nearly enough. colleague will yield.
should be condemned as well. So it is far, far from perfect, but I As Senator CASEY leaves, I thought
f think it is important that we pass it to his point about longest night and every
provide direct help to people who have day that follows will be brighter, and
CORONAVIRUS some of the provisions that Senator
challenges, whether it is with employ-
Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I just ment or running a small business or BARRASSO and I, along with JOHN
want to make a couple of brief com- supporting their families. NEELY KENNEDY, have included in the
ments about the legislation we are The last point I will make on this is Nation’s major budget piece of legisla-
going to be voting on, we hope, to- that we gather here today—and we tion ensure that it will be brighter.
night. hope the vote will be tonight before One of the pieces of legislation, as
I will talk about, for purposes of midnight, but we don’t know. But it is Senator BARRASSO knows, deals with
time, not the spending bill or the just ironic that today is the 21st of De- the phasedown of HFCs,
spending portion, the so-called omni- cember, the winter solstice, the dark- hydrofluorocarbons. They are 1,000
bus. I will talk about the COVID–19 re- est day of the year. times worse for climate change than
lief provisions. I won’t go through all I was noting this weekend Elizabeth carbon dioxide. Under the legislation
of them, obviously, but there is a lot of Dias wrote an op-ed, a very thoughtful that we have offered, it will phase
good news for many Americans in this op-ed, in the New York Times about down their utilization over the next 15
legislation. winter and all of the ways different years by 85 percent. What is that
The consensus on unemployment cultures have dealt with the darkness worth? It is worth a half a degree Cel-
benefits will help a lot of Americans: and the severity of winter. But here is sius—just this one thing, just this one
$300 per week for all Americans receiv- what she says, and I hope it provides a provision.
ing unemployment benefits through context for what we are about to pass A lot of people on this planet think
March 14. The Pandemic Unemploy- and what we must do in the months the biggest challenge that we face on
ment Assistance Program is extended ahead when the virus is still raging and this planet right now, an existential
to help self-employed individuals, gig the death number keeps climbing. Here threat, is the fact that our planet is
workers, and others in nontraditional is what Elizabeth Dias says: getting warmer and that we need to do
employment. The great irony of winter is that the mo- something about it. In this legislation,
The economic impact payments for ment darkness is greatest is also the mo- we do take a big bite out of it.
Americans across the country: $600 for ment light is about to return. Each year the And my hope is what it will be is that
individuals making up to $75,000 a year winter solstice comes with the promise that it will serve as a source of encourage-
and $1,200 for couples making up to the next day will be brighter. ment for other Democrats and Repub-
$150,000 per year, as well as a $600 pay- In this season of hope and this holi- licans, maybe an Independent or two,
ment for each dependent child. That day season, we hope and we pray that to take other steps as we come back
means a family of four would receive this legislation will bring some light to into the new year with the new admin-
$2,400 in direct payments. people’s lives, that it will give them a istration and make further progress.
The Paycheck Protection Program, sense, in addition to having a vaccine One of the great things that I love
so-called PPP: $284 billion for the first available now, that brighter days are about our HFC legislation—thanks,
and second PPP forgivable loans. ahead. colleague.
There is more money for transpor- We can’t underestimate the darkness One of the great things, Mr. Chair-
tation, more money for health, and, in that has engulfed so many families, but man, that I love about our HFC legisla-
particular, money for the procurement we hope tonight that we provide at tion is that it shows that you can do
of vaccines and therapeutics, as well as least a measure of light to all the dark- good things for our planet and create
money for vaccine distribution. ness that so many families have faced. jobs. That is what I said: do good
Education is funded for more than $80 I yield the floor. things for our planet in the battle
billion; emergency rental assistance, The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- against climate change and create jobs.
$25 billion; the Postal Service, $10 bil- ator from Wyoming. How many jobs? Tens of thousands of
lion; childcare, $10 billion—both very Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask jobs—in this country, in this country;
important. unanimous consent to engage in a col- billions of dollars’ worth of economic
The ones I am especially grateful for, loquy with my friend and colleague growth—in this country—and at the
even though on a lot of these I would from the State of Delaware, TOM CAR- same time doing good things with re-
vote for higher numbers—a lot of us PER. spect to climate change.
would—are the nutrition provisions: The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Interestingly, it is not every day you
$26 billion in agriculture and nutrition objection, it is so ordered. find legislation supported by the Na-
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funding. Half of that will be used for di- f tional Association of Manufacturers,
rect payments to farmers who have suf- the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, most
fered losses due to the impact of the ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION major environmental groups, and co-
pandemic. The remaining 13, the other Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I sponsored by, gosh, two-thirds of the
half of the 26—$13 billion will be used have just recently been talking about a Senate—Democrats and Republicans
to combat food insecurity, which is on number of pieces of legislation that alike.
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S7916 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 21, 2020
In that case, we have done it. We leave the land. They will stay on the The bill clerk proceeded to call the
threaded the needle. I just want to land. They will be able to make money, roll.
thank the chairman for his leadership support themselves and their families. Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I ask
and for his patience and the staff in It creates a virtuous cycle. That is a unanimous consent that the order for
working with us. And our thanks to wonderful thing. the quorum call be rescinded.
Rich Russell, your staff leader on the I don’t think we are going to be The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
majority side; Mary Frances Repko, joined here yet—I called him just to objection, it is so ordered.
the staff leader on our side; and every- give him a heads-up, but I don’t think APPROPRIATIONS
body who worked with her. he is able to get here that quickly, but Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I
But more than a decade ago, I re- JOHN NEELY KENNEDY from Louisiana come to the floor tonight to talk about
member standing next to my colleague was a big part of the work we did on many provisions that are currently
JOHN BARRASSO—I remember standing HFCs. I just want to say, in his ab- moving their way through the House of
right over close to where he is standing sence, a real big thank-you to him. I Representatives and on our way to us.
tonight, and a guy named George want to thank—gosh, I think 70-plus Obviously, our colleagues here are, I
Voinovich came up to me—from Ohio. Senators—Democrats and Republicans think, relieved that we have been able
He and I had been Governors together alike—who cosponsored our HFC bill. I to give relief to the American people;
for a number of years. Love the guy. want to thank our leadership, espe- that is, that we have been able to ex-
He said: I am looking for a Demo- cially on our side but on both sides, for tend unemployment benefits and add
cratic cosponsor for a bill. He said: Do pushing to make sure these three bills bonuses to those unemployment bene-
you want to think about it? I said: would be included in the final com- fits in the amount of 300 extra dollars
Well, what is it? He said: It is a pro- promise. per week, and we have been able to ex-
posal that fosters collaboration be- In addition to all the other things pand the COBRA tax credit programs
tween businesses, folks who have buses that were accomplished—and Senator to help people who have been unem-
with diesel engines, trains with diesel CASEY and others talked about that— ployed and not been able to continue
engines, boats with diesel engines, we have actually done some good their insurance be able to continue
trucks with diesel engines; and it uses things for our planet. Senator BAR- health insurance. This is very impor-
some Federal money, some government RASSO is going to move over and be the tant for laid-off workers in the State of
money, in order to use technology that senior Republican on the Energy and Washington, like the aerospace work-
is available to reduce the emissions Natural Resources Committee come ers.
from those diesel engines by more than January. I will remain on Environment We are very glad that we were able to
80 percent. and Public Works, be the senior Demo- give a stimulus check of $600 per indi-
I said: Tell me more. And he told me crat. I want to say that this has been a vidual and $1,200 for married couples;
more, and about a day or two later we wonderful partnership, just a wonderful that we were able to get the PPP pro-
signed on and introduced the legisla- partnership—fun, funny, serious when gram that helps small businesses so
tion. He was kind enough to let me be we had to be, collegial, and really fo- that they can continue to try to make
his Democratic lead. cused on getting things done for Wyo- ends meet as we continue to work our
One month later, it was enacted. I ming, for Delaware, for the other 48 way through this pandemic; and that
have been here 20 years; I have never States as well. we have been able to give $9 billion to
seen legislation with that kind of effect So you are not going to be too far,
healthcare workers who are stretched
go through just like that. It was pretty and I will still be around. We will have
so thin on these battle lines, who need
amazing. Every so often, we reauthor- a chance to work on other things. It
every support that we can give them.
ize it; we increase the authorization. has been a real joy to work with you on I want to talk about the rental as-
We have done it again with respect to these three items, and hopefully in the sistance. We are at a point where, if we
future we will have many, many more. didn’t act tonight, if we didn’t act be-
reauthorizing the Diesel Emission Re-
Mr. BARRASSO. I thank Senator
duction Act. fore we left here, many more people
CARPER. I appreciate it.
One of the things I love about it is You know, it is interesting: Senator were going to be without homes. It is
that it gets a lot of different stake- ALEXANDER recently gave his speech, so important for us to have these pro-
holders involved, and for a limited his farewell address, and he said that visions and programs like SNAP, the
amount of Federal dollars, we can have sometimes politics is like a split- additional money for broadband, for
a multiplier effect that can be, for screen television set. On the one half, healthcare, and for other things that
every Federal dollar, $5, $6, $7, $8 that you see all the fighting and contention are essential in helping to commu-
have come in from the private sector. and the dysfunctional side. And on the nicate during this pandemic for both
That is the way we ought to do it. other side of the screen, you see the healthcare and for education.
The last one is USE IT. Not many functioning side. But not many people I also wanted to mention work that
people think Delaware is a farm State, look at that functioning side. was done in tandem with this legisla-
but we raise a ton of chickens. I think What we have been able to do as a tion, specifically on the affordable
for every person in my State, there are partnership on the Environment and housing tax credit. The affordable
like 300 chickens or more. Those chick- Public Works Committee was func- housing tax credit was always impor-
ens eat corn and soybeans. We raise tional—in a bipartisan way, coming up tant. Affordable housing was always
corn and soybeans. Our farmers have with solutions. As you mentioned, important, but in a pandemic, in a
land that is close to the beach. We have there were over 70 cosponsors on the COVID crisis, it becomes even more
five-star beaches in Delaware: Reho- one piece of legislation. All of them, I important. The affordable housing tax
both, Bethany, Dewey, and others. think, got through the committee credit is something that Senator
There is always pressure for develop- unanimously. That is something that YOUNG and I worked on with Senator
ment and encroachment on our farms, made no news because there wasn’t a WYDEN and Senator Isakson, and we
and developers are trying to buy out fight. There was cooperation for the wanted to say that we needed to do
the farmers and pave paradise and put betterment—to make sure we protected more than what our current Tax Code
up a parking lot. What we have figured the economy and, at the same time, could do in helping build more afford-
out how to do is—and it is not just—we preserved the environment. That is able housing.
haven’t figured out through this legis- what we need do: Continue to make The affordable housing tax credit has
lation, the so-called USE IT Act, but sure that we can protect both and con- provisions that have been in law since
what we do is—the idea is to take car- tinue with economic development as 1986, but, actually, using the tax cred-
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bon out of the air and to use it for a well as environmental stewardship for its and how they worked have been a
better purpose. our Nation. fluctuating rate, so the consequence is
One of those better purposes is to re- With that, I yield the floor. that the historic rate of what people
plenish the soil in my State, in Wyo- I suggest the absence of a quorum. could get to use the tax credit has
ming, in Montana, and other places so The PRESIDING OFFICER. The changed, and this legislation will put a
that our farmers will be less inclined to clerk will call the roll. floor of 4 percent in to give investors a
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December 21, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7917
bigger idea of what this investment can that we will continue to work across lation that we are going to be voting
do for the market. the aisle on this legislation moving on includes $7 billion for more
We believe that it will add, in the forward. broadband priorities, $1 billion for
State of Washington, more housing At a minimum, the 4 percent could connectivity issues for Tribal country.
that is needed immediately, more increase affordable housing production I know, as the Presiding Officer knows,
housing that is needed on the national by at least 130,000 affordable homes that Indian Country needs a lot of
basis, and help us stabilize things in over the next decade. That is critically connectivity. So getting more
the near term so that we can work on important—130,000 more affordable broadband into those communities will
affordable housing and how we can put homes over the next decade. It could be very helpful.
more incentives for people to build af- generate and help us with job growth— The COVID package also contains
fordable housing. 162,000 jobs and about $18 billion in money, additional funding, that I know
People know affordable housing wages and impacts to the economy. Senator WICKER and others worked on
doesn’t just get built. People don’t just Building more affordable housing for telehealth. Telehealth is a critical
go out and say: I am going to build helps us solve lots of problems. We path during the COVID crisis to make
housing at this low rate. have an increase in demand, as I just sure communities have the ability to
The tax credit is a tax credit that articulated, and a COVID crisis. Invest- get expert advice into our homes, into
helps people do it by giving those bor- ing in affordable housing is very good our communities, to connect people
rowers the ability to work with the tax for us in helping our economy grow and with information.
credit. But the American people have putting a roof over people’s heads.
I would also like to mention as part This telehealth grant is a very im-
been greatly impacted by so many portant program in the State of Wash-
trends—baby boomers reaching retire- of the small business package, the Pay-
check Protection package, a provision ington. I think we probably got some-
ment age, not being able to save, peo- thing like $8 million previously from
ple being pushed out of the last eco- that was supported by so many of our
colleagues to help make sure that we telehealth, and this will help us con-
nomic crisis into a rate of tinue.
unaffordability. It really has been a continue to get local news and infor-
mation out to the public. People under- I am disappointed that we did not in-
dramatic increase. clude priorities in here for the E-rate
According to the Hudson Institute, 60 stand that local news has been threat-
ened ever since the transition to an in- program to help close the homework
percent of our affordable and low-cost
formation age and has certainly been gap. This is something Senator MAR-
housing was lost from the housing
challenged by what I think are unfair KEY and others worked on very hard,
stock between 1985 and 2013. That is the
practices by tech companies and the and it is very disappointing that we
housing that we had that was afford-
compensation for material and proper can’t come to an agreement on some-
able. Basically, the time period ends,
reimbursement on advertising. thing as important as E-rate. This leg-
and they end up being swallowed up,
The issue for us is that COVID has islation provides the ability for
like so many places in Puget Sound,
created an environment where we abso- hotspots for people who may be going
into market-based rates. Literally,
lutely need to get the news, and we ab- to college and not going to classes, but
people are pushed out of their housing,
solutely need to get the local news. It are in or around a university.
and then there is no other affordable
is imperative that we do what we can I think that is a good idea, but we
housing in the region.
in this legislation to help small news- were prohibited from doing the same
These tax credits can help us build
papers, small broadcasters, small radio thing for students at the K–12 level.
more affordable housing for the long
stations that didn’t previously get One thing the pandemic has shown us
run. Over the next decade, nearly
helped in the last COVID package so is that students are at home and need
500,000 low-income housing tax credit
they can continue to communicate im- to be able to connect to stay connected
unions and 655 other subsidized units
portant local news to people through- to their education schedule, to do their
will reach the end of their affordability
out the United States. homework, and to be part of the edu-
period. Just like I was saying, they are I want to thank Senators SCHUMER,
going to get to a point where they are cation system. I hope that we will ad-
CARDIN, and, obviously, I want to dress this inequity in the bill in the fu-
no longer in a protection of affordable thank specifically Senator BOOZMAN
housing, and the consequence is that ture.
for working so hard on this legislation I am pleased that, working with Sen-
growth and demand are pushing us with me and introducing legislation. I
even higher. ator WICKER, we were able include lan-
want to thank Senators KLOBUCHAR, guage that gives the Federal Trade
For example, seniors—10,000 baby ERNST, and many of our other col-
boomers retire each day. That means Commission new authority to seek
leagues who signed on to that legisla- civil penalties for scams and deceptive
that those low-income seniors, those tion, as well as our House colleagues,
woefully inadequate to pay for increas- practices related to the COVID pan-
Representatives VELÁZQUEZ and demic. You probably think this is al-
ing housing costs, are going to be grow- CICILLINE and SENSENBRENNER, who
ing every single day and putting more ready something that was on the
also worked hard on getting this provi- books, but in reality, the way the Fed-
demand on the system. sion in, and Senators RUBIO and
For veterans, nearly 2.5 million older eral Trade Commission has operated,
MCCONNELL for helping us in this proc- they had to give a warning first, al-
veteran households—almost a quarter ess.
of men and women who helped protect most like a cease and desist. The next
These provisions are important to
our country—are cost-burdened. That thing you know, the same practice
help make sure that large public insti-
means they spend more than 30 percent tutions, like the University of Wash- would pop up over here, with somebody
of their income on housing. The lack of ington and others, continue to also get making a claim about how safe their
affordable housing in our country has information out to the public. product was or how this would stop
been a longstanding crisis, but the This news information and local in- COVID or something of that nature.
COVID crisis has made it much worse. formation isn’t going to go away with In my home State alone, the FTC re-
One in five renters is behind on their the help and support of this bill, but it ports that consumers have been
rent, and the eviction moratorium ex- may be a lifeline in helping us continue scammed out of nearly $5 million since
pires in less than 2 weeks. to make sure we have critical public the pandemic and the number is over
As I said, I am pleased that we are health information available to the $200 million nationwide. These scams
voting tonight, hopefully, on this legis- public at all times, and, hopefully, we can range in everything from straight-
lation that includes a 1-month eviction will then go on to really understand forward identity theft to making all
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moratorium and $25 billion for rental what has happened to local news and sorts of accusations on people during
assistance and that we will continue to information and do something in the the quarantine period.
work on these issues. And I am glad future Congress to help fix the inequi- I want to thank Senator WICKER for
that we are working on the passage of ties that are existing today. working with us on this important leg-
not just the low-income housing tax If I could, I also just mention quickly islation. Now the FTC will be able to
credit fix of a 4-percent floor but also the issue about broadband. This legis- go after and find these people on first-
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S7918 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 21, 2020
time offenses. I think this is so impor- I want to thank Senator BLUNT for certification process, the FAA will be
tant to do to make sure that we are po- his leadership on the Air Grants Pro- assisted by the best experts in avia-
licing an environment where public gram, a very important program that tion, whether they come from NASA or
health is so important. we think will help build up the exper- the Air Force or outside individuals
I also want to thank Representative tise and knowledge of very, very tech- who understand the latest and greatest
SCHAKOWSKY for leading this effort on nical subject certification for people technology. Why do we have that? Be-
the other side of the Capitol. here throughout the process of over- cause we know that we are in an era of
I also want to talk about very impor- sight and legislating and the executive unbelievable technological change in
tant aviation legislation that we were branch. which now the human interface with
able to include as part of the larger I want to thank Senators CRUZ and technology is so critical. Whether you
omnibus package that is moving BLUMENTHAL for working on such crit- are going to be in driverless cars or
through the House, as I said, tonight. ical elements in the legislation as to whether you are in Amtrak with posi-
It is so important that we make safe- how the certification process itself tive train control or you are in the
ty a No. 1 priority in the United States. works and what we needed to do to flight deck of an airplane and the soft-
If we want to be No. 1 in aviation, we continue to bolster it. ware that is working with it, we need
have to be No. 1 in aviation safety. Tonight, we are sitting one step clos- to understand how people are going to
Chairman WICKER and I worked with er to reforms that really will be mean- respond to human factors.
our colleagues on both sides of the ingful. It will return the FAA to being We all get frustrated with our own
aisle to produce important legislation in charge of what are the oversight computers and our own software, but
that improves the safety reforms need- members of manufacturers who are we need to put safety first when it
ed at the FAA—the safety reforms of doing the work of the certification comes to a pilot interacting with that
oversight of manufacturing and the process. It is clear that the individuals software in the cockpit of an airplane.
certification process, and reforms that who are part of this unit report to the It also helps us make sure that the
will help us here in Congress better FAA. They are supervised by the FAA. process for the certification appeals
stay on top of the information as far as You can no longer have incentives at are strengthened and that we tighten
the certification process. the FAA for expediting work. You, ba- the process. We need to listen to the
This is so critical after the crash of
sically, now have a new whistleblower engineers on the ground. The engineers
the Lion Air 610 and Ethiopian Flight
protection, thanks to my colleague are telling us what we need to do, and
302, both involving Boeing 737 Max air-
Senator WICKER and his incredible we need to listen to them. I hope that
crafts and the loss of 346 lives.
I can never say how painful this inci- work on this legislation. You have bet- the leaders, both within manufacturing
dent has been for those families. I can ter accountability on misconduct. You and the FAA, will do that.
never say how much they have suffered create new safety reporting standards As I mentioned, this legislation es-
in this horrific tragedy that has be- for the FAA employees. tablishes a National Air Grant Pro-
fallen them, but I know that these re- We repeal authorities that would per- gram. Some of you can think of it here
forms are what are needed, and their mit a certification by industry. That on Capitol Hill as similar to the Sea
help and support in passing this legis- industry could continue to make rec- Grant Program, a program that was
lation has been critical. ommendations about the certification long-established to give us technical
I want to thank all of the families process is something, in specific provi- expertise on OSHA and maritime issues
who helped us in communicating why sions, that are repealed here. here in Congress. We want the same
the safety reforms are important, but I We also prohibit interference with thing for aviation to exist.
want to thank, particularly, Michael FAA designees. That is, no one can try It is too important of a sector and
Stumo and his wife, Nadia Milleron, to influence a manager or someone di- safety is too important to not have a
who lost their daughter Samya Stumo rectly involved in the certification of technical skill set here that can stay
in the Ethiopian air crash, and to let the process. We also tried to make sure on top and replace individuals as re-
them know that, even though we are the process itself worked better. And, tirements happen throughout the avia-
putting a big down payment on safety again, many of my colleagues played tion system.
reforms in the U.S. Congress by passing critical roles in this. It requires disclosures to Congress of
this legislation, this process does not On required safety system analysis post-crash assessments. If the FAA
stop with the passage of this legisla- on any plane coming through the proc- goes and investigates a crash, you have
tion. ess—whether it was new or a deriva- to notify Congress of that information.
We need to continue to do more to tive—you still have to do a safety sys- Why? We want to stay more on top of
improve aviation safety and to con- tem analysis. You have to have regula- that information. It requires an identi-
tinue to act, even on a global basis, to tions that are the most up-to-date as it fication of safety trends. I have no
be leaders—the United States leading relates to making sure you comply, as doubt that we are going to hear—when
the way on what aviation safety needs we said in this legislation, with the it comes back as these annual reports
to be. NTSB recommendations on flight crew for the next several years—that this
I also want to thank our staff: Doug alert systems and to mandate a safety issue of human interaction in a tech-
Anderson, Ronce Almond, David Mar- management system for manufactur- nology cockpit is going to continue to
tin, Laurence Wildgoose, Jonathan ers. This is something that is long be the largest safety trend issue, just
Hale, Melissa Porter, and David Strick- overdue. And in some instances, people as it is going to be in the automotive
land for their work. And on the other said: Oh, the OMB and executive area and just as it is going to be in
side of the aisle: Mike Reynolds, James branch don’t think we need to do these transportation.
Mazol, Simone Perez, MaryAsa Eng- things. Oh, these things are cost pro- Those are just some of the highlights
land, and John Keyes. hibitive. These are regulations we of a very comprehensive safety reform
Many Members participated in the don’t need to put in place. legislation.
formation of this legislation. I want to Trust me, having a safety manage- I want to thank my colleague Sen-
thank Senator DUCKWORTH for her ment system is essential, and we ator WICKER for his help, his leader-
work with us on the NTSB rec- should make sure that this is in place ship, his most recent report on whistle-
ommendations and flight deck alert as this legislation requires within the blower activity, and helping us get this
system, which were part of this pack- next few years. legislation over the goal line.
age of bills to reform the FAA and the This legislation also requires disclo- I also, as I said, want to thank,
FAA process. sure of safety critical information. again, those families. Our hearts and
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I want to thank Senator MORAN for This was something, as I said, our col- sympathies are still every day with
his focus on helping us build those leagues, Senators BLUMENTHAL and you as you continue to face moving
standards that we are talking about as CRUZ and many others, worked on as forward. We are not going to forget. We
far as the FAA going to ICAO and say- part of this legislation. are going to continue to put safety as
ing: These are the continued standards It also provides expert teams of pan- the biggest priority for us here in the
for improvement in aviation safety. els. At the beginning of any kind of U.S. Congress and continue to move
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December 21, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7919
forward on a process that puts the indi- professionalism and his dedication and erally worked night and day to develop
vidual engineers on the line responsible that he served as president of the Asso- a commonsense plan that provided the
for safety to make sure everyone con- ciation for two consecutive terms, foundation for this final agreement.
tinues to listen to their directives and which is a rare circumstance and There are many important compo-
their recommendations. speaks to his effectiveness in the role nents of the package before us, includ-
I yield the floor. and the admiration that his colleagues ing assistance for struggling families;
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- held for him. additional funding for testing, vaccine
ator from Kansas. His community also loved and re- distribution, and healthcare providers;
REMEMBERING ALLAN WEBER spected him. They came together to resources to help our schools operate
Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I rise out welcome him home one last time with safely in a COVID environment; and
of respect and in memory of Gove an honor parade down Highway 212, in aid for the Postal Service and for air-
County Sheriff Allan Weber, who Quinter, this past Saturday night, with lines, airports, mass transit, and motor
served his community faithfully over hundreds of cars and people lined up to coach companies that keep our country
recognize his service and sacrifice over moving.
the last two decades.
a lifetime. I come to the floor tonight, however,
Allan was born and raised on his fam-
Connie, his wife, said: to focus on one aspect of the agree-
ily’s farm near Park, KS, and he went
It was such a beautiful homecoming. I ment, and that is the extension and ex-
on to marry Connie, his high school know he was bursting with pride and love.
sweetheart. The couple has three chil- pansion of the Paycheck Protection
After the November election, when he woke
dren—Andrea, Brandon, and Cory. To Program, better known as PPP.
up in the intensive care unit, I told him he
those who know Allan, it was always was sheriff for the next 4 years, and he gave
As the Presiding Officer well knows,
clear that his family meant everything me a small smile and nodded his head. He the PPP has been a critical lifeline for
to him. His many grandchildren were loved the Gove County community’s mind more than 5 million small employers,
his pride and joy. and was always ready to give the ultimate at one point helping to sustain the jobs
In 1996, he ran for Gove County sher-
sacrifice if he had to. There were times that of upwards of 50 million Americans. It
his heart broke doing his job, but he did was one of the most successful pro-
iff and served his community faithfully what was right. He lived life day-to-day and
for over two decades since first elected. grams in the CARES Act. It was so suc-
enjoyed it and everyone. He worked hard and
Gove County is out in Western Kansas. loved gently. He will be missed by many.
cessful that it went through the initial
It is flat. It is the prairie. It is windy. allotment of money in just 13 days, and
The outpouring of love, support, and then we had to pass additional legisla-
It is hot in the summer and cold in the shared memories on their Quinter Com-
winter. It is farmers and ranchers. It is tion replenishing it.
munity Facebook page has been con- In the State of Maine, the PPP has
often a struggle to earn a living in stant and speaks to the interconnect- provided nearly $2.3 billion in forgiv-
Gove County. I know the county well. edness of a small community. able loans to 28,000 small businesses—
Despite those challenges, it is made up I should tell you that the population
that is 3 out of 4 of the small busi-
of people who work hard, care for each of Gove County is about 2,612, and the
nesses in my State—and has helped
other, and try to make good lives for county seat of Gove has a population of
sustain more than 250,000 jobs.
themselves and their families. 70. It is in places like Quinter, like
In its original form, the program pro-
In rural areas like Gove County, the Gove, and like Gove County where the
vided one-time loans sufficient to sup-
sheriff oftentimes wears multiple hats, sheriff is known by everyone, and the
port 8 weeks of payroll, plus a limited
and Sheriff Weber was no different. In sheriff is interwoven into the life of the
amount to help cover certain overhead
addition to serving as sheriff, he was community and the county.
So many of his friends and family expenses. All of this was completely
also the public information officer and forgivable as long as the borrowers re-
the emergency operations center com- have remarked on Allan’s contagious
smile, how ornery he was, but, most tained and paid their employees and
munity liaison. kept within the other parameters of
Kansans also never fail to step up to importantly, as to the selfless way he
served people. Those of us in public the program. Our whole purpose was to
help their neighbors in hard times, and help our small businesses save jobs and
Allan did the same. After the tragic service ought to look to Allan as a role
model in that selfless service of others. pay their workers, keeping the em-
death of a neighboring county’s sheriff, ployer-employee relationship alive so
he stepped up to serve as the interim Sheriff Allan Weber embodied so many
values in Kansas—faith, family, fellow- that they could reopen and Americans
sheriff in Sheridan County, making could quickly return to work when the
him the first person ever to serve two ship, service, and good old-fashioned
hard work. He will be missed by many. pandemic subsided.
counties as sheriff at the same time—a When Chairman MARCO RUBIO and I,
first in Kansas’s history. He saw his Robba and I extend our deepest sym-
pathies to his family—both his loved together with Senators BEN CARDIN and
brothers and sisters in blue as an ex- JEANNE SHAHEEN, put the PPP together
tended part of his family, and he held ones, which includes one of my staff
members, Chelsey Ladd, his cousin, and at the onset of the national emergency,
them in the highest regard. none of us could have imagined that
His colleague in law enforcement, his brothers and sisters in blue.
May God bless Allan Weber. May we the pandemic would still be forcing
Sheriff Tim Morse of Jackson County, shutdowns and curtailing operations
which is on the other side of the State, praise him for the life he lived, and
may we look to him as a role model to and that extreme mitigation measures
wrote this: would be necessary these many months
try to do what he has done.
Kansas has lost a great sheriff. Gove Coun- later. Yet, sadly, the virus is still
I offer my condolences and respect,
ty Sheriff Allan Weber has spent the last spreading, and many of the steps taken
couple of months fighting COVID–19 in a on behalf of the U.S. Senate, to the
Denver hospital. Today, Sheriff Weber was family of Sheriff Allan Weber. to fight it, although they may be nec-
escorted back to Gove County by Colorado I yield the floor. essary to protect public health, threat-
and Kansas Highway Patrols along with The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. KEN- en catastrophic damage to many of our
countless Kansas Sheriffs and law enforce- NEDY). The Senator from Maine. small businesses and their employees—
ment officers for one last time . . . Sheriff CORONAVIRUS small businesses that have now spent
Weber was an honorable man who was re- Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, later their PPP loan funds but are still un-
spected by all. He will be greatly missed. tonight, the Senate will vote on com- able to return to normal operations.
He respected those in blue, and those prehensive legislation to fund the gov- I talked with a restaurant owner in
in blue respected him. ernment throughout the remainder of Bangor, ME, where I live, who told me
He was a dedicated public servant fiscal year 2021 and to provide addi- that he, because of the size of his res-
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both in his home community and at tional, long-overdue funding to address taurant and to comply with the public
the State level. He served the Kansas the ongoing emergency needs of our health spacing and social distancing
Sheriffs’ Association on its board and country during the persistent COVID– guidelines, can only have four tables a
as its president. I talked to the Kansas 19 pandemic. night. Because the Governor of Maine
Sheriffs’ Association today, and they I am proud to have helped lead a bi- has imposed a 9 p.m. curfew, he can’t
wanted me to recognize Sheriff Weber’s partisan, bicameral coalition that lit- turn over those tables to compensate
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S7920 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 21, 2020
for the reduced number of people he not lobbying groups and that have 300 ficiaries of this section because of the
can serve at one time. It is so tough, or fewer employees, such as local safeguards that were stripped out by
and I could hear the pain in his voice chambers of commerce and economic the negotiators.
when he talked about having to lay off development organizations. For example, a museum in New York
some of his longstanding staff in order Fifth—and I want to give credit to City, say, with a billion-dollar endow-
to just stay alive. our colleague Senator CRAMER for this ment could receive an outright grant
That is why the $284.5 billion pro- concept—the bill greatly simplifies the as long as the museum has an audito-
vided in this bill to extend and expand loan forgiveness process for small bor- rium and meets the other eligibility re-
the PPP is so vital. The program im- rowers with loans of no more than quirements. That surely does not seem
provements in this bill are the result of $150,000 and directs the Small Business like an appropriate use of taxpayer dol-
months of work on the part of Chair- Administration and the Treasury De- lars to me and was clearly designed to
man RUBIO, Ranking Member CARDIN, partment to develop a simplified loan help large city venues that will survive
Senator SHAHEEN, and myself. I am forgiveness form for these borrowers. I without our help.
pleased to see that so much of the Con- remember when the first form came Nevertheless, I am pleased to support
tinuing the Paycheck Protection Pro- out and it was 14 pages long and so this package. This COVID relief is vi-
gram Act that Chairman RUBIO and I complicated that you would need an tally needed for our struggling fami-
introduced this fall is reflected in this advanced degree in economics or a CPA lies, for our hard-hit small businesses,
final bill. to help you figure it out, even if you for our challenged schools, for our
The final bill also reflects the very had a very small loan. stressed healthcare system, to promote
hard work that our bipartisan, bi- The bill, to guard against fraud and the distribution of the vaccine and
cameral coalition put into assistance abuse, also provides the SBA with $50 more testing, and to help our over-
to small business. Senator JEANNE SHA- million in additional audit funding. whelmed Postal Service. I urge support
HEEN and I had countless meetings, Finally, the bill sets aside funding for the package.
Zooms, and phone calls to work out the for smaller businesses and borrowers in I yield the floor.
details in conjunction with the rest of underserved communities to ensure The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma-
the members of our group. that they get the help they need jority leader.
I would like to take a moment to through, for example, CDFIs and mi- Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I
outline a few of the key features that nority business associations and depos- ask unanimous consent to complete my
are included in this package. itory institutions. It also includes $25 remarks before the vote.
First, the bill will allow the hardest The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
million for the Minority Business De-
hit small businesses to receive a second objection.
velopment Agency.
forgivable PPP loan. To ensure that as- Mr. President, the Paycheck Protec- YEAR-END ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
sistance is targeted to those most in tion Program is the result of a bipar- Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President,
need, eligibility for these second loans
tisan commitment to support our small with the Senate poised to complete
is generally limited to small businesses
businesses and their employees, to some major business for the country
with 300 or fewer employees that have
keep them afloat, the businesses afloat, and wrap up a most unusual year, I
seen their gross revenues drop by 25
and the employees paid during this want to express some gratitude to the
percent in some quarter this year com-
pandemic. It has been by any measure men and women behind the scenes who
pared to an identical quarter in 2019.
Second, recognizing the severe im- a tremendous success, but many of make our work possible.
pact that the COVID–19 mitigation these hardest hit small businesses re- Passing a historic rescue package
measures have had on our restaurants quire more help now in order to sur- and a full-year funding bill would be a
and hotels, the bill maintains the gen- vive, and this bill aims to provide that serious undertaking even in ordinary
eral terms for the loans for these enti- help. circumstances. And, of course, this
ties but with an important enhance- Before I close, I want to talk briefly pandemic year has brought anything
ment. The maximum forgivable loan about another provision of the bill, and but ordinary circumstances to the Sen-
size for hotels and restaurants is in- that is the grant assistance provided ate, just like everywhere else.
creased to 3.5 times their average for live venues, museums, and movie For about 10 months and counting,
monthly payroll costs compared to 2.5 theaters. Let me make clear that I sup- COVID–19 has imposed new challenges
times for other borrowers. This in- port funding for our community-based on hundreds of people who are already
crease in the loan amount will be so live venues. I know they have really plenty busy enough.
critical to the very survival of busi- been hurt. They have had to cancel After much of the Senate worked re-
nesses like Simones’ Hot Dog Stand their seasons. They have lost all their motely in April, we came back to work
and Restaurant in Lewiston, ME, and ticket revenues. They are in real dan- in early May—like the essential insti-
the Angler’s Family Seafood Res- ger. tution that we are. Month after month,
taurant, which has locations in Hamp- I have enjoyed these throughout we have taken smart and careful pre-
den, Searsport, and Newport. These Maine, like the Ogunquit Playhouse cautions and remained an exemplary
small businesses all received forgivable and the Center Theater for the Per- safe workplace. All along, we have not
PPP loans during the first round, but, forming Arts in Dover-Foxcroft. They just continued to govern but completed
faced with continuing dining restric- are the heart and soul of our smaller landmark confirmations and historic
tions and a long, cold winter, they are communities. legislation for the American people.
really worried about their survival and I was disappointed to see that the None of this would have been possible
about being able to retain and pay final bill had stripped provisions from without many people beyond the 100 of
their valued employees. our bipartisan, bicameral group that us with our names on these desks.
Third, forgivable expenses under the we included in our package to try to I want to thank the Office of the Sec-
program are expanded in very common- keep the focus of these grants on these retary of the Senate, led by Julie
sense ways. Supplier costs and invest- smaller entities. Specifically, our pro- Adams and Mary Suit Jones. This team
ments in facility modifications and posal would have limited the grant encompasses everyone from the tal-
personal protective equipment needed amounts that related entities could re- ented professionals who sit on the dais
to operate safely during the pandemic ceive to no more than $10 million and to the Official Reporters of Debate, to
will now be part of the forgivable over- excluded museums with endowments Disbursing and many other offices.
head expenses. This is especially im- larger than $75 million—commonsense Thanks to our Parliamentarian, Eliz-
portant to restaurants struggling to safeguards. Now, I do appreciate that abeth MacDonough, who faithfully
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adapt dining restrictions or to get a the legislation sets aside $2 billion for calls the balls and strikes. She won the
high-quality food supply because, entities with 50 employees or fewer, admiration of our temporary presider,
through no fault of their own, they but I am concerned that, as drafted, Chief Justice Roberts, before we re-
have fallen behind on their bills. many venues and museums with sig- claimed her as the Senate’s own.
Fourth, the bill extends the PPP to nificant endowments and other re- Thanks also to Senate Sergeant At
small 501(c)(6) organizations that are sources could be the largest bene- Arms—Mike Stenger and Jennifer
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December 21, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7921
Hemingway and their whole team, from Remember, this is somehow still the David Hauptmann; skilled communica-
the doorkeepers to the IT team that same calendar year that began with an tors Dylan Vorbach, Valerie Chicola,
stood up enormous telework capabili- impeachment trial, continued through Suzanne Youngblood, Emily Hauck,
ties almost overnight, to the workers the CARES Act, other major legisla- and Katherine Grayson.
who clean offices, move furniture, and tion over the summer, a Supreme Our frontline troops, the jacks-of-all-
keep this place running in hundreds of Court vacancy and confirmation this trades who keep everybody in line, are
ways. fall, and finally the all-out legislative Victoria Mason, Elise Stebick, and
Our Architect of the Capitol, Brett sprint since Thanksgiving. Spencer Abraham.
Blanton, assumed his role just before First, my two deputy chiefs of staff. Finally, at the head of this entire
the pandemic hit. He never missed a Stef Muchow runs our operations in an team is our fearless leader, our chief of
beat. His team tackled cleaning in a incredibly historically complex time to staff, Sharon Soderstrom. Everybody
way that exceeded industry standards, handle operations. She has worn about on Capitol Hill and everybody in Wash-
reconceived the food services, and, 10 different hats all year long—as ington knows that Sharon is one of the
again, physically kept the Capitol usual. Scott Raab handles policy. He smartest, most dedicated, and most ef-
functioning. has led his colleagues through a legis- fective staff leaders working at any
Of course, very special thanks are lative year like no other, from mam- level in any branch of government. She
due to our Attending Physician, Dr. moth negotiations and historic rescue is my first call and my last call on
Brian Monahan, and the entire team he packages to our most particular prior- every subject. She was in the leader’s
leads. Believe me, they already had a ities and everything in between. We office before I was. She supported both
full-time job caring for Members of have all leaned on Scott heavily, and Trent Lott and Bill Frist. So I count
Congress and the Supreme Court. We he has been indispensable. my blessings on a daily basis that I am
have leaned on Dr. Monahan in count- Beneath them, within our operation, lucky No. 3. Sharon bears the weight of
less ways all year long. His expertise are a lot of talented folks I am lucky the world on her shoulders and not
and wise counsel have been a credit to to have. I want to name them very only delivers but somehow prioritizes
the Senate throughout the pandemic. briefly. lightening everybody else’s load while
Here in the Chamber, I want to thank My chief counsel, Andrew Ferguson, she is at it—a walking master class in
our cloakroom teams, led by Gary offers brilliant advice, from impeach- leadership.
Myrick on the Democratic side and ment to policy to the judiciary. I am proud of all that we have ac-
Robert Duncan on ours. Duncan had Robert Karem, my defense policy ex- complished for the country in this
only just stepped into his current role pert, has brought critical institutional challenging year, and I couldn’t be
when the crisis began to unfold. He leadership as 2020 tested everything gladder to be heading into 2021 with
navigated about 10 years’ worth of big from national security to continuity of these talented professionals at my side.
challenges in his first 10 months in the government. So I thank them, Mr. President. I
top job. Thanks to him and his capable Jane Lee handles her massive port- thank them, one and all.
deputy, Chris Tuck. folio—and more besides—with incred- VOTE ON SOSKIN NOMINATION
Another key group these past months ible effectiveness and calm under fire,
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
has been our Rules Committee, led by and she sings the best Christmas carols
question is, Will the Senate advise and
Chairman BLUNT and his staff director, in the office.
consent to the Soskin nomination?
Fitzhugh Elder. The committee has run Terry Van Doren is a policy master
point on coordinating many of the Mr. MCCONNELL. I ask for the yeas
who delivers for Kentucky and the
changes and adaptions that have country every time. and nays.
helped keep this body safe. They have Erica Suares and Jim Neill are expert The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a
done an outstanding job without liaisons and advisers who keep me con- sufficient second?
enough recognition or thanks. nected inside the Senate and beyond. There appears to be a sufficient sec-
We are grateful to the men and Steve Donaldson has been my point ond.
women of the Capitol Police, led by man for all things election law during The clerk will call the roll.
Chief Steven Sund, who have stood this election year. The legislative clerk called the roll.
their posts even when most of the rest John Chapuis is a seasoned Senate Mr. THUNE. The following Senators
of us have worked remotely. They have veteran who picked quite the time to are necessarily absent: the Senator
stood strong during this pandemic, dur- join our team and cover economic pol- from Wyoming (Mr. ENZI), the Senator
ing protests both peaceful and other- icy. from Georgia (Mrs. LOEFFLER), the
wise, and during the other daily oper- Jody Wright fights to get good people Senator from Georgia (Mr. PERDUE),
ations that they handle with courage in good positions with good cheer. and the Senator from South Dakota
and professionalism. Andy Quinn is a master of words and (Mr. ROUNDS).
Across the board, I want to thank all ideas. Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the
of our Senate staff. Both the smaller David Popp heads my press team. He, Senator from California (Ms. HARRIS) is
footprint who have continued phys- Doug Andres, Scott Sloofman, and necessarily absent.
ically working at the Capitol and those their whole operation keep my message The result was announced—yeas 48,
who kept up their hard work remotely and the Republican conference’s mes- nays 47, as follows:
have confronted all kinds of novel chal- sage front and center. [Rollcall Vote No. 288 Ex.]
lenges. Our institution and our country Sarah Steinberg manages my days, YEAS—48
are grateful to you all. and Alex Jenkins manages my office— Alexander Ernst Paul
Last but not least, I want to thank both with great humor and even great- Barrasso Fischer Portman
my own team. My personal office, led er professionalism. Blackburn Gardner Risch
Blunt Graham Roberts
by departing chief of staff Phil Maxson, Moon Sulfab keeps our technology Boozman Grassley Romney
has fought every day for Kentuckians’ systems running and our spirits high. Braun Hawley Rubio
needs and priorities throughout this I have to mention our healthcare ex- Burr Hoeven Sasse
crisis. Our State offices, steered by pert Jen Kuskowski, who worked re- Capito Hyde-Smith Scott (FL)
Cassidy Inhofe Scott (SC)
Terry Carmack, kept us connected to motely this spring while expecting her Collins Johnson Shelby
our constituents in new ways. My com- baby boy and has been cheering us on Cornyn Kennedy Sullivan
munications director, Robert, Steurer, while on maternity leave. We can’t Cotton Lankford Thune
Cramer Lee Tillis
and all their colleagues who staff these wait to get her back.
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
Crapo McConnell Toomey
operations are invaluable to me and to Thanks to Grace Graham and Peter Cruz Moran Wicker
Kentucky. Oppenheim, whom Senator ALEXANDER Daines Murkowski Young
Here in the Capitol, my leadership generously shared from his HELP Com- NAYS—47
staff has given an incredible amount of mittee staff to help us in Jen’s absence. Baldwin Booker Cardin
themselves to me, to our team, and to Rounding out our leadership team Bennet Brown Carper
the Senate the entire year. are crack researchers Robert Utsey and Blumenthal Cantwell Casey
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S7922 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 21, 2020
Coons Klobuchar Schumer Qualified wind projects are receiving ity regulator—it has always been
Cortez Masto Leahy Shaheen
Duckworth Manchin Sinema
up to 21⁄2 cents per kilowatt hour from promised that it would be temporary
Durbin Markey Smith the taxpayer. These subsidies distort and would expire. Last year, we got
Feinstein Menendez Stabenow the market and are forcing out the jammed at the last minute with an-
Gillibrand Merkley Tester critical coal-fired baseload generation other extension, and, rightfully, the
Hassan Murphy Udall
Heinrich Murray we need to keep the lights on. people back home are really, really
Van Hollen Since Congress established a wind
Hirono Peters
Warner
upset with us. And it didn’t sit very
Jones Reed
Warren
production tax credit in 1992, wind well with me either.
Kaine Rosen power has been able to transition from
Kelly Sanders
Whitehouse That is why, in April of this year, I
King Schatz Wyden an emerging technology to a multibil- led a letter to Leader MCCONNELL with
lion-dollar industry that is clearly colleagues from West Virginia, Wyo-
NOT VOTING—5 commercially viable. That is why we ming, and Georgia saying it was time
Enzi Loeffler Rounds worked on a bipartisan agreement in
Harris Perdue
to finally level the playing field and
2015 to phase down and sunset the wind get rid of this market-distorting atroc-
The nomination was confirmed. tax credit at the end of 2019. ity.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- We had an agreement to do the In July, I led another letter to Chair-
jority leader. phaseout, and the wind industry agreed man GRASSLEY with even more col-
f to it. I worked with Senator THUNE and leagues—from West Virginia, Wyo-
AWEA, the American Wind Energy As- ming, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Penn-
LEGISLATIVE SESSION sociation, and others to do it. And they sylvania—with the same message: Let
agreed. We had an agreement. That is this credit expire.
MORNING BUSINESS why we are opposed to extending the Yet here we are again. The requests
PTC and offer an amendment to strike have fallen on deaf ears, and we have
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I it. simply been given another pill to swal-
ask unanimous consent that the Sen- We saw what happened in California low with the extension today.
ate proceed to legislative session and over the summer, and we can’t afford Some in this town have pointed to an
be in a period of morning business, to have blackouts and brownouts dur- extension in carbon sequestration cred-
with Senators permitted to speak ing the coldest of winter weather its like 45Q and 48A, as if they were an
therein for up to 10 minutes each. months. We, instead, must strengthen equal trade. They are not. Despite
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without grid resiliency and reliability by keep- years of pleading, the Treasury Depart-
objection, it is so ordered. ing diverse sources of generation avail- ment—yes, this Treasury Depart-
f able at all times, including when the ment—still has not finalized regula-
wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t tions. So an extension of 45Q is moot if
UNITED STATES-MEXICO shining. That means baseload.
ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP ACT there is no way to actually monetize
Instead of extending the production
the credit.
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I tax credit, we should be working on
Of equal importance, financial inves-
ask the Chair to lay before the Senate making technologies like carbon cap-
tors have said if renewable credits are
the message to accompany H.R. 133. ture and sequestration commercially
extended, they will absorb whatever
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The viable.
The American Wind Energy Associa- tax appetite exists because they are
Chair lays before the Senate the fol-
tion states on its website that ‘‘growth predictable, and those deals have been
lowing message from the House:
in the wind industry is expected to re- done many times.
The senior assistant legislative clerk Just to reiterate, they can’t even uti-
read as follows: main strong when the PTC is fully
phased out.’’ Why, then, are we consid- lize 45Q because Treasury hasn’t fin-
Resolved, that the House agree to the ished the regulations 3 years after Con-
amendment of the Senate to the bill (H.R. ering another extension of this credit
when the leading trade association ex- gress expanded the credit.
133) entitled ‘‘An Act to promote economic
More to the point, while there are
partnership and cooperation between the pects to see strong growth for the wind
United States and Mexico,’’ with an amend- some great proposed carbon sequestra-
industry without the credit?
ment to the Senate amendment. We need to bring back a level playing tion projects planned in North Dakota,
MOTION TO CONCUR field for competition in our electricity their benefit is targeted, while in con-
markets and reverse the trend of tax- trast, hundreds of miners and the local
Mr. MCCONNELL. I move to concur communities they have built are being
in the House amendment to the Senate payers continuing to subsidize a ma-
ture, multibillion-dollar wind industry. hurt by the extension of the production
amendment to H.R. 133. tax credit. I strongly support carbon
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The mo- I urge my colleagues to support this
amendment and ensure that the wind sequester projects, but to assume that
tion is pending. the potential benefits of 45Q or 48A are
Mr. MCCONNELL. I ask unanimous production tax credit sunsets.
With that, I would like to ask for equal to the unilateral harm of the
consent that there be 60 minutes of de- wind credit is disingenuous at best.
bate, equally divided between the lead- some words from my cosponsor on the
amendment, Senator CRAMER. I have heard from utilities who actu-
ers or their designees; and that fol- ally use the wind PTC, but they said
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
lowing the use or yielding back of that they don’t need it because the market
ator from North Dakota.
time, the Senate vote on the motion to Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I rise to is so awash with wind credits, they
concur without further motions or join my colleague Senator HOEVEN in can’t even monetize them. It is com-
amendments in order and that 60 af- offering this amendment and urging pletely upside down. In fact, the PTC
firmative votes be required to adopt our colleagues to support the amend- credits are actually taking money
the motion to concur. ment to strip the wind protection tax away from other clean energy projects
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without credit from this massive bill. like nuclear clean coal, taking emis-
objection, it is so ordered. I feel like I am living in an episode of sions-free energy right off the grid.
The Senator from North Dakota. the ‘‘Twilight Zone,’’ and I wish I could Just a few days ago, POLITICO said
UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST say that I am surprised. But I am not, this: The simplest option for tax ex-
Mr. HOEVEN. North Dakota is an en- because here we go again. Despite nu- tenders would be to let all 33 that are
ergy powerhouse, and our late-night merous requests and appeals and deals scheduled to expire at the end of the
producers work around the clock to en- with the leader and the chairman of year to be renewed.
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
sure homes and businesses in the Mid- the Finance Committee to not jam this I have a simpler plan. Let them all
west have affordable and reliable ac- body with a 13th extension of the wind expire. K Street wouldn’t like it, but it
cess to power when it is needed most. protection tax credit, here we are with would be one less section in this giant
But the PTC, the wind production tax another one in front of us. package.
credit, is creating artificially low Since the credit’s inception in 1992— One final point, in all of my time in
prices in markets for power generation. and for a lot of those years I was a util- Congress—and that has been 8 years
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